Pride month could be a balm, says bishop Trump blasted over LGBTQ+ sermon
WASHINGTON ‒ Despite being attacked by him online, Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde said she would meet with President Donald Trump if it would lead to a meaningful discussion about protecting the rights of LGBTQ+ communities.
“I would love to actually have a real person-to-person conversation about the things that matter. I'm always open to that," Budde, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, told Paste BN.
Trump was upset by Budde’s sermon for his Jan. 21 inauguration prayer service. In it, she urged him to “have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now."
“There are transgender children in both Republican and Democratic families who fear for their lives,’’ she told Trump during the service at the Washington National Cathedral.
Trump later lashed out on social media, demanding an apology from Budde and calling her a “Radical Left hard line Trump hater."
"She was nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart," he wrote.
With Pride Month underway, Paste BN talked with Budde about her work as a longtime advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and those few lines in her 15-minute sermon that stirred an avalanche of reactions.
“The remarkable thing about my two or three sentences in that inaugural prayer service about compassion and respecting all people is the response that it got,’’ said Budde, noting she received boxes of thank-you letters. “That says to me, 'OK, this is who we are. These are the values that we want to stand for and that's who we are as a church, that's who I am as a bishop, that's who my fellow Christians are in the denomination I serve. I’m really proud.’’
There was also plenty of criticism. She expected that. Their differences aren't new. Budde slammed Trump in 2020 when he held up a Bible in front of a church near the White House during protests over the death of George Floyd.
Still, Budde said, she’s “concerned about the resurgence of rhetoric that target LGBTQ people.’’
This conversation with Budde, 65, the first woman elected to her post and the author of “How We Learn to Be Brave: Decisive Moments in Life and Faith,’’ has been shortened for clarity and brevity.
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Pride Month celebrations
Question: Is there anything in particular during this Pride Month that you hope the public and politicians work to protect or push back against?
Answer: Pride historically has been this celebration and also an opportunity for churches like ours to witness and to say, ‘Hey, we want to celebrate you, the fullness of humanity, God's love for all children.’ … This year, is there a poignancy or urgency to that? I would say so because it feels as if there are some values, some accomplishments, some strides that are being called into question and a fairly aggressive effort on the part of many to take away some of the things that have been so hard-fought for. It's both a time of celebration and a reminder that this is who we are, and these are our beloved, and this is who we stand with.
You've been an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights for a long time. What drove you to this work?
All of this was coming on the heels, frankly, of the churches’ ordination of women. They did not ordain women officially until 1979. I was ordained in 1984. … I was hearing a lot of the same arguments both theologically and sociologically that had been used against women and against Blacks in the church. It did not ring true to my experience. And there was a lot of great theological and biblical work being done in support of full inclusion, affirmation and expansive views of God's love of diversity and the unconditional celebration of all human beings.
Pride Month is celebrated every year, but as we talked about, some people feel this climate is more toxic. What do you hope happens going forward?
I pray that it is a really joyful, inspiring gathering where people feel safe, where they feel seen, where they feel supported, where they can laugh and learn. Maybe it is a good antidote to some of the meaner rhetoric that has been unnecessarily hurtful. And just be a balm for people. We all need that.
Coping with the cultural divide
You said you’ve received a lot of affirmations and positive responses to your sermon in January, but I’m sure you received negative ones too. How did you take them?
I actually think the cultural divide has been fueled and amplified by the forces in our society that want to keep us divided and that are looking for ways to divide us and also to inspire fear where there should be no fear. That’s been hard.
In your sermon, you called for President Trump to have mercy on different communities, including the LGBTQ+ community. Do you think that has happened in the months since he took office?
There seems to be a lot to be gained by keeping us divided and to project really false statements onto whole groups of people. That has not stopped, which is just worrisome and a bit heartbreaking. This is not for me, a partisan thing … but I do want to constantly stand for and remind people of the values that are bedrock to me as a person of faith, but also to our country and to emphasize that we have far more in common with one another than we differ.
When is it time to apologize?
Trump called on you to apologize. Do you have any regrets about anything you said or did that day?
I’m human. I'm constantly second-guessing myself. Could I've done something better? Could I have said it better? Could I have built a bridge? I couldn't bring myself to apologize for what I felt was the gospel. I was very much in my lane as a spiritual leader in a spiritual context, speaking about what we need in our country if we truly are to be united.
Are you saying you would meet with President Trump?
To further the good of what we need to do, I would welcome it. In my work you respect the dignity of every human being and try to listen to find whatever ground you can upon which to build something together. … I would never shut the door on a real conversation.
Has an invitation been extended either way?
No. I don't operate in those circles. Most of my job is with congregations. I'm not partisan. But when they come to our house and they invite us to pray, we pray. And if I were ever invited into any other spaces, I would gladly go and go with an open heart.
Politicians acting in the name of God
What do you say to Christians who have left the church because of things politicians have done in God's name?
I understand the grief and pain of that. I wish I could assure them that if the image of God that they're carrying as a result of that is of a cruel and judgmental and angry God, that that is not the God that I believe in or worship, and that there is always love and mercy and goodness at the heart of God.