Religious Left

by Harley Dennett Sydney Star Observer Homosexuality as an intolerable sin was not a doctrine of Christianity, the NSW Administrative Decisions Tribunal ruled last month, because there were many dissenting views on the subject among Christian groups generally, and specifically within the Uniting Church. As long as gay-friendly congregations like Metropolitan Community Church exist, this ruling means Christian organisations don’t have a license to legally discriminate against gays, Brisbane lawyer Stephen Page said. full article

Wayne Besen over at TruthWinsOut.org posted an article stating Bishop Gene Robinson has pulled out of a controversial symposium at the APA’s 2008 convention. We are pleased that Bishop Robinson has not lent his credibility to a political right wing platform disguised as a scientific symposium,” said TWO Executive Director Wayne Besen . full article

By Michael Conlon, Religion Writer Reuters CHICAGO (Reuters) - The highest court of the U.S. Presbyterian Church has lifted a censure placed on a retired minister for presiding over two same-sex unions, the church announced on Tuesday. The ruling said the Rev. Jane Adams Spahr, an activist for gay and lesbian causes who lives in San Rafael, California, performed "ceremonies" and not actual marriages in two instances in 2004 and 2005. Both cases involved lesbian couples. full article

L.A. Times In an e-mail billed as an "official statement" from the influential televangelist; "As a believing Christian, I see the hand of God in everything that happens here on earth, both the blessings and the curses. But ultimately neither I nor any other person can know the mind of God concerning Hurricane Katrina. I should not have suggested otherwise. No matter what the cause of the storm, my heart goes out to all who suffered in this terrible tragedy. There but for the grace of God go any one of us." full article

Giles Fraser Church Times I get my fair share of hate mail writing this column. But I don’t get half the nastiness received by the Revd Colin Coward, the UK director of Changing Attitude. Here is a sample: “Evil homosexual promoter, we gave your Nigerian homosexual representative and his followers long time to repent but he underrated us. Come and save them if you can.” Then there was the equally charming: “You will loose ur life for what u re doing go and write todays date u have few days to live.” And again: “WE HAVE NOT STARTED AND YOU ARE PANICKING, HOMOSEXUAL PROMOTERS. WAIT AND SEE WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO ALL YOUR AGENT IN NIGERIA SOON, ONE BY ONE.” The Archbishop of Canterbury has rightly commented: “The threats recently made against the leaders of Changing Attitude are disgraceful.” But I do not think we as a Church are taking all this nastiness seriously enough. It is not at all impossible to imagine that the hatred coursing through the veins of the Anglican Communion could soon r...

Religion has not been an active part of my life since I was a toddler. On several occasions I’ve seen: “Where is the Martin Luther King Jr. for the gay community?” It’s just my personal opinion but I’m leaning towards Bishop Gene Robinson. As I stated I’m not religious. In my mind religion tossed us [gays] aside many years ago. I realize there are translation issues with the bible. I also realize it contains some fiction. But the “general mindset” of most religions is against homosexuality. Throughout life I’ve experienced anti-gay encounters. Some have said I’m one of the lucky ones because most people can’t tell I’m gay. I didn’t get beat up for being gay. Although there was the time a yell from across the courtyard at school was rather alarming. As always, I’d try my best to avoid such negatives’. Needless to say, I didn’t have a lot of friends. I thank my parents for giving me the pride to stand up for who I am, refusing to allow others (including religion) to tell me I am a...

By Ruby de Vera Philippine Daily Inquirer MANILA, Philippines—When discussion turns to politics or religion, it’s inevitable that someone ends up with a bloody nose. A debate can go on for hours without resolution. Recently, someone named Rachelle Ragaza posted in her Multiply blog an article by a certain Dr. Patrick Johnston entitled “Convincing Reasons Homosexuals are Hellbound.” The article provided both scientific and biblical proof why this is so, and went so far as to suggest that “homosexuals have the IQ of sheep.” Ms Ragaza is a member of Youth with a Mission, a Christian mission organization. She said she supported Johnston’s views because she “wanted sinners to be saved.” In the few days the article was publicly available (she has since made the entry private), Ragaza received over 500 comments for that entry. The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender/Transsexual (LGBT) community, and some straight people too, were very angry about the whole thing. The c...

Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent The Times UK The Bishop of New Hampshire in the US, the Right Rev Gene Robinson, who is divorced and lives openly in partnership with a gay man, said that he found it mystifying that the mother Church of the Anglican Communion was unable to be honest about the number of gay clergy in its ranks. He said that many of the English Church’s clergy lived openly in their rectories with gay partners, with the full knowledge of their bishops. But he criticised the stance of bishops who threaten the clergy with enmity should their relationships become public. Speaking in an interview in London, Bishop Robinson said: “I have met so many gay-partnered clergy here and it is so troubling to hear them tell me that their bishop comes to their house for dinner, knows fully about their relationship, is wonderfully supportive but has also said, ‘If this ever becomes public then I’m your worst enemy.’ “It’s a terrible way to live your life and I think it’s a...

Gene Robinson In a new book the Anglican clergyman explains why he wanted to formalize his 20 year relationship “I always wanted to be a June bride.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I knew there'd be trouble. I'd just delivered an hour-long lecture on the relationship between religion and public discourse, and why religious fervour over homosexuality plays such a large and negative role in the securing of full civil rights for gay people. During the question-and-answer period, someone asked me about the forthcoming civil union between me and Mark, my partner of 20 years. The audience had been welcoming and sympathetic, full of laughter and understanding, and for one moment, I forgot that the C-SPAN cameras were rolling and that every word I said would be parsed by my critics. Within hours, those eight words had made it around the world, thanks to conservative bloggers and the magic of the internet. No context; nothing about the preceding hour of carefully ...

By Paula Carlson Surrey North Delta Leader Amar Sangha was a 14-year-old Frank Hurt honour roll student with a dilemma. He was attracted to men, but he wanted to like women. Putting aside his adolescent crushes on Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth and actor Michael J. Fox, he began seeing a psychiatrist with the hope of becoming “straight.” It didn’t work. After three years, the counselling sessions came to an end, and Sangha began to accept who he was: a homosexual. Twenty years later, in a home in North Delta, Sangha sits next to his mother Jaspal, who is wearing a sunny yellow sari in honour of recent Vaisakhi celebrations. The brightly coloured material matches the matriarch’s opinion of her son – the middle one of three. Calling Amar “a precious gift from God,” Jaspal accepts her boy as he is. In keeping with her religion – Sikhism – Jaspal believes all human beings are created equal and no one should harbour animosity against another. She acknowledges not everyone thinks the same...

By LAURIE GOODSTEIN New York Times Bishop Gene Robinson, the openly gay Episcopal prelate whose consecration led conservatives to split from the church, said in an interview on Thursday that he and his partner of 20 years were planning a civil union ceremony to be held in his home church in the diocese of New Hampshire in June. Bishop Robinson said that by scheduling the ceremony for June, he did not intend to further inflame conservatives just before the Anglican Communion gathers in August in Cambridge, England, for the Lambeth Conference, which happens only once every 10 years. He planned his civil union for June, he said, because he wanted to provide some legal protection to his partner and his children before he left for England for the conference. Bishop Robinson has received death threats, and he wore a bulletproof vest under his vestments at his consecration in 2003. “We could have, I suppose, just gone to the town clerk and had that signed,” he said, “but, you know, I’m a re...

As the director of "A Jihad for Love" -- the world's first documentary to take a close look at Islam and homosexuality -- I am coming out as a Muslim man. My gay identity is secondary. Queer cinema is filled with stories of gays and lesbians revealing their sexuality, but my film is about people revealing their religion. With this film, the story of a 1,428-year-old religion is told by its most unlikely storytellers -- gay and lesbian Muslims. Making this film and finding subjects who would be willing to share their stories with me was a "jihad" (struggle) in itself. In many of the cases it took me years to convince the subjects to participate, and I had to build relationships of mutual trust with them. What made it easier and certainly worth the challenge was that I was a Muslim like my subjects and we had much in common because of the backgrounds we came from. The entire process took six years of my life -- and these six years I cherish dearly for everything t...

In observance of the Day of Silence, this blog will be silent Friday, April 25, 2008. Silent for Lawrence King: Please understand my reasons for not speaking today. I am participating in the Day of Silence (DOS), a national youth movement bringing attention to the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies. My deliberate silence echoes that silence, which is caused by anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment. This year’s DOS is held in memory of Lawrence King, a 15 year-old student who was killed in school because of his sexual orientation and gender expression. I believe that ending the silence is the first step toward building awareness and making a commitment to address these injustices. Think about the voices you are not hearing today."

By Hilary White LifeSiteNews NOTTINGHAM, April 23, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - When the Labour government's Sexual Orientation Regulations were passed last year, the leadership of the Catholic Church in England and Wales warned that the new law would spell the end of Catholic involvement in social service, particularly adoption. Now the first of the UK's Catholic adoption agencies affected are announcing they will close their doors for good rather than betray religious principles and their guiding principle of the good of the child. full article

WOODTV GRAND RAPIDS, Mich, (WOOD) -- Aquinas College said no, but gay-rights activist John Corvino came to Grand Rapids anyway. A group of students arranged for him to speak at Fountain Street Church Wednesday night after the college cancelled his on-campus appearance because it ran against core Catholic values. "If we're going to say when you experience love and affection that way it's wrong, its immoral, we better have a darn good reason," said the Wayne State University professor. The Aquinas media relations manager said "this is now a community event, not an event associated with Aquinas," therefore the college has no further comment. full article including video

Over at one of the many fundamentalist websites I observed the statement: The Day of Silence is an allegedly student-led event designed to highlight purported suffering of homosexual students. In their ignorance they not only insult gays but also students. One can perform a simple google search and see the vast number of GSA organizations promoting the Day of Silence. As if that isn't proof enough, this is the 12th year the Day of Silence has occured. It seems reasonable to think, if this event wasn't supported by students it wouldn't have lasted 12 years. The fundamentalists also state suffering of homosexual students is purported. According to dictionary.com: pur·port·ed reputed or claimed; alleged: We saw no evidence of his purported wealth. So the fundamentalists feel homosexual abuse in schools doesn't exist. I guess they didn't hear about Lawrence King or the many other cases which prove the fundamentalist statements to be false. None of this sounds very ...

By Adam Beck The Hoya Georgetown University In an interview within the lead story “A Papal Voyage, a Campus Question” (THE HOYA, Apr. 18, 2008, A1), Patrick Reilly, the president and founder of the Cardinal Newman Society, unnecessarily injected his disdain for sizable segments not only of the Georgetown campus community but of the Catholic community in general. Reilly went on to denounce the forthcoming LGBTQ Resource Center, saying it should be frowned upon because it will celebrate sinful activity. Particularly given the events of the past school year that have furthered the need for such a center on campus, Reilly’s belief that Georgetown should not be supporting members of the LGBTQ community is insulting, harmful and incorrect. full article

The Freeport News Grand Bahama's first newspaper Editorial The Bahamas Christian Council and its Grand Bahama counterpart have set themselves up as the arbiters of morality in this country, an authority their members have bequeathed to themselves because of their positions as religious leaders in their communities. They have become so powerful that whenever they are opposed to something, if it requires government approval, those who govern the affairs of this country become paralyzed with fear of incurring the wrath of these "men of God," and whatever plans they may have had to move forward with what was being proposed are shelved. We have seen this happen on more than one occasion with efforts to legalize a lottery and the numbers game in The Bahamas. The latest "victims" of the Christian Council's strong-arm tactics are members Grand Bahama's homosexual community – and homosexuals in general, for that matter – who were the focus of a hard-hitting press...

By CASSANDRA KANE Staff Writer Lebanon Daily News Lebanon, PA ANNVILLE — Supporters of gay rights outnumbered protesters last night during an appearance by a renowned and openly gay bishop of the Anglican church at the Allen Theatre. Gene Robinson, the Episcopal bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire, spoke to a sold-out crowd at the Allen and signed copies of his book, “In the Eye of the Storm: Swept to the Center by God.” The audience also viewed a short documentary film, “For the Bible Tells Me So,” which chronicles Robinson’s relationship with his family before and after he revealed his homosexuality. Robinson was invited here to kick off Freedom Week at Lebanon Valley College, which is sponsored by Freedom Rings, a student gay-straight alliance. Last night’s event drew four protesters, who stood on the sidewalk across Main Street from the theater. Members of Silent Witness stood on the sidewalk in front of the theater holding rainbow-colored umbrellas. “We are a human spiritual fi...

from the Episcopal Cafe The Episcopal Bishops of Ohio have spoken with one voice in support of proposed legislation before the Ohio State Legislature that would protect the civil rights of homosexual persons in Ohio in housing and employment. Bishop Breidenthal wrote an e-mail to his diocese and clergy: Today Bishop Mark Hollingsworth, Bishop Price and I, along with the three assisting bishops of the Diocese of Ohio, have submitted a memorandum to the Ohio State Legislature as they consider current legislation that would protect the civil rights of homosexual persons in the State of Ohio, particularly as regards equal access to housing and employment (House Bill 502 and Senate Bill 305). The text of the memorandum is as follows: *To: Members of the Ohio State Legislature From: The Rt. Rev. Thomas E. Breidenthal, Bishop of Southern Ohio The Rt. Rev. Mark Hollingsworth Jr. Bishop of Ohio The Rt. Rev. Kenneth L. Price Jr., Bishop Suffragan of Southern Ohio The Rt. Rev. David C. Bowman, ...

By Douglas Todd, Vancouver Sun VANCOUVER - A South American Anglican archbishop who adamantly opposes homosexual relationships is coming to Vancouver on Friday despite being told to stay away by Canada's top Anglican. Archbishop Gregory Venables, who claims to represent 15 breakaway Anglican congregations in Canada, will speak Friday at a gathering in Delta of the conservative Anglican Network in Canada. Venables, who has been criticized as a rogue archbishop by Anglican colleagues in South America and elsewhere, is recruiting Anglican congregations in Canada and the U.S. that have opposed the ordination of homosexuals and the church blessing of their relationships. full article

It amazes me to see the amount of turmoil developing over a single day of silence. This year a fellow student killed an eighth grade gay student! If this does not send up red flags and alarms to people in our society then people simply are not listening. The National Day of Silence brings attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools. This year’s event will be held in memory of Lawrence King, the California 8th-grader who was shot and killed Feb. 12 by a classmate because of his sexual orientation and gender expression. BUT, there seems to be some who don’t want safer schools ( perhaps the fact it was “ just a gay kid ” who was killed? ). The American Family Association issued an Action Alert advising parents to contact administrators of schools to protest the Day of Silence. CNS News issued a boycott: Boycott Homosexual 'Day of Silence,' Pro-Family Group Says Then the “parrots” started coming out: Homosexual sponsored "Day of Silence" in P...

By Scott Stiffler Even in Africa--a continent not known for its gay-friendly cultures or governments---Nigeria stands out for the virulence and violence against gay men in particular as well as lesbians. The cultural residue of colonial occupation, political maneuvering, encouraged by the country’s influential Christian and Muslim faiths, makes Nigeria one of the most challenging African nations in which to live openly as a homosexual. A federal republic whose 36 states and capital territory are home to over 140 million people, Nigeria’s current leader is Umaru Musa Yar’Adu, whose April, 2007 election to a four-year term was characterized by a U.S. Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor report as "marred by massive fraud, vote rigging and political violence." That report also noted "government officials at all levels" committing abuses, including "politically motivated killings by security forces, arbitrary arrest and prolonged pretrial detention" as ...

A special tribute to Fire Chaplain Father Mychal Judge, who died on September 11th, was held Saturday night – ahead of the pope's visit to the World Trade Center site. Those in attendance urged Pope Benedict XVI to remember the openly-gay priest. "He had a heart as big as New York," said friend Brendan Fay. "There was room for everybody. We wish that our church had room for everybody, and that was one of our prayers tonight, that our church would be welcoming, especially those who feel excluded, especially gays and lesbians." Friends describe Judge as a beacon of light. full article

I am a big admirer of the current Pope , am glad he came to America , and hope he had a good time. Nonetheless, it really is about time for a papal proclamation announcing that God is a bi gender twister. But since that is not going to happen anytime soon, it would be good if he just turned down the gay bashing a bit. However, I tend to pay him no mind on this stuff. When the Pope preaches the sin of queerness , it carries the same theological weight as the edict against birth control —who cares? Not most Catholics . Jesus talked about a lot of stuff, most of which people don't follow. But he never bothered to mention homosexuality one time. And in the Bible there are only four or five passages on the subject, and the bulk of those are stuck back there with the dietary laws, which also address the necessity of griding your loins and wearing ash sack cloth on certain holidays. As far as specifically condemning dykedom -- there is one ambiguous obscure passage . The Pope adm...

By JOHN BOETTJER, Naples, Florida Eddie Filer’s guest commentary (March 31), headlined “Tolerance doesn’t need to be linked with religion,” is certainly correct in stating that a belief in God is not necessary to support tolerance and respect for same-sex relations. Thus Filer, an avowed agnostic, is “glad religious people are becoming united against bigotry” and are gathering for an Interfaith Convocation celebrating diversity on May 18 at 2 p.m. at Temple Shalom. The Naples chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) is sponsoring the event, and among the several congregations participating are Temple Shalom, St. John the Evangelist, St. Monica’s, Naples United Church of Christ, Unity of Naples and Celebration Metropolitan Community Church of Naples. Where Filer, who is gay, goes very wrong is in making several unsupported and incorrect generalizations about homosexuals. Filer asserts homosexuality is “a deviation from the normal.” Actually, nature is very g...

TORONTO, (CNW) - Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan confirmed earlier this week that, after 22 years together, they have married! The dynamic Scottish design duo were secretly betrothed at the Chelsea Registry office in central London, England. It was only after experiencing life in Canada that the couple decided to make their long standing relationship official. “I’m not sure if we would have decided to get married if we hadn’t moved to, and fallen in love with Canada. After a year of living in Toronto, filming Home Heist, it became clear to us that it was time to tie the knot. Canada is such a progressive nation, so welcoming and open-mindedly liberal about gay marriage, that we felt thoroughly inspired,” says Ryan.McAllister added, “Previously every time someone asked us about getting married, I’d joke that even after such a long time I still wasn’t sure if Justin was the right man! Let’s just say that this year, I’m SURE.” full article

A thousand United Methodists from around the world will arrive in Texas this week to set priorities at the denomination's General Conference. Before Donna Burkhart joins them, she'll present a program in Erie about the event, at which representatives will vote on legislation for the 11-million member church. Burkhart, of Millcreek, is a reserve delegate to the conference, which other members of the church can follow online this year. Live video and audio streaming will allow people to keep up with the proceedings that start Wednesday and go through May 2, officials said. One online option, called legislation tracking, allows visitors to the conference's Web site to search for, read and follow the status of proposals. Individuals, churches and regional conferences can propose changes to church law and positions on social justice issues. This year, the delegates, who include clergy and laypeople, have more than 1,500 pieces of proposed legislation to consider. Among the famil...

THE HAGUE, April 17, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Netherlands equality commissioners have ruled that if a civil marriage commissioner refuses to conduct wedding ceremonies for homosexual partners, they must be barred from conducting ceremonies between men and women as well. The Equal Treatment Commission (CGB) ruled yesterday that local authorities are "not violating the equal treatment law if it refuses to appoint a marriage registrar who does not wish to marry persons of the same sex on grounds of religion". The judgement comes after the municipality of Langedijk placed advertisements for two marriage registrars and demanded that applicants be prepared to conduct wedding ceremonies for natural couples and for same-sex partners. The Christian Union party called the ruling an "unnecessarily harsh approach." full article

In 1998, fifteen socially conservative groups launched a huge “ex-gay” advertising campaign that was billed as the “Normandy Landing in the cultural wars.” The attack began with full-page ads in The New York Times and USA Today. Now, ten years and several scandals later, it appears that the right wing may be reconsidering its strategy. Last Saturday, TruthWinsOut.org, joined local organizations at the Billy DeFrank Center in San Jose to counter Love Won Out , Focus on the Family’s ex-gay road show . The anti-gay conference only drew 700 participants, down from past events, which drew thousands of mainly confused parents who were dealing with children who had come out. More important, this was the second consecutive symposium where Focus on the Family chose not to market to the general public. As in Memphis, the group’s usual “ex-gay” billboards did not hover over major highways. The group also did not solicit press from major media outlets until days before the event. Instead, they co...

BINGHAMTON -- The Diocese of Central New York is attempting to order a former Episcopal Church in Binghamton to vacate its buildings and turn over legal title of the property to its regional office. In a lawsuit filed this week, the diocese asked the State Superior Court to force Church of the Good Shepherd, on Conklin Avenue, to leave the facility as well as account for all money -- including an endowment fund -- because the congregation withdrew from the Episcopal Church and joined the Anglican Church of Kenya. "It's a David-versus-Goliath situation; the Episcopal Church has deep pockets. This is a powerful and wealthy institution that is trying to crush a local church, only to put it on the auction block and sell it for cash," attorney Raymond J. Dague said Thursday from his Syracuse office. "It's a sad thing that a bishop who's supposed to protect sheep is trying to crush them." In November, Good Shepherd withdrew from the Episcopal Church and joined...

Asher Gellis talks about his life with a modest but clear-eyed sense of wonder that fits his role as a young community activist who is just beginning to hit his stride. Next week, JQ International, an organization that has helped to nurture his development as a leader, will host a seder that will include readings from a new haggadah weaving the history of gay and lesbian people into the story of the Exodus. "There was no place to be Jewish and gay in Los Angeles," he said. "Some temples had gay programming, but they seemed more oriented toward people who were partnered, had kids." As a young man just discovering himself, Gellis said, he simply didn't connect with communities oriented around family identity -- conventional or otherwise. Then he discovered a scattered group of like-minded young gays and lesbians who were beginning to coalesce into a community. They had a variety of backgrounds -- from secular Jews who had been involved in JCCs to Orthodox Jews who...

By Vivian T. Le On Monday, I walk onto my college campus and there was a booth set up with a large sign saying, "Freedom from Homosexuality" on it. I cannot even begin to tell you the anger I felt just from having read that sign. I took two pamphlets and took note of a meeting that was to be held on Thursday (today). Me and my lovely gay friend, Lawrence, went to the meeting. The Christian group were a lot of "ex-gays" that were 'saved' from homosexuality. They were there to give personal testimony at the meeting and tell their stories and whatnots. First, an ex-gay male spoke. He talked about how when he was growing up, he had a very unloving father, so he gravitated toward loving males, sexually. He grew up in a church and, of course, they were disapproving of his 'lifestyle' so he broke away from it. He eventually did drugs and alcohol to 'numb' himself and wounded up in jail for eight years. He was released just last year, and while in ja...

Ottawa–A comedy about a gay couple raising a child should not have received any government help, an evangelical activist says. "We are objecting to films that proselytize young people into homosexuality," Charles McVety, president of the Canada Family Action Coalition, told reporters yesterday. McVety was in the capital to appear before the Senate banking and commerce committee, which is debating controversial tax amendments at the heart of a bill that would alter guidelines for which films get public money. Canada's entertainment industry fears Bill C-10 will give the federal heritage minister too much power in deciding which films and shows should be excluded from tax breaks because they are not in the public interest. Breakfast with Scot, released last fall, is about a gay ex-hockey player and his partner caring for a young orphan who displays less-than-masculine tendencies. "(It) is about an 11-year-old boy who is being raised by a homosexual Toronto Maple Leaf t...

By a vote of 168-10, Lane County’s largest Methodist church has joined the ranks of “reconciling” congregations that have declared themselves open to all people regardless of sexual orientation. First United Methodist Church in downtown Eugene is the ninth Methodist congregation in Oregon — and the third in Lane County — to join the movement. Not coincidentally, the church’s vote on Sunday comes a week before United Methodists from across the country will gather for the denomination’s once-every-four-years General Conference in Fort Worth, Texas. “The idea that anybody could be denied membership because of their homo­sexuality just strikes me as unjust,” Morray said. “Our ultimate goal is the removal of discriminatory language.” The local church stand is at odds with United Methodist Church law, which identifies homosexuality as “incompatible with Christian teaching.” First United — a congregation of 600 known for its social justice outreach and distinctive church building — joins n...

Conservative activist Peter LaBarbera is urging GOP presidential nominee John McCain to cancel his plans to meet with leaders of the homosexual activist group known as the Log Cabin Republicans. Although Senator McCain (R-Arizona) did not address the Log Cabin Republicans convention in San Diego over the weekend, he did send California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as his surrogate to address the event. CBS News chief political consultant Mark Ambinder, associate editor of TheAtlantic.com, reports that McCain plans to meet soon with executives of the Log Cabin Republicans. LaBarbera, founder of the websites Republicans for Family Values and Americans for truth , says McCain should dump those plans. "I think this is significant. It was significant when George Bush ... met with the Log Cabin Federation before he became president -- and it doesn't surprise me that McCain is doing it. I think the danger is that when you try to be pro-homosexual and pro-family at the same time, i...

By R. Paul Waits I am a homo sapien who is not a homosexual, but I have friends who do prefer to have their intimate relationship(s) with those of the same birth-given gender. Although it is not something I quite understand or can identify with, I have come to a place of acceptance and tolerance of others' unique needs and proclivities in this regard. There is, however, among the God-fearin', war-mongering tribe of so-called Christian activists, a strong current of homophobia that is symptomatic of an anti-Christian intolerance -- intolerance of anything that conflicts with the strident stances of the reactionary pulpits, purveyors of their own form of idolatry. Let's call it Bible-idolatry, or a belief that some string of words, regardless of how inspired, or obscure, which have been printed in a Biblical translation, can themselves be worshiped, like so many other physical creations of man, such as money, sex, power, etc. The point is that the words can point to God/Truth...

Cincinnati, Ohio : Rabbi David Horowitz will present "From Tolerance to Acceptance to Celebration: Our Connections to the GLBTQ Community" at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 13, at Wise Center, 8329 Ridge Road, Amberley Village. The program will include Rabbi Horowitz's personal reflections as a father and his public commitment as a rabbi and advocate for the GLBTQ (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning) community. The evening will include kosher nosh, schmoozing and planning for the future. It is free and all are welcome. Co-sponsors of the event are Jewish Family Service, Adath Israel Congregation and Isaac M. Wise Temple. Funding was provided through a bequest in memory of Robert I. Kauffman. "With this program, we hope to become more knowledgeable, appreciative and respectful of the diversity of our Jewish community and toward individuals of the GLBTQ community," said Rabbi Michael Shulman of Wise Temple. Host families for "From Toleration to Acceptan...

Maine: Reading my paper this morning, I was appalled that bigotry in the name of God is rearing its ugly head again in the form of Michael Heath and his Christian Civic League. What part of equal rights under the law do they not understand? He states that he wants to do away with the "special" rights that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender/transsexual (GLBT) individuals have under law. In other words our children, because they happen to be gay or transgendered, should not have equal protection under the law? Why are some people more equal than others? We need to stop using the Bible to say that some people are more equal than others. God doesn't make mistakes and we are all created equal in his eyes. As the regional coordinator for Parents, Families, & Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) New England, I go around and educate others that we are all just people and equal in the eyes of God and the law. A great film out now called "For the Bible Tells Me So...

Personally I get a chuckle everytime I see a christian right female speaking out. Because, as we all know, if one follows a fundamentalist view of religion, women are not allowed to speak out! Women are not even allowed to discuss religion with men! In a recent article on WorldNutDaily, Janet Folger gives the following list of demands from the Christian Right: We demand an end to abortion – now. We demand Planned Parenthood be defunded and pay back all tax money received where they have violated state statutory rape reporting laws. We demand marriage between a man and a woman remain the only recognized, protected and subsidized union. All counterfeit unions will not to be legally recognized. Freedom of religion will be practiced unhindered in every facet of America including public schools, the workplace, media, Internet and the public square. Freedom of speech will not be relegated to "zones" but rather practiced in every corner of society including schools, the workplace,...

State schools in Victoria must allow gay students to bring their partners to formals and functions, the State Government has said. The directive comes after a Year 12 student at an Anglican school in Brisbane was outraged after his request on behalf of eight classmates at the all boys' school to bring their partners to a formal was met with a lukewarm response. The boy claimed the school told him it might change regulations requiring formal partners be of the opposite sex if it was done with a minimum of fuss. He and his friends are now likely to boycott the event, claiming they have been discriminated against. A Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Devlopment spokeswoman told News Limited that schools were not allowed to disrciminate against gay students. full article

One of Australia's top private schools says it is happy for its students to bring gay partners to the end-of year formal following news that a leading Brisbane school will enforce a ban on the practice. Scotch College in Adelaide said it had no restrictions on students who want to take same-sex partners to college events and they support openly gay students. Deputy principal Craig Rogers said the school promotes student freedoms and the students themselves are very supportive of same sex couples. "We've had students who are openly gay and it hasn't had an effect on their happiness in the school," he said "It's a non-issue to be honest." However, headmaster Mark Merry from Marcellin College in Melbourne said the boys school expects students to bring a female guest or come alone. "We would expect that it would be a female guest, being a boys school and we invite females for a gender balance," he said. Mr Merry said the school would not allow ...

The town of Eureka Springs is turning into the "San Francisco of Arkansas," warns the American Family Association, and it can happen in your town too. "They're Coming to Your Town," tells the tale of an uncharacteristically diverse resort town's government infiltrated by "a handful of homosexual activists" and bent to their will through the enactment of the town's domestic partner registry on June 22, 2007. Eureka Springs, most recently, has gotten an honorable mention from unlikely celebrity and Oklahoma House Rep. Sally Kern, who propped it up as an example of the "gay agenda" that she has called a "death knell" and a larger threat than international terrorism, in addition to comparing such an "agenda" to cancer. The domestic partner registry isn't legally recognized outside Eureka Springs due to Arkansas' Amendment 83, passed in 2004, which simply reads: "Marriage consists only of the union of one...

There was an article in the Jamaica Star on April 3, 2008 where a homosexual group in Toronto, Canada issued an ultimatum to the entire country of Jamaica. They threatened an economic boycott if Jamaica does not yield to their demands; which is essentially the launch of a national campaign to foster the acceptance of homosexuality in Jamaica. The deadline for Jamaica to do something is May 12, 2008. Economic boycotts don’t work, because what it tries to do is pressure people into submitting to money rather than acknowledging the truth. The US boycott on Cuba has done two things, kept the Cuban people poor and Castro in power for decades. Why? Because these boycotts don’t affect the leadership of the country, they affect the poor. The leaders have access to cash. Even Saddam Hussein had hundreds of millions of US dollars buried all over Iraq, not to mention the billions of dollars he had in his bank accounts. The people of Iraq suffered while Saddam flourished; if he had not been conque...

I ran across a wonderful site which mentioned Inclusive Orthodoxy which is the brainstorm of Justin R. Cannon. In 2002, Justin began his own personal quest for knowledge in what is representative of a growing number of gay Christians seeking to know what the Bible says about homosexuality. What he discovered through in-depth Bible study began his personal journey out of the shadows of self-hate and lies, and resulted in the publication of his own study The Bible, Christianity, & Homosexuality and eventually the founding of Inclusive Orthodoxy (as TruthSetsFree.net ) in the Spring of 2005. Justin embraces a very ecumenical perspective that recognizes a deep sense of unity among all Christians that transcends the walls of denominations. Justin has been recognized among OUT Magazine’s Top 100 LGBT achivers of 2006 and was honored as one of Instinct Magazine's twenty-five Leading Men of 2007. He is a graduate of Earlham College in Richmond, IN and is currently attending the Church...

Nehirim is a national, nondenominational organization which creates innovative programming, builds community, and offers authentic, life-affirming spiritual paths for Jewish members of sexual or gender minorities. At our weekend retreats and other programs, we create transformative spiritual and cultural community, and celebrate the unique gifts of being Jewish and queer. We have three major events coming up in the Spring of 2008. Nehirim West , our first west coast retreat, is taking place March 7-9, in Petaluma, CA. You can register now . Our first gathering for Nehirim community members will happen March 14-16 near Albany, New York. And our flagship event, the Nehirim Retreat at Isabella Freedman , is taking place May 30-June 1, and will feature Rabbi Dawn Rose, Amichai Lau-Lavie, David Brodsky, Jill Hammer, Marla Brettschneider, Cantor David Berger, and many other wonderful teachers. The core idea of Nehirim is that being queer and Jewish is a gift, not a predicament. We have uniq...

Congregations have broken off in protest over gay bishop's election The Episcopal Diocese of Ohio is suing over who holds property rights at churches that broke away in protest over the election of a gay bishop and other doctrinal issues that have divided the denomination. In the March 26 lawsuit filed in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court the diocese says congregations that break away can do so but cannot keep diocese property. Missionary Bishop Martyn Minns of the Herndon, Va.-based Convocation of Anglicans says the five parishes named in the lawsuit are disappointed the diocese chose to go to court instead of working out a settlement. article

A gay couple's church blessing has been blocked because the ceremony "looked too much like a wedding". Paul Sewell, 41, and Andy Nicholson, 42 from Metheringham had planned a civil ceremony and then wanted a blessing in their local church in Dunston. The Bishop of Lincoln, The Right Reverend John Saxbee, said a parish church was not an appropriate venue. The couple had planned a civil partnership ceremony at Lincoln Register Office on 21 June. They had asked the Rev Charles Sowden, who is standing in at St Peter's Church in Dunston, near Metheringham, to bless their union. But after taking advice, Mr Sowden wrote to the couple saying it would be inappropriate for him to perform the ceremony. full article

One of Brisbane's most prestigious all-boy schools says its willing to debate a ban on gay students taking same-sex partners instead of girls to the senior formal. The Anglican Church Grammar School, or Churchie, was in defence mode after it emerged several Year 12 students wanted to take their gay partners to the college's end-of year dance on June 19. Under current policy, the young men may only attend the ball with a female partner. A spokesman for Queensland's Catholic Education Commission confirmed it also would not allow gay couples to attend their school formals. full article

Openly gay Episcopal bishop being honored for his ‘thoughtful participation’ in debate over LGBT issues. The man whose election as the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church U.S.A. set off a debate that has threatened to split the worldwide Anglican Communion, has been chosen as the 2008 winner of the Elizabeth Birch Award, officials with the Black Tie Dinner announced this week. Bishop V. Gene Robinson will be on hand to accept the award at the 27th annual Black Tie Dinner on Nov. 22 at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel. The award, named in honor of the former Human Rights Campaign executive director, is presented to an individual, organization or company that has made “a significant contribution of national scope to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community,” BTD officials said. “He often reminds his audiences that it is going to take people of faith to end this unjust discrimination. Bishop Robinson’s thoughtful participation in the public debate on these issues provid...