Blessed be our rights: 20 American Christian churches, ranked on LGBTQ+ support

1. Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC)

Founded in Los Angeles in 1968 by Rev. Troy Perry as a specifically affirming Christian church for LGBTQ+ people, the Metropolitan Community Church has 23,000 members and also welcomes straight people. The MCC consists of 233 churches and spiritual communities in 42 countries, and is based in Sarasota, Florida. Although there is an elected governing board and an appointed Council of Elders, each MCC church operates autonomously, creating its own systems of governance and administration.

Same-sex marriages have been performed since soon after its founding, and MCC is believed to be the first church in the U.S. to have done so. Ordination and leadership roles are open at all levels to LGBTQ+ individuals, including transgender and nonbinary ministers. The MCC strongly supports both adoption and parenting rights for same-sex couples and actively opposes discrimination.

The MCC is led by a reverend elder known as a moderator who is responsible for leading the organization's global operations. She is also CEO and Chief of Staff.

2. Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA)

The United Universalist Association's support for same-sex unions date back as far as 1984 and for full marriage equality starting in 1996. The UUA ordains LGBTQ+ ministers and explicitly protects transgender and gender non-conforming individuals across all congregations.

While historically Christian, the UUA does not hold to any particular religious creed. The Universalist Church of America was founded in 1793 in the belief that salvation is universal, experienced by all. The American Unitarian Association, founded in 1825, believes in a single, united God, in contrast to the Roman Catholic doctrine of the Holy Trinity. In recognition of their shared values for social justice, the denominations combined in 1961. The UUA's headquarters is in Boston.

The church ordained its first female minister in 1863, its first openly gay minister in 1979, and its first transgender minister in 1988. The UUA strongly supports and advocates for couples seeking to adopt children. Despite government efforts to erase diversity, equity and inclusion, the church has maintained DEI policies and its stance against discrimination.

Delegates of the UUA choose the organization's president, moderator and board of trustees at a meeting of the General Assembly. There are more than 153,000 certified members of the UUA across 1,078 congregations, and roughly 650,000 people broadly identify as Unitarians.

3. United Church of Christ

The United Church of Christ is a Protestant Christian denomination that the Human Rights Campaign calls "one of the most accepting religious groups" but its support of the LGBTQ+ community varies by congregation. "Not every church in the denomination is supportive," cautions HRC.

With about 1.3 million members, the UCC first voiced its commitment to civil rights for LGBTQ+ people back in 1969 and has been ordaining LGBTQ+ pastors since 1972 and celebrating same-sex marriages since 2005.

Transgender worshippers are fully welcomed and affirmed. The UCC supports and advocates for adoption by same-sex couples and has advocated for non-discrimination policies since 1975. It is led by a CEO who also holds the title of General Minister and President, and is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio.

The UCC's 5,000 churches are autonomous and are united through membership in regional associations and conferences that meet at a General Synod convened every two years. Synod resolutions provide guidelines for all UCC churches but do not dictate policy, which is why support among individual congregations may differ

The UCC ordained its first LGBTQ+ minister in 1972, making Rev. William R. Johnson the first openly gay minister in a mainline Protestant denomination. Ordination is open to transgender and intersex people. Women have been ordained in the UCC since its founding in 1957, with the history of ordination dating back through preceding denominations to 1853.

4. Presbyterian Church U.S.A.

The Presbyterian Church U.S.A., whose teachings by John Calvin date back to the 16th century, is not to be confused with the Presbyterian Church in America, which has as one of its position papers an item titled, "The Homosexual Agenda."

By contrast, PCUS's General Assembly voted to support marriage equality in 2014 and to amend its Book of Order to update the description of marriage as “a unique commitment between two people, traditionally a man and a woman.” That last part was done to gain support from more conservative members. Support for transgender and nonbinary members was approved in 2018.

The PCUS is the largest Presbyterian organization in the country and boasts 1.4 million members attending more than 10,000 congregations in the U.S. Formed in 1983 with the merger of the southern-based Presbyterian Church in the U.S. and the northern-based United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. The PCUS fully supports the rights of same-sex couples to adopt children and voted unanimously in 2018 to oppose discrimination in all its forms.

In 2010, the General Assembly approved an amendment allowing out LGBTQ+ ministers to be ordained at the discretion of individual congregations, which can choose to ordain queer mininsters or not. Erin Swenson became the first transgender minister to serve in the PCUS in 1996, when members voted to continue her ministry following her transition from male to female. The denomination’s history of ordaining women as elders reaches back to 1883.

The PCUS is based in Louisville, Kentucky, and rather than have one leader, its members are led by teaching elders— also known as ministers, ruling elders, and deacons.

5. Episcopal Church

It's important to note that although the Episcopal Church is a part of the Worldwide Anglican Communion, the difference is that while the organization of 85 million Anglicans condemns homosexuality, Episcopalians have been fully inclusive since 1976.

The church has 2 million members and is governed by two legislative bodies: the House of Deputies, with lay and clergy representatives from across the church, and the House of Bishops, which includes all bishops of the church. Its headquarters is in New York City.

The Episcopal Church approved same-sex marriage in 2015 and expanded marriage rites for same-sex couples to all dioceses in 2018. But that amendment also includes a resolution that allows clergy who object to marriage equality to request another bishop be assigned to officiate at a same-sex couple's wedding and that no clergy member can be forced to preside over any marriage ceremony.

Canon law includes “gender identity or expression” in its list of persons who are assured full access to the ministry of the church. The church opposes all legislation that restricts public restroom, locker room and shower access for transgender and gender non-conforming people.

The church strongly supports adoption by same-sex couples and opposes discrimination, but in 2018 rejected the addition of language that would have offered protection in hiring and ordination of clergy.

The church consecrated its first openly gay bishop in 2003 — the Rev. V. Gene Robinson — and approved transgender ordination in 2012. Women have been ordained priests and elected bishops in the Episcopal Church since 1974.

6. United Methodist Church

The roots of the United Methodist Church date back to the 18th century, but in recent years the UMC has adopted a more progressive stance in support of the LGBTQ+ community.

With the support of its approximately 12.5 million members worldwide, the UMC's General Conference voted in 2024 to remove longstanding bans on the celebration of same-sex marriages by clergy and in churches, and on the ordination of LGBTQ+ clergy. These changes became fully effective on January 1, 2025.

Originally, the UMC's Book of Discipline stated "the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching." The church now affirms that human sexuality is "a sacred gift" and recognizes the importance of sexual intimacy in fostering emotional, spiritual, and physical well-being.

As The Advocate reported in December 2025, those changes allowed the Rev. Dr. Phillippa “Pastor Phil” Phaneuf, pastor of the North Chili United Methodist Church outside Rochester, N.Y., to come out as transgender. "I’m not becoming a woman," she told congregants, "I’m giving up pretending to be a man.” She was greeted by cheers and applause.

But there were consequences for removing those bans: As the Advocate reported, more than 7,600 of the church’s congregations around the world — a whopping 25 percent — quit the UMC, either becoming independent or affiliating with the conservative Global Methodist Church. The in 2025, United Methodists ratified a plan called "regionalization," aimed at restructuring the 58-year-old institution and giving churches around the globe equal standing and greater freedom to customize traditions to their region, as Religion News Service reported.

Today, the church states it is committed to supporting the rights of all people to be free of discrimination regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, and enacted a policy in support of adoption by same-sex couples in 2016.

The UMC is organized in a fashion similar to the United States government, with one exception: It does not have a single executive leader or president, or even a central headquarters. Duties are divided among three co-equal branches: the General Conference, the Council of Bishops, and the Judicial Council. The UMC has offices in Nashville, Washington, D.C., and New York City.

7. The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

Those parentheses are actually part of this church's official name: The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Founded in the early 1880s, The Christian Church is closely partnered with the United Church of Christ.

In 2013, the church voted to affirm and welcome LGBTQ+ people in all aspects of church life, including leadership. However, that resolution did not dictate policy for individual congregations, so specific stances on adoption and same-sex issues vary by congregation. That means when the Human Rights Campaign says "same-gender marriages are celebrated by many congregations of the Christian Church," you should read between the lines to understand that means, "not all."

The church actively encourages congregations become more inclusive. For example, after the 2015 Obergefell ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, the church's general minister and president said individual congregations would maintain their autonomy but recommended “ministers whose consciences call for them to conduct weddings for couples regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity may now do so legally in every state.”

Approximately 600,000 people in the United States and Canada are members of individual congregations that are organized in 32 self-governing regions across North America. Each of those participates in the General Board and at the biennial General Assembly. The Christian Church is led by a general minister who is also president. Its headquarters is in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The Christian Church supports non-discrimination. But decisions regarding ordination are up to congregations and regions. Several have ordained LGBTQ+ clergy. Women have been ordained in the church since the 1880s.

8. The Alliance of Baptists

Don't let the word "baptists" in its name fool you; the Alliance of Baptists is a movement started in the late 1980s by progressives in the Southern Baptist church who support the LGBTQ+ community.

They questioned their denomination’s commitment to biblical inerrancy and exclusively male ordination, and in 1987 started their own “faith community comprised of male and female laity and clergy, people of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities, theological beliefs, and ministry practices.”

The Alliance is centered around “communities” that focus on specific societal concerns such as justice for the homeless and equity for women in the church community, as well as LGBTQ +rights.

With 4,500 members in approximately 130 affiliated churches, the Alliance relies upon what it calls a “collaborative model of leadership,” supported by a Board of Directors and enacted at annual meetings. Individual congregations remain largely autonomous, so there is no formal policy on adoption by same-sex couples. But members of the alliance have posted on social media that they are supported.

The Alliance adopted this statement on marriage in 2004, which can be found on its website:

“As Christians and as Baptists, we particularly lament the denigration of our gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender sisters and brothers in this debate by those who claim to speak for God.”

The Alliance is a vocal supporter of anti-discrimination protections for members of the LGBTQ+ community and has ordained LGBTQ+ ministers since its founding.

Based in Raleigh, N.C., the church is led by an executive committee, a board of directors, and an interim director.

9. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Support for LGTBQ+ people goes as far back as 1991 for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, in contrast to the Missouri Synod branch of the Lutheran Church, which teaches "homosexual behavior is contrary to Scripture." Same for the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, which holds that marriage is between one man and one woman.

The ELCA is considered the most welcoming and inclusive of queer members of these three leading Lutheran organizations operating in the United States.

Formed in 1988 from the merger of three smaller Lutheran organizations, the ELCA consists of nearly 10,000 congregations and more than 3.8 million members across the country. Its headquarters is in Chicago.

Led by the presiding bishop, the ELCA Churchwide Assembly meets once every three years. The last one wrapped up in August 2025 and did not come to an agreement on the issue of marriage equality. Until they meet again in 2028, individual ministers and their congregations have autonomy to celebrate same-sex marriages. And those opposed can opt out. The same goes for same-sex couples who wish to adopt.

The official position of the ELCA is that the church opposes all forms of discrimination.

The ELCA has ordained LGBTQ+ ministers since 2010. But once again, church policy gives individual congregations autonomy in who can be ordained. Women have been ordained in the church since its founding in 1988, and even before that in some of the Lutheran churches that eventually formed the ELCA, beginning in 1970.

10. Religious Society of Friends, aka The Quakers

The Religious Society of Friends doesn't have a central leader, a headquarters, or one policy in support of the LGBTQ+ community.

What started in England as a Christian society in the 17th century has grown into three distinct branches that diverge from parts of their common history: the Friends General Conference, which represents a more liberal movement of Quakers; the Friends United Meeting, which is considered mainstream and believes marriage can only be between one man and one woman; and the firmly anti-LGBTQ+ Evangelical Friends Church International.

Despite this dichotomy, there are still Quaker communities that are in fact open and welcoming to LGBTQ+ people, and an increasing number affirm the marriages and unions of LGBTQ+ couples. Support for other issues, including non-discrimination, civil marriage rights, support for families headed by LGBTQ+ people, and spiritual equality, vary by community, each of which is autonomous.

Still, the mainstream Friends United Meeting branch called for equal protection for gays and lesbians in 1988, and many Friends groups have a longstanding tradition of opposing discrimination.

The most consistent level of acceptance can be found in the Friends General Conference, which declared in 2004: "Our experience has been that our Gatherings and Central Committee work have been immeasurably enriched over the years by the full participation and Spirit-guided leadership of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer Friends. We will never go back to silencing those voices or suppressing those gifts."

There is no formal ordination policy.

11. Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church is by far the country’s largest single Christian denomination, comprising over 75 million members and roughly 20 percent of the U.S. adult population. It operates a vast network of roughly 16,501 parishes and is the fourth-largest Catholic population in the world.

And its official policy is that “homosexual acts” are “intrinsically immoral and contrary to the natural law,” and names “homosexual tendencies” as “objectively disordered.”

An important distinction: the Catholic Church doesn't consider “homosexual orientation” sinful in and of itself: “Although the particular inclination of the homosexual person is not a sin, it is a more or less strong tendency ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil; and thus the inclination itself must be seen as an objective disorder.”

While there is support among many Catholics, the Church itself does not celebrate, recognize or sanctify same-sex marriages. But blessings are allowed. Well, kinda.

As The Advocate reported in April 2026, Pope Leo XIV has made it clear he supports the Vatican’s existing position allowing informal blessings for same-sex couples, but rejects efforts to formalize those blessings in ways that resemble marriage rites.

The first American-born pontiff told reporters the Roman Catholic Church would not go "beyond what was specifically, if you will, allowed for by Pope Francis in saying that all people receive blessings," said Pope Leo. That fell short of what his predecessor, Pope Francis, said in 2020:

"Homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family. They’re children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out, or be made miserable because of it."

It was Francis's unexpected rhetorical question — "If someone is gay and seeks the Lord with good will, who am I to judge?" — that led The Advocate to name him Person of the Year in 2013.

Although Francis's statement was not official church teaching, many Catholic observers believe his remark neutralized the instruction by his predecessor, Pope Benedict, in 2005, to condemn same-sex couples and ban ordination of gay men.

The Church, he said, “cannot admit to the seminary or to holy orders those who practice homosexuality, present deep-seated homosexual tendencies or support the so-called ‘gay culture.’ Such persons, in fact, find themselves in a situation that gravely hinders them from relating correctly to men and women.”

However, the Vatican has different rules for gay men who want to be priests in Italy: They must be fully celibate and not participate in the "gay subculture." Enforcement of the ban in the U.S. depends on the diocese and religious order; some bishops welcome celibate gay candidates for the priesthood, and others strictly enforce bans on any candidates "with homosexual tendencies."

Only men are considered candidates to be priests. Women can be nuns, and there was even one who is transgender.

“Homosexual persons are called to chastity,” according to Church teachings. However, the doctrine also specifies that, “Such persons must be accepted with respect and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided.”

There is no official policy regarding transgender individuals in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, but Pope Francis made it a point to welcome trans men, women, and nonbinary individuals to the Vatican as The Advocate reported.

The experience of being an LGBTQ+ Catholic varies by parish and region, and sometimes from priest to priest. Parishes have denied sacraments to queer individuals. Some parishes have fired LGBTQ+ employees in the United States from jobs at Catholic schools and churches because of their orientation and gender identity,

12. Eastern Orthodox Catholic Church

Officially known as the Orthodox Catholic Church, this church has stood apart from the Roman Catholic Church for nearly 1,000 years, and is considered the second largest denomination of Christians in the world.

What the two churches have in common is the belief that sex between two men or two women is a sin, that same-sex couples cannot be wed nor their marriages blessed, and that gender confirmation surgery is an affront to God's design.

The Eastern Orthodox Church rejects the Roman Catholic concept of papal supremacy, its understanding of original sin and how the Holy Spirit came to be. Both traditions celebrate seven sacraments, but Orthodox churches knock out three of them a few weeks after being born: baptism, chrismation aka confirmation, and the Eucharist.

Only men can be priests, but Eastern Orthodox priests are permitted to marry before they are ordained. Bishops, however, must remain celibate to serve.

The Eastern Orthodox church has no policy on discrimination against LGBTQ+ people. There is no one central leader, like a pope. The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople is considered their spiritual leader, and known as the “first among equals."

With 260 million members worldwide, the church's U.S. population is estimated between one and two million. Orthodox churches here collaborate through the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America. Its U.S. headquarters is in Springfield, Virginia.

A breakaway group, the Orthodox-Catholic Church of America, welcomes “people on the basis of love, not category." There is also a lay organization known as Axios, which sponsors Orthodox services in Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

13. American Baptist Churches USA

The American Baptist Churches USA is America's fifth-largest Christian denomination, with approximately 1.3 million members and 5,000 congregations worldwide.

It's considered one of the most inclusive Protestant churches — at least in terms of racial and ethnic diversity — with a distinct identity apart from the American Baptist Association (ABA), the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), the Alliance of Baptists, and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

That said, you're still not going to find an ABCUSA float at New York City's Pride March.

In 1992, the church voted that being gay is “incompatible with Christian teaching." The closest they came to affirmation was an acknowledgement that issues such as sexual orientation require full and continuous engagement in dialogue, according to the Human Rights Campaign.

Then in 2006, more than 300 churches in the ABCUSA's Pacific Southwest region threatened to leave the organization because its leaders refused to address their complaints that some churches were “welcoming and affirming” and accepting "unrepentant homosexuals" as members.

The church is led by a general secretary and a president. Its headquarters is in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.

There's no indication where ABCUSA stands on transgender issues, discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people and adoption by gay couples. But in 2005, the church decided "God’s design for sexual intimacy places it within the context of marriage between one man and one woman and acknowledge that the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Biblical teaching.” So, draw your own conclusions on what they think of those other issues.

A candidate to be ordained a minister in the ABCUSA must sign stating they are not a "practicing homosexual."

14. National Baptist Convention USA

The National Baptist Convention USA is the largest predominantly African-American denomination in the United States, with 7.5 million members.

While it does not have a formal policy on gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender or queer people, nor on adoption, discrimination or ordination, its leader in 2012 made the church's position quite clear on where the NBCUSA stands. This was in response to a statement by President Barack Obama in support of marriage equality.

"The National Baptist Convention, USA, Incorporated does not dictate to its constituent churches what position to take on issues because we believe in the autonomy of the local church. However, the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. affirms that marriage is a sacred biblical covenant between a man and a woman.”

And two years later, this instruction was shared with members of the military clergy:

“Endorsed Chaplains, although serving in a pluralistic environment, are not to participate in any activity that implies or condones same sex marriage or same sex union.”

Some parishes have called and ordained women pastors, although they are believed to be a distinct minority. The church's headquarters is in Nashville, Tenn. and it is led by a president and his cabinet of 12 Black men and one Black woman.

15. The Church of the Nazarene

The Church of the Nazarene has a bit of a bait and switch message for the LGBTQ+ community on its official website.

“The Church of the Nazarene believes that every man or woman should be treated with dignity, grace, and holy love, whatever their sexual orientation.”

Nice. However, the church takes a different position deep inside its 2017-2021 Manual of the Church of the Nazarene:

"The practice of same-sex sexual intimacy is contrary to God’s will for human sexuality," and "the implication of this call to sexual purity is costly, we believe the grace of God is sufficient for such a calling," and “it is God’s intention for our sexuality to be lived out in the covenantal union between one woman and one man."

The Church of the Nazarene is a Protestant church that was founded in 1908 from its Methodist roots in the 19th century. It has a membership of nearly 2 million people belonging to 3,000 Nazarene churches around the world, with 650,000 members in North America.

Its most well-known member is Dr. James Dobson, the anti-gay crusader and founder of the "ex-gay" movement who established the anti-LGBTQ+ group, Focus on the Family, in the 1970s.

Its headquarters in Lenexa, Kansas, is where its board of general superintendents, made up of six elected representatives, runs the operation.

The Church of the Nazarene does not have a position on transgender inclusion or identity, other than this: "The human body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. We affirm the need for our sexuality to be conformed to God’s will. Our bodies are not our own but have been bought with a price. Therefore, we are called to glorify God in our bodies through a life of yielded obedience."

Women have been ordained in the church since its earliest days. Candidates must demonstrate "purity," meaning no sex outside heterosexual marriage. As far as discrimination policy, the church's employment guidelines state: "We are a faith-based organization. Acceptance of our Christian Code of Conduct is required and membership in the Church of the Nazarene is required for certain positions.”

16. African Methodist Episcopal Church

The African Methodist Episcopal Church does not support same-sex marriage or LGBTQ+ clergy, despite being founded on the principle that discrimination is wrong.

The predominantly Black church originated as a protest against prejudice experienced by people of African descent in white Methodist congregations. It was established in 1816 in Philadelphia by Richard Allen and 15 other African Methodist delegates as the first independent Black denomination in the United States.

AME's 2.5 million members are led by 21 bishops and nine general officers who meet every four years to set church policy. Its headquarters is in Nashville.

The AME Church book of discipline explicitly states that same-sex unions or marriages are contrary to God's will, and clergy are barred from performing them under threat of disciplinary action. A unanimous vote by members at its national convention sealed the deal in 2004.

Delegates forbid ministers from performing marriage or civil union ceremonies for same-sex couples. That vote marked the first time the issue of marriage rights for same-sex couples was decided by a predominantly African-American Christian denomination.

That same year, the Rev. Gregory Groover, Sr., an AME pastor in Boston, explained why they opposed marriage equality:

"As black preachers, we are progressive in our social consciousness, and in our political ideology as an oppressed people we will often be against the status quo, but our first call is to hear the voice of God in our Scriptures, and where an issue clearly contradicts our understanding of Scripture, we have to apply that understanding.”

The AME Church has not specifically addressed transgender issues or adoption by same-sex couples.

However, there is at least one queer minister working for change.

In August 2024, delegates to the AME convention in Ohio considered a bill that would have triggered an open debate about the issue of same-sex marriage, the Associated Press reported.

The vote was no, effectively throwing away three years of research by the AME's Sexual Ethics Discernment Committee, which the AP reported was established in 2021 by a resolution to decide how the AME should move forward on marriage equality.

“LGBTQ+ people in the church suffer in relative silence while those who have left are forced to find or even create new spiritual communities,” Rev. Jennifer S. Leath told The Associated Press. Leath is an out LGBTQ+ pastor of an AME church in Ontario, Canada.

Before the General Conference of the AME church meets again in 2028, Leath said the Sexual Ethics Discernment Committee will reconvene. She said she’s confident that bills that will finally honor the gender and sexual diversity within the AME's membership will be carried forward, and ultimately the church will change its ways.

17. Southern Baptist Convention

The Southern Baptist Convention is the largest Protestant denomination in the United States, with more than 16 million members, and it has actively discriminated against LGBTQ+ people for more than a quarter-century.

In 2017, the SBC's top leaders issued a statement in conjunction with other evangelicals, denouncing LGBTQ+ people and their identities as "inconsistent with God’s holy purposes in creation and redemption." That was preceded in 1996 with a declaration that “even a desire to engage in a homosexual relationship is always sinful, impure, degrading, shameful, unnatural, indecent and perverted.”

The SBC equates homosexuality with adultery and pornography, according to a statement issued in 2000: “In the spirit of Christ, Christians should oppose... all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery, homosexuality and pornography.”

Southern Baptists believe in "love the sinner and hate the sin," as exemplified in this guidance on its website:

“Christians can, and should, minister to homosexuals in a kind, yet firm manner. The church should never turn its back on homosexuals who are searching and seeking to heal the hurts within their lives... While God hates the sinner in his sin, we are called to love the sinner and hate the sin. In doing so, Christ can work through our lives to touch those lost in a world of confusion and darkness.”

The church maintains that marriage is not only between one man and one woman, but it's "for life." It condemns gay sex, citing the Bible, and says it is "not a 'valid alternative lifestyle.’ The Bible condemns it as sin. It is not, however, unforgivable sin. The same redemption available to all sinners is available to homosexuals. They, too, may become new creations in Christ.”

As for transgender people, the SBC also cited the Bible in 2012, in declaring "that gender identity is determined by biological sex and not by one’s self-perception—a perception which is often influenced by fallen human nature in ways contrary to God’s design (Ephesians 4:17–18)."

There is no support for discrimination protections, adoption by same-sex couples, or any LGBTQ+ rights whatsoever.

Its history dates back to the 17th century when the first Southern Baptist churches were established in the American colonies. The year 1845 was a key moment; That's when the SBC broke off from Baptists up north so that it could continue to support the enslavement of Black people.

Only men can be ordained in the SBC. It has a president named "Willy," and its headquarters is in Nashville.

18. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints aka Mormons

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormons, has had a complex approach to same-sex relationships.

As recently as 2022, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said although it viewed same-sex relationships as against church doctrine, it would support marriage equality and the rights of same-sex couples if the Respect for Marriage Act didn't interfere with what the church called its "religious freedom protections."

It was signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2023, as The Advocate reported.

In 2015, the "Handbook of Instructions" was rewritten with draconian new rules: Mormons in same-sex couples were labeled apostates of the faith, and disciplinary actions up to and including excommunication were threatened. The new policy also took aim at the children of same-sex couples, banning them from baptism and from joining the LDS Church unless they denounced their parents by the age of 18.

Then came a stunning reversal in 2019. President Dallin H. Oaks reversed the policy, as The Advocate reported. He clarified that the Church was not revising its doctrine on homosexuality, which teaches that having same-sex attraction is not a sin, but acting on it is. But the labeling as apostates and the banning from baptism was rolled back.

The LDS distinguishes between same-sex attraction and behavior. As stated on its website, "The experience of same-sex attraction is a complex reality for many people. The attraction itself is not a sin, but acting on it is." The church states that "individuals do not choose to have such attractions" and that therapy focusing on "a change in sexual orientation" is "unethical."

Those who do not act on their sexual identity, “enjoy full fellowship in the church, which includes holding the priesthood, carrying out callings, and attending the temple.”

The Church considers Mormons who act on feelings of same-sex attraction to have disobeyed church teachings on morality and thus are subject to ecclesiastical discipline, which could include being placed on probation — provided they agree to change their behavior, "disfellowshipped" — meaning excluded from participating in the sacraments until they correct their behavior, or excommunicated, losing their ties to family, friends and the church.

LDS is the fourth largest Christian denomination in the country and has more than 17 million members worldwide, with 6.9 million in the U.S.

The religion is based on the teachings of The Book of Mormon and other writings that originated with Joseph Smith, who established the Church in 1830, in New York State.

As for transgender issues, LDS teaches that gender is an essential characteristic of eternal identity, defined by biological sex at birth. The church counsels against medical, surgical, or social transitions and restricts those who transition from priesthood, temple ordinances, and working with children. Detransition is encouraged.

Only cisgender heterosexual men can be be ordained.

The church is divided into 22 regions across the world and those regions are further divided into Stakes, each consisting of five to twelve Wards, which usually consist of a single church or parish, led by a Bishop. The LDS headquarters is in Salt Lake City, Utah and is run by president Oaks and his Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

19. Pentecostals

There are approximately three million people in the United States who identify as Pentecostal, mostly falling into the denomination of Protestant and Evangelical. They make up about 25 percent of the world’s Christians, and these congregations are growing rapidly throughout the world, especially in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Their approach to the LGBTQ+ community is to condemn it.

Most Pentecostal denominations have doctrinal statements attacking homosexuality. The International Pentecostal Holiness Church’s statement declares: “We have maintained a strong position against premarital, extramarital, and deviant sex, including homosexual and lesbian relationships, refusing to accept the loose moral standards of our society. We commit ourselves to maintaining this disciplined lifestyle with regard to our bodies.”

The other main denominations are: Church of God in Christ, the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, Assemblies of God, the United Pentecostal Church International, Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, and Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ.

There is no one organizing leadership or headquarters for Pentecostals.

The United Pentecostal Church International and the Assemblies of God teach that biological sex and gender expression must align with birth anatomy, opposing transition and holding strict dress and behavior codes.

There is no support for same-sex couples seeking adoption or protection from discrimination.

Women can be ordained but only by some Pentecostal churches, such as the Assemblies of God and the Foursquare Church. The Church of God in Christ and others prohibit women from being ordained.

20. Seventh-day Adventist Church

This conservative Christian denomination has fewer than one million members in the United States and it condemns same-sex “practices and relationships.”

The Seventh-day Adventist Church declared in 2014: "We reaffirm, without hesitation, our long-standing position as expressed in the Church's Fundamental Beliefs: ‘Marriage was divinely established in Eden and affirmed by Jesus to be a lifelong union between a man and a woman in loving companionship.’"

The celebration of same-sex marriages has long been forbidden by the church. In 2021, then-president Ted Wilson doubled-down:

"Adultery, fornication, and LGBTQIA+ are in direct opposition to God’s law and heavenly plan for human sexuality. We must make a conscious choice, even though unpopular, to speak up for Bible truth and not simply go along with societal trends.”

According to church policy, “Homosexuality is a manifestation of the disturbance and brokenness in human inclinations and relations caused by the entrance of sin into the world.”

As for transgender and intersex people, the church’s Biblical Research Institute released a statement in 2014 stating that: “Those born with ambiguous genitalia may well benefit from corrective surgical treatment.”

However, the committee reached a different conclusion for those “whose anatomical gender identity is clearly male or female but who identify with the opposite gender of their biological sex.”

The committee noted that “in Scripture, our gender identity is, to a significant extent, determined by our birth sex with God being the author of gender identity,” and added their belief that sex-change surgery is sometimes, “motivated by a sophisticated desire for homosexual activity.”

In conclusion, the committee stated that “Should individuals seek to use sex-change surgery as a way of circumventing biblical principles addressing human sexuality and the proper way to satisfy such desires, they would be acting against God’s revealed will.”

And in 2017, the Executive Committee of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists approved a "Statement on Transgenderism," reminding Adventists to treat transgender people with "dignity and respect." But the document states that “as long as transgender people are committed to ordering their lives according to the biblical teachings on sexuality and marriage, they can be members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.”

Women have been banned from being ordained since July 2015, but several U.S. conferences of Seventh-day Adventists have ordained women anyway.

The church is based in Silver Spring, Maryland, and has as its leader a president and seven vice presidents.