A Strong Response to Mohler's Gay Baby Solution

I have hesitated in addressing the latest homophobic spew wrapped in "Christianity" from Dr. Albert Mohler, the president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. In case you missed it, in brief Mohler recently wrote that if it was possible to determine in an unborn baby was homosexual and doctors were able to biologically change it that they should.

I have pledged to keep this blog positive and homophobe free as much as possible, so it was hard to work this in to that editorial approach.

That is, until I saw this open letter to Mohler written by The Reverend Elder Nancy L. Wilson, the Moderator of Metropolitan Community Churches. Rev. Wilson wrote:

The use of Scripture and faith perspectives to justify prejudice and hatred, and ultimately our extinction as a people, cannot be condoned by anyone who knows God's love and acceptance for all creation.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are not the result of sin or God's judgment. If some LGBT people struggle with our identities, it is not because our orientations are in any way inherently sinful.

My more than 35 years of affirming, supportive ministry to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people of faith reveal the underlying reasons why some LGBT people struggle with their own acceptance and identities:

-- It is because some of our brothers and sisters in Christ insist that we are an aberration, call for our virtual elimination from the human race, and advocate "unapologetic support" for "the use of any appropriate means" to change our God-given orientations.

-- And it is because too many faith leaders have used their positions of authority and their publicly acclaimed voices to fan the flames of homophobia, leaving some LGBT people singed with unnecessary shame and false guilt.

I thank God that the Scriptures offer the promise of a "more excellent way" (I Corinthian 12:31).

Can I get an amen for that!

Montel's Es-Gay Show and What Didn't Make the Air

Talk show host Montel Williams recently taped a show about the "ex-gay" movement, a program which aired Thursday. Appearing on the program was blogger, activist, and entertainer Peterson Toscano, who wrote about the process of putting the program together and what did not make the air.

According to Peterson, Montel came across strongly opposed to reparative therapy and also showed his frustration with the Bible being used to support it.

This was a very personal and emotional experience for Peterson, who is a survivor of ex-gay therapy. Both sides of this issue were represented, including the head of Exodus, Alan Chambers. The audience was also populated with an eclectic mix of people covering the spectrum of views on homosexuality.

I highly recommend taking a few minutes to read through Peterson's post and perhaps leave a comment supporting his efforts.

Anglican Bishop: Coming Out Is God's Work

The openly gay bishop of New Hampshire, Gene Robinson, has robustly defended his position.

While the worldwide Anglican community tries to figure out how to handle the American church, where gas bishops are being ordained and same-sex marriages are being blessed, Bishop Gene Robinson states his case:

"If you want to know my homosexual agenda, it's Jesus," Bishop Robinson said, according to crosswalk.com.

"I feel that this is a real extension of what I've been called to do in the gospels.

"And I would propose to you that peoples' coming out - gay and lesbian folk being honest about who they are, what their lives are, what their families are like, their desire to contribute to this culture, to serve in the military, to take their place as full citizens of this country - is God at work," he added.

This is a critically important message to share with the GLBT community, and God bless Bishop Robinson for doing it so decisively. Homosexuality is not a curse that narrow minded right-wingers like Albert Mohler want people to think. Just like heterosexuality, it is a gift from God and needs to be used for His glory.

Thanks to PageOneQ for the tip.

Announcing the 9th International Carnival of Pozitivities

Ron Hudson has organized his 9th International Carnival of Pozitivitities and Creampuff Revolution is hosting it.

The ICP provides a periodic forum for people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. As the title indicates, these are intended to shed insight into the world of AIDS while sharing uplifting, positive stories about people's lives while they deal with this situation.

As someone who long ago rejected right-wing rhetoric that told us AIDS was God's punishment toward homosexuals, I am pleased to link to yet another wounderful, eclectic gathering of stories.

Soulforce Equality Ride 2007 Underway

This post from the Gay News Blog reports on the first two days of the 2007 Equality Ride. Predictably, the tour has already resulted in several arrests for acts of peaceful civil disobedience.

I strongly support the purpose of the ride. As was the case last year, they are traveling around the United States to primarily Christian colleges (32 visits are scheduled this year) to engage in dialogue and/or protest policies at these schools which are preceived to silence or discriminate against GLBT students.

I'm all for any group of people who are working to spread God's message of love and inclusion, and Christian institutions of higher learning seem like an excellent place to target.

However, I'm not comfortable with their particpants intentionally committing acts that lead to them being arrested. Is that necessacary? Better yet, would Jesus willingly break civil laws intending to be arrested?

It seems to me that there are plenty of ways to convey a message in today's society, without compromising the integrity of that message, that don't require laws to be broken. In that light, are people being arrested the most positive face to put on Christianity?

What do you think?

Is the GLBT Community Hung Up On the Word "Marriage"

From an article on The Advocate.com written by teenage contributor Tully Satre.

We are advocating for the wrong thing. We should be establishing the fundamental principles for same-sex couples that come in marriage contracts, not getting wrapped up in the word marriage itself. According to nationwide polls, American voters support granting marriage-like rights to same-sex couples. In Virginia, the majority of voters say they would support legislation that allows for these benefits for same-sex couples, as has been made apparent in this year’s general assembly session in Richmond. The issue of marriage is still a sensitive subject for our country. Are same-sex couples deserving of the rights and benefits granted to heterosexual couples in marriage? Yes. Are American voters supportive of same-sex marriage? No. Are American voters supportive of key benefits of marriage for same-sex couples? Yes. Yet, where do our priorities lie in the gay rights movement?

Well readers, what do you think about this? Should GLBT activists take a more pragmatic view like the one suggested in this piece or hold out for full equality in marriage including the word itself. There are a lot of folks in New Jersey who have these legal rights yet still feel cheated of full recognition for their unions. How much of the struggle for marriage equality is an emotional issue, and is there anything wrong with that?

From where I sit as a straight man, I don't see anything wrong with that at all.

Hate-Crime Laws Are Needed, For the Entire Nation

Currently, the level of protection GLBT people have varies greatly depending on the state in which they happen to live. A federal hate crimes law would go a long way toward rectifying that, and it might become a reality in this Congress.

Here is an op/ed in The Advocate written by Judy Sheppard, mother of the late Matthew Sheppard, and Joe Solmonese, making the case for passage of this important legislation and telling us why they think it will happen.

Remember, this is not the granting of "special rights" like right wing opponents would like people to believe. Instead, this is protecting people and leveling the playing field and helping to insure them equal protection under the law.

Ex-Gay Leaders Need to Stop Talking and Listen

That's the point of this post by Peterson Toscano. Toscano has first-hand knowledge of the Ex-Gay movement being a survivor of their "counseling." Here are a couple of excerpts from his post:

But the ex-gay movement needs to take an accounting of its activities. They need to sit and listen to the stories of the majority of people who have been through their programs only to come to the understanding that change is not necessary, particularly in the way it was promised.

They need to hear how many of our lives grew worse as a result of our ex-gay experiences. They need to hear about our faith journeys, our loss of faith communities, our doubts of God and God's love and the ways that some of us have been able to reclaim a spiritual life and how many have not.

They need to hear about the healthy lives we have miraculously been able to create for ourselves, the healthy relationships and new direction, the forgiveness we have been able to extend and the freedoms that we have achieved.

They need to stop listening to their own testimonies and start listening to our stories. And when they refuse to do so, they reveal something that they may not even acknowledge to themselves. That at the end of the day, they care more about issues and their constituents than they care for us.

Are ex-gay ministries more interested in sustaining their own existance than actually helping people, especially since they apparently don't do any follow-up or after care? If that's the case, what is the chance that they can actually effect change, even if you take the leap and believe that change is even possible?

How About Keeping Hate Off the Airwaves?

That is the excellent suggestion blogger Eric Williams makes on the Huffington Post as a response to the latest spewing from far-right-wing tool Ann Coulter.

While defending her right to insult/slander anyone or anything she doesn't agree with (see this post from Arianna Huffington for some classic examples), blogger Williams points out that she nor anyone else has a constitutional right to television and radio airtime.

To borrow a phrase from former First Lady Nancy Regan, broadcasters need to "just say no" to anyone spewing venom, from either the right or left wings.

So-called "experts" can express views on either side of an issue without showing hatred toward anyone. Broadcasters should establish that most basic of standards and then hold their guests to it. Too often so-called "news" programs more closely resemble the Jerry Springer show than intelligent debate and only result in further polarizing and dumbing down viewers.

If I want to be entertained by anger and rage, I'll watch some of the old "Celebrity Deathmatch" shows from MTV and see claymation representations of celebrities rip each other's heads off (literally on that program). Beyond that, this nation needs and deserves broadcasters focusing on guests and experts who can offer information and educated opinions without spewing hatred.

We need people like Ann Coulter to be moved off the airwaves and the best-seller lists and become marginalized on the outer fringes where they belong.

Scoring Points Off the Court

Former NBA player John Amaechi, who recently came out as gay and has written a book titled "Man In the Middle" recently participated in a chat at WashingtonPost.com. Here are what I thought were some highlights from the transcript.

I think that while being gay is a significant, important part of me, not knowing I'm gay doesn't shroud the rest of me.

I don't think that Europe and the UK is a utopia, but governmental backing of homophobia doesn't exist in the same way it does in America. As for the white and black communities, I think they have a disconnect that is being manipulated by people for political gain. I think both regional and national elections are being won on the back of trumped up bigotry.

(regarding being in locker rooms and showers with straight men) .....the idea that gay people can't keep their hands or eyes or thoughts off other men, especially straight men, is absurd. It's based on all the worst stereotypes. This is all based on the idea that gay people are predators and cant keep their hands off people. If people can't look back 60 years at separate water fountains and separate bathrooms, then people will never learn from history.

I must admit that I was sceptical about Amaechi's motivations when I heard his announcement coincided with a new book being published. The more I hear of his interviews and his involvement with the Human Rights Campaign, I believe he is sincerely looking beyond himself and trying to help the overall GLBT community.

Is the Religious Right Dead?

Dr. Welton Gaddy, the president of The Interfaith Alliance and host of the Air America radio show "State of Belief," doesn't think so:

People who think the Religious Right is dead had better wake up. These people who see themselves on a mission from God are even smarter than they were in the past and now even more skilled in political strategy. They are not about to give up. To have progressive people celebrating the victory of the Religious Right's demise is to put our constituency right where the Religious Right wants us to be--confident without cause and vulnerable to a surprise that will cause us to say again with regret, "We just didn't see it coming. We weren't ready for them!"

Click here to read his entire essay at Talk To Action.

I couldn't agree with him more. These modern-day religious zealots are like vampires--they just won't die and they certainly won't give up. The best progressives can do is marginalize them so all they produce is annoying, ineffective, background noise when they spew hatred and bigotry.

Reconciling Faith With Homosexuality

That's the topic of this story on the website of Channel 27 television in Madison, Wisconsin (thanks to gay news blog for the tip).

The story reaches the conclusion that this is "a small but growing group of gay Christians-committed to their faith, but ostracized from their church body."

For anyone who might fall into that category, please know this. Anytime you are shunned and/or condemned by a religion or church for being gay, that is NOT of God. Man apparently has as part of our nature the desire to seperate and put down those who are not like ourselves. That is part of our sinful nature that Christ came to earth to save us from.

People hate, God loves those who seek him. Despite what some of the largest religions in the world might tell you, there is always a path to God because He's always there reaching out to us, regardless of whether he made us straight or gay. Just because a church tries to block that path does not mean it is not there.

We all need to seek our own paths to God and not count on others to do it for us. Unfortunately, that has been made much more difficult for many GLBT people. That's why it is so important for us who do believe in God's love for our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters to reach out to them, show them His love, and make ourselves available for teaching, prayer, and worship.

Love Requires Action

That's one of the main points in this post by Peterson Tuscano, a theatrical performer and activist who calls himself an "ex-gay survivor" and travels the country to enlighten people by sharing that experience.

Peterson did just that on a public radio program yesterday, and here's a link to the podcast (it's in the second half of the program).

Why I link to it here is this excerpt from his post:

What I see in the Evangelical church is a lot of Love Inaction. If you really love us queer folks, don't just say it, show it. Faith without works is dead.

Here is an example, for too long many of us white Christian folks (liberal and conservative) have been saying stuff like, "I have nothing against Black people. Some of my best friends are Black. I love Black people" yet we do little to nothing to undo institutional racism that exists in this country as we cash in on the power and privilege we possess as a direct reslut of our skin color. Big deal that we "love" people of color. Folks don't need our declarations of love and harmony, they need equal opportunities for employment, education, housing and safety.

I believe that racism is much more severe in the US than homophobia, but how the people in power view the issues is similar. We look in our hearts and think that if we don't have anything ugly to say, then we are okay, job done, and we can move on and feel good about ourselves. That is not the message I see in the words attributed to Jesus. His Gospel is one of action, of true love in action. Anything short of that is a loud gong or a clanging cymbal.

In other words, talk is cheap. Many from the religious right talk about love while they ignore the needs of GLBT, or even worse actively practice hate.

Jesus not only preached love, He practiced it. Those who seek to be like Him need to follow His example.

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell"--Bad For GLBTs, Bad For the United States

These statistics from the Human Rights Council:

It is estimated that at least 65,000 lesbian, gay and bisexual Americans are currently serving in the U.S. Military.

More than 10,000 servicemenbers have been discharged under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

This policy has cost a minimum of $191 million.

For those of you who aren't familiar with "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," it is the policy of the United States military to not inquire about a soldier's sexual orientation, and a gay soldier is required to keep it a secret. Once the military has evidence that a soldier is gay, they can be, and often are, discharged.

To illustrate the injustice and stupidity of this rule, the HRC sent out this letter from Eric Alva, the first soldier to be wounded in the Iraq. Since his discharge, Alva has made his homosexuality public and aided the cause of repealing DODT in his recent testimony before Congress.

On March 21, 2003, my life changed forever.

Three hours into the Iraq War, I was in charge of 11 U.S. Marines on a logistical convoy when I stepped on an Iraqi landmine outside my Humvee vehicle and became the first American wounded in the Iraq War. The explosion was so powerful it blew me to the ground ten feet away and took off part of my right leg. I can still remember the ringing in my ears from the blast.

I spent months in rehabilitation where I was visited by President Bush, First Lady Laura Bush and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. I was recognized by the military for my service and received a Purple Heart award. I was also interviewed by several major newspapers and magazines and I made numerous TV appearances, including on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Yet despite all the attention and focus on my life, today is the first time I have publicly talked about my sexuality in relation to my military service.

To be honest, each time I was commended on my courage, I couldn’t help but remember how scared I was that I would be found out as gay and kicked out of the military. I remember the fear I felt when people around me in the military started debating the new “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy even before it became law. Still, my proudest moments during my 13 years in the military came when I would confide in one of my friends about my sexual orientation and they would still treat me with the same respect as before.

Although I’m no longer wearing the uniform of the U.S. Marine Corp, my mission continues to be protecting the rights and freedoms of all Americans. So as I begin my first day as national spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign's efforts to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't tell," I'm excited to be joining Rep. Marty Meehan at a Capitol Hill press conference today to reintroduce the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, legislation to repeal this broken and discriminatory policy. I will also join hundreds of HRC members from across the country on Capitol Hill this week to meet with congressional leaders during the Human Rights Campaign lobby day.

Please, take action right now because my sacrifice was for the rights and freedoms of all our citizens and did not exclude GLBT Americans – especially the estimated 65,000 gay, lesbian and bisexual Americans serving in the military who willingly and voluntarily risk their lives for our country.

You can click on this link to send a message to your congressman in support of the Military Readiness Enhancement Act.

"Repairative Therapy" Under Review

The American Psychology Association is re-examining its policy on treatment and sexual orientation.

Homosexual activists have "continued to communicate to us that they are very concerned about reparative therapy and the way it is promoted out in the world," Dr. Clinton W. Anderson, director of the lesbian, gay, and bisexual concerns office at the APA, told The Christian Post.

APA adopted a policy statement on sexual orientation in 1997. The three major points, Anderson summarized, are: APA affirms that homosexuality is not a mental disorder, signifying that it can't be cured; there is concern that those who promote the idea that it is a mental disorder are contributing to a hostile and prejudiced climate in culture; and APA identifies some ethical concerns such as respecting the rights of others to hold values that differ from their own.

Dr. Warren Throckmorton, associate professor of psychology and fellow for psychology and public policy at Grove City College, warns that if the APA comes out with a new policy statement against reparative therapy, homosexuals who are discontented with their lifestyle
will have fewer options.

Really, though, isn't their only one truly effective option; understanding who you really are and developing those gifts that God gave you? Who has ever truly benefitted from denying who they are and acting in a manner someone else tells them they should?

I strongly suspect that is a very short list.

Love Thy Neighbor--Seriously

This article from Ethics Daily talks about one of the most basic principles of Christianity. I'm sure many readers here cringe when they hear a reference to the Book of Leviticus, but there is some good stuff in there, especially this from Leviticus 19:18:

".....you shall love your neighbor as yourself (NRSV)

The writer goes through numerous specific examples from the Bible that tell why God expects up to practice "neighbor-loving," then summarizes his view on this:

Neighbor-loving is hard, but it is not optional—not for followers of the Christ, neither then nor now.

Neighbor-loving is hard, but it's not impossible. Numerous saints and saints-in-the-making have shown us the way.

Neighbor-loving is not mere neighborliness. It includes the people next door, but extends to those most difficult for us to love: those not like us, who may not like us, whom we do not like, and whom we yet are commanded to love like neighbors.

The part that really jumps out at me is "those not like us, who may not like us, whom we do not like." Let's face it, practicing love toward others who are like us and who we like as people is not that difficult.

GLBT people often bear the brunt of hatred and discrimination, not love, by people not like them. That is wrong and, as this article clearly and effectively lays out, it is ungodly, even when it is done in God's name.

It is also encumbent upon the GLBT community and its straight allies to treat those who aren't like us or whom we don't like with love. It is a two-way street and God has the same expectations of all of us.

Honoring a GLBT Pioneer

Every movment, every fight for rights has their pioneers, their ground breakers. The fight for GLBT rights has Barbara Gittings, who passed away recently after losing a long fight with breast cancer. Among the highlights of her accomplishments was founding the first lesbian organization in 1958 and participating in the first gay picket lines in front of the White House in 1965.

Click here to read more about this pioneer, a woman far ahead of her time who helped make today's advances in gay rights possible in "Our Rosa Parks."

Working Against Bullying GLBT Youth in Vermont

As more and more GLBT youth come out and address their sexuality at younger ages, the issue of the bullying they often face in school is receiving more attention. Such is the case in Vermont, where Outright Vermont, an organization that advocates for GLBT youth in the state, has plans to host a workshop about bullying at Mississquoi Valley Union High School.

Unfortunately, when a group like that is proactive and progressive, you can count on some right-wing nitwit with a radio show to oppose them. Paul Beaudry, a radio host on two stations in Vermont, plays the role of the nitwit in this situation.

"I don't think this should be in the schools. If you go to their Web site, they're all about recruiting children into the homosexual lifestyle," said Beaudry, whose child attends the school.

Yeah, whatever. Of course, what they actually mean by recruiting is actually people attempting to help a youngster understand and accept who they are, even if that doesn't match up to the script their parents might have drawn up.

Hopefully the standard right-wing rhetoric of "recruiting" and "special rights" will be ineffective and Outright Vermont will succeed in holding this workshop.

Youth Exploring Faith Through Drama

There is a drama troupe in the Pittsburgh area comprised of GLBT youth between 14-21 years old that takes on a different theme with their production each season. This year the group is taking on their relationship with God.

"One of the biggest themes is the personal issue of sin, of how something that is so natural and doesn't seem like a bad thing, can be seen as horrible and people reject them for it. That is a big issue that most of them are dealing with," said Ms. Haugh, who previously founded the Renaissance City Women's Choir.

I really do love the Lord and believe in him and have a personal relationship with him," said Terrance McGeorge, 20, of East Liberty, raised Baptist.

"But I'm against organized religion. . . . Religion is supposed to heal your soul, but it bruises us because we are being discriminated against by people who are supposed to love everyone."

That's a pretty bright young man--finding his own path and making his own relationship with God rather than accepting the comdemnation so many major religions try to shove down young gay and lesbian throats.

Thanks to PageOneQ for the tip.

A Straight Ally In Connecticut

Connecticut is one of the current battle-ground states in the fight for marriage equality, and columnist Susan Campbell of the Hartford Courant (the newspaper with the largest circulation in the state) has taken a stand. Here is an excerpt as she writes in response to some e-mails she has received from people that assume because she is advocating for GLBT rights that she herself must be lesbian:

What if I told you that I am not a lesbian, that I am in a monogamous relationship - a marriage, yet - with a man I love, whom I don't always understand? That we've raised two children to adulthood, that we vote, mow our yard and worry about our adjustable mortgage? And that, in those last characteristics, I am much like your garden-variety coupled homosexual - just an average citizen getting by.

What if I told you that I did not come to my present and permanent stance because of some intellectual tic on my part? I am public school all the way, born in Kentucky, raised in Missouri, came to Jesus in a fundamentalist church.

What if I told you that I read the same scriptures you do and that I've spent time with the text I was taught to hold so dear? And what if I told you that I consider marriage equality every bit as important as any other civil rights question, be it racial or gender, and that I don't have to belong to the oppressed group to speak up?

In fact, in these times, it's incumbent on those who are blessed with marriage rights to speak up.

I'm here to tell you that if a red-state fundamentalist Christian hillbilly can figure it out, there is ample hope for the likes of you.

Minds can be opened and prejudices can be unlearned. Fortunately, Ms. Campbell is open enough to share her journey with thousands of readers in her state and a few folks on this blog.

Thanks.