BUFFALO, NY-- A coalition of religious, governmental, and community leaders gathered together Tuesday morning to rally for the rights of LGBTQ communities in Buffalo.
The rally was held on Delaware Avenue. Several dozen people called for heavier scrutiny of the tax money that's invested into Catholic Charities.
This rally comes two months after the organization's controversial decision to end their adoptive and foster services, after a queer-identifying couple asked about adopting a child.
"We cannot have bigoted organizations who are supposed to provide services for the most marginalized in our community receiving nearly 18 million of our tax dollars if they choose to discriminate against the LGBTQ community," said Rev. Kirk Laubenstein, director of the Coalition for Economic Justice and pastor at United Church of Christ.
"The Catholic Church does not recognize a marriage between two people of the same sex, so we were in an incontrovertible controversy between what the state is expecting that we would be without prejudice, foster and adopt with couples that are same sex," said Sister Mary McCarrick, the Catholic Charities Diocesan Director, back in August. "The Catholic Church teaching that this is not a marital couple and that a child is better served to be with a man and a woman who are married."
The group is also calling for Bishop Malone's resignation.