What's the connection between God and Gays?
Religious leaders and people of faith are strong supporters of full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. In the lead-up to the civil union vote, close to 300 ordained clergy joined Equality Illinois' push for relationship recognition. Many others joined us earlier at the region's first Equality Prayer Breakfast.
Equality Illinois' Faith & Freedom Initiative seeks to find common ground between the LGBT community and people of faith, strengthen our existing relationships, and provide direct support to members of our community even as we build strategic partnerships for the mission ahead.
For those exploring the connection between LGBT identity and issues of faith, we are proud to share our newly-developed Faith in Our Community guide with you.
Brian Kraemer's story
I "came out" as gay in 1981, but in 1984, became a "born-again" Christian and decided it was a sin to be gay. For sixteen years, I lived a celibate lifestyle, went through ex-gay ministries, prayed daily, went through two exorcisms, read all the ex-gay books available at the time, and nearly married a woman with whom I was not in love. Finally, in 2000, I came to accept myself as gay again and "came out" a second time.
I was recently interviewed on a conservative Christian radio station over a three day period, being asked to tell my story and then debate with a local minister, an Anglican priest named Father Peter Hansen.
The radio station for which I was invited to speak typically has very conservative programming so this is a great step for them.
Washington, D.C. – John R. Cepek, national president of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) issued the following open letter to youth in light of the mounting reports of bullying, harassment, and suicide among youth:
Dear ___________,
I know it may seem strange that you're getting a letter from someone you've never met. To be honest with you, I feel a little odd writing this letter to people I've never met. But this is a difficult time, and I want to make sure that someone delivers an important message to you.
My wife and I have two sons. We think that they are the best kids in the whole world. They're very different, with very diverse personalities, talents, and interests. One of the other things that makes them different is that one is straight and one is gay.
But the important thing is this: we love them equally.
Tikkun Magazine: Ten Reasons Why Gay Rights Is a Religious Issue
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Friday, June 18 2010 @ 02:08 PM (View web-friendly version here)
Image Credit: BENNY ELBAZ AND YITZCHAK WOOLF (WWW.PUSHINGTHEENVELOPE.CA).
Tikkun Magazine, July/August 2010
Ten Reasons Why Gay Rights Is a Religious Issue
by Jay Michaelson
Civil rights movements that appeal to religion succeed. Those that do not, fail. Contrast the fates of the Civil Rights Act and the Equal Rights Amendment, or the way African American civil rights was understood before and after Dr. King's religious message. As both pollsters and election results continually remind us, mainstream Americans do not respond to arguments about constitutional rights and equality; they respond to moral arguments, shared values, and religion—unsurprisingly, since over 90 percent of Americans profess a belief in God.
A gay man comments on his home church, part of the United Church of Christ.
In my church, we baptize children and adults in the presence of the entire congregation. The congregation doesn't just watch, they get a chance to stand and make a promise to the person being baptized saying, "We promise out love, support, and care." When I came out as an openly gay man, they proved to me that they keep their promises. For me, that's important.
By Bishop Spong
Henderson County is located near Ashville in the beautiful mountains of western North Carolina, near where I grew up in Charlotte and into which I return every summer as if drawn like a magnet. In this county is an incredible church, together with a number of courageous clergy. The church is the First Congregational Church of the United Church of Christ; the clergy belong to an organization called "Love Welcomes All." I visited both of these entities early in June and both convinced me anew that the rearguard negativity against homosexuality inside conservative religious circles is today in the final stages of its own rigor mortis. This negativity has, I believe, become so irrelevant that it needs to be engaged no longer. The proper strategy is to ignore these voices from this moment on, whether they emanate from the Vatican, Canterbury or the television preachers who harass us daily through the media.
New Teaching Tolerance Film to Address Anti-Gay Bullying in Schools
Jamie Nabozny carefully planned his every move at school.
The anti-gay bullying by his classmates in Ashland, Wis., was relentless. What started as verbal abuse had become kicks and punches by the seventh grade.
This is the account of a journey from predudice to understanding.
This is an account of my journey from prejudice to understanding, acceptance and knowledge that human sexuality is a continuum with everyone occupying a point on the long line between heterosexuality and homosexuality.