Welton Gaddy Calls for a New National Discussion on Marriage
July 31, 2009
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: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.
Ten Years After Matthew Shepard, Coverage of Hate Crimes is Lacking
October 9, 2008
It’s been ten years since news of the violent murder of Matthew Shepard first made headlines. For many weeks following those initial reports, coverage of the Laramie, Wyoming tragedy flooded major television stations and news outlets from coast to coast.
It was undoubtedly the most visible anti-LGBT hate crime in this country’s history.
To this day, Matthew’s story continues to be told and his death memorialized – the most widely recognized tribute being Moisés Kaufman’s internationally acclaimed play, “The Laramie Project,” which was later adapted into a GLAAD Media Award winning film for HBO. To mark the 10th year of remembrance, Kaufman has updated the play with an epilogue. The new version will be published and used in future performances.
One would think that in light of the widespread coverage of Matthew Shepard’s story and the conversations it caused on a national level and in our local communities, subsequent coverage of hate crimes against LGBT people would have increased.
Sadly, this is not the case.
Many times when LGBT people are attacked for being who they are, the media coverage – if there’s any at all – is limited. So far this week, GLAAD has highlighted just a few cases (Anthony Hergesheimer, Nakhia Williams and Sean Kennedy) that demonstrate how hard getting coverage of anti-LGBT hate crimes can be and the impact the media can have when they actually do provide coverage.
In the few cases where an anti-LGBT hate crime has risen to the national level of awareness, we often see problematic language and assumptions in the media’s coverage.
Take for example the coverage of Lawrence King’s murder. Earlier this year, the brutal and senseless premeditated murder of 15-year-old King became the most widely covered hate crime of the year.
On a Friday in February, Lawrence, an openly gay student from Oxnard, California, was shot and murdered by a fellow classmate. The attacker brought a gun into school and killed Lawrence because of King’s orientation.
When the news of the murder first broke, GLAAD urged the media to report on the intersection of anti-gay bullying and violence. When the Associated Press published a story which unfairly assigned blame to King for “flirting,” we called upon the Associated Press to reexamine the way it had covered the story.
Then, one of the most visible stories about the murder, a Newsweek feature article titled “Young, Gay and Murdered,” was published. The article received harsh criticism from many who viewed it as, similar to the AP story, blaming the victim. From the Newsweek article (emphasis added):
Larry King was, admittedly, a problematical test case: he was a troubled child who flaunted his sexuality and wielded it like a weapon—it was often his first line of defense. But his story sheds light on the difficulty of defining the limits of tolerance.
After collecting concerns from the community, GLAAD met with Newsweek to discuss them and provide feedback. The meeting was productive and Newsweek later published a follow up article that included many of the responses people had left for the newsmagazine after the article’s publication:
The article drew a massive response online–more than 4,000 comments were posted through the week. Many responded to reporter Ramin Setoodeh’s assertion that Larry “was a troubled child who flaunted his sexuality and wielded it like a weapon.”
Yes, he was a flamboyant kid who wore high heels and makeup. But many commenters felt this characterization suggested that Larry deserved to die.
Los Angeles based writer and attorney Peter DelVecchio also delved into the Newsweek criticisms in a blog post at The Bilerico Project.
The Newsweek LGBT sources interviewed were uniformly dismayed by the piece, believing it represented King as being responsible for his own murder. Ryan referred to a “tone of blaming the victim,” (a charge she leveled against media handling of violence against LGBT youth generally).
The Newsweek article “was framed in a way . . . that justifies violent action by people that is in line with the gay panic defense argument,” said Cathy Renna, managing partner of Renna Communications, a public interest communications firm focusing on LGBT issues.
“It was very close to blaming the victim . . .,” said Kevin Jennings, founder and executive director of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), a national education organization focused on safe schools.
And recently, GLAAD secured an op-ed in the Ventura County Star highlighting the common threads linking the Shepard and King tragedies.
As candlelight vigils and benefits take place across the country this week in remembrance of the ten years passed since Matthew Shepard’s murder, we also remember countless others like Lawrence King and urge the media to increase responsible coverage of hate crimes against LGBT people.
