Religious Leaders Endorse National Equality March

The National Equality March (NEM), slated for October 10-11 in Washington, D.C., has its share of celebrity endorsers, blogger endorsers, and activist endorsers. Now they can add upwards of 70 religious leaders as well.

NEM announced the religious endorsements tonight, noting the importance of having voices of faith supporting national efforts to push equal rights.

Mitchell Gold, the furniture entrepreneur and the founder of Faith in America echoed that sentiment.

"In every case in this country's history when misguided church teaching was used to justify prejudice and discrimination it has been judged as a moral failure of our society. The greatest obstacle to reaching full civil equality for LGBT American’s today is this same kind of religion-based bigotry," said Gold. "The National March for Equality gives all people of faith an important opportunity to speak out about this injustice and the irreparable harm it creates in our lives…and to say the time to end the harm is NOW."

The full list of religious endorsements is after the jump.

Rev. David Bahr, Park Hill Congregational Church UCC
Pamela Baldwin, Interfaith Alliance of Idaho
Nelson Bock, Interfaith Alliance of Colorado
Rabbi Stephen Booth-Nadav, Aytz Chayim/Tree of Life
Dr. Richard C. Bozian, TIA-Cincinnati-First Unitarian Church
Rev. Elizabeth Braddon, Stony Brook Community Church
Dr. Phil Campbell, Iliff School of Theology
Rev. Tom Capo, Peoples Church Unitarian Universalist
Carol Carlson, Social Justice Committee of First Unitarian Church of Cincinnati
Rev. Cynthia Cearley, Montview Blvd. Presbyterian Church Angela Cesa, Hospice
Rabbi Carl Choper, The Interfaith Alliance of Pennsylvania
Rev. Hal Chorpenning, Plymouth Congregational UCC
Rev. Samuel Chu, Interim Executive Director of California Faith for Equality
Dick Clark, St. Timothy’s United Methodist Church
Rev. Paul Collier, First Presbyterian Church
Rev. Greg Cummins, Montview Blvd. Presbyterian Church
Douglas Cunningham, New Day United Methodist Church
Rabbi Mark Diamond, Exec. Vice President of the Southern California Board of Rabbis
Maureen Doherty, Episcopal Church
Anne Dunlap, Comunidad Liberacion/Liberation Community
Rabbi Denise Eger, President of Pacific Association of Reform Rabbis
Rabbi Dr. David Ellenson, President of Hebrew Union College
Rev. Eric Fjeldal, United Methodist Church
Rev. Vicki Flippin, Diamond Hill United Methodist Church, Cos Cob, Connecticut
Rabbi Steven A. Fox, Exec. Vice President of the Central Conference of American Rabbis
Paul Fraser, Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Rev. Dr. C. Weldon Gaddy, Interfaith Alliance
Gregory Garland, United Church of Christ
Dan Geslin, Sixth Avenue United Church of Christ
Mitchell Gold, Faith in America
Rev. Galen Guengerich, All Souls Unitarian Church
Elizabeth Gull, Universal Life Church
Susan Guy, Walnut Hills United Methodist Church
Rev. Debra W. Haffner, The Religious Institute
Edward Hawley, United Church of Christ
Rabbi Steven B. Jacobs, Chair of the Progressive Jewish Foundation
Ellen Johnson-Fay, Unitarian Universalist Association
Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, Senior Rabbi of Congregation Beth Simchat Torah, NYC
Noel Koestline, United Methodist Church
Rev. Eric Lee, President of the Los Angeles Southern Christian Leadership
Rev. Eun-sang Lee, First United Methodist Church, Salt Lake City
Rev. Mark J Lukens, Bethany Congregational UCC/ LI Chapter of TIA
Whit Malone, Collegiate Presbyterian Church
Rev. Matthew J. Mardis-LeCroy, Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ
Sister Maureen McCormack, Interfaith Alliance of Colorado
Rev. Nancy Nelson, Metropolitan Community Churches
Richard S. Parker, United Methodist Church
Rev. Emily Peck-McClain, United Methodist Church
Rev. Troy Perry, Metropolitan Community Churches
Douglas Peters, United Methodist Church
Richard Pleva, Iowa Conference, United Church of Christ
Julia Rendon, Crossroads United Church of Christ
Bishop Eugene Robinson, Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire
Paul Rolig, Humanists of Idaho
Rabbi David Saperstein Director of the Religious Action Center, Washington DC
Rev. Susan Russell, President of Integrity
Connie Ryan Terrell, Interfaith Alliance of Iowa
Walter Schenck, United Methodist Church, NY Annual Conference
Rev. Catherine Schuyler, Duluth Congregational Church
Rev. Jeremy Shaver, Interfaith Alliance of Colorado/Park Hill Congregational Church
Rev. Charles H. Straut, Jr., New York Annual Conference, United Methodist Church
Rev. Mark Stringer, First Unitarian Church of Des Moines; Nadine Swahnberg, UUA
Rev. Neil G. Thomas, Chair of California Faith for Equality
Kenneth Thurow, ELCA
Joel Warner, United Methodist Church
Rabbi Ellen Weinberg Dreyfus, President of the Central Conference of American Rabbis
Dana Wimmer, United Methodist
Rabbi Eric Yoffie, President of the Union for Reform of Judaism
Ani Zonneveld, Co-founder and President of Muslims for Progressive Values

(Photo courtesy of bkusler's photostream on Flickr.)