Cissie Graham Lynch, the granddaughter of the late evangelist Billy Graham and President Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, pledged to “protect people of all faiths.”
Lynch testified Tuesday before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee as part of her confirmation process.
During the hearing, Democratic Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine questioned how Lynch would “work to protect … LGBTQ folks from persecution.” In response, Lynch described her potential role as carrying the “responsibility to protect people of all faiths,” emphasizing that she does not believe “anyone should ever be criminalized or persecuted for their personal beliefs.”
Noting that “countries around the world criminalize just being gay, being LGBTQ,” Kaine raised concerns over Lynch’s past assertion that “LGBTQ protection laws endanger Christian religious freedom.”
“The kinds of things that you've said in opposition to civil protection of LGBTQ folks made me wonder whether they will be able to see you as someone who will protect them equally to others,” Kaine said.
Asked to explain her position that “LGBT protection laws threaten Christian religious freedom,” Lynch addressed legal disputes involving protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, noting that “Many of those cases have reached up to the U.S. Supreme Court.” Among the examples she referenced was Christian baker Jack Phillips, whose refusal to make a cake for a same-sex wedding on religious grounds resulted in a legal battle.
“It has always been my goal with my platform to talk about issues and to do it with kindness and to do it with respect,” Lynch said. “I've talked about on my platform many issues that are divisive in our culture and we are in a culture that teaches us that if we believe something differently that we can't get along with somebody, that that's hate speech.”
Addressing the criminalization of LGBT individuals, Lynch said she “would never be able to support something [such as a Ugandan law] where it's criminalizing people … for their sexual identity, for their sexual preference.”
She reaffirmed her commitment to “represent people of all faiths” if confirmed, drawing attention to religious persecution worldwide: “People are dying. People are being persecuted. People are put into jail. There's 80 countries with blasphemy laws.”
Lynch described international religious freedom as an issue on which people “can find common ground.”
“I've learned that through my years of working when I work in the countries with people I often don't have the same beliefs, but we come together,” she told the committee, outlining her goal to “find that common ground to help people on a bipartisan mission” if confirmed.
Introducing the nominee, Republican North Carolina Sen. Ted Budd highlighted her family’s influence, describing her as “guided by her deep commitment to faith and service instilled in her by her father Franklin Graham and grandfather Billy Graham.” He also noted that she had devoted “more than 15 years of her life's work to advancing Christian ministry and distributing humanitarian assistance around the world.”
“Ms. Lynch has built her distinguished career rooted in the merits of religious freedom, serving as communications adviser and ministry spokesperson for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan's Purse,” Budd said.
Before reaching the full Senate, Lynch’s nomination requires approval from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where Republicans hold a 12-10 majority. Republicans also outnumber Democrats 53-47 in the full Senate.
