Dr. Charles Haynes III

“We live in a time when we’re deeply polarized and divided as a nation,” says Dr. Charles C. Haynes III 71C 85G about the often volatile topics of gay rights and religious freedom. “But in my work, I have found that there are people on all sides willing to come together and find a way forward.” He points to “Public Schools and Sexual Orientation,” a First Amendment guide to finding common ground that he drafted in 2005 with the help of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and the Christian Educators Association International. “It is heartening to me when conservative Christians and gay rights advocates are willing to sit together and work on these issues with fairness and trust.”  

Deeply committed to upholding the vital ideals of religious freedom and individual rights, his First Amendment scholarly work is beyond reproach. Haynes, one of Emory’s 175 Makers of History and an honored Emory Medalist, regularly shares his expertise and counsel as the director of the Religious Freedom Education Project at the Newseum in Washington D.C.  He is also a founding board member of the Character Education Partnership. Yet no matter which title is assigned to address this accomplished man of letters, his message to all is clear. “We have a responsibility in this country to stand up for the rights of others, including those we disagree with, and to ensure that people of all faiths – and none – are treated with fairness and respect in the public square of America.”

Haynes fights the good fight to uphold First Amendment principles while protecting the civil rights of all. “One of the great issues of the day is the tension between religious freedom or liberty of conscience, and gay rights.” He sees his role as trying to find a balance between these “very important claims that need to be addressed. We must find a way to ensure gay rights while simultaneously upholding our commitment to religious freedom.”

So how does Haynes define liberty of conscience? “It is the right of each individual to follow his or her conscience, to live according to principles that shape one’s life. For people of faith, liberty of conscience is the freedom to do what they believe God requires.”

But religious claims of conscience often conflict with efforts to expand gay rights, especially the freedom to marry.  “That’s why gay marriage laws like the one recently enacted in New York include provisions designed to protect religious freedom,” Haynes says. “It’s a difficult struggle to find ways to protect the civil rights of LGTB people while simultaneously upholding religious freedom.  But we have to try.”

When trying to find common ground on these issues in public schools, where Haynes focuses his work, tensions occasionally do run high. “Sometimes I just close the door and scream. But I’m fortunate that I have support at home and let all these emotions out,” he admits. “But when I get into a room to negotiate agreement, I have to be the fair and neutral broker. This requires putting aside my own views and emotions to facilitate an open and honest dialogue across deep differences.”

With extreme voices often dominating the media and political arena, Haynes acknowledges that it “can be difficult for voices of reason to be heard in that kind of atmosphere.” There are people on all sides of these debates looking for common ground, He argues, “but they aren’t given enough time and attention in the media.” His conclusion? “We have to work harder to articulate a common vision for the common good.”

As the author of six books and the principal organizer and drafter of consensus guidelines on religious liberty in schools, Haynes has played a crucial role in raising awareness of First Amendment issues. Three of his guides were distributed by the U.S. Department of Education to every public school in the nation in 2000

He suggests that these public school successes “are an example of what we can do. Public schools are a microcosm of the public square. If we can find common ground there, it gives us hope that we can affect change on a national basis.”

Emory a Role Model for Unity and Diversity

“I am very proud of Emory,” he says.  Haynes praises President Jim Wagner for cultivating a vision of working toward a common purpose while simultaneously recognizing and celebrating our diversity.  “At Emory today,” he says, “no one needs to leave his or her convictions at the door. We are who we are, and an important part of the Emory experience is engaging with people who are different from oneself.”

Haynes sees the Emory environment as a model for the kind of country we need to be.  “We need a unity of purpose in America,” he says, “but it must not be unity at the expense of diversity, but rather unity in the interest of diversity.” 

 –Michelle Valigursky

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