On July 3, T.J. Williams, an openly gay contemporary Christian singer who resides in Chicago, was one of a handful of individuals who addressed a United Church of Christ (UCC) synod committee in Atlanta as it debated a proposed equal marriage rights resolution. The General Synod approved the resolution on July 4, becoming the first mainstream Christian denomination to endorse same- and opposite-sex marriage equality.
The opportunity to speak, according to Williams, fell into his lap. ‘I was never picked by someone specific,’ he told Windy City Times. ‘It just happened.’ However, once he got the chance, Williams ran with it. ‘I said that we have to be mindful of the many folks who fought for other social justice issues and for social change. I said that we must evoke the very meaning of … Jesus and Martin Luther King. I also said that we have to think of people like Matthew Shepard; as a gay Black Christian, I understand what it means to be oppressed—in many ways.’
Williams added that he is thrilled with the Synod’s approval. ‘We have evangelical Christians using the Bible to preach hatred, to take away rights of women and to block LGBT rights. But that resolution was passed in the name of Jesus, who believes that all are welcome.’