ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how covenantal pluralism instantiates a shared desire for freedom and the liberty to lead one’s life as one chooses, when it does not harm others. It teaches us that people with radically different values and perspectives can live together, cooperatively. This chapter draws on interviews with a coterie of lawyers and long-time advocates for the LGBTQ and faith communities who met routinely for four years to outline legislation known as Fairness for All. These meetings, which were polite on the surface, contained an undercurrent of skepticism that melted away over time as trust grew. This chapter first sketches the motivations for pursuing a peace many believed impossible. It is the story of two groups of individuals who saw America’s persistent clashes between gay rights and many faith communities as an opportunity for healing. It chronicles the gatherings that led to the draft legislation in an abbreviated timeline. What would have been a transactional arrangement—what do I need to give you in order for you to make concessions to me?—transformed through acts of caring and selflessness into an act of covenantal pluralism. Participants deployed the essential skills of evaluation, negotiation, and communication.
