Mormons Voice Support for Salt Lake City Anti-discrimination Law
November 13, 2009
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.”
Summer Heats Up with Churches Debating LGBT Issues
June 18, 2009
In the past few weeks the Los Angeles Times, Charisma Magazine and the Toledo Blade published overviews on the various summer conventions where Protestant denominations will be engaged in debating LGBT inclusion. We here at GLAAD thought we’d share these and other highlights of the summer:
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH USA
Presbyterians worked diligently and strategically to garner prayerful support for a constitutional amendment
on equal ordination. Passed by the General Assembly in 2007, and voted by each Presbytery over the last six months, LGBT supportive groups pulled GLAAD in around communications support as they shaped a message of inclusion for all God’s baptized and called people. With a 49% to 51% popular vote and unprecedented numbers of regional presbyteries supporting equality, messages like “historic levels of support” showed up in both mainstream and opposition media. Even though the proposed constitutional amendment for equality did not pass, articles with positive messages were carried nationwide in both the Religion News Service and The Associated Press wire services.
THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH
July 8-17, in Anaheim, Calif., bishops and elected deputies gathered for the Episcopal Church’s triennial General Convention will consider dozens of resolutions to move their denomination beyond its de facto moratorium on additional LGBT bishops and forward on civil and ecclesiastical marriage equality. Furthermore, among these resolutions are four in support of transgender equality, marking a first in the convention’s history. The convention’s process will be impacted by a recent controversy in which a committee chair refused to publish the names of a panel of theologians who were appointed to prepare a paper on same-sex relationships in the life of the church. In addition, Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury and primary leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion will visit General Convention and is expected to pressure the Episcopal Church to halt its progress on LGBT inclusion.
EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA
After eight year process of drafts, hearings and revisions, the Social Statement on Human Sexuality, itsImplementing Resolutions and separate recommendations for ministry policies will go before the biennial Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in Minneapolis on August 17-23. Lutherans will be taking several votes which could allow congregations to appoint ministers who are in committed same-gender relationships. Social statements require a 2/3 majority vote and are the basis for policy-other resolutions and recommendations only need a simple majority. Even if the Social Statement fails, other recommendations could still open the door, so opponents are strategizing to change the rules to require a 2/3 vote on all sexuality-related items, even though two previous such attempts having failed. Lutherans Concerned/North America is part of the Goodsoil coalition that is preparing for advocacy on the votes on these documents and is working with GLAAD to amplify their message in mainstream media.
REFORMED CHURCH IN AMERICA
Reformed Church in America (RCA) pastors and elders continued the conversation around gay equality at the 2009 General Synod on June 3-9. Members of pro-LGBT group, Room for All, were telling their stories as the discussion, which has been ongoing for thirty years, continued. A mid-point document for the most recent conversation is online. Significantly, the RCA voted to make the Belhar Confession a fourth doctrinal confession. Written in 1982 in response to Apartheid, it concludes, “Therefore, we reject any ideology which would legitimate forms of injustice and any doctrine which is unwilling to resist such an ideology in the name of the gospel.” The General Synod delegates will look at how the Belhar’s relates to gay and lesbian justice. To revisit the Synod you can visit the blog.
MENNONITE CHURCH
To reopen dialogue about welcoming LGBT people, a group of young Mennonites are making their presence known at the Mennonite Church USA Assembly, June 30 – July 5 in Columbus, Ohio, by asking supporters to wear pink to highlight the discrimination in the denomination against gay and lesbian Mennonites. Also, several pastors issued a Lenten open letter to the Mennonite Church calling for confession and healing in the church’s relationship with LGBT people. Many of the 1,300 signers will offer hospitality and seminars at the Assembly this summer,
UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
The UCC Coalition’s June 22-25 2009 gathering kicks off the UCC weeklong General Synod in Grand Rapids, MI. The UCC is the leading mainline denomination that supports full equality for LGBT people, and the UCC General Synod will consider many resolutions. One such resolution will work for “Affirming Diversity/Multi-cultural education in Public Schools” and hopes to lay the groundwork for an ecumenical partnership to support this crucial work.
UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST
Unitarian Universalists will be meeting June 24-28, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Leaders from their United Nations office, which now has a staff person designated for LGBT work, will bring a resolution to protest the targeting of gay men in Iraq for murder in the streets. The former mayor of Salt Lake City will be honored for his human rights work and the president of the board for the UU United Nations office is a former Mormon and will reflect on her journey from there to being a Unitarian.
Surveys Reveal More Social Justice Activism in LGBT Inclusive Churches
May 13, 2009
Last month, GLAAD reported on a survey by the Institute for Judaism and Sexual Orientation at Hebrew College and Jewish Mosaic that revealed tremendous support of LGBT people by Jewish rabbis and synagogues.
In recent press releases, the Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing and the Institute for Welcoming Resources of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force announced two new surveys which assess the impact of LGBT inclusion on Christian congregations.
The Survey of Religious Progressives published by the Religious Institute and To Do Justice: A Study of Welcoming Congregations by Welcoming Resources reveal that congregations which are welcoming to LGBT people also promote further activism on a wide range of social justice issues.
| The Survey of Religious Progressives received 438 respondents and measured the attitudes and the extent to which clergy and congregations are engaged regarding LGBT inclusion. Sixty-nine percent of the survey respondents self-identify as “progressive” and more than half of the clergy reported that their views on LGBT issues have become more liberal over the last 10 years.
The survey also found that clergy in more inclusive denominations were more likely to march or take a public stance not only for LGBT issues but on a broad range of sexuality issues. |
To Do Justice: A Study of Welcoming Congregations is based on responses from 325 clergy in Christian and Unitarian Universalist congregations. The survey refutes any concerns that inclusion of LGBT would create division and/or membership loss. It found that congregations which fully welcomed and engaged LGBT members are more likely to work on social justice issues.
Furthermore, nearly three-quarters of the respondents disagreed with the statement suggesting that their congregation risked losing members if it talked too much about homosexuality. |
|---|
The Task Force’s Institute for Welcoming Resources recently published a new resource, Building an Inclusive Church: A Welcoming Toolkit, to help congregations welcome people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. The Religious Institute plans to release a similar online guide for clergy in June.
In another press release, The Task Force addressed inclusion in congregations by partnering with Colage and The Family Equality Council to produce a curriculum called All in God’s Family: Creating Allies for our LGBT Families; the first 50 orders are free.
Top 50 Rabbi List Includes LGBT Allies
April 20, 2009
Last month GLAAD featured a national survey of Jewish synagogues by Jewish Mosaic and the Institute for Judaism and Sexual Orientation. The survey documented great support for LGBT inclusion by rabbis and the need for clear practices for that welcome.
A timely follow up to the survey is Newsweek’s annual compilation of the 50 most influential rabbis released on April 4. Many of the rabbis on the list are already demonstrating their acceptance of LGBT issues including marriage for gay and lesbian couple – further supporting the survey’s data on LGBT inclusion.
Here are just some of the LGBT friendly rabbis featured in Newsweek’s list – you can weigh in if there are other rabbis who deserve kudos for their support of LGBT equality and tell us about their accomplishments for equality.
Other noteworthy rabbis not included on the list are Rabbi Toba Spitzer, open lesbian and president of the Reconstructionist Movement, and Rabbi Denise Eger, vice president of the Pacific Association of Reform Rabbis, president of the Southern California Board of Rabbis and outspoken faith leader against Prop 8.
#1 David Saperstein – As previously blogged by GLAAD, Saperstein was recently invited to participate as a member of the White House faith-based council. He is the Director of Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism which has an LGBT rights program that is challenging Prop. 8 in California.
Rabbi Harold Schulweis
#8 Eric Yoffee – He is head of the Reform movement which supports welcoming LGBT people. Rabbi Yoffee welcomes and encourages congregations to bless gay couples.
#16 J. J. Rolando Matalon – In 2005, Matalon demonstrated support for another rabbi who faced expulsion due to a technical error. Matalon cited her ministry to the LGBT Jewish community in New York as a reason for his support.
#19 Jeffrey Wohlberg – After leaders of Conservative Judaism agreed to ordain gay rabbis and endorse same-sex commitment ceremonies in 2006, Wohlberg chaired a committee that recommended the structure for Conservative commitment ceremonies of same-sex unions. He also stated his willingness to perform the ceremonies.
#21 Harold M. Schulweis – Schulweis called the 2006 decision a “very courageous thing and is part of the evolution of religious mores.” Schulweis is also the co-author of the book Lesbian and Gay Families Speak Out.
#23 Dan Ehrenkrantz – Along with other Jewish leaders, Ehrenkrantz released a statement applauding the 2006 decision in favor of ordaining openly gay rabbis stating that it is “a step toward advancing the rights of gay and lesbian Jews.”
Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum
#25 Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum – Rabbi Kleinbauem is the Senior Rabbi of New York City’s synagogue for the LGBT Jewish community, Congregation Beth Simchat Torah (CBST). Under her leadership, CBST has become an important voice in Judaism and in the movement to secure basic civil rights for gay people. She has also testified in Federal Court and before the U.S. Congress in hearings on the subject of same-sex marriage.
#32 Stephen Pearce – Rabbi Pearce is the leader at Temple Emanu-El, San Francisco’s largest synagogue, which regularly performs same-sex weddings. Pearce was a vocal supporter of Mayor Gavin Newsom’s move to allow same-sex marriage.
#34 Kerry M. Olitzky – Wrote about how “the big tent” includes ordination of LGBT people in Conservative Judaism as well as Hillel’s new welcoming resource for Jewish students and campus leaders is progressive and welcoming.
#40 Bradley Shavit Artson - A supporter of full religious equality for gays, Rabbi Artson wrote a paper in 1992 advocating gay ordinations and unions. The paper also advocated lifting the ban on gay sex. He has argued that homosexuality is consistent with Jewish law, “provided that this sexuality is expressed within the context of a mutually exclusive, committed adult relationship.”
Rabbi Joy Levitt
#41 Rabbi Elliot Dorff – He co-wrote the legal opinion allowing gay ordination and same-sex unions. Rabbi Dorff also spoke out against Prop. 8 in California.
#48 Jill Jacobs – Rabbi Jacobs has been an avid supporter of social justice issues including equality for women and gays and lesbians.
#49 Joy Levitt – Rabbi Joy Levitt is the Executive Director at the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan. The LGBTQ outreach program was one of the first two programs developed at the center.
EXCLUSIVE – Interview With Ryan & Chet From The Real World: Brooklyn
January 21, 2009
If you missed our first few interviews with some of the cast members from this season of MTV’s The Real World, you can click here to see JD & Scott’s interview and click here to see Katelynn’s. This season is the most LGBT inclusive Real World to date!
And if you missed the first couple of episodes, you can visit MTV’s website and watch them along with video dailies from the cast members.
Below is our exclusive interview with Ryan & Chet, two straight cast members who initially don’t seem as open to the LGBT housemates, especially Katelynn, as the other cast members. Ryan was once in the military and is from a small town in Pennsylvania while Chet is from Salt Lake City, Utah and is Mormon. I ask Ryan about serving with gays in the military and I ask Chet about the role of the Mormon Church in Prop 8 and about attitudes towards LGBT people. Their answers are surprising!
New White House Website Shows LGBT Rights An Agenda Priority
January 20, 2009
The newly re-launched WhiteHouse.gov, the website of the Obama administration, lists out the administration’s upcoming agenda priorities. Among those priorities are Civil Rights, in which “Support for the LGBT Community” is listed:
Support for the LGBT Community
“While we have come a long way since the Stonewall riots in 1969, we still have a lot of work to do. Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans. It’s about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect.”
– Barack Obama, June 1, 2007
The priorities listed include: Expand Hate Crimes Statutes, Fight Workplace Discrimination, Support Full Civil Unions and Federal Rights for LGBT Couples, Oppose a Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriage, Repeal Don’t Ask-Don’t Tell, Expand Adoption Rights, Promote AIDS Prevention, and Empower Women to Prevent HIV/AIDS.
You can click here to see more details on each of the administration’s priorities.
Oregon’s Groundbreaking LGBT Leadership
January 6, 2009
With the new year, Oregon will see a new level of LGBT leadership in the state. A moment after the new year began, Portland became the largest city in the United States with an openly-gay mayor.
Sam Adams has a history of work in the city, having been Chief of Staff to former Mayor Vera Katz for 11 years, before being elected to the City Council in 2004. Mayor Adams won election seven months ago, in a race where his sexual orientation was never an issue raised by his opponents.
“This is a testament to how fair-minded Portlanders are that it wasn’t an issue,” Adams said. “I spend my time on the basic issues of life. A part of that includes equal rights, but that’s not even close to a majority of the time.”
On January 5, State Senator Kate Brown, who is openly bisexual, will be sworn in as Secretary of State of Oregon. Because Oregon has no Lieutenant Governor, Brown will effectively hold the second highest elective office in the entire state.
Also on the 5th, Silverton, Oregon City Councilman Stu Rasmussen, who is transgender, will become Mayor.
In the State House of Representatives, openly gay Representative Tina Koteck has been chosen by her colleagues to be Deputy Majority Whip in the upcoming legislative session.
Oregon also has two (out of seven) openly gay supreme court justices.
Beyond the remarkable leadership of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender leaders in the state of Oregon; it is noteworthy to point out the media’s discussion of these elected officials. Across the board, the mainstream media in Oregon treats the issue of sexual orientation and gender identity of candidates for office fairly.
The media, by and large, has been judicious in covering the issue of a candidate’s sexual orientation or gender identity without a sensational approach. Oregon sets an example for media outlets everywhere on how to cover LGBT candidates for office.
The ‘Pulse of Equality’
December 3, 2008
Today, GLAAD released a new survey conducted by Harris Interactive in the wake of the passage of and protests against California’s Proposition 8.
The survey reveals that majorities of Americans favor a broad range of policies and legal protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.
Laura Light, Vice President of Public Relations Research for Harris Interactive had this to say about the results:
In the Pulse of Equality survey, we observed a positive relationship between knowing a gay or transgender person and one’s attitudes toward them and the policy issues that affect their lives. Based on other surveys we have conducted on attitudes toward LGBT people and issues, the results of this survey suggest that public sentiment in the U.S. is trending toward greater acceptance of gay- and transgender-related policy issues.
Here are the survey’s key findings:
- Three-quarters of U.S. adults (75%) favor either marriage or domestic partnerships/civil unions for gay and lesbian couples. Only about two in 10 (22%) say gay and lesbian couples should have no legal recognition. (Gay and lesbian couples are able to marry in two states, and comprehensive civil union or domestic partnership laws exist in only five others and the District of Columbia.)
- U.S. adults are now about evenly divided on whether they support allowing gay and lesbian couples to legally marry (47% favor to 49% oppose).
- Almost two-thirds (64%) of U.S. adults favor allowing openly gay military personnel to serve in the armed forces. (The current “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law bans military service by openly gay personnel.)
- About six in 10 (63%) U.S. adults favor expanding hate crime laws to cover gay and transgender people. (Hate crimes laws cover gay and transgender people in 11 states and the District of Columbia, and an additional – 20 states’ laws cover sexual orientation but not gender identity.)
- A slight majority of U.S. adults (51%) favor protecting gay and transgender people under existing laws that prohibit discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations. (Existing non-discrimination laws cover gay and transgender people in only 12 states and the District of Columbia, and eight other states’ laws cover sexual orientation but not gender identity.)
- Nearly seven out of 10 U.S. adults (69%) oppose laws that would ban qualified gay and lesbian couples from adopting children. (In several states, gay and lesbian couples are banned from adopting.)
Commenting on the survey results, GLAAD President Neil G. Giuliano had this to say:
The visibility of the past several years, and the intense conversations of the past few weeks, seem to have galvanized a majority of Americans’ support of equality for gay and transgender Americans.
While this expression of support is encouraging, particularly after the setbacks we experienced on Election Day, it’s not something we can rest on. There is a lot of work to be done. We must all do what we can to sustain and expand this emerging wave of grassroots activism so that it leads to laws and policies that extend full equality under the law to all Americans – lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and straight.
Giuliano also suggested that one of the crucial issues facing LGBT people is that many Americans aren’t aware of the injustices that they face:
Majorities of Americans clearly favor equality for gay and transgender people,” Giuliano added, “but we’ve seen that too many still mistakenly believe that the intolerance and injustices we face are things of the past. So it’s more vital than ever that we tell our stories, illustrate the injustices we face, and remind people of the common ground we share.
To read all the survey results, you can click here.
Sign in and leave your thoughts and comments about the survey – start a conversation!
GLAAD at the Democratic National Convention in Denver
September 3, 2008
Last week a couple of GLAAD staffers headed down to Denver, Colorado to attend the Democratic National Convention (click here to view pictures). With such a large number of community partners and allies attending the convention, and with the multitude of events geared towards LGBT attendees, it was a great opportunity to connect with advocates, bloggers, media figures and those who work in and around the LGBT political community.
As many bloggers and the LGBT press outlets have already noted, there were a large number of LGBT delegates at this year’s convention. In fact, there was a 20% increase from the last one. The increased presence of LGBT delegates may have helped pave the way for many prominent speakers, from Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama and Bill Clinton to Ted Kennedy to decide to include references to the LGBT community in their speeches.
Michelle Obama, while not directly mentioning the LGBT community in her prime-time speech, made her way to a luncheon for LGBT delegates the day after to speak directly to the predominantly LGBT crowd. Towleroad has pictures and video of her surprise appearance. At that same event, a long list of speakers, including Representatives Barney Frank and Tammy Baldwin, discussed many issues of importance to the community.
Also, Pam’s House Blend, 365Gay, Towleroad and The New Republic all offered up their analysis of Sen. Obama’s speech (you can read a full transcript of the speech online at The New York Times).
Here is part of Sen. Clinton’s speech in which she mentions her campaign’s fight for equality, including for gay rights:
Many LGBT and allied entertainers could also be seen throughout the convention. The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) held a “Rock to Win” concert which included Margaret Cho, Rufus Wainwright, Thelma Houston, Cyndi Lauper and Melissa Etheridge. Here is a clip of Cho and Lauper at the HRC event:
Etheridge even got the opportunity to perform before the entire convention on the night of President Bill Clinton’s speech and Sen. Joe Biden’s nomination. You can watch the performance below:
Reviewing the press coverage of the convention, you’ll find relatively few mentions of speeches made by Reps. Barney Frank (Boston Herald) or Tammy Baldwin (AP) or LGBT advocates like Tom Charlton (Denver Post). Even with the large number of LGBT delegates at this convention, it’s hard to find mentions outside the blogosphere of other high profile members of the community that were present in Denver.
And while you’ll find multiple mentions of both Senator Obama’s (AP, Salt Lake Tribune, Newsday, etc) and Senator Clinton’s (Chicago Tribune, Seattle Post Intelligencer, etc) inclusion of LGBT people in their prime-time speeches, we haven’t seen a broader discussion in the mainstream media about the significance of that inclusion.
The Windy City Times, an LGBT press outlet, today ran a story that discussed in length the inclusion of LGBT people throughout the speeches at the convention. Here is an excerpt:
This DNC had the largest LGBT caucus to date, and over the course of the convention, several of the key speakers, including presidential hopeful Barack Obama, included statements about the gay and lesbian community in their high-profile speeches.
Also, for the first time in the party’s history, this year’s platform ( a new one is adopted every four years ) explicitly opposes discrimination based on gender identity, as well as sexual orientation. The platform also calls for the repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.
Hopefully we’ll start to see this type of coverage in mainstream media outlets in the months leading up to the election.
Patrick Sammon on CNN Discussing LCR Endorsement
September 3, 2008
Patrick Sammon, President of the Log Cabin Republicans, appeared on CNN moments ago to discuss his group’s recent endorsement of Sen. John McCain.
Watch it here:
Tammy Baldwin Comments on Democratic Platform’s Promises to LGBT Community
August 14, 2008
I’ve been blogging about the Democratic Party Platform that is being drafted and will be officially released at the Democratic Convention later this month. There were concerns about the vague language used to describe issues that affect the LGBT community, and reports that the National Stonewall Democrats would be helping the Democratic Party to improve the platform. Now we have a better picture of what the final Democratic Platform may look like. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, the openly gay Congresswoman who is heading Barack Obama’s LGBT steering team, weighed in with her views of the document, which she helped put together as a member of the 15 person drafting committee.
Baldwin called the platform a “historic document in terms of LGBT equality” while discussing her work on the platform with reporters. She verified that it will call for a repeal of the controversial “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy that restricts gay and lesbian service members from serving openly in the military. Baldwin also addressed concerns over the language of the document, saying that the committee made conscious word choices that would make the clearest policy statements.
The inclusion of an LGBT leader from Congress on the drafting committee of the platform is noteworthy, as are her statements on the historic nature of the platform for LGBT equality. Hopefully major media outlets will start reporting on how the platform relates to and is received by LGBT Democrats. We are all keeping our eyes peeled as new information breaks about what to expect from the Democratic Platform as we draw closer to its final release at the convention.
Cindi Creager is Director of National News.
