The following op-ed piece was published in the Salem, Oregon StatesmanJournal. The writer, Gloria Holland, is a straight woman who is an activist in the state, which is one of the more GLBT friendly ones in the nation. Like the parents in Michigan I wrote about yesterday, she has had first-hand experience in dealing with GLBT issues since her daughter came out to her as a lesbian.
Gay Rights Promote Fairness For All
About 10 years ago, I was presented with an opportunity to learn a great deal about a segment of our society about which I was very ill informed.
During my life and career as an educator, I had known many gay and lesbian friends and colleagues. Yet, it wasn't until my daughter was brave enough to tell me that she might become involved with a woman that I began to educate myself around the specific issues faced by the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender citizens of our state.
I learned that gays were discriminated against in housing, health care, jobs, hospital emergencies, retirement benefits and much more.
I learned that same-sex couples who have been in committed relationships as long as my husband and I, who raised children together and worshipped together, were forced to lead secret, closeted existences out of fear and were often left to fend for themselves with no legal rights during life's hardest times.
I learned that gay kids are far more likely than their heterosexual counterparts to be injured with a weapon, drop out of school or commit suicide.
I also learned that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people wish only to care for their own loved ones, not to undermine my or anyone else's ability to do the same. The people I have come to know during the past 10 years simply want to live, as I do, in an Oregon that is free from discrimination, values equality and moves forward toward fairness for all our families.
Fortunately, our Legislature recently passed two new laws that bring Oregon one step closer to fair and equal rights for all, and many of our families one step closer to real security.
Our new Domestic Partnership law recognizes families as families. This legal recognition is an important tool, one from which many families have been shut out, to better cope during emergencies and better protect and care for loved ones.
Oregon's second new law ends discrimination in the areas of housing, employment and public accommodations. Such language has existed in Oregon law for many years to protect our citizens on the basis of race, gender, creed and age. This new language simply adds to existing law assurance that Oregonians won't be fired, evicted or denied service at a restaurant or hotel just because of their sexual orientation.
Sadly, a divisive effort has already begun to force these laws to ballot, certainly to be followed by an aggressive campaign to overturn them. I absolutely will not be signing these petitions, and invite others to join me.
As a community, we all suffer when one group of people is set apart and shut out from basic human rights. It's past time to end our culture of divisiveness and work toward a fairer Oregon. I urge you to look past the political arguments and see how personal these laws are for so many families, just like yours or mine.
It's a lot harder to discriminate against a group when you put live faces on the issues and remember that these are flesh and blood people just like everyone else.
July 20, 2007
There's A Gay Think-Tank Working for GLBT Equality
If you are a TV political talk-show junkie, you've no doubt seen representatives from conservative "think-tanks" like the Heritage Foundation, the Hoover Institute, etc. waxing philisophic on the issues of the day. Well, it turns out there is an institute that is working to counter the right-wing and work for LGBT equality.
The Rockway Institute is based in San Francisco. Here is their mission statement from the organization's website:
The nonpartisan Rockway Institute brings together scientific research and professional expertise to counter antigay prejudice and inform public policies affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. The Institute's view is that public opinion, policies, and programs should be shaped by the facts about LGBT lives, not by political ideology. A primary goal is to organize the most knowledgeable social scientists, mental health professionals, and physicians in the United States to provide accurate information about LGBT issues to the media, legislatures, and courts. The Institute also conducts targeted research projects to address the nation's most pressing LGBT public policy questions.
I encourage you to check out their website and learn more about the resources they are employing to balance the public debate on issues affecting the LGBT community.
The Rockway Institute is based in San Francisco. Here is their mission statement from the organization's website:
The nonpartisan Rockway Institute brings together scientific research and professional expertise to counter antigay prejudice and inform public policies affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. The Institute's view is that public opinion, policies, and programs should be shaped by the facts about LGBT lives, not by political ideology. A primary goal is to organize the most knowledgeable social scientists, mental health professionals, and physicians in the United States to provide accurate information about LGBT issues to the media, legislatures, and courts. The Institute also conducts targeted research projects to address the nation's most pressing LGBT public policy questions.
I encourage you to check out their website and learn more about the resources they are employing to balance the public debate on issues affecting the LGBT community.
July 19, 2007
Parents Choose Gay Son Over Church and Friends
This is a moving story about how a family stood up for one of their own, placing their love for a son above everything else, and losing most of it as a result.
An article in the Muskegon (MI) Chronicle tells us how a 10th grade boy came out to his family (dude, you could have picked a better day than Super Bowl Sunday for crying out loud, but I digress) who, instead of disowning him, circled around him with love and support.
The cost was high. The parents lost most of their counseling clients, the father lost his position as a minister, and most of the family's friends deserted them.
"We moved here because (West Michigan) is a great place to raise a family, and that's true, unless one of them turns out to be gay," said Colette Beighley who is originally from San Francisco. "We live in an area that demands assimilation."
"I'm so proud of my kids," Colette Beighley said. "That's the coolest thing that came out of this -- how much they love each other."
I've written a lot here about the importance of straight allies, but the most significant ones for a GLBT person are often the ones in their own family.
Click here to read details of the journey the Beighley family took with their gay son in the Muskegon Chronicle article.
Thanks to the Triangle foundation for the tip. Colette Beighley is an active member of the Triangle Foundation and has her own blog here.
An article in the Muskegon (MI) Chronicle tells us how a 10th grade boy came out to his family (dude, you could have picked a better day than Super Bowl Sunday for crying out loud, but I digress) who, instead of disowning him, circled around him with love and support.
The cost was high. The parents lost most of their counseling clients, the father lost his position as a minister, and most of the family's friends deserted them.
"We moved here because (West Michigan) is a great place to raise a family, and that's true, unless one of them turns out to be gay," said Colette Beighley who is originally from San Francisco. "We live in an area that demands assimilation."
"I'm so proud of my kids," Colette Beighley said. "That's the coolest thing that came out of this -- how much they love each other."
I've written a lot here about the importance of straight allies, but the most significant ones for a GLBT person are often the ones in their own family.
Click here to read details of the journey the Beighley family took with their gay son in the Muskegon Chronicle article.
Thanks to the Triangle foundation for the tip. Colette Beighley is an active member of the Triangle Foundation and has her own blog here.
Questioning the "Sanctity" of Marriage
One of the right-wing arguements against same-sex marriage is that it would destroy "the sanctity of marriage." An op-ed piece by Chris Kocher of the Binghamton (NY) Press & Sun-Bulletin questions that premise:
So I'm always a little puzzled when people talk about the "sanctity" of marriage. At least half of Americans are not taking the "until death do us part" portion of the wedding vows to heart. Marriage has become just another part of our throwaway culture -- some people even have "starter marriages" in their 20s and settle into the "real thing" the second time around.
Which brings us around to same-sex marriage. I say, let gay couples give it a shot -- at this point, can they screw it up any more than the heterosexuals? Perhaps so, but they should get a chance to have both sides of the coin: happiness and sadness, love and breakup. It seems only fair.
I understand how some people object to same-sex marriage on religious grounds, but we're living in a country with a clear separation of church and state. What one religion believes -- and there's some debate about that, as recent back-and-forth articles on these pages can attest -- should not dictate to everyone. As I recall, about half the country did not want civil rights for blacks in the 1960s (some people still don't), but that became the law of the land because it was the right thing to do.
We've solicited readers' opinions about same-sex marriage for a feature that will run next week, and we've had a number of responses from both sides of the issue. As a preview, I'd like to share a favorite one, from Ronald Kracht of Windsor:
"One of the things I have learned in the past 35 years is that no other relationship, happy or unhappy, married or unmarried, straight or gay, has any impact on the strength or sanctity of my marriage. I don't believe that any 'separate but equal' institution is warranted or appropriate. Any religious body which chooses not to approve of same-sex marriage should be allowed to refuse to perform such marriages."
I could not have said it better myself.
Neither could I.
So I'm always a little puzzled when people talk about the "sanctity" of marriage. At least half of Americans are not taking the "until death do us part" portion of the wedding vows to heart. Marriage has become just another part of our throwaway culture -- some people even have "starter marriages" in their 20s and settle into the "real thing" the second time around.
Which brings us around to same-sex marriage. I say, let gay couples give it a shot -- at this point, can they screw it up any more than the heterosexuals? Perhaps so, but they should get a chance to have both sides of the coin: happiness and sadness, love and breakup. It seems only fair.
I understand how some people object to same-sex marriage on religious grounds, but we're living in a country with a clear separation of church and state. What one religion believes -- and there's some debate about that, as recent back-and-forth articles on these pages can attest -- should not dictate to everyone. As I recall, about half the country did not want civil rights for blacks in the 1960s (some people still don't), but that became the law of the land because it was the right thing to do.
We've solicited readers' opinions about same-sex marriage for a feature that will run next week, and we've had a number of responses from both sides of the issue. As a preview, I'd like to share a favorite one, from Ronald Kracht of Windsor:
"One of the things I have learned in the past 35 years is that no other relationship, happy or unhappy, married or unmarried, straight or gay, has any impact on the strength or sanctity of my marriage. I don't believe that any 'separate but equal' institution is warranted or appropriate. Any religious body which chooses not to approve of same-sex marriage should be allowed to refuse to perform such marriages."
I could not have said it better myself.
Neither could I.
July 18, 2007
"Corporate America: The New Gay Activists"
From Yahoo/The Huffington Post by way of PageOneQ
In a recent study by Gallup, almost ninety percent of Americans said they believe gay people should have equal rights in the workplace. Interestingly, only forty-seven percent of these same people believe that being gay is "morally acceptable." So what has convinced nearly nine out of ten people across the country that gays and lesbians deserve equality at work even when they don't believe gay is OK? Charting a course unplanned but nevertheless successful, Corporate America is shaping up to be the most persuasive gay activists of the decade.
How are they doing it? With a simple three-step formula: credibility + education + action. It's a winning combination that actually fuels progress toward achieving equality in other arenas including politically charged topics like same-sex marriage. Having recently returned from a speaking tour that included stops at some of the most historically conservative firms in the country, I found that Corporate America's message supporting the rights of their gay employees is transcending political, economic and even religious barriers.
While many veteran activists will scream and yell over this shift in battlefields from outside the establishment to inside the establishment, a new era of gay activism has dawned. Thanks in large part to Corporate America, the road to anti-gay hate crimes, same-sex marriage, and even gay adoption may already be paved. Not through Washington, but through Wall Street. After all, they've convinced nine out of ten people that gay people deserve to be treated fairly at work so why not speed things up and make the most out of their successful formula. The G Suite folks seem to have the right idea, capitalize on the rising profile of gay people in business and help them up the corporate ladder to the top office. An out-of-the-closet CEO of any blue-chip company will be a watershed day for gay equality. More than likely, all of those other watershed days we've been waiting for will then simply fall into place.
Having spent 30 years in the business world myself (I started telecommuting from my playpen), one thing I've learned and had reinforced time and time again is that business does what's good for business. If it helps anyone else, that's a bouns. If GLBT equality is good for business, and this trend clearly shows that it is, wouldn't it make sense that it should be good for other areas of society?
In a recent study by Gallup, almost ninety percent of Americans said they believe gay people should have equal rights in the workplace. Interestingly, only forty-seven percent of these same people believe that being gay is "morally acceptable." So what has convinced nearly nine out of ten people across the country that gays and lesbians deserve equality at work even when they don't believe gay is OK? Charting a course unplanned but nevertheless successful, Corporate America is shaping up to be the most persuasive gay activists of the decade.
How are they doing it? With a simple three-step formula: credibility + education + action. It's a winning combination that actually fuels progress toward achieving equality in other arenas including politically charged topics like same-sex marriage. Having recently returned from a speaking tour that included stops at some of the most historically conservative firms in the country, I found that Corporate America's message supporting the rights of their gay employees is transcending political, economic and even religious barriers.
While many veteran activists will scream and yell over this shift in battlefields from outside the establishment to inside the establishment, a new era of gay activism has dawned. Thanks in large part to Corporate America, the road to anti-gay hate crimes, same-sex marriage, and even gay adoption may already be paved. Not through Washington, but through Wall Street. After all, they've convinced nine out of ten people that gay people deserve to be treated fairly at work so why not speed things up and make the most out of their successful formula. The G Suite folks seem to have the right idea, capitalize on the rising profile of gay people in business and help them up the corporate ladder to the top office. An out-of-the-closet CEO of any blue-chip company will be a watershed day for gay equality. More than likely, all of those other watershed days we've been waiting for will then simply fall into place.
Having spent 30 years in the business world myself (I started telecommuting from my playpen), one thing I've learned and had reinforced time and time again is that business does what's good for business. If it helps anyone else, that's a bouns. If GLBT equality is good for business, and this trend clearly shows that it is, wouldn't it make sense that it should be good for other areas of society?
Focus on the Family Works to Keep Hate Alive
In their latest step to protect their right to be hateful bigots, Focus on the Family's CitizenLink aired a snarky video, trying their best to demean the entire concept of hate crimes.
Thanks to Good As You, here's the link. If you even casually care about GLBT rights, prepare to get really aggravated if you watch it.
If you don't want to raise your bloodpressure too much, here's the summary, quoted by Good As You:
Judges have enough work to do just figuring out who did what to whom, without having to figure out what "who" was thinking when they did "what" to "whom."
If we’re going to have equal justice for all, it needs to be based on what "who" did. Which shines the light on a simple truth; hate crimes legislation is not really about hate or crime. What it’s really about is getting the federal government to grant civil rights status to a particular behavior. Which is the off-ramp that leads to the end of marriage and family.
Let that last sentence sink in for a moment so you can appreciate how absurd it is.
Don't dismiss it, though. As I've said before, people really believe this crap.
I really like the point made by Good As You; imagine this piece running if you substituted "black" or "christian" for "gay" victim regarding this issue.
Radio stations would be pulling the good Dr. Dobson off the air faster that you can say good riddance.
Sort of emphasizes why we need the legislation in the first place, doesn't it?
Thanks to Good As You, here's the link. If you even casually care about GLBT rights, prepare to get really aggravated if you watch it.
If you don't want to raise your bloodpressure too much, here's the summary, quoted by Good As You:
Judges have enough work to do just figuring out who did what to whom, without having to figure out what "who" was thinking when they did "what" to "whom."
If we’re going to have equal justice for all, it needs to be based on what "who" did. Which shines the light on a simple truth; hate crimes legislation is not really about hate or crime. What it’s really about is getting the federal government to grant civil rights status to a particular behavior. Which is the off-ramp that leads to the end of marriage and family.
Let that last sentence sink in for a moment so you can appreciate how absurd it is.
Don't dismiss it, though. As I've said before, people really believe this crap.
I really like the point made by Good As You; imagine this piece running if you substituted "black" or "christian" for "gay" victim regarding this issue.
Radio stations would be pulling the good Dr. Dobson off the air faster that you can say good riddance.
Sort of emphasizes why we need the legislation in the first place, doesn't it?
July 17, 2007
We Have Met the Enemy and He Is Us
If you remember that line from the old "Pogo" cartoon, you're dating yourself, but that can be our little secret. That's the point made by this column on The Bilerico Project by guest writer Michael Crawford (an African-American activist, not the Broadway singer).
Crawford is concerned with the amount of infighting he sees among progressive LGBT activists right now, especially with the hate crimes bill ready to come up for a vote in the Senate. Crawford feels important resources and energy is being diverted from that lobbying effort to debate/complain about the structure of the upcoming Democratic presidential debate devoted to LGBT issues.
This just goes to show that we are not nearly as politically sophisticated as we would like to believe ourselves to be and that our activism is steeped in personal self-expression rather than a focus on political effectiveness. We have the best chance ever of getting a major piece of LGBT legislation through both chambers of Congress and instead of fighting tooth and nail to make it, some of are engaged in another round on intramural bloodletting under the guise of holding organizations "accountable."
This forum is a sign of our growing political strength and, yes, some credit should go to HRC for the work that it has done over the years in a hostile political environment to build that political strength. Rather than simply attacking our national organizations, we should be focused on how we can help to make them better, faster, stronger and more effective. The homo-haters at Focus on the Family alone have a budget that is larger than HRC, NGLTF, SLDN, GLAAD, Lambda Legal, National Black Justice Coalition and GLSEN combined. And that's just one of the organizations that the religious right has built over the years to obliterate us.
Of course, every political organization or interest group has disagreement and infighting, but that hurts a minority group like GLBT activists harder because their resources, although stronger than they used to be, pale in comparision to some of their more aggressive opponents, as Crawford points out.
While I was disappointed at the makeup of the panel, I think it is important to see the upcoming LOGO debate as a starting point and not the end destination. Hopefully this will be the beginning of a trend, not a unique, one-time event. I feel it would be more benefitial for GLBT activists to focus on finding a way to be supportive of this event, then seeking improvements for the next one.
Energy and resources need to be spent on reaching equality for GLBT people, not in pushing individual agendas.
Crawford is concerned with the amount of infighting he sees among progressive LGBT activists right now, especially with the hate crimes bill ready to come up for a vote in the Senate. Crawford feels important resources and energy is being diverted from that lobbying effort to debate/complain about the structure of the upcoming Democratic presidential debate devoted to LGBT issues.
This just goes to show that we are not nearly as politically sophisticated as we would like to believe ourselves to be and that our activism is steeped in personal self-expression rather than a focus on political effectiveness. We have the best chance ever of getting a major piece of LGBT legislation through both chambers of Congress and instead of fighting tooth and nail to make it, some of are engaged in another round on intramural bloodletting under the guise of holding organizations "accountable."
This forum is a sign of our growing political strength and, yes, some credit should go to HRC for the work that it has done over the years in a hostile political environment to build that political strength. Rather than simply attacking our national organizations, we should be focused on how we can help to make them better, faster, stronger and more effective. The homo-haters at Focus on the Family alone have a budget that is larger than HRC, NGLTF, SLDN, GLAAD, Lambda Legal, National Black Justice Coalition and GLSEN combined. And that's just one of the organizations that the religious right has built over the years to obliterate us.
Of course, every political organization or interest group has disagreement and infighting, but that hurts a minority group like GLBT activists harder because their resources, although stronger than they used to be, pale in comparision to some of their more aggressive opponents, as Crawford points out.
While I was disappointed at the makeup of the panel, I think it is important to see the upcoming LOGO debate as a starting point and not the end destination. Hopefully this will be the beginning of a trend, not a unique, one-time event. I feel it would be more benefitial for GLBT activists to focus on finding a way to be supportive of this event, then seeking improvements for the next one.
Energy and resources need to be spent on reaching equality for GLBT people, not in pushing individual agendas.
July 16, 2007
"Gay Christians Reclaim the Bible"
I was delighted to find an article with that title in a gay newspaper, "The Edge," published and distributed in Boston, Massachusetts. Here's an excerpt:
The Bible has been used, early and often, to attack civil parity for GLBT people, especially in terms of marriage equality. But other points of view are possible, say gay-friendly congregations.
A Boston Globe article from last November addresses this topic, quoting Rev. Jeff Miner or the Jesus Metropolitan Community Church.
"Most people think that the attitude of gay Christians is, ’Who cares what the Bible says?’ when in reality, we care deeply what the Bible says," says Miner, a pastor with the GLBT-friendly, Indianapolis-based church, who led a forum on the issue last November at the Arlington Street Church.
Continued Miner, "We think there are a lot of powerful, affirming things that are in the Bible that have been ignored."
Miner and co-author John Tyler Connoley wrote the book, or at least a book, on the subject; in 2002, The Children Are Free: Reexamining the Biblical Evidence on Same-Sex Relationships was published by the Jesus Metropolitan Community Church.
Miner and Connoley look at both Old and New Testaments for source material to bolster their argument that not only are GLBT people God’s children, too, but that in fact they are exactly who and what God intended for them to be.
Their book "The Children Are Free" is an outstanding book, one of the ones I used when I first started attending a gay affirming church and needed to put my arms around God's acceptance of GLBT people. I strongly recommend it to anyone who is interested in serious studying that issue.
But it’s the behavior of heterosexual Christians that concern some people. The Globe article quoted Pam Garramone, executive director of Greater Boston Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, which sponsored the forum at the Arlington Street Church.
Garramone related how she had received a phone call from a distraught mother whose husband had exiled their daughter from the family home for being a lesbian.
Recounted Garramone, "She said, ’My instinct is to love and accept her, but I can’t because my church won’t let me.’"
Continued Garramone, "That’s the kind of parent who needs to hear this message--you don’t have to choose your child over your religion."
There is no choice needed--God loves gay people just as much as he does straights without changing them.
Click here to read some of the examples Miner and Connoley included in their book from The Edge's article.
The Bible has been used, early and often, to attack civil parity for GLBT people, especially in terms of marriage equality. But other points of view are possible, say gay-friendly congregations.
A Boston Globe article from last November addresses this topic, quoting Rev. Jeff Miner or the Jesus Metropolitan Community Church.
"Most people think that the attitude of gay Christians is, ’Who cares what the Bible says?’ when in reality, we care deeply what the Bible says," says Miner, a pastor with the GLBT-friendly, Indianapolis-based church, who led a forum on the issue last November at the Arlington Street Church.
Continued Miner, "We think there are a lot of powerful, affirming things that are in the Bible that have been ignored."
Miner and co-author John Tyler Connoley wrote the book, or at least a book, on the subject; in 2002, The Children Are Free: Reexamining the Biblical Evidence on Same-Sex Relationships was published by the Jesus Metropolitan Community Church.
Miner and Connoley look at both Old and New Testaments for source material to bolster their argument that not only are GLBT people God’s children, too, but that in fact they are exactly who and what God intended for them to be.
Their book "The Children Are Free" is an outstanding book, one of the ones I used when I first started attending a gay affirming church and needed to put my arms around God's acceptance of GLBT people. I strongly recommend it to anyone who is interested in serious studying that issue.
But it’s the behavior of heterosexual Christians that concern some people. The Globe article quoted Pam Garramone, executive director of Greater Boston Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, which sponsored the forum at the Arlington Street Church.
Garramone related how she had received a phone call from a distraught mother whose husband had exiled their daughter from the family home for being a lesbian.
Recounted Garramone, "She said, ’My instinct is to love and accept her, but I can’t because my church won’t let me.’"
Continued Garramone, "That’s the kind of parent who needs to hear this message--you don’t have to choose your child over your religion."
There is no choice needed--God loves gay people just as much as he does straights without changing them.
Click here to read some of the examples Miner and Connoley included in their book from The Edge's article.
Get Out of Reverse
A few weeks ago, I announced the ministry initiative Pastor Brenda and I are working to start up, the Affirming Christian Network. Check it out if you haven't already--we've recently posted a few new items there.
I've written my first essay for the ministry, "Get Out of Reverse:"
How many blessings have we missed because we were too fixated on our past to seek God’s plans for our future?I’m sure we’ve all also done things that we are ashamed of and that we have come to know were outside (sometimes waaaaaay outside) God’s will. The Apostle Paul certainly did. Before his career change, he was one of the most zealous persecutors of Christians, even killing some of them. If you ever doubt whether God can use you to serve his kingdom, just think of Paul.
Click here to read "Get Out of Reverse."
I've written my first essay for the ministry, "Get Out of Reverse:"
How many blessings have we missed because we were too fixated on our past to seek God’s plans for our future?I’m sure we’ve all also done things that we are ashamed of and that we have come to know were outside (sometimes waaaaaay outside) God’s will. The Apostle Paul certainly did. Before his career change, he was one of the most zealous persecutors of Christians, even killing some of them. If you ever doubt whether God can use you to serve his kingdom, just think of Paul.
Click here to read "Get Out of Reverse."
July 15, 2007
Brighten The Corner Where You Are
Don't be content to sit on the back pew. Don't be afraid to have your voice heard in your church. If your church doesn't want to hear your voice because you are gay, find a place that does. That's what I gleaned out of an excellent essay on Whosoever by Lori Heine.
Most of us are searching for a place where our unique, individual talents can be made useful. We want to be recognized. We need to be appreciated. And so we search on and on, following the passion for Christ that God has placed in our hearts. We are so accustomed to being unwelcome that when we find a church in which we are welcome, the pressure we feel to go along to get along - even if it compromises much of what we believe - can be overwhelming.
Those of us who choose to stand up for orthodoxy and tradition, within a church or denomination that welcomes us (and thinks that ought to be enough), can find ourselves plunked down smack on the opposite side of the fence from those who support our inclusion. We may be driven, by conscience, to stand beside the very people who oppose our welcome. Our usual allies may react as if we have betrayed them. What all too often occurs to nobody else is that, for GLBT Christians to have genuine freedom of worship, we must follow our convictions regardless of who else in the church likes it and who doesn't. We owe our loyalty, after all, not to any particular faction within the church, but to God.
Wherever in the church's theological and political spectrum you happen to decide you belong, make sure you make your membership matter. Make your voice heard. Don't let anybody shame or guilt you into compliance with anything you cannot support in good conscience or respect. The Holy Spirit may indeed take you somewhere very far from the tradition in which you were raised. But it makes a great deal of difference whether you go there because it genuinely seems right to you, or whether it is because you have been made, by those whose acceptance of you is strictly conditional, to feel that you must in order to please them.
Click here to read the rest of the essay on Whosoever.
We are ALL an important part of God's kingdom, and he has plans for how He wants to use ALL of us in his Kingdom. Seek out those plans and find the place where He wants to use you.
Most of us are searching for a place where our unique, individual talents can be made useful. We want to be recognized. We need to be appreciated. And so we search on and on, following the passion for Christ that God has placed in our hearts. We are so accustomed to being unwelcome that when we find a church in which we are welcome, the pressure we feel to go along to get along - even if it compromises much of what we believe - can be overwhelming.
Those of us who choose to stand up for orthodoxy and tradition, within a church or denomination that welcomes us (and thinks that ought to be enough), can find ourselves plunked down smack on the opposite side of the fence from those who support our inclusion. We may be driven, by conscience, to stand beside the very people who oppose our welcome. Our usual allies may react as if we have betrayed them. What all too often occurs to nobody else is that, for GLBT Christians to have genuine freedom of worship, we must follow our convictions regardless of who else in the church likes it and who doesn't. We owe our loyalty, after all, not to any particular faction within the church, but to God.
Wherever in the church's theological and political spectrum you happen to decide you belong, make sure you make your membership matter. Make your voice heard. Don't let anybody shame or guilt you into compliance with anything you cannot support in good conscience or respect. The Holy Spirit may indeed take you somewhere very far from the tradition in which you were raised. But it makes a great deal of difference whether you go there because it genuinely seems right to you, or whether it is because you have been made, by those whose acceptance of you is strictly conditional, to feel that you must in order to please them.
Click here to read the rest of the essay on Whosoever.
We are ALL an important part of God's kingdom, and he has plans for how He wants to use ALL of us in his Kingdom. Seek out those plans and find the place where He wants to use you.
Here's What We're Up Against
By we, I mean folks like the ones I work with in ministry efforts to reach out to GLBT people. Some of them/you have been sooooo hurt and damaged by people preaching their misguided interpretation of God's word, or just using the Lord to justify their own hate and bigotry. Here's an excerpt from a fairly innocuous blog post I ran across earlier that weighed heavily on me during worship today.
From the post "What Would We Do Without Christians?"
Sometimes I wonder to myself if church aren't just meeting places for horrible people rather than places of worship and repentance. I've read the Bible and Jesus sure says a lot about not creating a fuss, being pious, honest and civil. He talks of neighbourliness and kindness. When was the last time I saw a Christian who had truly accepted these ideals? I honestly can't remember. Go around the internet and read what Christians write... mostly it's hateful, dishonest and distasteful. Grr...
While I think this generalization reaches too far, we've all seen people, perhaps even congregations, that fit this description. I'm sure the young man who wrote this has experience to back up his feelings.
This perspective, from my experience, both direct and anecdotal, is very deeply ingrained into a large part of the GLBT community. That is why I believe it is so important for churches that are affirming and accepting to move beyond their four walls and reach out to people like Jae, not by hitting him over the head with the same Bible he's already been beaten up with but by showing the kind of love, acceptance, and humility that he associates with Christ but not with Christians.
Do you know that wonderful old hymn "They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love?" I can understand how GLBT people could scoff at that, wanting to make the last word of the title hate instead of love.
We need to show the unchurched GLBT community Jesus' love, and the only way they can see it is through the love, not hate and condemnation, of His people.
From the post "What Would We Do Without Christians?"
Sometimes I wonder to myself if church aren't just meeting places for horrible people rather than places of worship and repentance. I've read the Bible and Jesus sure says a lot about not creating a fuss, being pious, honest and civil. He talks of neighbourliness and kindness. When was the last time I saw a Christian who had truly accepted these ideals? I honestly can't remember. Go around the internet and read what Christians write... mostly it's hateful, dishonest and distasteful. Grr...
While I think this generalization reaches too far, we've all seen people, perhaps even congregations, that fit this description. I'm sure the young man who wrote this has experience to back up his feelings.
This perspective, from my experience, both direct and anecdotal, is very deeply ingrained into a large part of the GLBT community. That is why I believe it is so important for churches that are affirming and accepting to move beyond their four walls and reach out to people like Jae, not by hitting him over the head with the same Bible he's already been beaten up with but by showing the kind of love, acceptance, and humility that he associates with Christ but not with Christians.
Do you know that wonderful old hymn "They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love?" I can understand how GLBT people could scoff at that, wanting to make the last word of the title hate instead of love.
We need to show the unchurched GLBT community Jesus' love, and the only way they can see it is through the love, not hate and condemnation, of His people.
July 14, 2007
Coverage of a City's First "Gay" Church
The Metropolitan Community Church continues its international outreach by opening a new church in Worcester, England. According to this report by the Worcester News, it's the first of its kind in that city.
Rev Chris Dowd, an Australian who came to the UK 12 years ago and who is leading the services, said: "It's appalling that there simply isn't a place where openly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people can come to church and be accepted for who they are. For a substantial number of gay and lesbian people spirituality is very important.
"There is a difference between being tolerant of sexuality and celebrating it."
He said: "The church is on the liberal side but people don't have to be gay to come to it. Some gay people feel that they are expected to sit at the back of the church and say nothing.
"The fact that people don't see a need for a gay church is the problem. A lot of people who attend the church have been on the receiving end of bigotry from people. Most people in my church - particularly the gays and lesbians - have suffered terrible stress from other denominations and feel they can't worship freely.
As I've written before, I don't want to be tolerated, I want to be accepted for who I am. If I were gay, I would seek no less but often be disappointed. ALL people deserve to have a church where they can go to worship God in the fullness of the Holy Spirit and the fullness of who they are as individuals. To accomplish the first part of that, I strongly believe one needs to be able to do the second part.
This is one of the primary reasons that here in the U. S. there are still many churches that are primarily African-American. Historically, they needed their own churches to not feel like second-class citizens in congregations controlled by white people. It's hard not to see the irony in the fact that "gay" houses of worship and GLBT activists face some of their stiffest opposition from the leaders of those African-American churches.
I put "gay" in quotes here because, though I understand why these churches are described that way, I don't believe it's accurate. That phrase implices the exclusion of anyone who is not gay, and I have not found that to be the case.
When I first started attending Believers Covenant Fellowship, I was warmly received and accepted, not tolerated, even though it would fall under the "gay church" classification and I was a straight man. I have bonded with these wonderful people and call them "my strange little church family." They have loved me and helped me grow in my walk with God, and I have enjoyed poking fun at them as they have at me over our differences.
To me, congregations like BCF are not "gay churches," they are accepting and affirming.
Shouldn't all our places of worship be like that, regardless of race and/or sexual orientation.
After all, God is.
Thanks to PageOneQ for the tip.
Rev Chris Dowd, an Australian who came to the UK 12 years ago and who is leading the services, said: "It's appalling that there simply isn't a place where openly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people can come to church and be accepted for who they are. For a substantial number of gay and lesbian people spirituality is very important.
"There is a difference between being tolerant of sexuality and celebrating it."
He said: "The church is on the liberal side but people don't have to be gay to come to it. Some gay people feel that they are expected to sit at the back of the church and say nothing.
"The fact that people don't see a need for a gay church is the problem. A lot of people who attend the church have been on the receiving end of bigotry from people. Most people in my church - particularly the gays and lesbians - have suffered terrible stress from other denominations and feel they can't worship freely.
As I've written before, I don't want to be tolerated, I want to be accepted for who I am. If I were gay, I would seek no less but often be disappointed. ALL people deserve to have a church where they can go to worship God in the fullness of the Holy Spirit and the fullness of who they are as individuals. To accomplish the first part of that, I strongly believe one needs to be able to do the second part.
This is one of the primary reasons that here in the U. S. there are still many churches that are primarily African-American. Historically, they needed their own churches to not feel like second-class citizens in congregations controlled by white people. It's hard not to see the irony in the fact that "gay" houses of worship and GLBT activists face some of their stiffest opposition from the leaders of those African-American churches.
I put "gay" in quotes here because, though I understand why these churches are described that way, I don't believe it's accurate. That phrase implices the exclusion of anyone who is not gay, and I have not found that to be the case.
When I first started attending Believers Covenant Fellowship, I was warmly received and accepted, not tolerated, even though it would fall under the "gay church" classification and I was a straight man. I have bonded with these wonderful people and call them "my strange little church family." They have loved me and helped me grow in my walk with God, and I have enjoyed poking fun at them as they have at me over our differences.
To me, congregations like BCF are not "gay churches," they are accepting and affirming.
Shouldn't all our places of worship be like that, regardless of race and/or sexual orientation.
After all, God is.
Thanks to PageOneQ for the tip.
Knowing You Are Is Worth the Cost
That's the moral of the story told by the life of Brandon Kneefel, a 20 year-old in Michigan. From the Detroit Free Press:
"I was 14 when my parents asked me if I was gay," said Kneefel, who was born in Dearborn and raised in Livonia. "I said that I was, and they immediately wanted to get me counseling."
For Kneefel, a popular student who holds track and field records at Livonia's Stevenson High School, it should have been a relief finally to acknowledge outwardly what he'd felt inside since he was 4. Instead, it unleashed a nightmare.
His family was humiliated and repulsed by his homosexuality. They objected to him running for student body president, fearing he would negatively influence other students. They didn't want him to play football for similar reasons.
"All I saw was their fear," he said.
Click on the link above to read the rest of the story. Amazingly, it is one of validation, not tragedy.
"I was 14 when my parents asked me if I was gay," said Kneefel, who was born in Dearborn and raised in Livonia. "I said that I was, and they immediately wanted to get me counseling."
For Kneefel, a popular student who holds track and field records at Livonia's Stevenson High School, it should have been a relief finally to acknowledge outwardly what he'd felt inside since he was 4. Instead, it unleashed a nightmare.
His family was humiliated and repulsed by his homosexuality. They objected to him running for student body president, fearing he would negatively influence other students. They didn't want him to play football for similar reasons.
"All I saw was their fear," he said.
Click on the link above to read the rest of the story. Amazingly, it is one of validation, not tragedy.
July 13, 2007
"David Vitter, Another Victim of Gay Marriage"
If you've been watching the news in recent days (always a dangerous proposition), you've probably heard of the latest right winger to get caught with his zipper down, Louisiana Senator David Vitter. His phone number showed up on the recently released records of a Washington, DC "madam," who he contacted to obtain the services of a prostitute. Interestingly, but not surprisingly, the Christian Coalition had rated Vitter 100% for his pro-family voting record.
Here is a clever tounge-in-cheek essay by Jon Swift, who blames the whole mess on gay marriage. The post is good, and so are some of the comments although someone took the essay far too seriously.
I link to these type of stories because I have a sarcastic sense of humor and more so because writings like this help point out how absurd the whole "gay marriage will destroy society" is when put in the context of a real situation. Here's a taste of the essay:
Though it is very magnanimous of Vitter to accept responsibility for his transgressions, is he really to blame? After the Hollywood left redefined marriage, it must have been a very difficult and confusing time for him. The failure of the passage of the Federal Marriage Amendment must have taken a severe toll on him as he struggled to figure out what marriage really is if even gays can do it. As he grappled with the issue, is it any surprise that he found solace in the embrace of a disinterested paid companion?
Sadly, you just KNOW there are some nitwits out there who actually believe this.
Here is a clever tounge-in-cheek essay by Jon Swift, who blames the whole mess on gay marriage. The post is good, and so are some of the comments although someone took the essay far too seriously.
I link to these type of stories because I have a sarcastic sense of humor and more so because writings like this help point out how absurd the whole "gay marriage will destroy society" is when put in the context of a real situation. Here's a taste of the essay:
Though it is very magnanimous of Vitter to accept responsibility for his transgressions, is he really to blame? After the Hollywood left redefined marriage, it must have been a very difficult and confusing time for him. The failure of the passage of the Federal Marriage Amendment must have taken a severe toll on him as he struggled to figure out what marriage really is if even gays can do it. As he grappled with the issue, is it any surprise that he found solace in the embrace of a disinterested paid companion?
Sadly, you just KNOW there are some nitwits out there who actually believe this.
Featured Organization: The Naming Project
Ross from the website In Lay Terms gave me a heads up about a wonderful organization he works with in the Minneapolis area called The Naming Project. The following is from their website:
The Naming Project is a faith-based youth group serving youth of all sexual and gender identities. The primary focus is to provide a place for youth who are gay/lesbian/bisexual/ transgender/ queer/questioning to learn, grow, and share their experiences. In this way The Naming Project is a space in which youth can comfortably discuss faith and who they understand themselves to be--whether gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender...or straight.
The Naming Project is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is a mission and outreach of Bethany Lutheran Church in the Seward neighborhood. However, The Naming Project reaches out to youth across the United States through its programs.
Programs of The Naming Project Include:
* Local meetings on Sunday evenings in Minneapolis
* Outings to Worship and Fellowship Experiences
* E-mail check-ins and resources for youth and parents
* Workshops and conversations for youth in schools, communities, and churches
* Workshops for youth workers, parents, and congregations
* A five-day summer camp for youth
There is also a film about the camp titled Camp Out that will premier on the LOGO network on Saturday, July 28th.
I think this kind of work is so very important. One of the biggest issues I've run across in the GLBT community is the difficulty people have in unlearning who they thought they were supposed to be and coming to understand who they really are. Groups like this can help avoid much of that pain by encouraging youth to accept who they are at an earlier age and learn to love themselves and others.
If you know of an organization that is working for the benefit of the GLBT community, please let me know at straight_notnarrow@yahoo.com and I'll be happy to feature them here.
The Naming Project is a faith-based youth group serving youth of all sexual and gender identities. The primary focus is to provide a place for youth who are gay/lesbian/bisexual/ transgender/ queer/questioning to learn, grow, and share their experiences. In this way The Naming Project is a space in which youth can comfortably discuss faith and who they understand themselves to be--whether gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender...or straight.
The Naming Project is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is a mission and outreach of Bethany Lutheran Church in the Seward neighborhood. However, The Naming Project reaches out to youth across the United States through its programs.
Programs of The Naming Project Include:
* Local meetings on Sunday evenings in Minneapolis
* Outings to Worship and Fellowship Experiences
* E-mail check-ins and resources for youth and parents
* Workshops and conversations for youth in schools, communities, and churches
* Workshops for youth workers, parents, and congregations
* A five-day summer camp for youth
There is also a film about the camp titled Camp Out that will premier on the LOGO network on Saturday, July 28th.
I think this kind of work is so very important. One of the biggest issues I've run across in the GLBT community is the difficulty people have in unlearning who they thought they were supposed to be and coming to understand who they really are. Groups like this can help avoid much of that pain by encouraging youth to accept who they are at an earlier age and learn to love themselves and others.
If you know of an organization that is working for the benefit of the GLBT community, please let me know at straight_notnarrow@yahoo.com and I'll be happy to feature them here.
July 12, 2007
The U. S. As a Safe Haven for GLBT People
As I've chronicled here over time, even with the limitations on civil rights GLBT face in the United States, there are many nations where the situation is much, much worse. That makes the U. S. an attractive destination for seeking political asylum, according to the Washington Post.
Harassment and abuse of gay men and lesbians is becoming increasingly accepted as grounds for legal asylum in the United States, even at a time of conservative judicial activism, fear about HIV/AIDS transmission and increased scrutiny of asylum seekers. The government does not disclose a breakdown of reasons for granting asylum petitions, but legal advocacy groups in several major U.S. cities said they have won dozens of cases.
Homosexuality, once a de facto condition for barring foreigners from entering the country, is now officially recognized by the U.S. government as a category that might subject individuals to persecution in their homeland, just as if they were political dissidents in a dictatorship or religious minority members in a theocracy.
But although petitioning for asylum on the basis of sexual orientation has become far easier since 1994, when then-Attorney General Janet Reno ordered that a groundbreaking case involving a gay Cuban refugee be viewed as a legal precedent, such asylum cases are still extremely difficult to win, according to lawyers in Washington and elsewhere.
One reason is that applicants face multiple burdens of proof. They must demonstrate that they were abused or harassed by authorities, not merely by angry relatives or drunken hooligans, or that the authorities failed to protect them. They must also prove that they were abused because they are homosexual -- and thus prove that they are, in fact, gay.
It is still an uphill struggle for GBLT people to immigrate into the United States, and the organization Immigration Equality is working to improve that situation. Click on the link if you are interested in learning more about this issue.
Harassment and abuse of gay men and lesbians is becoming increasingly accepted as grounds for legal asylum in the United States, even at a time of conservative judicial activism, fear about HIV/AIDS transmission and increased scrutiny of asylum seekers. The government does not disclose a breakdown of reasons for granting asylum petitions, but legal advocacy groups in several major U.S. cities said they have won dozens of cases.
Homosexuality, once a de facto condition for barring foreigners from entering the country, is now officially recognized by the U.S. government as a category that might subject individuals to persecution in their homeland, just as if they were political dissidents in a dictatorship or religious minority members in a theocracy.
But although petitioning for asylum on the basis of sexual orientation has become far easier since 1994, when then-Attorney General Janet Reno ordered that a groundbreaking case involving a gay Cuban refugee be viewed as a legal precedent, such asylum cases are still extremely difficult to win, according to lawyers in Washington and elsewhere.
One reason is that applicants face multiple burdens of proof. They must demonstrate that they were abused or harassed by authorities, not merely by angry relatives or drunken hooligans, or that the authorities failed to protect them. They must also prove that they were abused because they are homosexual -- and thus prove that they are, in fact, gay.
It is still an uphill struggle for GBLT people to immigrate into the United States, and the organization Immigration Equality is working to improve that situation. Click on the link if you are interested in learning more about this issue.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu on Gay Rights
In case you missed this excerpt from a Vanity Fair article in which actor/activist Brad Pitt interviewed Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, here it is via the site Josh & Josh are Rich & Famous:
Brad Pitt: So certainly discrimination has no place in Christianity. There's a big argument going on in America right now, on gay rights and equality.
Desmond Tutu: For me, I couldn't ever keep quiet. I came from a situation where for a very long time people were discriminated against, made to suffer for something about which they could do nothing--their ethnicity. We were made to suffer because we were not white. Then, for a very long time in our church, we didn't ordain women, and we were penalizing a huge section of humanity for something about which they could do nothing--their gender. And I'm glad that now the church has changed all that. I'm glad that apartheid has ended. I could not for any part of me be able to keep quiet, because people were being penalized, ostracized, treated as if they were less than human, because of something they could do nothing to change--their sexual orientation. For me, I can't imagine the Lord that I worship, this Jesus Christ, actually concurring with the persecution of a minority that is already being persecuted. The Jesus who I worship is a Jesus who was forever on the side of those who were being clobbered, and he got into trouble precisely because of that. Our church, the Anglican Church, is experiencing a very, very serious crisis. It is all to do with human sexuality. I think God is weeping. He is weeping that we should be spending so much energy, time, resources on this subject at a time when the world is aching.
Brad Pitt: I couldn't agree with you more. Thank you for saying that.
I beileve that God does weep when His children are denied basic rights, especially when it is done in His name.
Brad Pitt: So certainly discrimination has no place in Christianity. There's a big argument going on in America right now, on gay rights and equality.
Desmond Tutu: For me, I couldn't ever keep quiet. I came from a situation where for a very long time people were discriminated against, made to suffer for something about which they could do nothing--their ethnicity. We were made to suffer because we were not white. Then, for a very long time in our church, we didn't ordain women, and we were penalizing a huge section of humanity for something about which they could do nothing--their gender. And I'm glad that now the church has changed all that. I'm glad that apartheid has ended. I could not for any part of me be able to keep quiet, because people were being penalized, ostracized, treated as if they were less than human, because of something they could do nothing to change--their sexual orientation. For me, I can't imagine the Lord that I worship, this Jesus Christ, actually concurring with the persecution of a minority that is already being persecuted. The Jesus who I worship is a Jesus who was forever on the side of those who were being clobbered, and he got into trouble precisely because of that. Our church, the Anglican Church, is experiencing a very, very serious crisis. It is all to do with human sexuality. I think God is weeping. He is weeping that we should be spending so much energy, time, resources on this subject at a time when the world is aching.
Brad Pitt: I couldn't agree with you more. Thank you for saying that.
I beileve that God does weep when His children are denied basic rights, especially when it is done in His name.
July 11, 2007
"50 Voices For Equality" In Oregon
From Basic Rights Oregon:
Today, the Basic Rights Education Fund launched a large-scale statewide, public education campaign, entitled" 50 Voices For Equality", a campaign made up of 50 straight Oregonians from ever corner of the state--who are standing up for GLBT equality.
The Fifty Voices for Equality website features biographies and statements of support for fairness in Oregon, as well as photos of the 50 Voices. Each of the Voices will engage in educational activities in their communities throughout 2007 and 2008. The campaign will include other educational components, to be launched in the coming months in combination with other campaigns.
The voices come from diverse perspectives, and include leading businesspeople, parents and grandparents, faith leaders, elected officials, community activists and public safety officers. Voices are geographically diverse as well, hailing from Bend, Philomath, Otis, Woodburn, Portland, Eugene, Baker City, Salem, Warm Springs, Hillsboro, Beaverton, Lincoln City, Ashland, Corvallis, Troutdale, Lake Oswego, The Dalles, Coos Bay, and Keizer.
We've also released a video to launch the campaign that we invite you to watch and share. Click here to watch the launch video!
Today, the Basic Rights Education Fund launched a large-scale statewide, public education campaign, entitled" 50 Voices For Equality", a campaign made up of 50 straight Oregonians from ever corner of the state--who are standing up for GLBT equality.
The Fifty Voices for Equality website features biographies and statements of support for fairness in Oregon, as well as photos of the 50 Voices. Each of the Voices will engage in educational activities in their communities throughout 2007 and 2008. The campaign will include other educational components, to be launched in the coming months in combination with other campaigns.
The voices come from diverse perspectives, and include leading businesspeople, parents and grandparents, faith leaders, elected officials, community activists and public safety officers. Voices are geographically diverse as well, hailing from Bend, Philomath, Otis, Woodburn, Portland, Eugene, Baker City, Salem, Warm Springs, Hillsboro, Beaverton, Lincoln City, Ashland, Corvallis, Troutdale, Lake Oswego, The Dalles, Coos Bay, and Keizer.
We've also released a video to launch the campaign that we invite you to watch and share. Click here to watch the launch video!
Homophobes Strike Out in San Diego
Last weekend, the San Diego Padres promoted "Floppy Hat Night" where they gave away about 12,000 floppy hats to children 14 and younger. That same night, the Gay Men's Chorus of San Diego sang the national anthem, and San Diego Pride purchased 1,000 tickets to the game.
This caused some local homophobes to get their knickers in a twist.
From the San Diego Union-Tribune's article:
Roughly 75 protesters showed up outside Petco Park's front gate dressed in red T-shirts emblazoned with the message “Save Our Kids.” They handed out fliers. A few attempted to talk with Padre fans as they arrived for the 5:05 p.m. game that was nationally televised on ESPN.
“We're here to inform parents, to warn them about what's happening inside (the ballpark),” said James Hartline, a self-described Christian activist who directed the protest. “Bringing together homosexuals with baseball and kids is beyond bounds. We're trying to get people to turn around, not go to the game, and we're succeeding.”
If so, it wasn't readily apparent. Official attendance for the game was 41,026, just short of a capacity crowd for the 42,685-seat ballpark.
Of course, if the American Family Association was staging the protest, they'd claim credit for the 1,659 empty seats, but that's a topic for another day.
“We are not boycotting. We are not protesting,” said J.D. Loveland, development director of Set Free Ministries, an El Cajon-based Christian organization that announced last month that it would withdraw its 42 workers from Petco concession stands for yesterday's game in objection.
The San Diego Gay Men's Chorus sings the National Anthem before Sunday night's Padres game against Atlanta.“Maybe it's just coincidence. Maybe it's just bad planning,” Loveland said. “But our bottom line is that Christian folk believe in the sanctity of marriage as stated in the Bible, one man and one woman. Homosexuality is a sin,and promoting it with a Pride Night when thousands of kids are also going to be (at the ballpark) is wrong. So we took a moral stand. We're not anti-gay. We're anti-anti-Christian.”
Local gay leaders responded with puzzlement, dismay and some anger.
“We're talking about a baseball game. That's all this is,” said Ron deHarte, executive director of San Diego Pride, which had purchased 1,000 tickets to yesterday's game, then advertised them on the group's Web site as “Out at the Park with the San Diego Padres, an official San Diego Pride event.”
Now which one of those two people made sense? That's a no-brainer. Everyone knows having gay men singing The Star-Spangled Banner and allowing gay people to buy tickets to a baseball game is anti-Christian, right?
Padres officials said the team was caught in the middle and that the convergence of events was a scheduling coincidence.
“San Diego Pride wanted to buy a block of tickets and chose this date, and they weren't the only ones,” Stieren said. “There are almost 100 groups at this game, more than 11,000 people. The Gay Men's Chorus sang the anthem because they applied, sent in a tape and we thought they were good. Beyond that, there's nothing else going on. People are making this bigger than it really is.”
Just in case you question that last statement, check out this e-mail blase sent out by Tony Perkins from the (Straight) Family Research Council:
This past Sunday, at the San Diego Padres baseball game, what was advertised as a "Free Floppy Hat Night" for kids under 14 turned out to be a double play. While the Padres management was enticing families with the giveaway for kids, it was also promoting the evening as a Gay Pride night at the ballpark. Children who received free hats were treated to the Gay Man's Chorus of San Diego singing the national anthem prior to what one homosexual group billed as "Out at the Park with the San Diego Padres."
The San Diego Padres organization should be ashamed that they would promote such an event on a night they specifically designed for the family. On this curveball of an evening, the Padres struck out.
Click the link below to contact the San Diego Padres and tell them that baseball is a family game that shouldn't be used as an exhibition of homosexual lifestyles. The national pastime is just that: an opportunity for fans of the sport to enjoy a game and take respite from the daily grind. It's not place for politics - or political correctness.
We've provided a short sample text you can sign or modify as you like to the Padres. Let's tell major league baseball to leave politics aside at the turnstile.
Thank you and God bless you.
As usual, Perkins doesn't let facts get in the way of his bigotry. As you can see from the newspaper story, the Padres did not promote that game as any type of "gay night." The way those type of events work is that the organization buys the tickets and then sells and promotes them theirselves.
I wonder exactly what homosexual lifestyles were exhibited at the stadium that night? Were gay men and lesbians making out and/or fornicating?
Of course not, they were simply watching a ball game and picking up a floppy hat for their kids.
This bothers folks like Perkins and groups like the Family Research Council because they just don't want gay people to do anything outside of the closet.
I do agree with Perkins on one thing--let's keep politics, especially your right-wing hate mongering, out of the ballpark and just let everyone enjoy their peanuts and Cracker Jacks in peace.
This caused some local homophobes to get their knickers in a twist.
From the San Diego Union-Tribune's article:
Roughly 75 protesters showed up outside Petco Park's front gate dressed in red T-shirts emblazoned with the message “Save Our Kids.” They handed out fliers. A few attempted to talk with Padre fans as they arrived for the 5:05 p.m. game that was nationally televised on ESPN.
“We're here to inform parents, to warn them about what's happening inside (the ballpark),” said James Hartline, a self-described Christian activist who directed the protest. “Bringing together homosexuals with baseball and kids is beyond bounds. We're trying to get people to turn around, not go to the game, and we're succeeding.”
If so, it wasn't readily apparent. Official attendance for the game was 41,026, just short of a capacity crowd for the 42,685-seat ballpark.
Of course, if the American Family Association was staging the protest, they'd claim credit for the 1,659 empty seats, but that's a topic for another day.
“We are not boycotting. We are not protesting,” said J.D. Loveland, development director of Set Free Ministries, an El Cajon-based Christian organization that announced last month that it would withdraw its 42 workers from Petco concession stands for yesterday's game in objection.
The San Diego Gay Men's Chorus sings the National Anthem before Sunday night's Padres game against Atlanta.“Maybe it's just coincidence. Maybe it's just bad planning,” Loveland said. “But our bottom line is that Christian folk believe in the sanctity of marriage as stated in the Bible, one man and one woman. Homosexuality is a sin,and promoting it with a Pride Night when thousands of kids are also going to be (at the ballpark) is wrong. So we took a moral stand. We're not anti-gay. We're anti-anti-Christian.”
Local gay leaders responded with puzzlement, dismay and some anger.
“We're talking about a baseball game. That's all this is,” said Ron deHarte, executive director of San Diego Pride, which had purchased 1,000 tickets to yesterday's game, then advertised them on the group's Web site as “Out at the Park with the San Diego Padres, an official San Diego Pride event.”
Now which one of those two people made sense? That's a no-brainer. Everyone knows having gay men singing The Star-Spangled Banner and allowing gay people to buy tickets to a baseball game is anti-Christian, right?
Padres officials said the team was caught in the middle and that the convergence of events was a scheduling coincidence.
“San Diego Pride wanted to buy a block of tickets and chose this date, and they weren't the only ones,” Stieren said. “There are almost 100 groups at this game, more than 11,000 people. The Gay Men's Chorus sang the anthem because they applied, sent in a tape and we thought they were good. Beyond that, there's nothing else going on. People are making this bigger than it really is.”
Just in case you question that last statement, check out this e-mail blase sent out by Tony Perkins from the (Straight) Family Research Council:
This past Sunday, at the San Diego Padres baseball game, what was advertised as a "Free Floppy Hat Night" for kids under 14 turned out to be a double play. While the Padres management was enticing families with the giveaway for kids, it was also promoting the evening as a Gay Pride night at the ballpark. Children who received free hats were treated to the Gay Man's Chorus of San Diego singing the national anthem prior to what one homosexual group billed as "Out at the Park with the San Diego Padres."
The San Diego Padres organization should be ashamed that they would promote such an event on a night they specifically designed for the family. On this curveball of an evening, the Padres struck out.
Click the link below to contact the San Diego Padres and tell them that baseball is a family game that shouldn't be used as an exhibition of homosexual lifestyles. The national pastime is just that: an opportunity for fans of the sport to enjoy a game and take respite from the daily grind. It's not place for politics - or political correctness.
We've provided a short sample text you can sign or modify as you like to the Padres. Let's tell major league baseball to leave politics aside at the turnstile.
Thank you and God bless you.
As usual, Perkins doesn't let facts get in the way of his bigotry. As you can see from the newspaper story, the Padres did not promote that game as any type of "gay night." The way those type of events work is that the organization buys the tickets and then sells and promotes them theirselves.
I wonder exactly what homosexual lifestyles were exhibited at the stadium that night? Were gay men and lesbians making out and/or fornicating?
Of course not, they were simply watching a ball game and picking up a floppy hat for their kids.
This bothers folks like Perkins and groups like the Family Research Council because they just don't want gay people to do anything outside of the closet.
I do agree with Perkins on one thing--let's keep politics, especially your right-wing hate mongering, out of the ballpark and just let everyone enjoy their peanuts and Cracker Jacks in peace.
July 10, 2007
The 13th Edition of the International Carnival of Pozitives Is Here
The folks over at ScribeSpirit are hosting the 13th edition of the International Carnival of Pozitives, the monthly gathering of uplifting stories about people who are HIV positive or whose lives have been impacted in other ways by the disease.
Next month I'm happy to say that the ICP will be hosted on this blog, so keep an eye out for that.
Next month I'm happy to say that the ICP will be hosted on this blog, so keep an eye out for that.
What Message Does Your Organization Have to Share?
I continue to look for ways to be a more effective adovcate for GLBT equality in politcs and the church.
One upgrade I am making to this blog is placing more of an emphasis (without reducing original content) to let people know of the action orgainzations, either local, national, or international, are taking to advocate for the GLBT community. The post below from the SLDN is an example of that.
I have signed up for a LOT of mailing lists over the last few months, but if you are a member of a group that I've missed and your mission matches up with the theme of this blog, please let me know. Also, even if I'm on your mailing list but you think I've missed something important, I'd like to hear about that also.
One thing I won't be doing is posting fund raising events. That's just not the mission of this blog. It's about issues, not money. I wish any and all advocacy groups much success in their fund raising efforts, but I don't want that to become a focus here. I hope you understand and respect that.
As I've contributed on occassions to other sites, if anyone, either as a representative of an organization or as a concerned individual, has something to say and would like it posted here, I am also open to that. I've posted a few items like that in the past and would love to include other voices here.
My e-mail is straight_notnarrow@yahoo.com.
One upgrade I am making to this blog is placing more of an emphasis (without reducing original content) to let people know of the action orgainzations, either local, national, or international, are taking to advocate for the GLBT community. The post below from the SLDN is an example of that.
I have signed up for a LOT of mailing lists over the last few months, but if you are a member of a group that I've missed and your mission matches up with the theme of this blog, please let me know. Also, even if I'm on your mailing list but you think I've missed something important, I'd like to hear about that also.
One thing I won't be doing is posting fund raising events. That's just not the mission of this blog. It's about issues, not money. I wish any and all advocacy groups much success in their fund raising efforts, but I don't want that to become a focus here. I hope you understand and respect that.
As I've contributed on occassions to other sites, if anyone, either as a representative of an organization or as a concerned individual, has something to say and would like it posted here, I am also open to that. I've posted a few items like that in the past and would love to include other voices here.
My e-mail is straight_notnarrow@yahoo.com.
Veterans: Tell SLDN Your Story
From the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network:
Every day, lesbian, gay, and bisexual American patriots are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan with honor, courage, and distinction. Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) seeks to honor their service by ending the discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law.
Now, Congress needs to hear from those veterans of the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is wrong.
An innovative new SLDN project, Stories From the Frontlines, will show Members of Congress that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is hurting our military by featuring the personal stories of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. This collection of veterans' stories will be a key tool in our work on Capitol Hill to educate Members of Congress and build support for the Military Readiness Enhancement Act (H.R. 1246), a bill that would repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ban and replace it with a policy of nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
Veterans: speak out and share your story! Click here to share your Story From the Frontlines.
All veterans of the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are invited to share their experiences for Stories From the Frontlines. Veterans of all sexual orientations and gender identities, including straight allies and those whose careers were not directly harmed by "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," are welcome to join us in this exciting project.
Non-veterans are also crucial to the movement to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." The ban on openly lesbian, gay, and bisexual Americans serving in the military impacts every American in every community. Our freedoms are more secure when every qualified American is allowed to serve, regardless of sexual orientation. If you haven't already, click here to write Congress calling for the repeal of this discriminatory, unnecessary law.
Thank you for helping us honor all American patriots. Together, we will lift the ban!
Every day, lesbian, gay, and bisexual American patriots are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan with honor, courage, and distinction. Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) seeks to honor their service by ending the discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law.
Now, Congress needs to hear from those veterans of the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is wrong.
An innovative new SLDN project, Stories From the Frontlines, will show Members of Congress that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is hurting our military by featuring the personal stories of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. This collection of veterans' stories will be a key tool in our work on Capitol Hill to educate Members of Congress and build support for the Military Readiness Enhancement Act (H.R. 1246), a bill that would repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ban and replace it with a policy of nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
Veterans: speak out and share your story! Click here to share your Story From the Frontlines.
All veterans of the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are invited to share their experiences for Stories From the Frontlines. Veterans of all sexual orientations and gender identities, including straight allies and those whose careers were not directly harmed by "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," are welcome to join us in this exciting project.
Non-veterans are also crucial to the movement to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." The ban on openly lesbian, gay, and bisexual Americans serving in the military impacts every American in every community. Our freedoms are more secure when every qualified American is allowed to serve, regardless of sexual orientation. If you haven't already, click here to write Congress calling for the repeal of this discriminatory, unnecessary law.
Thank you for helping us honor all American patriots. Together, we will lift the ban!
What Is the Ex-Gay Survivor Movement All About?
Peterson Toscano, one of the founders of the Beyond Ex-Gay community, addresses that in an entry on his blog.
We don't seek to bash people who identify as ex-gay or invalidate their experiences. Instead we wish to create a space to tell our own. The primary reason being for our own well being and recovery. Too often we shoved our ex-gay experiences in the closet believing that people in the LGBT community may just mock us for spending so much time, money and energy seeking to alter our sexuality. Some can be insensitive to personal and spiritual struggles that filled so much of our lives.
This weekend we saw the birth of the Ex-Gay Survivor Movement. It is a movement without a manifesto or agreed upon goals. Instead we have created a venue for people, who desperately sought to change and suppress their sexuality, an opportunity to unpack their experiences and to ask the essential questions--
Why did I pursue change? What was I looking for? What did I do to myself and let others do to me? What good came of the experiences I had? What harm came of it? How can I recover from these experiences and move on?
The Ex-Gay Survivor Movement--What's It All About? It is about speaking the truth in love. It is about seeking to tell our stories as honestly and vulnerably as possible. It is about telling our stories for our own well being. It is about telling our stories as a witness to the harm we see from a church and a world that insists that to be anything but straight is not good enough and what happens to the people who passionately follow that line of reasoning.
This movement is a radical departure from what some people expect. Even some gay activists are caught off guard by it and do not understand why many of us don't feel bitter and angry. Some conservative Christian groups, who do not know firsthand about the ex-gay struggle yet they insist it is the only route for same-sex attracted people, seem to feel threatened by the gathering of a handful of people who are willing to care for each other, listen deeply to each other and publicly tell our stories.
There is a mysterious power in telling our stories, and one thing is for sure, the Ex-Gay Survivor Movement is about standing up and telling our stories. I hope that the Church, ex-gay ministers and reparative therapists have ears to hear, and that they don't haggle over words and ultimately miss the point.
For there to be true communication, people need to not just hear but actually listen. That is a skill in desperately short supply in our society today, but the members of the Ex-Gay Survivor community deserve plenty of admiration and respect for opening their lives up for public inspection by sharing their stories in the hopes of saving others the pain they endured.
People just need to listen.
We don't seek to bash people who identify as ex-gay or invalidate their experiences. Instead we wish to create a space to tell our own. The primary reason being for our own well being and recovery. Too often we shoved our ex-gay experiences in the closet believing that people in the LGBT community may just mock us for spending so much time, money and energy seeking to alter our sexuality. Some can be insensitive to personal and spiritual struggles that filled so much of our lives.
This weekend we saw the birth of the Ex-Gay Survivor Movement. It is a movement without a manifesto or agreed upon goals. Instead we have created a venue for people, who desperately sought to change and suppress their sexuality, an opportunity to unpack their experiences and to ask the essential questions--
Why did I pursue change? What was I looking for? What did I do to myself and let others do to me? What good came of the experiences I had? What harm came of it? How can I recover from these experiences and move on?
The Ex-Gay Survivor Movement--What's It All About? It is about speaking the truth in love. It is about seeking to tell our stories as honestly and vulnerably as possible. It is about telling our stories for our own well being. It is about telling our stories as a witness to the harm we see from a church and a world that insists that to be anything but straight is not good enough and what happens to the people who passionately follow that line of reasoning.
This movement is a radical departure from what some people expect. Even some gay activists are caught off guard by it and do not understand why many of us don't feel bitter and angry. Some conservative Christian groups, who do not know firsthand about the ex-gay struggle yet they insist it is the only route for same-sex attracted people, seem to feel threatened by the gathering of a handful of people who are willing to care for each other, listen deeply to each other and publicly tell our stories.
There is a mysterious power in telling our stories, and one thing is for sure, the Ex-Gay Survivor Movement is about standing up and telling our stories. I hope that the Church, ex-gay ministers and reparative therapists have ears to hear, and that they don't haggle over words and ultimately miss the point.
For there to be true communication, people need to not just hear but actually listen. That is a skill in desperately short supply in our society today, but the members of the Ex-Gay Survivor community deserve plenty of admiration and respect for opening their lives up for public inspection by sharing their stories in the hopes of saving others the pain they endured.
People just need to listen.
July 09, 2007
What Is a Welcoming Congregation?
That's the topic adressed by Robert Cornwall, a pastor in California, in this essay. Pastor Cornwall had one idea of what a welcoming congregation was and how they should treat homosexuals.
Then his brother came out.
As often happens when an issue moves from the abstract to being personal, Pastor Cornwall approached the whole idea of welcome with a different sense of perspective:
I had to face some choices, including how I would read the scriptures. Experience is an important resource when we’re wrestling with difficult issues, and my new experience told me that my preconceived ideas needed to change. Moving from that personal transformation to providing leadership to a congregation that hasn’t dealt with the issue is a long, arduous and even dangerous trek, which is why many of us who have come to new understandings shy away from taking the next step.
Check out the rest of the essay to see how Pastor Cornwall is working to lead his church toward becoming a welcoming and affirming place of worship.
Then his brother came out.
As often happens when an issue moves from the abstract to being personal, Pastor Cornwall approached the whole idea of welcome with a different sense of perspective:
I had to face some choices, including how I would read the scriptures. Experience is an important resource when we’re wrestling with difficult issues, and my new experience told me that my preconceived ideas needed to change. Moving from that personal transformation to providing leadership to a congregation that hasn’t dealt with the issue is a long, arduous and even dangerous trek, which is why many of us who have come to new understandings shy away from taking the next step.
Check out the rest of the essay to see how Pastor Cornwall is working to lead his church toward becoming a welcoming and affirming place of worship.
July 08, 2007
A Personal Matter of Life and Death
I'm going to venture off topic with this post because, well, it's my blog.
Pastor Brenda and I have been operating with a heavy weight on our shoulders in recent weeks.
In May, not long after I recovered from complications following "routine" gallbladder surgery, Pastor Brenda went in for her annual mamogram.
They found a very small lump in her left breast.
They did a biopsy.
The biopsy showed some "bad cells," so they performed a lumpectomy, where they remove a portion of the tissue from inside the breast.
The pathology tests showed that there were four very, very small cancererous tumors.
They had to go back in and extract more tissue.
This is the part where our faith was being tested. We both felt that she would be completely healed, but we didn't know how big a price she would have to pay for that healing. After the third procedure, we waited to see if further treatment, likely radiation, would be needed.
Praise the Lord, it wasn't. The pathology (two days after we had been told to expect the results) came back clean. No more cancer, no more surgery or other treatment needed.
I post this for two reasons. First of all, that our passionate prayers were answered and Pastor Brenda will be fine.
Second, with her blessing, I want to point out the vital importance of early detection. If Brenda had skipped her annual exam, this cancer would have had plenty of time to get a good foothold, and her prognosis could have been much, much worse.
Unlike many of our laws, breast cancer does not discriminate based on a woman's sexual orientation.
I am linking to the Susan G. Komen Foundation's website, which contains a plethora of information about breast cancer. Pastor Brenda and I recently participated in the Race For The Cure in Washington, DC, and now that she is officially a breast cancer survivor, you can bet we'll be doing that as long as we are able. It was inspiring walking along with so many brave survivors who endured a lot more than Brenda had to.
So why did God allow my wife to be afflicted with those tumors? Perhaps so you could read about her story here. Perhaps she will meet someone in the future who needs to hear about the value of early detection.
I'm just glad she'll be around, whole and healthy, to do so.
Pastor Brenda and I have been operating with a heavy weight on our shoulders in recent weeks.
In May, not long after I recovered from complications following "routine" gallbladder surgery, Pastor Brenda went in for her annual mamogram.
They found a very small lump in her left breast.
They did a biopsy.
The biopsy showed some "bad cells," so they performed a lumpectomy, where they remove a portion of the tissue from inside the breast.
The pathology tests showed that there were four very, very small cancererous tumors.
They had to go back in and extract more tissue.
This is the part where our faith was being tested. We both felt that she would be completely healed, but we didn't know how big a price she would have to pay for that healing. After the third procedure, we waited to see if further treatment, likely radiation, would be needed.
Praise the Lord, it wasn't. The pathology (two days after we had been told to expect the results) came back clean. No more cancer, no more surgery or other treatment needed.
I post this for two reasons. First of all, that our passionate prayers were answered and Pastor Brenda will be fine.
Second, with her blessing, I want to point out the vital importance of early detection. If Brenda had skipped her annual exam, this cancer would have had plenty of time to get a good foothold, and her prognosis could have been much, much worse.
Unlike many of our laws, breast cancer does not discriminate based on a woman's sexual orientation.
I am linking to the Susan G. Komen Foundation's website, which contains a plethora of information about breast cancer. Pastor Brenda and I recently participated in the Race For The Cure in Washington, DC, and now that she is officially a breast cancer survivor, you can bet we'll be doing that as long as we are able. It was inspiring walking along with so many brave survivors who endured a lot more than Brenda had to.
So why did God allow my wife to be afflicted with those tumors? Perhaps so you could read about her story here. Perhaps she will meet someone in the future who needs to hear about the value of early detection.
I'm just glad she'll be around, whole and healthy, to do so.
Response to the "Cool Church"
Last week I posted about the homophobic pastor at the Tuscon (AZ) Community Church and how he is misleading his congregation with bogus "research" about what claims to be the consequences of the homosexual "lifestyle."
My friend and faithful reader Sharone Belt saw that post, became angry and, as she usually does in those situations, channeled her anger into a well-written letter. She has given me permission to reprint her letter to Pastor David McAllister:
Dear Pastor McAllister,
I was appalled and shocked at your website’s section on “homosexual sex”. While you may discount what I have to say, I must say it. You may think of me as an activist, which is fine with me. However, I am not a Godless humanist or some kind of child molester or pervert. I simply am in love with another woman.
I would like to speak to a few of the issues raised on your site:
Homosexual sex activists have tried to convince our society that 10% of our population practices homosexual sex to give it credibility, yet study after study continues to consistently come up with only 1-2%.
You cite study after study, but as we all know, studies are usually one sided. Studies on the side of homosexuals usually quote 10% while studies by the other side quote 1-2%. Most true experts believe the figure is more like 5%. Either way, if the incidence of homosexuality was less than 1%, it wouldn’t matter. The point isn’t legitimacy…it’s tolerance. Most of the mainstream church has decided that homosexuality is a behavior and not a sexual orientation. I disagree.
Contrary to what homosexual sex activist have tried to convince us, there is no medical or scientific evidence that people are born homosexual; it is a choice of sexual behavior.
There’s no medical or scientific evidence that people are born heterosexual either. There are a lot of things that medical science doesn’t understand yet. That doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Take the disease Lupus. Years ago, medical science said it didn’t exist. Today, they know better. That has happened with a great many medical breakthroughs. That’s why they are called “breakthroughs”.
Virtually every STD increases astronomically among homosexuals compared to the general population, as do violence and the various addictions – practicing homosexual sex is a risky, dangerous choice.
Again, studies can be, and are, skewed to show a certain point of view. Straight people and gay people alike engage in reckless behavior. To say that one group is more promiscuous than the other is just irresponsible. I would also ask you what hundreds and thousands of years of being told you’re evil will do to your self-esteem and judgment too. Many homosexual people have been told they are evil for their orientation for so long that they believe it and start acting like it. It doesn’t make that right, I’ll grant you, but it also doesn’t make what the Church has done to us over the years right either. Jesus hung out with sinners, remember??
Practicing homosexually - even taking out the issue of AIDS - reduces the life expectancy of a person by OVER 30 YEARS.
This figure has been scattered around for a long time. Again, there are reasons for those numbers. Homosexual teenagers, for instance, run a much higher risk of committing suicide due to discrimination and bullying than straight kids.
While the average number of sexual partners in a lifetime in the heterosexual community is around 10, in study after study, the average number of partners in the homosexual community is consistently in the hundreds with over ¼ claiming over 1,000 partners, many of these encounters anonymous, one time events.
I guess I don’t have to talk about studies anymore since I covered that before. Suffice it to say that people are people. Some sleep around and some don’t. Gene Simmons, who prides himself on being a “ladies’ man”, has openly and consistently bragged about sleeping with thousands of women.
In light of the total farce of what they call “gay marriage”, studies show that less than 2% of practicing homosexuals could be referred to as being in a monogamous relationship.
I can only speak from experience on this one. My partner and I are monogamous and have been for 14 years. I know many gay and lesbian relationships that are monogamous. In my circles, which admittedly are full of Christian gays and lesbians, non-monogamous relationships are rare and are not celebrated by any stretch of the imagination.
People who participate in homosexual sex are extremely more likely to suffer psychological disorders and consider or attempt suicide and have a less happy, satisfying life than the general population.
Why do you think that is?? You would be depressed too if your parents kicked you out of their home and lives for being who you are. You’d probably want to attempt suicide if you were called a faggot every day of your life. You’d probably take up drinking or drugs to feel better if you lived life knowing that the majority of churches wouldn’t allow you to be a part of their worship experience.
Here's what God says in the Bible.
God also says in the Bible that He loves us. He also says that if anyone causes the “least of these” to stumble, it would be better if he had a stone tied around his neck and be cast into the ocean. He also says that whosoever calls upon His name will be saved. Whosoever. It doesn’t say whosoever is straight. I am a whosoever.
"Is homosexuality healthy for society?" (recent articles – 2002/2003)
If you asked most folks, they might say that religion was unhealthy for society. It’s religious folks who judge everyone else and tend to blame others when they themselves do wrong. How many Christian leaders have been caught in sexual or financial wrong over the years? Remember that Jesus said, “Let him who knows no sin, cast the first stone.”. That’s a paraphrase, of course, but I think you get my point. Jesus never mentioned homosexuality, much less condemned it. Jesus hung out with the outcasts of society. I believe that if He lived in modern day America, He would count homosexuals among His inner circle of friends, much like he did the prostitutes and tax collectors in Biblical times.
In conclusion:
I find it really disappointing that people who call themselves Christians would use language such as “homosexual sex activists”. I don’t advocate for homosexual sex. I advocate for myself and others like me who love differently. If I never had sex with my partner again, I would still be a homosexual. I love her as you love your wife, if you have one.
The pastor of the church that I call home has been in a monogamous relationship with his partner for over 30 years. He’s a mighty man of God and preaches to a congregation of about 80% gay or lesbian. He is uncompromising in his defense of the Bible as God’s word to us, even though many gay and lesbian congregations have turned their backs on the Bible because of what straight Christians have put them through. The Bible is an offense to them, not because of them, but because of what they’ve been told by the Church.
I truly hope that you will one day come to understand that this issue is not unlike the civil rights struggle of African Americans in the 60’s. Many churches back then refused to allow blacks into their churches. They believed that God taught us in the Bible that blacks were less than human. One minister in particular, Jerry Falwell, had to later confess that he was wrong in that belief and now the church that he founded has many black members, as well as other racial diversity. Whether you ever understand the revelation that God loves homosexuals as we are, I think you will be surprised at how many of us you will meet in Heaven. I count myself among the sheep, not the goats. How about you?
Sincerely,
Sharone Belt
My friend and faithful reader Sharone Belt saw that post, became angry and, as she usually does in those situations, channeled her anger into a well-written letter. She has given me permission to reprint her letter to Pastor David McAllister:
Dear Pastor McAllister,
I was appalled and shocked at your website’s section on “homosexual sex”. While you may discount what I have to say, I must say it. You may think of me as an activist, which is fine with me. However, I am not a Godless humanist or some kind of child molester or pervert. I simply am in love with another woman.
I would like to speak to a few of the issues raised on your site:
Homosexual sex activists have tried to convince our society that 10% of our population practices homosexual sex to give it credibility, yet study after study continues to consistently come up with only 1-2%.
You cite study after study, but as we all know, studies are usually one sided. Studies on the side of homosexuals usually quote 10% while studies by the other side quote 1-2%. Most true experts believe the figure is more like 5%. Either way, if the incidence of homosexuality was less than 1%, it wouldn’t matter. The point isn’t legitimacy…it’s tolerance. Most of the mainstream church has decided that homosexuality is a behavior and not a sexual orientation. I disagree.
Contrary to what homosexual sex activist have tried to convince us, there is no medical or scientific evidence that people are born homosexual; it is a choice of sexual behavior.
There’s no medical or scientific evidence that people are born heterosexual either. There are a lot of things that medical science doesn’t understand yet. That doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Take the disease Lupus. Years ago, medical science said it didn’t exist. Today, they know better. That has happened with a great many medical breakthroughs. That’s why they are called “breakthroughs”.
Virtually every STD increases astronomically among homosexuals compared to the general population, as do violence and the various addictions – practicing homosexual sex is a risky, dangerous choice.
Again, studies can be, and are, skewed to show a certain point of view. Straight people and gay people alike engage in reckless behavior. To say that one group is more promiscuous than the other is just irresponsible. I would also ask you what hundreds and thousands of years of being told you’re evil will do to your self-esteem and judgment too. Many homosexual people have been told they are evil for their orientation for so long that they believe it and start acting like it. It doesn’t make that right, I’ll grant you, but it also doesn’t make what the Church has done to us over the years right either. Jesus hung out with sinners, remember??
Practicing homosexually - even taking out the issue of AIDS - reduces the life expectancy of a person by OVER 30 YEARS.
This figure has been scattered around for a long time. Again, there are reasons for those numbers. Homosexual teenagers, for instance, run a much higher risk of committing suicide due to discrimination and bullying than straight kids.
While the average number of sexual partners in a lifetime in the heterosexual community is around 10, in study after study, the average number of partners in the homosexual community is consistently in the hundreds with over ¼ claiming over 1,000 partners, many of these encounters anonymous, one time events.
I guess I don’t have to talk about studies anymore since I covered that before. Suffice it to say that people are people. Some sleep around and some don’t. Gene Simmons, who prides himself on being a “ladies’ man”, has openly and consistently bragged about sleeping with thousands of women.
In light of the total farce of what they call “gay marriage”, studies show that less than 2% of practicing homosexuals could be referred to as being in a monogamous relationship.
I can only speak from experience on this one. My partner and I are monogamous and have been for 14 years. I know many gay and lesbian relationships that are monogamous. In my circles, which admittedly are full of Christian gays and lesbians, non-monogamous relationships are rare and are not celebrated by any stretch of the imagination.
People who participate in homosexual sex are extremely more likely to suffer psychological disorders and consider or attempt suicide and have a less happy, satisfying life than the general population.
Why do you think that is?? You would be depressed too if your parents kicked you out of their home and lives for being who you are. You’d probably want to attempt suicide if you were called a faggot every day of your life. You’d probably take up drinking or drugs to feel better if you lived life knowing that the majority of churches wouldn’t allow you to be a part of their worship experience.
Here's what God says in the Bible.
God also says in the Bible that He loves us. He also says that if anyone causes the “least of these” to stumble, it would be better if he had a stone tied around his neck and be cast into the ocean. He also says that whosoever calls upon His name will be saved. Whosoever. It doesn’t say whosoever is straight. I am a whosoever.
"Is homosexuality healthy for society?" (recent articles – 2002/2003)
If you asked most folks, they might say that religion was unhealthy for society. It’s religious folks who judge everyone else and tend to blame others when they themselves do wrong. How many Christian leaders have been caught in sexual or financial wrong over the years? Remember that Jesus said, “Let him who knows no sin, cast the first stone.”. That’s a paraphrase, of course, but I think you get my point. Jesus never mentioned homosexuality, much less condemned it. Jesus hung out with the outcasts of society. I believe that if He lived in modern day America, He would count homosexuals among His inner circle of friends, much like he did the prostitutes and tax collectors in Biblical times.
In conclusion:
I find it really disappointing that people who call themselves Christians would use language such as “homosexual sex activists”. I don’t advocate for homosexual sex. I advocate for myself and others like me who love differently. If I never had sex with my partner again, I would still be a homosexual. I love her as you love your wife, if you have one.
The pastor of the church that I call home has been in a monogamous relationship with his partner for over 30 years. He’s a mighty man of God and preaches to a congregation of about 80% gay or lesbian. He is uncompromising in his defense of the Bible as God’s word to us, even though many gay and lesbian congregations have turned their backs on the Bible because of what straight Christians have put them through. The Bible is an offense to them, not because of them, but because of what they’ve been told by the Church.
I truly hope that you will one day come to understand that this issue is not unlike the civil rights struggle of African Americans in the 60’s. Many churches back then refused to allow blacks into their churches. They believed that God taught us in the Bible that blacks were less than human. One minister in particular, Jerry Falwell, had to later confess that he was wrong in that belief and now the church that he founded has many black members, as well as other racial diversity. Whether you ever understand the revelation that God loves homosexuals as we are, I think you will be surprised at how many of us you will meet in Heaven. I count myself among the sheep, not the goats. How about you?
Sincerely,
Sharone Belt
July 07, 2007
Report from the MCC Global Conference
The affirming Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) recently held it's annual global conference in Scottsdale, Arizona, and the stories featured in this Arizona Republic article was global and moving.
Garfield Mullings prays in secret. He worships while looking over his shoulder because he is a member of what is called the "gay church" in Jamaica. And that association could cost him his life.
"Living as a member of the community there is something that has to be done with the utmost care and utmost caution. People have to be very, very careful," said the parishioner of the Metropolitan Community Church. He goes by the name Mullings to protect his true identity, and potentially his life, from his countrymen.
But this week, Mullings said he prayed without fear. He was one of roughly 1,450 worshippers attending the Metropolitan Community Church global conference in Scottsdale.
"It's been overwhelming. To be able to be in an affirming place - where we can worship without having to look over our shoulders - is psychologically lifting," Mullings said.
The Rev. Rowland Jide Macaulay said he recognized that same thirst in Nigeria, where he began a branch of Metropolitan Community Church in the country about 10 months ago.
"The presence of the church is making a difference in the community," Macaulay said. "We have a lot of gay and lesbian people coming out because we're reaching out."
In Nigeria, families often will disown children who come out as gay, said Macaulay, who has dual citizenship in Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
"Coming out in Nigeria equals either suicide or death. We're working around that because we want coming out to be liberating," Macaulay said.
Homosexuality is against the law in Nigeria. Consensual homosexual conduct between adults is punished by 14 years in prison, according to Human Rights Watch.
I think it's good to hear these stories every now and then to keep a proper perspective on the fight for GLBT equality in the United States.
I did not know that MCC had an international reach. Good work on their part creating a safe place for worship in unsafe part of the globe.
Garfield Mullings prays in secret. He worships while looking over his shoulder because he is a member of what is called the "gay church" in Jamaica. And that association could cost him his life.
"Living as a member of the community there is something that has to be done with the utmost care and utmost caution. People have to be very, very careful," said the parishioner of the Metropolitan Community Church. He goes by the name Mullings to protect his true identity, and potentially his life, from his countrymen.
But this week, Mullings said he prayed without fear. He was one of roughly 1,450 worshippers attending the Metropolitan Community Church global conference in Scottsdale.
"It's been overwhelming. To be able to be in an affirming place - where we can worship without having to look over our shoulders - is psychologically lifting," Mullings said.
The Rev. Rowland Jide Macaulay said he recognized that same thirst in Nigeria, where he began a branch of Metropolitan Community Church in the country about 10 months ago.
"The presence of the church is making a difference in the community," Macaulay said. "We have a lot of gay and lesbian people coming out because we're reaching out."
In Nigeria, families often will disown children who come out as gay, said Macaulay, who has dual citizenship in Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
"Coming out in Nigeria equals either suicide or death. We're working around that because we want coming out to be liberating," Macaulay said.
Homosexuality is against the law in Nigeria. Consensual homosexual conduct between adults is punished by 14 years in prison, according to Human Rights Watch.
I think it's good to hear these stories every now and then to keep a proper perspective on the fight for GLBT equality in the United States.
I did not know that MCC had an international reach. Good work on their part creating a safe place for worship in unsafe part of the globe.
Apparently They're Just Born That Way
No, this post is not about what you might think from that title. It is a wickedly clever essay from Ethics Daily writer Miguel De La Torre. I'm posting it here in it's entirety without further comment.
A recent study released by the Baptist Journal of Behavioral Science concluded that conservatism is not a choice, but rather a genetic trait.
Dr. Quack is quoted as saying: "For centuries, liberals have imposed their views upon science, insisting that being a conservative was a lifestyle, a choice made by an individual. Now, beyond a shadow of doubt, we have proven that conservatives are simply born that way."
The scientific announcement sent shockwaves throughout the country. Church ministers were among the first to dismiss the study.
"The Bible is clear about this issue," said Rev. DoGood. "Engaging in conservative issues is just so unnatural. Why, even Jesus tells the rich young conservative ruler to give everything to the poor, and then to follow Him. The problem is that conservatives refuse to read the Bible literally."
When questioned about the numerous incidents of conservative bashing taking place within the church, Rev. Dogood shot back: "Look, I'm no conservaphobic. Some of my best friends are conservatives. I just love the sinner, but hate the sin."
For years, organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union have led self-help courses to get conservatives to renounce their evil ways and embrace liberalism. They would force the attendees to read The New York Times and expose them to tax-and-spend fiscal policies.
For those who appeared hopelessly lost to conservatism, coordinators applied tough love by tying them to a chair and making them watch countless hours of former presidential candidate John Kerry's campaign speeches. But most never renounced their conservatism. In fact, many just started dating each other. "This was disappointing," said Ms. Loveless, a coordinator with the ACLU. "It just proves how these types of people cling to their wickedness, refusing the truth of liberal policies."
Others insist that one can still be a conservative and a Christian. A handsome young man with a long and thick mustache who was interviewed for this survey refused to give his name for fear that it would devastate his very liberal parents.
He said: "In Jeremiah, God says that He knew us in our mother's womb. God, who predestines everything, made me a conservative, and that should just be OK." His companion, with whom he has engaged in several profitable joint ventures, went on to say: "The church constantly taught that being a conservative was a sin. Man, I felt that it was the only thing the Bible ever spoke about. I finally came to believe that as long as I did not engage in social issues, I was not sinning. But now, with this new study, I am free from the guilt trip placed on me by the church."
One mother, who took her child for counseling after discovering photos of Cheney and Rumsfeld under his bed mattress, was relieved. "I always blamed myself," she said. "His father was very domineering, and I refused to work outside the home. I felt so guilty for creating an environment that led him to become a conservative. But now I realize it's not my fault. God made him a conservative and I must learn to accept that."
She now plans to join the local chapter of the Friends and Family of Conservatives, a support group that teaches liberals to accept their conservative children.
But much work still needs to be done, especially in academia. "We expect to keep the liberal in a liberal arts education," said president Smart of Leftwing U. But students at that college are beginning to organize to fight what they say is an unjust bias. "I've had students lean out of car windows and call me a 'Bushie.' It was so humiliating."
Some students have spent years petitioning the school to allow them to begin the Conservative/Liberal Alliance. "They finally gave in," said a founding member of the student-run organization, "but they still insisted that the president of the alliance could not be a conservative."
When we consider that one in seven individuals have had a conservative experience, the release of this study can have profound effect on explaining human behavior.
"OK," said one of the study's researchers. "It's true. One election day when I was very young I got drunk and voted for Reagan. I felt so dirty and ashamed afterwards. But that youthful indiscretion shouldn't label me a conservative for life!"
A local minister, who refused to give his name for fear it might lead to a split at the church, confessed that every so often he wakes up in a cold sweat--having had a fantasy dream about Pat Buchanan.
Experiences like these appear more common then most are willing to admit.
But the study raises some profound questions that can have a long-term impact upon the overall culture. Specifically, can conservatives legally marry?
A recent study released by the Baptist Journal of Behavioral Science concluded that conservatism is not a choice, but rather a genetic trait.
Dr. Quack is quoted as saying: "For centuries, liberals have imposed their views upon science, insisting that being a conservative was a lifestyle, a choice made by an individual. Now, beyond a shadow of doubt, we have proven that conservatives are simply born that way."
The scientific announcement sent shockwaves throughout the country. Church ministers were among the first to dismiss the study.
"The Bible is clear about this issue," said Rev. DoGood. "Engaging in conservative issues is just so unnatural. Why, even Jesus tells the rich young conservative ruler to give everything to the poor, and then to follow Him. The problem is that conservatives refuse to read the Bible literally."
When questioned about the numerous incidents of conservative bashing taking place within the church, Rev. Dogood shot back: "Look, I'm no conservaphobic. Some of my best friends are conservatives. I just love the sinner, but hate the sin."
For years, organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union have led self-help courses to get conservatives to renounce their evil ways and embrace liberalism. They would force the attendees to read The New York Times and expose them to tax-and-spend fiscal policies.
For those who appeared hopelessly lost to conservatism, coordinators applied tough love by tying them to a chair and making them watch countless hours of former presidential candidate John Kerry's campaign speeches. But most never renounced their conservatism. In fact, many just started dating each other. "This was disappointing," said Ms. Loveless, a coordinator with the ACLU. "It just proves how these types of people cling to their wickedness, refusing the truth of liberal policies."
Others insist that one can still be a conservative and a Christian. A handsome young man with a long and thick mustache who was interviewed for this survey refused to give his name for fear that it would devastate his very liberal parents.
He said: "In Jeremiah, God says that He knew us in our mother's womb. God, who predestines everything, made me a conservative, and that should just be OK." His companion, with whom he has engaged in several profitable joint ventures, went on to say: "The church constantly taught that being a conservative was a sin. Man, I felt that it was the only thing the Bible ever spoke about. I finally came to believe that as long as I did not engage in social issues, I was not sinning. But now, with this new study, I am free from the guilt trip placed on me by the church."
One mother, who took her child for counseling after discovering photos of Cheney and Rumsfeld under his bed mattress, was relieved. "I always blamed myself," she said. "His father was very domineering, and I refused to work outside the home. I felt so guilty for creating an environment that led him to become a conservative. But now I realize it's not my fault. God made him a conservative and I must learn to accept that."
She now plans to join the local chapter of the Friends and Family of Conservatives, a support group that teaches liberals to accept their conservative children.
But much work still needs to be done, especially in academia. "We expect to keep the liberal in a liberal arts education," said president Smart of Leftwing U. But students at that college are beginning to organize to fight what they say is an unjust bias. "I've had students lean out of car windows and call me a 'Bushie.' It was so humiliating."
Some students have spent years petitioning the school to allow them to begin the Conservative/Liberal Alliance. "They finally gave in," said a founding member of the student-run organization, "but they still insisted that the president of the alliance could not be a conservative."
When we consider that one in seven individuals have had a conservative experience, the release of this study can have profound effect on explaining human behavior.
"OK," said one of the study's researchers. "It's true. One election day when I was very young I got drunk and voted for Reagan. I felt so dirty and ashamed afterwards. But that youthful indiscretion shouldn't label me a conservative for life!"
A local minister, who refused to give his name for fear it might lead to a split at the church, confessed that every so often he wakes up in a cold sweat--having had a fantasy dream about Pat Buchanan.
Experiences like these appear more common then most are willing to admit.
But the study raises some profound questions that can have a long-term impact upon the overall culture. Specifically, can conservatives legally marry?
Why We Need Workplace Discrimination Protection for GLBT Employees
From the Gay City (New York) News:
Stating that nobody can use their First Amendment religious rights as "a cloak for acts of discrimination or as a justification of practices inconsistent with the protection against invidious discrimination," a state Supreme Court justice has ruled that a "Christian" employer must answer questions about his religious beliefs concerning homosexuality during the discovery phase of a sexual orientation bias case.
According to the June 28 opinion by Justice Carol Robinson Edmead, John Fairchild, a gay man, was hired in May 2005 by Ted Doudak, the president of Long Island City-based Riva Jewelry Manufacturing, Inc., to be vice president of sales and marketing. At the time, Doudak did not know Fairchild's sexual orientation.
According to Fairchild's complaint, Doudak frequently expressed explicitly Bible-based homophobic views in the workplace and directed him to deal with two gay representatives from Tiffany's, because Doudak did not want to have direct contact with them.
When Fairchild picked up a "lesbian magazine" for his daughter who is lesbian, Doudak noticed it on his desk and questioned him about it. Fairchild explained that his daughter is a lesbian and "Mr. Doudak immediately began to denigrate homosexuals and lesbians," according to Edmead's summary of the civil complaint. When Fairchild insisted he is proud of his daughter, Doudak allegedly opened up a Bible and began quoting verses indicating that gays and lesbians are "doomed to eternal damnation."
Doudak fired Fairchild the next day, purportedly for "poor work performance." Fairchild maintains he was an exemplary employee and Doudak had never complained prior to this incident.
If Fairchild's claims come anywhere near representing the truth, and if Doudak does not have Fairchild's "poor work performance" documented out the wazoo, Fairchild has an excellent chance of winning his case.
Fortunately for Fairchild, he worked in a state where Doudak could be held accountable for his bigotry. In many other states across the nation, he would have had no recourse.
This is why there needs to be federal legislation protecting employees from discrimination due to their sexual orientation. It shouldn't be okay to discriminate in Virginia but not okay in New York. Put simply, it's either wrong or it isn't. The right wingers love to hang on to "states rights" because they know there are still many states where this kind of protection would not pass the legislatures.
That still doesn't make it right.
Stating that nobody can use their First Amendment religious rights as "a cloak for acts of discrimination or as a justification of practices inconsistent with the protection against invidious discrimination," a state Supreme Court justice has ruled that a "Christian" employer must answer questions about his religious beliefs concerning homosexuality during the discovery phase of a sexual orientation bias case.
According to the June 28 opinion by Justice Carol Robinson Edmead, John Fairchild, a gay man, was hired in May 2005 by Ted Doudak, the president of Long Island City-based Riva Jewelry Manufacturing, Inc., to be vice president of sales and marketing. At the time, Doudak did not know Fairchild's sexual orientation.
According to Fairchild's complaint, Doudak frequently expressed explicitly Bible-based homophobic views in the workplace and directed him to deal with two gay representatives from Tiffany's, because Doudak did not want to have direct contact with them.
When Fairchild picked up a "lesbian magazine" for his daughter who is lesbian, Doudak noticed it on his desk and questioned him about it. Fairchild explained that his daughter is a lesbian and "Mr. Doudak immediately began to denigrate homosexuals and lesbians," according to Edmead's summary of the civil complaint. When Fairchild insisted he is proud of his daughter, Doudak allegedly opened up a Bible and began quoting verses indicating that gays and lesbians are "doomed to eternal damnation."
Doudak fired Fairchild the next day, purportedly for "poor work performance." Fairchild maintains he was an exemplary employee and Doudak had never complained prior to this incident.
If Fairchild's claims come anywhere near representing the truth, and if Doudak does not have Fairchild's "poor work performance" documented out the wazoo, Fairchild has an excellent chance of winning his case.
Fortunately for Fairchild, he worked in a state where Doudak could be held accountable for his bigotry. In many other states across the nation, he would have had no recourse.
This is why there needs to be federal legislation protecting employees from discrimination due to their sexual orientation. It shouldn't be okay to discriminate in Virginia but not okay in New York. Put simply, it's either wrong or it isn't. The right wingers love to hang on to "states rights" because they know there are still many states where this kind of protection would not pass the legislatures.
That still doesn't make it right.
July 06, 2007
Time Magazine On Gay Adoption
Time magazine covers the issue of same-sex couples adopting children, what they call gay adoption, this week. The article points out the growing acceptance of this practice and the momentum in state legislatures across the nation to make this clearly legal--up to this point most states had not addressed the issue, making same-sex adoption a veritable crap shoot than is subject to winding up in court.
But the gay adoption boom may be less about support for gay rights than it is about the urgency of finding homes for abandoned children. There are as many as 120,000 in the U.S. waiting to be adopted. After Congress ordered states in 1997 to move faster to find more families willing to take in these kids, "child-welfare organizations banded together to get legislatures to allow any qualified parent to adopt, irrespective of sexual orientation," says Rob Woronoff, gay and lesbian program director at the Child Welfare League of America in Washington. The movement got a boost in 2002 when the American Academy of Pediatrics said the "health, adjustment and development" of kids adopted by gay parents were no worse than those of kids placed with heterosexuals. By 2006, a Pew Center poll found, support of gay adoption had risen from 38% in 1999 to 46% and opposition had fallen from 57% to 48%.
While adopted children in gay and lesbian homes were scarce a couple of decades ago, they now number 65,000, or more than 4% of adopted children in the U.S., according to a new study by the Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Washington's Urban Institute. Almost 2% of the nation's 3 million same-sex households include adopted children--and that growing pool, the UCLA study estimates, currently saves U.S. taxpayers as much as $130 million a year in costs for, say, keeping children in foster or institutional care and recruiting adoptive parents for them.
While adopted children in gay and lesbian homes were scarce a couple of decades ago, they now number 65,000, or more than 4% of adopted children in the U.S.
Can anyone tell me what the problem with this could be? Oh yeah, there's always the regressive folks at Focus on the (Straight) Family:
Bill Maier, Focus' vice president and chief psychologist, insists the practice "hurts children because it intentionally creates motherless or fatherless families," and he accuses child-welfare agencies of "a real biased push to normalize same-sex parenting." He adds, "I don't see any shortage of heterosexual parents willing to adopt."
Intentionally creates motherless or fatherless families? I believe that's already happened, Mr. Maier, that's why these kids need to be adopted! Are you stupid or just a bigot?
Don't see any shortage of heterosexual parents willing to adopt? If that's true, what's the deal with the 120,000 kids waiting to be adopted? Are they just waiting for a better offer or perhaps they like not having ANY parents, which Mr. Maier and his group believe is preferable to having two parents of the same sex.
The religious right likes to put civil rights up for a vote, why don't we let those 120,000 kids vote on which they would like, two mommies or two daddies vs. no mommies or no daddies.
Kids aren't stupid and they're less bigoted than grown ups, so I'm pretty sure how that vote would go.
But the gay adoption boom may be less about support for gay rights than it is about the urgency of finding homes for abandoned children. There are as many as 120,000 in the U.S. waiting to be adopted. After Congress ordered states in 1997 to move faster to find more families willing to take in these kids, "child-welfare organizations banded together to get legislatures to allow any qualified parent to adopt, irrespective of sexual orientation," says Rob Woronoff, gay and lesbian program director at the Child Welfare League of America in Washington. The movement got a boost in 2002 when the American Academy of Pediatrics said the "health, adjustment and development" of kids adopted by gay parents were no worse than those of kids placed with heterosexuals. By 2006, a Pew Center poll found, support of gay adoption had risen from 38% in 1999 to 46% and opposition had fallen from 57% to 48%.
While adopted children in gay and lesbian homes were scarce a couple of decades ago, they now number 65,000, or more than 4% of adopted children in the U.S., according to a new study by the Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Washington's Urban Institute. Almost 2% of the nation's 3 million same-sex households include adopted children--and that growing pool, the UCLA study estimates, currently saves U.S. taxpayers as much as $130 million a year in costs for, say, keeping children in foster or institutional care and recruiting adoptive parents for them.
While adopted children in gay and lesbian homes were scarce a couple of decades ago, they now number 65,000, or more than 4% of adopted children in the U.S.
Can anyone tell me what the problem with this could be? Oh yeah, there's always the regressive folks at Focus on the (Straight) Family:
Bill Maier, Focus' vice president and chief psychologist, insists the practice "hurts children because it intentionally creates motherless or fatherless families," and he accuses child-welfare agencies of "a real biased push to normalize same-sex parenting." He adds, "I don't see any shortage of heterosexual parents willing to adopt."
Intentionally creates motherless or fatherless families? I believe that's already happened, Mr. Maier, that's why these kids need to be adopted! Are you stupid or just a bigot?
Don't see any shortage of heterosexual parents willing to adopt? If that's true, what's the deal with the 120,000 kids waiting to be adopted? Are they just waiting for a better offer or perhaps they like not having ANY parents, which Mr. Maier and his group believe is preferable to having two parents of the same sex.
The religious right likes to put civil rights up for a vote, why don't we let those 120,000 kids vote on which they would like, two mommies or two daddies vs. no mommies or no daddies.
Kids aren't stupid and they're less bigoted than grown ups, so I'm pretty sure how that vote would go.
A Law Professor Looks at Marriage as a Trademark
What if the concept of marriage was trademarked, like "Coke "? How would allowing same-sex couples affect the value of that trademark? An essay by a law professor on Slate.com asked and answered those questions.
But the objection snaps into focus when you look at marriage as a form of intellectual property (as my colleague Carol Rose, an expert in property law, encouraged me to do). The law of trademark, particularly the doctrine of tarnishment, is particularly illuminating here. A trademark is a mark a person or business uses to brand its products or services. A "tarnishment" claim arises when a competitor uses that mark in a way that diminishes its cachet.
But tarnishment analysis cannot justify the objection it illuminates for at least two reasons. First, intellectual property law seeks to protect intangible goods that belong to people because they have created and built up good will for them. No such claim can be made about state-sponsored marriage, because no individual invented marriage, and no individual owns it. Second, and probably more importantly, the tarnishment analogy reveals the homophobia in Hyde's claim. Tarnishment claims arise only when the mark is being associated with something uniformly deemed unsavory. The paradigm case is a famous mark used in a sexually explicit context, like the 1996 case in which the game manufacturer Hasbro successfully barred a sexually explicit Web site from using "Candyland" as part of its domain name. To say that marriage would be tarnished by including gays is an oblique way of saying straight marriage is sacred while gay marriage is profane.
The fear of tarnishment is why some believe gay marriage will negatively affect straight marriage. But it is also the reason they should not be allowed to prevail. If marriage is changed to include all couples who subscribe to its values, the institution will not be tarnished, but burnished.
Rather than same-sex couples diminishing the institution of marriage, I have grown to believe that in fact excluding them diminishes it. Any straight couple that believes their marriage would be devalued by allowing same-sex couples the same legal rights probably has issues of their own they should be focusing on and leave others alone.
But the objection snaps into focus when you look at marriage as a form of intellectual property (as my colleague Carol Rose, an expert in property law, encouraged me to do). The law of trademark, particularly the doctrine of tarnishment, is particularly illuminating here. A trademark is a mark a person or business uses to brand its products or services. A "tarnishment" claim arises when a competitor uses that mark in a way that diminishes its cachet.
But tarnishment analysis cannot justify the objection it illuminates for at least two reasons. First, intellectual property law seeks to protect intangible goods that belong to people because they have created and built up good will for them. No such claim can be made about state-sponsored marriage, because no individual invented marriage, and no individual owns it. Second, and probably more importantly, the tarnishment analogy reveals the homophobia in Hyde's claim. Tarnishment claims arise only when the mark is being associated with something uniformly deemed unsavory. The paradigm case is a famous mark used in a sexually explicit context, like the 1996 case in which the game manufacturer Hasbro successfully barred a sexually explicit Web site from using "Candyland" as part of its domain name. To say that marriage would be tarnished by including gays is an oblique way of saying straight marriage is sacred while gay marriage is profane.
The fear of tarnishment is why some believe gay marriage will negatively affect straight marriage. But it is also the reason they should not be allowed to prevail. If marriage is changed to include all couples who subscribe to its values, the institution will not be tarnished, but burnished.
Rather than same-sex couples diminishing the institution of marriage, I have grown to believe that in fact excluding them diminishes it. Any straight couple that believes their marriage would be devalued by allowing same-sex couples the same legal rights probably has issues of their own they should be focusing on and leave others alone.
July 05, 2007
Former GLBT "National Role Model" Changes His Tune
From the AFA's "news" arm, One News Now:
For years, Michael Glatze was a prominent spokesman in the homosexual rights movement. In fact, at age 22, he became editor of Young Gay America magazine. He also has received a number of awards, including the "National Role Model Award" from the Equality Forum, an organization that promotes "gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender civil rights."
But in an article published today by WorldNetDaily, Glatze says he began to question his purpose and role in life two years ago -- and that led him to God's truth about homosexuality, sin, and forgiveness. "Now I know that homosexuality is lust and pornography wrapped into one," he writes. "I'll never let anybody try to convince me otherwise, no matter how slick their tongues or how sad their story. I have seen it. I know the truth."
To say that homosexuality is "lust and pornography wrapped into one" is purely imbecilic. That totally dismisses the thousands upon thousands of long-term loving relationships same-sex partners have enjoyed. How about that couple from New York I recently posted about that had been together 62 years? That a lot of lust and porn, and the idea of that is a large steaming pile of stupid.
I hope Glatze, who has fallen under the mentorship of notorious ex-gay Stephen Bennett, keeps to that extreme view because that will make it very easy to negate his message of hate and self-loathing to any rational person.
I also hope you will join me in praying for him, that he can find peace and ask the Lord to help him understand and accept himself for whatever he may truly be. I also pray that Bennett doesn't succeed in using Glatze to lead more confused, struggling GLBT people into the dark, deep hole of denial, one that is extremely difficult to climb out of.
For years, Michael Glatze was a prominent spokesman in the homosexual rights movement. In fact, at age 22, he became editor of Young Gay America magazine. He also has received a number of awards, including the "National Role Model Award" from the Equality Forum, an organization that promotes "gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender civil rights."
But in an article published today by WorldNetDaily, Glatze says he began to question his purpose and role in life two years ago -- and that led him to God's truth about homosexuality, sin, and forgiveness. "Now I know that homosexuality is lust and pornography wrapped into one," he writes. "I'll never let anybody try to convince me otherwise, no matter how slick their tongues or how sad their story. I have seen it. I know the truth."
To say that homosexuality is "lust and pornography wrapped into one" is purely imbecilic. That totally dismisses the thousands upon thousands of long-term loving relationships same-sex partners have enjoyed. How about that couple from New York I recently posted about that had been together 62 years? That a lot of lust and porn, and the idea of that is a large steaming pile of stupid.
I hope Glatze, who has fallen under the mentorship of notorious ex-gay Stephen Bennett, keeps to that extreme view because that will make it very easy to negate his message of hate and self-loathing to any rational person.
I also hope you will join me in praying for him, that he can find peace and ask the Lord to help him understand and accept himself for whatever he may truly be. I also pray that Bennett doesn't succeed in using Glatze to lead more confused, struggling GLBT people into the dark, deep hole of denial, one that is extremely difficult to climb out of.
July 04, 2007
Scepticism About Latest "Ex-Gays"
That's Wayne Besen's take on the newest poster children for the "ex-gay" movement.
Charlene Cothran (Venus magazine) and Michael Glatze (Young Gay America magazine editor) were gay niche publishers who discovered that peddling fiction is much juicer (and potentially more profitable) than selling straight news on gay life. The newly minted "ex-gay" stars tell us they have seen the light - unfortunately, it appears to be the spotlight - as they now parade themselves in the Christian media, pawning their terrific tales of transformation. Cothran and Glatze explain that they are simply offering a small snapshot of their new lives, but it sure seems like a full-blown photo shoot.
Interestingly, both Cothran and Glatze found God and renounced homosexuality shortly after they split up from what they once considered their spouses. In a sense, it seems like these break-ups caused nervous breakdowns where the embittered party tried to punish an "ex" by becoming ex-gay.
Check out the rest of Wayne's column, where as usual he supports his points with some interesting detail.
Charlene Cothran (Venus magazine) and Michael Glatze (Young Gay America magazine editor) were gay niche publishers who discovered that peddling fiction is much juicer (and potentially more profitable) than selling straight news on gay life. The newly minted "ex-gay" stars tell us they have seen the light - unfortunately, it appears to be the spotlight - as they now parade themselves in the Christian media, pawning their terrific tales of transformation. Cothran and Glatze explain that they are simply offering a small snapshot of their new lives, but it sure seems like a full-blown photo shoot.
Interestingly, both Cothran and Glatze found God and renounced homosexuality shortly after they split up from what they once considered their spouses. In a sense, it seems like these break-ups caused nervous breakdowns where the embittered party tried to punish an "ex" by becoming ex-gay.
Check out the rest of Wayne's column, where as usual he supports his points with some interesting detail.
A Prayer For Freedom on Independence Day
We Americans are celebrating our independence today on the aptly named Independence Day, also aptly known as the Fourth of July (to my friends over in the U.K., no hard feelings, okay?).
We here a lot of prattling on in what passes for political discourse these days about what our founding fathers had in mind for this nation, but there is one indisputable truth; they wanted freedom. This is ironic, of course, since most if not all of them owned slaves. but over the centuries our society has learned more about what the idea of freedom truly is.
From my point of view, the United States is set up for individuals to live in whatever manner they see fit as long as that does not infringe on another person's ability to do the same.
We've still got some work to do on that, because there are many GLBT Americans who do not enjoy that freedom and the civil rights that go along with it.
I saw this prayer on Ethics Daily that I thought would be appropriate to share with you. It is a prayer that thanks God for our nation's freedom that also asks for His leadership to exercise that freedom responsibly. I'm posting it in its entirety below. Have a blessed Fourth everyone!
Gracious God, as we celebrate our nation's Independence Day, we approach you with hearts that are simultaneously brimming with gratitude and weighted with concern.
We are grateful for the privilege of living in "the land of the free and the home of the brave." We are thankful for specific liberties that allow us to freely choose our vocation, our community of worship, our place of service and our venues of recreation. And we are indebted to generations of veteran servants who risked life and limb in the pursuit and protection of these liberties. From the "mountains to the prairies" we are inspired by some of the most diverse and beautiful terrain on our planet. From "sea to shining sea" we are privileged to access a mother lode of the world's natural resources. We have access to prime healthcare, comfortable housing, diverse modes of transportation, more than adequate clothing and an abundant selection of food. We are blessed far beyond our deserving.
But during this season of celebration our grateful hearts are heavy with concern. From our many different perspectives and ideologies we are concerned about things like the threats of terrorism, the brutalities of war, the abuse of political power, the divisiveness of harsh and misleading political rhetoric, a lack of civil discourse, a growing sense of moral anarchy and the possibility of an approaching storm or natural disaster. These concerns lead to heightened anxiety about the stability of the market, the costs of insurance and the tenure of our employment. And these anxieties often divert us from our mission to "minister to the least of these" and to "love mercy, act justly, and walk humbly" with you.
These concerns and anxieties also remind us of our need to confess our sins, personally and corporately. We confess that we have too often taken our freedom for granted and we have too frequently been slack in our citizenship. We confess that at times we are too quick to criticize naively and too slow to intercede prayerfully. We confess that our self-interests have too often taken priority over the best interest you have in mind for our nation and for our world. We confess that we have been irresponsible in our stewardship of "our space and our stuff," often consuming and storing compulsively without conscious regard for sharing. We confess that we have too often trusted in our own initiatives and ingenuity more than we have trusted in you.
You tell us in time-tested Scripture that, "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." (II Chronicles 7:14)
As we approach this Independence Day, we ask you to forgive our sin and to heal our land.
On this day, we pray for the leaders of our nation, our state, and our community that they will lead with wisdom and discernment.
We pray for the men and women who serve in our nation's military that they will fulfill their mission with courage and return home safely and soon.
We pray for our enemies that their swords will also be "turned into plowshares."
We pray for the churches, cathedrals, and temples of our nation and our community that we will be lighthouses of grace and mercy, ever pressing toward the mark of our high calling.
Because you are the freedom-loving God, lead us to exercise our freedom responsibly and to pursue "liberty and justice for all" of your children around the globe.
We pray in the strong name of the one who came to set us free. Amen.
We here a lot of prattling on in what passes for political discourse these days about what our founding fathers had in mind for this nation, but there is one indisputable truth; they wanted freedom. This is ironic, of course, since most if not all of them owned slaves. but over the centuries our society has learned more about what the idea of freedom truly is.
From my point of view, the United States is set up for individuals to live in whatever manner they see fit as long as that does not infringe on another person's ability to do the same.
We've still got some work to do on that, because there are many GLBT Americans who do not enjoy that freedom and the civil rights that go along with it.
I saw this prayer on Ethics Daily that I thought would be appropriate to share with you. It is a prayer that thanks God for our nation's freedom that also asks for His leadership to exercise that freedom responsibly. I'm posting it in its entirety below. Have a blessed Fourth everyone!
Gracious God, as we celebrate our nation's Independence Day, we approach you with hearts that are simultaneously brimming with gratitude and weighted with concern.
We are grateful for the privilege of living in "the land of the free and the home of the brave." We are thankful for specific liberties that allow us to freely choose our vocation, our community of worship, our place of service and our venues of recreation. And we are indebted to generations of veteran servants who risked life and limb in the pursuit and protection of these liberties. From the "mountains to the prairies" we are inspired by some of the most diverse and beautiful terrain on our planet. From "sea to shining sea" we are privileged to access a mother lode of the world's natural resources. We have access to prime healthcare, comfortable housing, diverse modes of transportation, more than adequate clothing and an abundant selection of food. We are blessed far beyond our deserving.
But during this season of celebration our grateful hearts are heavy with concern. From our many different perspectives and ideologies we are concerned about things like the threats of terrorism, the brutalities of war, the abuse of political power, the divisiveness of harsh and misleading political rhetoric, a lack of civil discourse, a growing sense of moral anarchy and the possibility of an approaching storm or natural disaster. These concerns lead to heightened anxiety about the stability of the market, the costs of insurance and the tenure of our employment. And these anxieties often divert us from our mission to "minister to the least of these" and to "love mercy, act justly, and walk humbly" with you.
These concerns and anxieties also remind us of our need to confess our sins, personally and corporately. We confess that we have too often taken our freedom for granted and we have too frequently been slack in our citizenship. We confess that at times we are too quick to criticize naively and too slow to intercede prayerfully. We confess that our self-interests have too often taken priority over the best interest you have in mind for our nation and for our world. We confess that we have been irresponsible in our stewardship of "our space and our stuff," often consuming and storing compulsively without conscious regard for sharing. We confess that we have too often trusted in our own initiatives and ingenuity more than we have trusted in you.
You tell us in time-tested Scripture that, "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." (II Chronicles 7:14)
As we approach this Independence Day, we ask you to forgive our sin and to heal our land.
On this day, we pray for the leaders of our nation, our state, and our community that they will lead with wisdom and discernment.
We pray for the men and women who serve in our nation's military that they will fulfill their mission with courage and return home safely and soon.
We pray for our enemies that their swords will also be "turned into plowshares."
We pray for the churches, cathedrals, and temples of our nation and our community that we will be lighthouses of grace and mercy, ever pressing toward the mark of our high calling.
Because you are the freedom-loving God, lead us to exercise our freedom responsibly and to pursue "liberty and justice for all" of your children around the globe.
We pray in the strong name of the one who came to set us free. Amen.
July 03, 2007
People Actually Believe This Crap!
An aggressive enemy of the GLBT community is flourishing in the Tuscon, Arizona area. The Tuscon Community Church bills itself as "The Cool Church." Apparently they believe preaching horrendous lies about homosexuality is cool, and plenty of people are buying it.
From the front page of the Tuscon Star:
Leaders of a growing local congregation that advertises itself as "The Cool Church" are telling their parishioners that being gay will take 30 years off a person's life, prompting accusations that they are perpetuating "really uncool, deeply homophobic" lies.
(Pastor David) McAllister was particularly upset with the characterization of his church being uncool.
"I can't imagine anything more uncool than supporting a lifestyle or behavior that would be detrimental to the people who practice it," he said Saturday.
In addition to saying that homosexuals will have shortened lives, the Tucson Community Church's Web site says that gays and lesbians are more likely than heterosexuals to be involved in violence and become addicts of various sorts. Also on the site, the church's leaders, who say being gay is a choice, urge their worshippers to "fight" what they call an onslaught of homosexual-sex activists.
The church, which caters to young families and has more than 2,000 members, recently opened its fourth location in Midtown and calls itself "one of the fastest-growing churches in America."
Here's the part that really frosts me:
"Pastor David is just incredible in the way he presents God's word, and he always does it with love," said parishioner Parks Rinehart, 52, an automation equipment assembler who joined the church seven years ago with his then-teenage son. He had tried other churches, but until he found the Tucson Community Church, he never found answers about the Bible that made sense.
Rinehart has seen the church's claims about the life spans of gay people on its Web site, and though he found the numbers to be startling, he said he had no reason to believe they were not true.
"They don't realize the destructive lifestyle they are living," he said.
No reason to believe the church's claims were not true!? Here's one reason--you and millions like you have a brain and need to use it!
I get very angry when I read about churches like this and people like Mr. Rinehart that mindlessly follow along with what they are told. It's easy to do because it doesn't directly affect their lives, but I don't understand how anyone claiming to be a Christian can live with a belief system like that.
When Jesus was on the earth, he didn't have to lift a finger to help anyone. He could have lived like a king without a worry in the world. In fact, He could have even BEEN king. After all, he was the Son of God. He didn't do that, however. He obeyed His Father's wishes and allowed Himself to be crucified to establish the path to salvation. He acted outside of His best interests, putting litteraly everyone on Earth and all those to follow ahead of Him.
We are told in the Bible that we should live like Jesus. How do church people reconcile following the preaching of hatred like sheep with that?
I sure can't.
Thanks to Box Turtle Bulletin for the tip.
From the front page of the Tuscon Star:
Leaders of a growing local congregation that advertises itself as "The Cool Church" are telling their parishioners that being gay will take 30 years off a person's life, prompting accusations that they are perpetuating "really uncool, deeply homophobic" lies.
(Pastor David) McAllister was particularly upset with the characterization of his church being uncool.
"I can't imagine anything more uncool than supporting a lifestyle or behavior that would be detrimental to the people who practice it," he said Saturday.
In addition to saying that homosexuals will have shortened lives, the Tucson Community Church's Web site says that gays and lesbians are more likely than heterosexuals to be involved in violence and become addicts of various sorts. Also on the site, the church's leaders, who say being gay is a choice, urge their worshippers to "fight" what they call an onslaught of homosexual-sex activists.
The church, which caters to young families and has more than 2,000 members, recently opened its fourth location in Midtown and calls itself "one of the fastest-growing churches in America."
Here's the part that really frosts me:
"Pastor David is just incredible in the way he presents God's word, and he always does it with love," said parishioner Parks Rinehart, 52, an automation equipment assembler who joined the church seven years ago with his then-teenage son. He had tried other churches, but until he found the Tucson Community Church, he never found answers about the Bible that made sense.
Rinehart has seen the church's claims about the life spans of gay people on its Web site, and though he found the numbers to be startling, he said he had no reason to believe they were not true.
"They don't realize the destructive lifestyle they are living," he said.
No reason to believe the church's claims were not true!? Here's one reason--you and millions like you have a brain and need to use it!
I get very angry when I read about churches like this and people like Mr. Rinehart that mindlessly follow along with what they are told. It's easy to do because it doesn't directly affect their lives, but I don't understand how anyone claiming to be a Christian can live with a belief system like that.
When Jesus was on the earth, he didn't have to lift a finger to help anyone. He could have lived like a king without a worry in the world. In fact, He could have even BEEN king. After all, he was the Son of God. He didn't do that, however. He obeyed His Father's wishes and allowed Himself to be crucified to establish the path to salvation. He acted outside of His best interests, putting litteraly everyone on Earth and all those to follow ahead of Him.
We are told in the Bible that we should live like Jesus. How do church people reconcile following the preaching of hatred like sheep with that?
I sure can't.
Thanks to Box Turtle Bulletin for the tip.
July 02, 2007
Why We Need Hate Crimes Legislation
From 365gay.com:
Nearly four in 10 gay men and about one in eight lesbians and bisexuals in the United States have been the target of violence or a property crime because of their sexual orientation, according to a new study.
"This is the most reliable estimate to date of the prevalence of anti-gay victimization in the United States," said University of California, Davis, psychology professor Gregory Herek who conducted the study.
"The data demonstrate that crimes against sexual minority adults, especially gay men, are disturbingly widespread."
There's a lot more statistical analysis in the article, and it's well worth reading, but the high level view in the excerpt I posted should be enough to convince any rational person that hate crimes against GLBT people, especially gay men, are a serious problem.
Anything happening to 40% of any minority needs to be taken seriously and stopped!
Duh!
People can not be forced to accept or respect GLBT people, but they need to be held accountable when they act upon their hatred and bigotry.
Anyone who is not full of that hatred and bigotry should be able to see that very clearly. To state that in a form that even the folks on the religious right can understand, Jesus would not abuse GLBT people! What is so difficult to understand about that?
Of course, hatred and bigotry has a way of clouding people's judgement so they have trouble seeing much beoynd that.
Nearly four in 10 gay men and about one in eight lesbians and bisexuals in the United States have been the target of violence or a property crime because of their sexual orientation, according to a new study.
"This is the most reliable estimate to date of the prevalence of anti-gay victimization in the United States," said University of California, Davis, psychology professor Gregory Herek who conducted the study.
"The data demonstrate that crimes against sexual minority adults, especially gay men, are disturbingly widespread."
There's a lot more statistical analysis in the article, and it's well worth reading, but the high level view in the excerpt I posted should be enough to convince any rational person that hate crimes against GLBT people, especially gay men, are a serious problem.
Anything happening to 40% of any minority needs to be taken seriously and stopped!
Duh!
People can not be forced to accept or respect GLBT people, but they need to be held accountable when they act upon their hatred and bigotry.
Anyone who is not full of that hatred and bigotry should be able to see that very clearly. To state that in a form that even the folks on the religious right can understand, Jesus would not abuse GLBT people! What is so difficult to understand about that?
Of course, hatred and bigotry has a way of clouding people's judgement so they have trouble seeing much beoynd that.
Huge crowds celebrate Euro Pride
From The Advocate:
Hundreds of thousands of people from across Europe packed into Madrid on Saturday and joined in a gay pride parade that saluted Spain's socialist government for introducing legislation that has turned this once deeply conservative nation into a bastion of gender equality.
For days, buses and airplanes had arrived in Madrid loaded with people set on taking advantage of a four-day annual gay festival, which started Wednesday in the Spanish capital's colorful Chueca neighborhood as a prelude to Saturday's bigger, continentwide Euro Pride events.
Around 200 cultural, festive and sporting events were organized around Madrid, where organizers estimated as many as 2.5 million people were taking part.
While there's nothing wrong with just gathering for a big party, there was also a serious nature to this event. Many of the floats and participants in the parade carried signs promoting an issue pertaining to GLBT rights, and plenty of them were supportive of the beleagured GLBT community in Poland. There was even an organized protest in front of the Polish embassy Madrid calling for equality for the gay community in that nation.
I'm glad to see that the revelers did not lose sight of those less fortunate, who couldn't even dream of having a Pride celebration in their home country.
Hundreds of thousands of people from across Europe packed into Madrid on Saturday and joined in a gay pride parade that saluted Spain's socialist government for introducing legislation that has turned this once deeply conservative nation into a bastion of gender equality.
For days, buses and airplanes had arrived in Madrid loaded with people set on taking advantage of a four-day annual gay festival, which started Wednesday in the Spanish capital's colorful Chueca neighborhood as a prelude to Saturday's bigger, continentwide Euro Pride events.
Around 200 cultural, festive and sporting events were organized around Madrid, where organizers estimated as many as 2.5 million people were taking part.
While there's nothing wrong with just gathering for a big party, there was also a serious nature to this event. Many of the floats and participants in the parade carried signs promoting an issue pertaining to GLBT rights, and plenty of them were supportive of the beleagured GLBT community in Poland. There was even an organized protest in front of the Polish embassy Madrid calling for equality for the gay community in that nation.
I'm glad to see that the revelers did not lose sight of those less fortunate, who couldn't even dream of having a Pride celebration in their home country.
July 01, 2007
Love in Action Shuts Down Youth "Refuge"
Good news from Box Turtle Bulletin:
Remember Zach, the 16-year-old whose MySpace blog revealed that he was about to be involuntarily committed to Love In Action’s youth live-in program “Refuge” in 2005? He was committed to a two-month stay in the residential program, and his plight spawned international outrage along with unprecedented protests in Memphis. It also inspired filmmaker Morgan Fox to begin filming the documentary, “This Is What Love In Action Looks Like.”
This evening at the Ex-Gay Survivor Conference in Irvine, California, we screened short excerpts of several documentary films including Fox’s unfinished work. Just before Fox’s extended trailer was shown, we learned that he had to make a very quick last-minute change to the ending today. And when we saw that ending, the crowd erupted in both cheers and tears as we saw that Love In Action Director John Smid confirmed that the “Refuge” youth program has been “dissolved.”
There were many cathartic moments at the Ex-Gay Survivor Conference, but for me at least, this surprise announcement was the most satisfying. I hope this will finally bring to an end any ideas that holding youth against their will for counseling they neither need nor desire is acceptable in a civilized country. This is a great step forward.
I echo that sentiment. Any evidence of a retraction in the efforts of groups like this is a good thing for GLBT people and gives them a better chance to discover at their own pace how God made them and who they truly are.
Remember Zach, the 16-year-old whose MySpace blog revealed that he was about to be involuntarily committed to Love In Action’s youth live-in program “Refuge” in 2005? He was committed to a two-month stay in the residential program, and his plight spawned international outrage along with unprecedented protests in Memphis. It also inspired filmmaker Morgan Fox to begin filming the documentary, “This Is What Love In Action Looks Like.”
This evening at the Ex-Gay Survivor Conference in Irvine, California, we screened short excerpts of several documentary films including Fox’s unfinished work. Just before Fox’s extended trailer was shown, we learned that he had to make a very quick last-minute change to the ending today. And when we saw that ending, the crowd erupted in both cheers and tears as we saw that Love In Action Director John Smid confirmed that the “Refuge” youth program has been “dissolved.”
There were many cathartic moments at the Ex-Gay Survivor Conference, but for me at least, this surprise announcement was the most satisfying. I hope this will finally bring to an end any ideas that holding youth against their will for counseling they neither need nor desire is acceptable in a civilized country. This is a great step forward.
I echo that sentiment. Any evidence of a retraction in the efforts of groups like this is a good thing for GLBT people and gives them a better chance to discover at their own pace how God made them and who they truly are.
CNN Feature on Homosexuality
Yet another piece about homosexuality is up on CNN.com this morning, this one covering the issue of whether it is a choice or not. Citing the study I posted about yesterday, for the first time a majority of Americans believe it is NOT a choice, it is something people are born with.
For the Rev. Mel White, the founder and president of faith-based gay rights group Soulforce, the poll results were a "tremendous relief."
"The poll is such good news," White said Thursday. "Over half of America thinks we don't have to be healed from a sickness; suddenly we are OK as we are."
The change in thinking among Americans can be attributed to more and more people getting to know gays and lesbians as they come out, White said.
"Once they know us, they will support us," he said, adding that the idea extended to faith-based organizations that currently oppose gay rights, White said.
"Until the church changes, this debate will go on and on and on," he said. "Once the church changes, it'll be over."
Of course, not everyone is happy, particularly the folks at Focus on the (Straight) Family:
This "shows that our reach is not as great as the mainstream media and entertainment industry," said Peter Sprigg, vice president for policy for the Family Research Council.
"People are believing what they are hearing, and it's not the truth," he said, adding that it was disappointing Americans had succumbed to what he called a "myth" that gays and lesbians cannot change. They can change, but it is difficult, he said.
Melissa Fryrear, director of gender issues for Focus on the Family, said she found the results unfortunate -- not only because they run counter to the beliefs of her group but to her personal experience as well.
"I know that homosexuality can be overcome because that's the story of my life," she said. Fryrear said she lived as a lesbian for nearly a decade before becoming a Christian and later "overcoming" her homosexuality through a long process of change and self-examination.
"I'm changed. I'm a heterosexual woman now. I'm not sexually attracted to women. I am romantically and sexually attracted to men."
I believe that since God can heal cancer from our bodies, he is capable of changing someone's sexual orientation, but my studies tell me that there is an enormously greater chance that Ms. Fryrear either was never actually a lesbian or else she is in deep, deep, denial. Regardless, I hope that she and those who would agree with her either accept the fact that they weren't truly homosexual in the first place, or understand that God did not make us to deny a big part of the essence of who we are.
After five years of trying to date girls and to conform and conceal his sexuality, 18-year-old Steven Field told his friends and family that he was gay.
"I wasn't being honest to myself," Field, now 25, said of his closeted high school years in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois.
Being gay was natural for him, Field, who lives in Washington, said in a Thursday phone interview. "I didn't choose to be gay anymore than straight people choose to be straight."
"I think it's important for everyone to be true to themselves," he said. "This is who I am and I'm proud of it."
Amen! God not only wants us to love Him, he wants us to be able to accept and love ourselves.
For the Rev. Mel White, the founder and president of faith-based gay rights group Soulforce, the poll results were a "tremendous relief."
"The poll is such good news," White said Thursday. "Over half of America thinks we don't have to be healed from a sickness; suddenly we are OK as we are."
The change in thinking among Americans can be attributed to more and more people getting to know gays and lesbians as they come out, White said.
"Once they know us, they will support us," he said, adding that the idea extended to faith-based organizations that currently oppose gay rights, White said.
"Until the church changes, this debate will go on and on and on," he said. "Once the church changes, it'll be over."
Of course, not everyone is happy, particularly the folks at Focus on the (Straight) Family:
This "shows that our reach is not as great as the mainstream media and entertainment industry," said Peter Sprigg, vice president for policy for the Family Research Council.
"People are believing what they are hearing, and it's not the truth," he said, adding that it was disappointing Americans had succumbed to what he called a "myth" that gays and lesbians cannot change. They can change, but it is difficult, he said.
Melissa Fryrear, director of gender issues for Focus on the Family, said she found the results unfortunate -- not only because they run counter to the beliefs of her group but to her personal experience as well.
"I know that homosexuality can be overcome because that's the story of my life," she said. Fryrear said she lived as a lesbian for nearly a decade before becoming a Christian and later "overcoming" her homosexuality through a long process of change and self-examination.
"I'm changed. I'm a heterosexual woman now. I'm not sexually attracted to women. I am romantically and sexually attracted to men."
I believe that since God can heal cancer from our bodies, he is capable of changing someone's sexual orientation, but my studies tell me that there is an enormously greater chance that Ms. Fryrear either was never actually a lesbian or else she is in deep, deep, denial. Regardless, I hope that she and those who would agree with her either accept the fact that they weren't truly homosexual in the first place, or understand that God did not make us to deny a big part of the essence of who we are.
After five years of trying to date girls and to conform and conceal his sexuality, 18-year-old Steven Field told his friends and family that he was gay.
"I wasn't being honest to myself," Field, now 25, said of his closeted high school years in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois.
Being gay was natural for him, Field, who lives in Washington, said in a Thursday phone interview. "I didn't choose to be gay anymore than straight people choose to be straight."
"I think it's important for everyone to be true to themselves," he said. "This is who I am and I'm proud of it."
Amen! God not only wants us to love Him, he wants us to be able to accept and love ourselves.
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