A major challenge for religious institutions in the last two decades has been state support in law and public policy for changes in sexual norms. These changes conflict with the traditional Christian morality of opposite-sex monogamy. This is done in the interest of an adversary morality of autonomy, and is understood to include acceptance of abortion, non-marital intercourse, homosexuality, and recently, transgenderism.
The advent of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) laws, which give civil rights status to homosexual and gender identities has been ominous, since these laws are interpreted to forbid discrimination against homosexual or transgender behavior, and thus require complicity in LGBT behavior. Less noticed, laws against marital status discrimination can be interpreted to require accommodation of cohabitation. Conscience protections exist in federal and various state laws against performing abortions, but pressure to require abortion and transgender surgeries…