Dedicated to his faith and community, Rabbi Benjamin Barnett does "not separate my devotion to God from my efforts to support and protect my fellow human beings." He seeks to use his position as a rabbi to make his congregation and community more inclusive, not less. He sees his faith as an obligation "to do what I can to help this world become more loving and just."

To Rabbi Benjamin, "God is a God of love and embrace." As a leader of a faith community, Rabbi Benjamin "views one of my primary roles... to be that of ensuring that the moral voice remains central in the life and process of our community. Wholeheartedly welcoming each and every member of our community is a moral responsibility that we each share."

When reflecting on the discrimination faced by gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Oregonians, Rabbi Benjamin recalls when he ran into a friend who had just come from the attorney's office - she and her partner had recently updated their wills, something they hadn't done since they had their last child. For a moment, Rabbi Benjamin worried since he and his wife had not done that after the birth of their last child, but "then I realized we don't have to, because as a heterosexual couple our rights to provide support to one another and our children are guaranteed in ways that those of same-sex couples are not."

Of Oregon's new laws creating Domestic Partnerships and banning discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, Rabbi Benjamin states: "these laws are acts of inclusion, rather than exclusion... the protests against these laws saddens me. As a married man and the father of two children, I am proud to stand up and announce my support of these most basic of rights for gay and lesbian Oregonians. Were my family in need of assistance or protection, I rest easy knowing that the laws of our society ensure my ability to act on their behalf. All of us deserve that same assurance."