Bishop Budde helped lay gay hate crime victim to rest: ‘His death was a wound on our nation’.
It turns out Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde – who begged Donald Trump to show mercy to LGBTQ+ children and immigrants during a powerful sermon this week – was the bishop who interred the ashes of hate crime victim Matthew Shepard, 20 years after his death.
On Tuesday (21 January), during Trump’s inaugural prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral, Bishop Budde pleaded with the Republican leader to show mercy to “scared” minority groups.
“In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now,” Budde said.
“They are gay, lesbian, and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and independent families, some who fear for their lives.”
She added those the Trump administration are seeking to deport “may not be citizens or have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbours. They are faithful members of our churches and mosques, synagogues, gurdwaras and temples.”
The previous day, following his inauguration, Trump had signed a raft of anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-immigration executive orders, including declaring the official policy of the United States is that there are “two genders”.
Bishop Budde has since opened up about the backlash she faced following her sermon, which MAGA supporters described on social media as “left wing anti Trump dogma” and “anti-Trump propaganda.”
