With all eyes on the drama unfolding around the Trump administration, radical efforts to roll back equal rights for LGBT people are advancing in Texas. This week on State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s radio show and podcast, we’ll get you up to speed on two extremist proposals that could soon become the law of the land.

Host Rev. Welton Gaddy will be joined by Kathy Miller, president of the Texas Freedom Network, which is on the front lines of defending Texans’ constitutional rights against encroachment by the Religious Right. Texas legislators recently passed a bill that would allow adoption agencies to turn away LGBT parents on religious grounds. They’re also nearing passage of a “bathroom bill” that would force transgender high school students to use the wrong bathroom. Miller will brief us on both bills and how listeners can get involved in the fight for equal rights in Texas.

As part of his whirlwind overseas tour, President Trump met last week with Pope Francis in the Vatican. Photographs resulted, but did anything of substance happen? Welton will pose that question to Father James Martin, who recently received a papal appointment to the Vatican Department of Communications. Martin is a Jesuit priest and prolific author whose forthcoming book on the Catholic Church and LGBT people – Building a Bridge – is due out soon.

Finally, Welton will be joined by Bishop Karen Oliveto, the first openly gay person to serve as a bishop in the United Methodist Church. The highest court of the church recently found her to be in violation of church law but decided against taking action. That, however, is not the end of the story. Tune in to hear her story and unique insights on denominational doctrine – and politics.

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