Cissie Graham Lynch questioned on LGBT stance, vows to protect all faiths if confirmed to Trump admin. post

By Ryan Foley, Christian Post Reporter Thursday, November 12, 2026

Cissie Graham Lynch, President Donald Trump's nominee to serve as U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom and granddaughter of the late evangelist Billy Graham, told members of Congress that she will "protect people of all faiths" if confirmed, as one lawmaker questioned her about her views on LGBT non-discrimination laws.

Lynch appeared before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee for a confirmation hearing Tuesday. She was one of several Trump nominees for diplomatic posts the committee questioned and considered.

Lynch's nomination must clear the Republican-controlled Senate Foreign Relations Committee before it can advance to the full Senate. The committee consists of 12 Republicans and 10 Democrats, which means her nomination can advance even if she receives support only from Republicans. The full U.S. Senate consists of 53 Republicans and 47 Democrats.

Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., introduced Lynch as someone "guided by her deep commitment to faith and service instilled in her by her father Franklin Graham and grandfather Billy Graham" in addition to dedicating "more than 15 years of her life's work to advancing Christian ministry and distributing humanitarian assistance around the world."

Lynch has worked for years with the Evangelical humanitarian aid organization Samaritan's Purse, which is headed by her father, Franklin Graham. 

"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. "Over the course of her career, she has become a leading global advocate for protecting the rights of women and children and strengthening marriages and defending the family as a cornerstone of society."

"Through her mission work around the globe, Ms. Lynch has witnessed firsthand the suffering and persecution endured by some of the world's most marginalized populations," he added. "These experiences have strengthened her resolve to be an unwavering voice for the voiceless and a steadfast defender of those persecuted simply for practicing and professing the faith."

During her opening statement, Lynch elaborated on her experience "sitting with mothers who've lost sons and daughters to persecution, listening to pastors who've rebuilt their congregations after their churches have been burned and meeting with families driven from their homes because of their beliefs."

Lynch discussed visiting "mass graveyards in northern Iraq," talking with "displaced women in Sudan" who are forced to hide in the mountains, and meeting with "family members of the 21 Coptic Christians who have been beheaded by [the Islamic State] on the shores of Libya." Insisting that "they are not statistics" but rather "faces, names, and families," Lynch vowed that "I will carry their stories with me into this role."

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., asked Lynch how she would "work to protect … LGBTQ folks from persecution." She responded that it would be her "responsibility to protect people of all faiths," and she doesn't believe "anyone should ever be criminalized or persecuted for their personal beliefs."

"It would be my responsibility to protect people of all faiths," she assured. 

After Kaine noted that "countries around the world criminalize just being gay, being LGBTQ," he expressed concern about Lynch's previously stated belief that "LGBTQ protection laws endanger Christian religious freedom." Kaine cited his own experience attending church with LGBT people and took issue with her position. He then reiterated his belief that "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."

When asked to elaborate on her belief that "LGBT protection laws threaten Christian religious freedom," Lynch pointed to laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity and recalled how "Many of those cases have reached up to the U.S. Supreme Court." She cited the case of Jack Phillips, a Christian baker who found himself in court for refusing to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding because of his religious beliefs on marriage, as an example.

"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," she explained. "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."

Lynch told Kaine that 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 reiterated her belief that she will "represent people of all faiths" if confirmed, adding: "People are dying. People are being persecuted. People are put into jail. There's 80 countries with blasphemy laws."

Identifying international religious freedom as an area where people "can find common ground," Lynch told the committee, "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 said her priority, if she is confirmed, will be to "find that common ground to help people on a bipartisan mission."

Lynch's confirmation hearing comes nearly two years into Trump's second term, and the position she was nominated for has remained vacant throughout. While the president previously nominated former Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C., for the position, he was not confirmed by the U.S. Senate before the end of 2025. Therefore, his nomination died.

The position of U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom was created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. If confirmed, Lynch will be tasked with advising the president and secretary of state on religious freedom abroad.