Challenging a Colorado Catholic School’s Decision to Oust Students with Two Moms
March 19, 2010 by Ann @ GLAAD
Two children were recently kicked out of a Catholic school in Boulder, Colo., because of having lesbian mothers. GLAAD issued a statement urging national media to spotlight this story and report on how such harsh decisions hurt families and damage communities.
Following GLAAD’s pitch, CNN, Fox News Channel’s, “The O’Reilly Factor,” and a host of other national outlets covered the story. And, on the heels of that coverage, DignityUSA New Ways Ministry, Call to Action and Fortunate Families placed a full page ad in the Sunday, March 14 editions of the Denver Post and the Boulder Daily Camera. The ad highlighted the lifetime of harm that such a rejection represents.
Their voices were joined by local community members including some straight mothers from the Sacred Heart of Jesus School, who spoke out on the HLN’s, the Joy Behar Show and in the Boulder Daily Camera to challenge the church’s double standards of not questioning mothers who use birth control, nor requiring parents to be Catholic straight parents
The children of the couple had been attending the school for three years so it was even more shocking for the mothers to suddenly have their children targeted for rejection. The mothers remained unnamed during the controversy to protect their children from publicity but issued a statement on March 15 to say they had not given up on being Catholic, despite this rejection.
The Denver Post quoted the mothers: “When we were allowed to have our children baptized, we made a promise to raise our children in the Catholic faith,” they said. “We now feel like our attempts at fulfilling this promise are being undermined by the church itself.” Part of their comments touched on the challenges same-sex couples face in dealing with taxes, border crossings, and various legal protections, but they said they never expected to face such double standards in their own faith community.
As media keep a focus on the Boulder story both locally and nationally, GLAAD will continue helping faith groups and local advocates on the ground in Colorado as they offer their unique community perspective to the dialogue.
Related Posts:Protests Reignite Media Storm Surrounding Anti-Gay Bill in Uganda
February 18, 2010 by Ann @ GLAAD
Passions over Uganda’s anti-gay law continue to roil. Reuters reported that a major anti-gay protest in Jinja, Uganda, had to be quelled by police. At the same time, a largely unpublicized pro-gay Unitarian-Universalist event allowed local Ugandan LGBT people to strategize together under the banner, “Standing on the Side of Love.”
An article in The Huffington Post details the “monstrous implications” of the Ugandan anti-gay bill:
The more controversial provisions of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill would sentence HIV-positive homosexuals to death for their sexual acts, make it illegal to publicly defend LGBT rights, or provide social and medical services to LGBT individuals, and turn Ugandan citizens into anti-homosexual informers…
…LGBT Ugandans endure verbal insults, physical and sexual harassment, arbitrary arrests and torture, and humiliating publicity. They are victims of correctional rape and other sexual abuse, blackmail, and arbitrary detention, and are denied health care, housing, education and other social services on account of their sexual orientation. Since the introduction of this bill in October, 2009, there have been reports of death threats against LGBT individuals and police have raided the offices of some human rights activists.
In a time of constant calamity and crisis fatigue, proposed legislation in Uganda to execute gays passes through the American consciousness with the impact of a weather report. Corrupt politicians count on the brevity of the American attention span, but certain items demand a tap of the pause button…
… A country where gays are routinely harassed, rounded up and incarcerated doesn’t need stoking by American fundamentalists on a mission from God.
With the horrific realities of this proposed law, it is was deeply shocking when Christianity Today reported that Ugandan Anglican bishops support everything but the death penalty or throwing priests and counselors in prison for not turning in gay people. Family members of gay people would still be required to turn in family members.
Around 35% of Ugandans are Anglican. 42% are Catholic. Bold individuals like Canon Gideon Byamugisha, a prominent member of Uganda’s Anglican Church, have called the bill “state-legislated genocide.” The Archbishop of Canterbury, head of the global Anglican Church, opposed the legislation saying, “Overall, the proposed legislation is of shocking severity and I cannot see how it could be supported by any Anglican….” More recently, he called the bill “infamous” and “repugnant” but has been very slow to speak. The Vatican has been mostly silent except for a little publicized statement in December at a United Nations panel—despite the fact that roughly 45% of Ugandan’s are Catholic.
The World Council of Churches published an open letter to President Museveni saying they are “saddened and distressed” by the proposed law. American World Jewish Service leaders organized an open letter to members of Congress and are emphasizing that people from within Uganda are speaking out and working against this legislation at great risk to themselves.
GLAAD continues to urge mainstream media to shine a light on Uganda’s virulently anti-gay measure and expose the potentially lethal injustices that gay and lesbian Ugandans could face simply by being who they are.
Updates can be found on GLAADblog.org
Related Posts:Gay Christian Singer Performs at Official Olympic Venue
February 12, 2010 by Ann @ GLAAD
He came out to his friends and family at 24 and decided to make music with a message: it’s OK to be who you are. A video of his up-beat song “Today” was played on the jumbo tron screen for Olympic audiences and David will play it live on an official Olympic stage this weekend to inspire both competitors and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people of faith.
Historic American Prayer Hour Focuses on Uganda Anti-Gay Legislation
February 4, 2010 by Ann @ GLAAD
GLAAD provided strategic planning, media assistance and co-sponsorship to the first American Prayer Hour, on February 4, in 17 cities nationwide, to pray for Uganda and all countries that criminalize gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. On the same day, President Obama attended The National Prayer Breakfast and called the anti-gay law in Uganda “odious” and ”unconscionable.” The National Prayer Breakfast gained notoriety this year because its sponsor, ”The Family,” an evangelical Christian group, has ties to MP Bahati who proposed Uganda’s anti-gay law. Bahati is “The Family’s” organizer in Uganda.
The American Prayer Hour opening press conference was held in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, February 2, and included Bishop Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop in The Episcopal Church. Poignant remarks were made by Moses, a gay Ugandan man who is seeking asylum in the US.
Moses spoke at the National Press Club press conference with a bag over his head to avoid retribution, highlighting the serious impact of the proposed law. He shared his story of being raped by police and being too afraid to go to the hospital for treatment. He said, “It breaks my heart that I have to leave my family and loved ones to seek asylum in this country simply because I am gay. Even as I speak, gay people are being persecuted as a result of this proposed law against gay people. I can only imagine how bad it will be if the bill actually passes.”
The New York Times, Religion News Service, Christian Post and blogs covered the opening press conference in the nation’s Capital on Tuesday. Key American Prayer Hour gatherings were held on Thursday in Washington, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, Berkeley, Dallas, Boston, Anchorage and Atlanta.
GLAAD collaborated on the American Prayer Hour with the Human Rights Campaign, The National Gay & Lesbian Taskforce, the National Black Justice Coalition, Metropolitan Community Church, PFLAG, Progressive Christians Uniting, Truth Wins Out, Two Spirit Press Room, Arcus and Haas Jr.
GLAAD also worked to amplify the voices of these inclusive faith leaders by drafting press materials and earning media coverage.
GLAAD Urges Media to Cover LGBT Human Rights as Part of International Human Rights Day
December 10, 2009 by Ann @ GLAAD
As part of the International Human Rights Day on December 10, 2009, GLAAD urges Media to cover human rights injustices against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons in the United States and throughout the world.
In Uganda, fundamental rights to life and liberty for gay people are at risk as a proposed bill would reportedly apply the death penalty to gay people and imprison those who do not turn in gay people for prosecution. Several countries besides Uganda have the death penalty in place for gay people and dozens of countries have harsh laws against people who are gay and media should also cover these laws as well.
GLAAD stands by all those who speak out for human and civil rights.
Related Posts:
Mormons Voice Support for Salt Lake City Anti-discrimination Law
November 13, 2009 by Ann @ GLAAD
As a prelude to Salt Lake City becoming the first city in Utah to enact an LGBT-inclusive employment and housing non-discrimination ordinance, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) made the stunning announcement that it supported the measure.
LDS top leaders negotiated behind the scenes with LGBT organizations in Salt Lake City, before making the pronouncement. In the mean time, pro-gay Mormons provided the back drop of repeated public protests over church meddling in legislation and harmful anti-gay teachings.
Straight allies from the Foundation for Reconciliation accessed GLAAD media assistance and garnered media coverage of their meeting with the governor of Utah and their symbolic five mile trek with a pioneer handcart carrying more than 2,000 petition signatures, letters from religious leaders, and memorials for gay LDS suicide victims.
Affirmation Mormons also used GLAAD’s media assistance to garner local Fox News coverage of the high rate of homelessness among Mormon gay youth and launched “Keep them and Love Them,” a web site to help Mormon families with LGBT members.
This week, in response to the LDS support of housing and employment protection, Affirmation’s Executive Director David Melson said,
“Discrimination based on a person’s identity, including race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability, has always been wrong. It is commendable that the LDS Church is taking a step toward living up to its own teachings of valuing of all humanity. It is a vital first step…we await the second.”
Tuesday night, Michael Otterson, LDS director of public affairs, told the Salt Lake City Council “In essence, the Church agrees with the approach which Mayor Becker is taking on this matter. In drafting these ordinances, the city has granted common sense rights that should be available to everyone, while safeguarding the crucial rights of religious organizations, for example, in their hiring of people whose lives are in harmony with their tenets, or when providing housing for their university students and others that preserve religious requirements.”
According to The New York Times, the ordinance most likely already had the support of the seven-member Salt Lake city council as it passed unanimously. However, the Church statement is viewed by many as a breakthrough. While the Church issued a statement in 2008 saying that it did not condone abuse toward gay people, this is the first time it backed an actual ordinance to protect gay rights. Will Carson, manager of public policy for Equality Utah, told the NY Times,
Related Posts:“It’s the most progressive and inclusive statement that the church has made on these issues.”
The Vatican’s Bid for Breakaway Anglicans
October 30, 2009 by Ann @ GLAAD
Many Catholics are becoming more vocal about their support for marriage equality as evidenced in “No on 1 ads” and the organizing efforts in Maine. The Pope and Vatican leaders, on the other hand, raised eyebrows and hackles in its recent bid to persuade conservative, breakaway Anglicans to become Catholics on the basis of their shared ordination ban for women and LGBT people.
At a news conference on Oct. 20, Cardinal William J. Levada from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith announced that joining Anglicans would retain many of their traditions while still entering in “full communion with the Catholic Church.”
The Vatican stresses it was responding to requests from more conservative Anglicans from around the world and in no way meant to undermine Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams leadership. But what seemed like a simple ecumenical invitation has problems—even for conservatives.
More progressive Episcopalians noted that the door swings both ways and told a reporter from The Baltimore Sun that three former Roman Catholic clergy have recently joined the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland. Bishop Eugene Taylor Sutton pointed out that many converts to the Episcopal Church are laypeople from the Catholic Church who are looking for a church moving in a more open and affirming direction.
Conservative Episcopalians who broke away tend to agree with the Roman Catholic hierarchy on barring women and LGBT people from the priesthood, but the historical tension between the Anglican Communion and the Vatican is still very much present. The split between Catholics and Anglicans happened in the 16th century, when King Henry VIII declared himself head of the Church in England. The Vatican has yet to lay out a plan for addressing central theological differences such as papal authority and the meaning of the Eucharist.
Meanwhile, news outlets such as USA Today and the Boston Globe report uncertainty from breakaway clergy and congregations in regards to the Vatican’s invitation. According to USA Today, one of the major deal breakers is the celibacy requirement for Catholic priests. Since the 1980’s, after women were first ordained in the Episcopal Church, some married Anglican clergy were allowed to convert to Catholicism and continue on as active priests.
Cardinal Levada said the celibacy waiver would apply to priests but not bishops nor future candidates for ordination. Levada acknowledged potential problems still remain. According to Times Online, the Apostolic Constitution, which will lay out the conditions for the new “Anglo-Catholic section of the Church,” is not ready for publication—despite the announced invitation.
There are also unanswered questions about what will happen to property of the breakaway congregations and whether or not the Roman Catholic Church would have a claim on them. The property battles could be huge and The Episcopal Church already has too many property law suits with congregations that broke away over openly gay bishops.
The Rev. Dr. Randall Balmer, a guest on the Steven Colbert Show, expressed concern that the church was trying to compensate for the increase of closed parishes and the decrease of men going into the priesthood. Despite Colbert’s comic approach, the conversation raised the important question of whether or not an invitation to membership should be based on who is excluded.
Lutherans Change Policy—Affirm Partnered Gay Ministers
August 21, 2009 by Ann @ GLAAD
Lutherans, the very first Protestant tradition, founded in the 1500’s, voted to lift the ban on partnered gay clergy on Friday, August 21, 2009. The week of deliberations included a tornado that damaged the convention center in Minneapolis and extensive debate, prayers and conversation.
Meeting August 17-23, the body considered a range of legislation affecting the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. On LGBT issues, the results were historic. At three critical points, delegates chose the next step toward full inclusion.
They rejected attempts by conservatives to change the voting rules on the opening night; they passed the Policy Statement on Human Sexuality with a 2/3 vote; and, finally, delegates withstood legislative end runs and voted to allow clergy to be in committed same-gender relationships.
Emily Eastwood, Executive Director of Lutherans Concerned/North America, said “Today I am proud to be a Lutheran. Supporters and advocates of full inclusion have longed for this day since the inception of the ELCA, and for many of us what seemed like a lifetime. The ELCA has always had gay ministers, now those and all ministers are free to claim who they are and to have the love and support of a lifelong partner, regardless of orientation or gender identity, which is all we ever asked.”
The ELCA is the second largest mainline Protestant church in the U.S. with 4.6 million members and now joins the Episcopal Church and the United Church of Christ as mainline denominations that have moved toward full inclusion in recent years.
GLAAD assisted the LGBT and allied Lutheran spokespeople by pitching the story through the 1800 religion media journalists and outlets of the Religion News Service. GLAAD trained spokespeople were interviewed by the NY Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Washington Post, LA Times, NPR, Minnesota Public Radio, local radio talk shows and others. Multiple AP articles blanketed the country and repeatedly quoted GLAAD trained Lutheran spokespeople.
Related Posts:Welton Gaddy Calls for a New National Discussion on Marriage
July 31, 2009 by Ann @ GLAAD
The Rev. Dr. Welton Gaddy, president of Interfaith Alliance, set off a firestorm of commentary in the Newsweek-Washington Post, “On Religion” blog, after putting out a call for a new kind of national discussion on extending marriage protections to same-sex couples. The blog post introduces the newly released paper “Same Gender Marriage & Religious Freedom,” wherein Gaddy lays out perspectives on marriage and recommends direction for the future. His first suggestion: leave religion out of it.
Dialogues about religion will not forge national consensus on any sociopolitical issue or serve as a source of national unity. The population of our nation is too diverse and the religions in our nation are too different for that to happen. Individual religious traditions are divided from each other externally and, internally, adherents within each of these traditions are divided from each other.
Citing recent studies that show a range of opinions among clergy and members of evangelical and mainstream churches, Dr. Gaddy suggests that law and not religious views (SHOULD)_be the starting point for any discussion on the government’s regulation of marriage:
Law, not scripture, is the foundation of government regulations related to marriage in our nation. Presently, the United States government recognizes marriage on the basis of a properly authorized, government-issued marriage license.
This Interfaith Alliance paper by Dr Gaddy invites a national conversation on the marriage. He cites Executive Director of Freedom to Marry, Evan Wolfson’s stance that marriage inequality results in second-class citizenship, but is clear that the country should protect the right of religious groups to define marriage for their own members:
All citizens should have equal access to civil marriage and to the benefits of marriage provided for citizens in this government. Couples who desire religious marriage can seek a house of worship in which to receive that blessing. But, as is the case now, no house of worship would be legally obligated to provide marriage for a couple whom it does not want to bless. All houses of worship should be free to advocate for, defend and perpetuate the view of marriage that is consistent with their religious traditions and convictions.
While wanting to sort out religion from government, Dr. Gaddy disagrees with Jonathan Turley in his USAToday op-ed which recommends that all couples have state-sanctioned “civil unions” while religious groups do “marriages.” Gaddy writes, “Civil marriages and religious marriages have existed side by side for an untold number of years. Both…have been respected and treated equally in our society. I see no reason for that situation to change.”
In this effort to invite more conversation Gaddy is hoping for a civil and respectful dialogue. “The subject of marriage equality merits our best thoughts and influential actions as United States citizens, whether or not we are religious people or individuals who adhere to no religion.”
As part of our overall work with communities of faith, GLAAD will continue to stay in regular contact with the Interfaith Alliance to lift up progressive faith voices that promote LGBT equality.
Related Posts:Lutheran Equality—It’s Complicated
April 8, 2009 by Ann @ GLAAD
Lutherans Concerned North America, the Lutheran LGBT advocacy group were “pleased but cautious” this week as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America released the final version of its social statement with implementing recommendations. The documents
- recommend acceptance of partnered gay clergy as church policy,
- leave blessings or marriage rites for same-gender couples to congregations, and
- allow individual congregations to have a pastor in a committed same-gender relationship, but none could be forced to do so.
It’s complicated, but opponents tried to complicate things more by proposing an increase in the requirement for approval of the recommendations to equal that of the social statement-two-thirds-but it was defeated and remains a majority vote.
Christian Science Monitor, the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star-Tribune, and the Associated Press focused on the recommendations that must pass by majority vote-and some reports made it sound like they lowered the voting bar. In fact, it remains the same.
Lutherans Concerned leaders noted that if the social statement does not garner 2/3 of the vote, the rest of the recommendations in the report are off the table.
Opponents are expected to try again to up the voting requirements for the recommendations at the Churchwide Assembly, August 17-23, in Minneapolis, Minn.
Like I said, it’s complicated.
Anti-Gay Coach, Dungy Steps Down; Harry Knox, HRC Religion Director Steps Up
April 6, 2009 by Ann @ GLAAD
Shortly after the White House published a list of faith-based council members that included anti-gay evangelical football coach, Dungy, an AP article reported that Dungy declined the invitation.
Harry Knox, HRC director of religion and faith, was also on the list and said, “…we will support the President in living up to his promise that government has no place in funding bigotry against any group of people.”
The AP article stated:
President Barack Obama announced the appointments of Bishop Charles E. Blake and Harry Knox on Monday, filling out a 25-person roster that is part of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
Former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy declined an invitation, citing scheduling conflicts, a White House spokesman said. Dungy will still advise Obama on fatherhood issues and help lead that effort, the spokesman said.
Dungy, an evangelical Christian, supported efforts in Indiana to ban same-sex marriage in 2007, prompting some criticism from liberal groups last week when the invitation was made public. <snip>
Also newly appointed to the panel was Harry Knox, director of the religion and faith program at Human Rights Campaign, a Washington-based gay rights group. Obama was criticized by liberal and gay rights groups for inviting evangelical pastor and author Rick Warren – who supported a California ballot measure that banned gay marriage in that state – to deliver the inaugural invocation.
The White House office enlists faith and community groups to address four priorities: economic recovery, reducing abortions, encouraging responsible fatherhood and improving interfaith relations. An expanded and tweaked version of a faith-based office begun by President George W. Bush, the office is charged with administering federal grants and advising the White House on policy.
Faith Leaders in California Celebrate Gay Marriage in Iowa
April 3, 2009 by Ann @ GLAAD
A press release from California Faith for Equality celebrated the Iowa court decision for marriage equality and challenged the California court to make a decision that goes beyond “popularity” or beliefs of “religious caucuses.”
CALIFORNIA CLERGY APPLAUD IOWA COURT – SAY ‘OVERTURN PROP 8′
When Iowa’s high court ruled on April 3 that same-sex couples can marry, California Faith for Equality executive director, Rev. Samuel Chu said, “We celebrate the Iowa Supreme Court AND the first decision of the California Supreme Court. They both ruled that-civil marriage must be available equally to everyone.
“Now, the California Supreme Court is in the midst of deliberation and needs to get it right again. We urge the court to stand by its first position because equality is not a popularity contest and the person you marry should not be determined by religious caucuses-no matter how fervent or well-financed.” Rev. Chu is also pastor of Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles.
California Faith for Equality is training faith leaders in activism, called TRUTH TO POWER, focused on peaceful, yet powerful, direct actions in response to the Court’s ruling if it upholds Proposition 8. Prop 8 stripped marriage equality from the California Constitution through a simple majority vote.
Presbyterian Lesbian Still Fighting for Ordination
March 25, 2009 by Ann @ GLAAD
Lisa Larges - Photo courtesy Bay Area Reporter
In San Francisco, on March 25, a Presbyterian commission rejected the process used by the Presbytery of San Francisco to certify openly lesbian candidate for ordination, Lisa Larges.
The ruling did not deal with her qualifications but the procedural ruling effectively puts additional hurdles in her path toward ordination. Larges said:
This decision makes it abundantly clear that the Presbyterian Church must remove the current prohibitory language that denies ordination to openly LGBT people and adopt a new policy. The amendment now being voted on across the country properly aligns our understanding of ministry….
Larges has been working toward ordination for two decades. In 2002, she began work with the organization That All May Freely Serve, a group that advocates for a church that honors diversity and welcomes lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons as full members eligible for ordination. She now serves as the Minister Coordinator of the group.
Presbyterians Move Closer to Accepting Openly Lesbian, Gay & Bi Clergy
March 23, 2009 by Ann @ GLAAD
Over half of the 173 regional presbytery votes of the national Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA) have been tallied on a constitutional amendment that would open the door to gay clergy. Since the last time the presbyteries of PCUSA voted on a similar amendment, more than two dozen presbyteries, flipped their vote from “no” to “yes”. Even among those presbyteries that continued to vote “no” on gay clergy, a larger proportion within each presbytery voted to support greater inclusion of LGBT spiritual leaders.
In 2001, PCUSA voted down a similar constitutional amendment by a vote of 127 to 46 – 73.4% of the vote. The current vote stands at 51 congregations in favor of the amendment and 79 against. The “yes” votes already exceed the previous number of presbyteries that supported inclusion of gay clergy. Conservative areas such as North Carolina, Alabama, rural Illinois, southwest Texas and Arkansas are among those who flipped their votes to support the inclusive reforms.
This move toward acceptance is the result of the hard work of groups like Presbyterian Welcome That All May Freely Serve, Covenant Network of Presbyterians, and More Light Presbyterians. Their decades of educating the denomination on gay or lesbian concerns paved the way for the June 2008 General Assembly vote of the PCUSA to amend the constitution. The amendment asks the church to replace the requirement of “chastity in singleness and fidelity in marriage between a man and a woman” with a traditional pledge “to live lives obedient to Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church.”
Eighty-seven presbyteries, a simple majority, are needed to determine the fate of the amendment. Many people expected to have the results by the end of March. However, due to the narrow vote, the results may not be finalized until late May 2009.
Lisa Larges May Be First Openly Gay Pastor in Presbyterian Church
March 23, 2009 by Ann @ GLAAD
After more than 20 years of applications, rejections, trials and hearings, the Presbyterian Church USA is again hearing arguments in a regional trial on whether openly gay, Lisa Larges, may be ordained under recent reforms that provide some discretion by the regional “presbytery.” This time, a live blog on the Bilerico Project is recording events from the church hearing that will decide if her ordination will move forward. In a San Francisco ABC affiliate interview, Larges, who is blind, said, “We are all equal before God.”
The current hearing is a challenge to the San Francisco Presbytery that voted in January 2008 to move Larges forward into the next step toward ordination. Blogging from this week’s hearings, Ann Purdy explained that the people bringing the charges suggest that the presbytery delegates misunderstood the issues surrounding Larges’ ordination in 2008.
The timing of the hearings is especially significant as it coincides with a nationwide vote on a constitutional amendment that would delete that language that now requires marriage between a man and a woman or celibacy to be ordained within the national organization of Presbyterian congregations, Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA). Half of the 173 regional presbyteries must approve of the amendment for it to take effect-and this year’s vote includes many presbyteries who are voting for equal ordination for the first time.
Lisa Larges is the director of the program, That All May Freely Serve . The organization hosts information on the hearing and other work for equality in the Presbyterian Church.
