Second Stone #16 - May/June 1991

Second Stone #16 - May/June 1991

16

1991

May/June 1991

THE NATIONAL NEWSPAPER FOR GAY AND LESBIAN CHRISTIANS $2.25
ECOND I M A Y /J U N .E, 1 9 9 1 9500 Readers Across The USA ISSUE .# 161
Radical Religious Right: REBUILD AMERICA!
Reconstructionism
Execute "unrepentent" homosexuals,
say Religious Reconstructionists
l!y Skipp Porteous
Contributing Writer
The goal of the radical
religious right of the 1980's
was to reconstruct American
society according to laws
set forth in the Bible. The
term for this - Recon-
CALENDAR:
structionism - has surfaced
as a leading, across-theboard,
philosophy for the
new religious right. While
Reconstructionists do not
agree on everything, .they
have reached a consensus on
· many social and moral
issues; and many Christians,
~thout their knowledge,
are greatly influenced
by Reconstructionist
philosophy.
Three significant and
disturbing trends have
taken firm hold in the new
SEE COVER STORY, Page 9
m Lots of opportunities
TRAVEL
Savoring French
Canada in Montreal
By Cynthia Marquard
and Danni Munson
to connect this summer
National AIDS Lobby Days
May 24 through June 3
WASHINGTON, D.C. - In
the first nationwide effort of
its kind, a grass roots army of
citizen lobbyists from around
the country will meet with
U.S. Senators and Representatives
at home in their
district offices to press for a
more compassionate feder al
response to the AIDS crisis.
From May 24 through June 3,
members of Congress at home
for the Memorial Day recess
will receive requests for
constituent visits from people
with AIDS, HIV-positive
persons, local AIDS community
service groups, gay and .
lesbian activists, families,
and others affected by the
disease.
National AIDS Lobby Days
is also intended to mark a
critical point in the AIDS
epidemic. "We must remind
Congress that June 5th marks
the tenth anniversary of the
first AIDS cases reported by
the federal Ce nters for
Disease Control," said Act
Up/DC's Robert Warnock .
Organizations and
individuals intere sted in
participating ma y write to
Box A -151, 1140 19th St.,
NW, Washington, DC 20036
for information.
Church leaves because of
gay UCC congregation
A congregation with in the
Minnesota Conference of the
United Church of Christ has
left the denomination partly
because of the acceptance of
an openly · gay Minneapolis
congregation into fu)l membership
.
The Minnesota Church in
Shore wood, Minn., whic h
voted to leave the denomi nation,
is the first church to
leave the Minnesota UCC in
response to the decision by
the Eastern Association of
the UCC's Minnesota Conference
to grant memb ership to
Spirit of the Lake s Ecumen ical
Community Church.
The Rev. Doug Roper said
he and his Minnewashta congregation
couldn't stay in a
denomination with an openly
gay congregation . Roper said
the UCC has become more
liberal in recent years and
that his congregation didn't
fit in well with the more
liberal views.
-Cruise
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Commentary
Catching AIDS at the dentist
AIDS education vs. HIV identification
H)'JimRoche
Contributing Writer
Watchi _ng a recent episode of
Oprah Winfrey about the attempt,
by some, to get the American Medical
Association and the American Dental
Association to require health workers
to take an HIV test and then notify
patients about their HIV status, I
was scared by the ferocity of the
audience. These people on Oprah
were angry, confused and just plain
out of controL It was like watching a
lynch mob building up steam . They
seemed convinced that every doctor's
appointment, every te.eth cleaning,
every minor accident or injury they
suffered presented an opportunity, a
very good opportunity, for them to get
AIDS. To the audience the solution
was clear . No matter how small the
risk of HIV infection is, it has to be
eliminated . They simply refused to
hear how small the risk is. They
wanted everyone, everyone, they
came into contact with tested. Civil
rights? Forget them. Right to
privacy? No matter. Just solve this
problem before we all get AIDS at
the dentist. Test everybody so that
we can know, once and for all, who all
these gay people (oops, we mean
I
infected people) are. Their information,
values and understanding of
everything from the Constitution to
biology was upside down . As
Representative Dannemeyer has said
about the crisis, "I'm here to protect
the civil rights of the HIV
negative:' (Read normal, straight,
people.)
This new call for mandatory testing
(for the time being it has not been
adopted by either the AMA or the
ADA, but has found support in many
state legislatures) is just the most
recent of a number of attempts to
derail AIDS education and replace it
with AIDS identification . That's
the important thing here, when
right-wing politicians and religious
leaders get involved the AIDS issue
becomes not just about identifying
people, but also stifling the only
thing that has had any effect on the
progress of curtailing AIDS so far,
education. You see, to these right
wing religious fanatics AIDS is
caused not by a virus, but by promiscuity.
Homosexual promiscuity . To
this day they absolutely believe
that sex causes AIDS. What they're
saying is "we don't want to know
about or discuss human sexuality , but
we do want to know about your sexual
Letters . □ Eatontown, New Jersey
Make Christianity
The Family ·
Of Love
Dear Second_Stone,
I was . disturbed by the letter of
Thomas B. Croft objecting to New Age
Christians.
• around excluding others from what is
their right either in democracy or in
Christianity. Mr. Croft should be
working at making Christianity the
family of love rather than the club of
the elite.
orientation ." In New York City,
where AIDS has infected one out of
seven males in School District I on
Manhattan's Lower East Side, there
is still no comprehensive AIDS
education program. The school
chancellors recent move to distribute
condoms to students was met with
such a homophobic reaction from the
right wing that the program nearly
dirl.n't pass . It was used as a vehicle
for homophobic reaction against New
York'~ Harvey Milk School for Gay
and Lesbian Youth by members of the
School Committee. Board Vice
President Irene Impellizzeri attacked
In This Issue
FEATURES
COVER STORY
COLUMNS
COMMENTARY
1RAVEL
DEPARTMENTS
LETTERS
NEWS BRIEFS
□
the program, saying it's real aim was
to "teach anal sex" to teenagers . This
from the Vice President of New York
City's Board of Education. What is it
like - elsewhere in America? In less
"enlightened" communities? Others
in New York marched on City Hall
with placards that read, "Stop
Fernandez From Teaching Our Kids
Gay Sex . " One parent said,
"Fernandez is insulting our children
by telling them they cannot be
educated as to what is right" and
Catholic Monsignor Woolsey said
SEE COMMENT ARY, Page 15
□
Page 9
Page2
Page 19
Page2
Page3 He tells us what "We Christians
profess ... " and seems to forget one of
the most important parts of
Christianity, the fact that Jesus
urged love and forgiveness because
none of us is perfect. Mr. Croft has
fallen into the classic "us" vs. "them"
judgmental trap which Jesus Himself
warned us against . By saying that
there is "No way that New Agers can
call themselves Christian," Croft
has _ usurped the positipn of judge, a
position Jesus said was that of God
alone. In this, how is Mr. Croft
expressing Christianity?
The New Age is not a monolithic
group with one set of beliefs. They
are a large group of people that has
become labeled under one name - much
the same as the gay worJd. Mr.
Croft's brash and general condemnation
in neither merciful nor
enlightened. If he wants to speak for
Christ, he should listen to what
Christ is saying .
CHURCH & ORGANIZATION NEWS Page 11
I find it amazing that Gays, who
fully know the bitterness of bigotry,
should think it appropriate to go
B
Sincerely,
Matthew Ignoffo
We welcome you to share your views,
opinions, feelings and experiences
with our readers. Send letters to:
LETTERS, Second Stone, P. 0. Box
8340, New Orleans, LA 70182. All
letters must be original and signed by
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CALENDAR
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CLASSIFIEDS
SECOND STONE
Page 12
Page 16
Page 20 ·
Newsbriefs
Christians Attack
Newspaper's
Domestic Partnership
Announcements
Anti-gay clergy and business people
ar_e mounting an attack on the
Everett, Washington, Herald because
of the daily newspaper's new policy
of announcing gay /lesbian commitment
celebrations. On December 1,
1990, the Herald became the first
mainstream newspaper in the country
to implement such a policy.
The Hera 1 d reported that a
coalition of anti-gay activists has
formed with the goal- of forcing the
Herald to cease announcement of
gay /lesbian unions. The coalition,
named WED (We Expect Decency)
was formed by Val Stevens, director
of a traditional values organization
called the Concerned Women for
America, and businessman Dan
Bovey, working through a network of
evangelical churches.
Stan Strick, managing editor of the
Herald, said the paper will not ,back
down from its inclusive policy.
The Herald reported, "St~vens said
that homosexuals have been gaining
a bigger foothold in society, and
ISSN No. 1047-3971
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SECOND STONE, an ecumenical
Christian newspaper commiucd to
inform ing the gay an~ lesbian community.
·
PUBLISHER/EDITOR: Jim Railey
CONTRIRUTORS: Rev Bruce Roller,
Rev Sylvi a Pennington,
Cynthia Marquard, Danni Munson,
Dr. Martin Fowler , David . Rickey,
Jim Roche,
Michael Blankenship, Dan Grippo,
Dr. Louie Crew, John-Michael Olexy,
Dr. Ruddy Truluck, Chris Glaser,
Rev. Gail A. Van Buren,
Kevin Gepford
□ there's not much she can do about it on
the national scale. But she · can
locally."
"She called the outcry a
'groundswell from the mom-and-pop
reader of (the) newspaper."' Stevens
said the real issue here is "it is
abhorrent to Judea-Christian values
to imagine a lifestyle that does not
reflect the values that our nation was
founded on."
-Seattle Gay News
Fundamentalists
Attack President's
Pro-Gay Actions
WASHINGTON, D .C. - The
Virginia-based Christian Action
Network has targeted President
George Bush and First Lady Barbara
Bush in a direct mail fundraising
letter asking its supporters to sign a
"Sodom and Gomorrah" petition
denouncing several of the First
Family's recent pro-gay actions.
Among the actions outlined in the
letter from CAN President Martin
Mawyer were the President's 1990
invitation of gay and lesbian
activists to the White House signing
of the Hate Crimes Statistics Act, his
support of that bill, his invitation of
gay activists to the signing _ of the
Americans with Disabilities Act, and
Mrs. Bush 's 1990 letter to the
president of Parents and Friends of
Lesbians and Gays in which she
thanked the group for encouraging
her to "help change attitudes" about
Gays and Lesbians.
-Equal Time
School Paper's Ad
For Gay Support
Group Draws
Objections
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Objections by
some school officials to an
advertisement by the Sexual Minority
Youth Assistance League have
prompted an inter-high newspaper to
declare its independence. ·
Editors at The Emblem, which
serves students at 15 private
secondary schools here and in the
suburbs, have informed educators and
administrators they will no longer let
them review articles 'before publication
.
'We make good decisions," co-editor
Sandy Nelson told the Washington
Post. 'We thought [the ad) was a
way to help kids who needed help."
-Baltimore Alternative
May/June, 1991
, ....
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SECOND STONE
a
Newsbriefs
O'Connor: Mayor
Dinkins "Disrespectful"
In Marching
With Gays
The Chicago-based Catholic
Advocates for Gay and Lesbian
Rjghts is outraged by comments made
by New York Cardinal John
O'Connor, who told reporters that
New York Mayor David Dinkins'
decision to march with a gay /lesbian
group during a St. Patrick's Day
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(206) 784-1519
parade was "disrespectful." Dinkins
gave up the mayor's traditional spot
at the head of the parade to march
with the Irish Gay and Lesbian
Organization after the group was
initially denied participation in the
parade by its organizers, the Ancient
Order of Hibernians, an Irish
fraterr{a) group .
"It was like marching in
Birmingham , Alabama,'' said ·
Dinkins, who was booed along · the
entire route of the parade. "I knew
there would be deep emotions, but I
did not anticipate the cowards in the
crowd. There was fa r, far too much
negative comment," the mayor said.
-Out Front
City Discriminates
Against Center,
Director Says
Homosexual Information Center
Director Bill Glover believes Bossier
City, La., building inspectors are ·
trying to prevent him from repairing
and returning to his fire-damaged
home because he plans to house the
Center's materials there. City
building and planning officials deny
Every Day · Is
Coming Out Day!
T-8BIR'IS $16.00
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For more laronaatloa. pleaae write or call: National Comlq Out Day.
P .O. Box 83'9 . Saa.ta re:NM 8 7504 . !SOS-982·2558" 1-~•5 -NCOD
that Glo ver is being discriminated
against but say that he must rezone
his home for commercial use if he
wants it to house the center. City
Engineer Sammie Kraft said
inspectors learned about Glover's
plans from a publication sent
anonymously to city officials about a
year ago.
-Shreveport Journal
Fundamentalists
Target Children's
Book
ATLANTA - Fundamentalists, led by
Nancy Schaeffer's Family Concerns,
tried recently to pressure Oxford
Bookstore into removing from its
shelves one of a series of books for
children with gay and lesbian
parents. An issue of Family Concerns
Newsletter condemned Daddy's
Roommate, part . of Alyson
Publications' Alyson Wonderland '
series, for showing "Daddy and his
roommate sleeping and shaving
together."
Oxford's gay studies buyer said the
store will not drop the line of books .
-Southern Voice
Companies
Misrepresented
AIDS ° Cure"
New York City Commissioner Marie
Green charged two companies with
violating the city's consumer protect
ion law by misleading people
with AIDS and HIV infection in ads ;
that promise a cure for· the disease .
Advertisements for "lmmune+Plus"
claimed that the ''balanced vitamin,
mineral and protein product" could
restore the immune systems of persons
who have AIDS or HIV infection .
The ads also stated that at the end of
a 180-day study, none of the patients
who took the product "remained in
the AIDS category," and that results
from its use are "nothing short of
miraculous."
''The ads exploit the sick and
vulnerable," Commissioner Green
said, "and are potentially lifethreatening
.
The Department of Consumer
Affairs issued ''Notices of Violation"
to True Health, Inc., of Dallas, Texas,
and the Hopland Reservation of
Hopland, California, which are
respectively the manufacturer and
distributor of "Immune+Plus ." In
addition to citing the Hopland
Reservation for the deceptive ads,
Consumer Affairs also charged True
Health, Inc. with deceptive
advertising for claims made on a
II SECOND STONE
□ promotional videotape · for the
product.
The videotape features ·a Texas
physician, Terry Pulse, M.D., who
claims to have conducted the 180-day
test proving the efficacy of "Immune+
Plus ." Pulse, a family practitioner,
purports to be an internationally
renowned AII:>S researcher. But
Consume~ Affairs investigator G,eoi:ge
De Stefano found that Pulse is ·
neither a recognized AIDS researcher
nor even a physician in good standing.
Survey Reveals
Anti-gay Attitudes
Among College
Freshmen
LOS ANGELES - Forty-four percent of
college freshmen believe "it is
important to have laws prohibiting
homosexual relationships," according
to an annual survey conducted by the
American Council on Education and
the University of California at Los
Angeles. In addition to the anti-gay
attitudes, 66.4 percent of the
freshmen believe "the best way to
control AIDS is through widespread
mandatory testing."
About 30 percent of the freshmen
defined themselves as "born-again
Christians," 78 percent support the
death penalty, 51 percent think
casual sex is "all right," 65 percent
said "abortion should be · tegal," and
25 percent think "married women's
activities are best confined to home
and family."
Heyward Joins
Protest Against
Episcopal Church
Seminary professor and theologian
Carter Heyward has joined
Integrity's founder, Louie Crew, in a
protest against the Episcopal
Church's abuse of gay and lesbian
people . In a letter to The Most Rev.
Edmond Browning, Heyward said
that she was choosing, for the first
time, to direct her sacramental
ministry primarily to the nurturance
of Lesbians and gay men, especially
Episcopalians. "In the spirit of
liberation," said Heyward, "this
means that the 'preferential option'
of my sacramental work (in Holy
Communion, Blessings · of Relationships,
Baptisms, Burials, etc.)
will be for, and with Lesbians and
gay men."
Crew announced last year that he
would no longer receive communion
until "the Episcopal Church makes
all sacraments available to lesbian
and gay persons .
-Voice of Integrity
,
I
Newsbriefs
Auto Club Agrees
To Family Discount
For Gay/Lesbian
Couples ·
SEA TILE c In a settlement of a human
rights complaint brought by a gay
man, AAA Washington has extended
its requirements for "associate"
membership to include domestic
partners and other residents of a
"primary" member's household.
The discounted associate
membership previously had been
reserved for the primary member's
spouse or dependent children age 23
and under. The change will be
incorporated into AM's membership
literature and direct mail advertising
at its next printing, according to
the terms of the settlement.
Civil rights attorneys say the
settlement is the first in Washington
state and one of only a few
nationwide to prevent a business from
' discriminating against same-se:><couples.
It is believed to make MA
· Washington the first and only AAA
chapter in the nation to formally
accept same-sex partners as associate
members.
Anti-gay Agenda
Set For Episcopal
General Convention
Traditionalists in the Episcopal
Church will join forces at the General
Convention in July to fight any move
to permit the ordination of openly
gay and lesbian priests, to oppose the
blessing,of same-sex ·unions, and to
speak out against the use of inclusive
language in liturgical texts.
The Rev. Todd Wetzel, executive
director of Episcopalians United for
Revelation, Renewal and Reformation
said the liturgical texts are
heretical, pantheistic, full of
liberation theology and the theology
of feminists.
-Episcopal News Service
. Fire Destroys
Church, AIDS
Prograni Offices
SAN JOSE, CA. - A fire in the First
Methodist . Chur<;h Building destroyed
the offices, food · bank and
clothing bank of Hosanna .Church of
Praise, a gay ministry, and the
offices of Necessities and More, an
AIDS emergency assistance program
that serves over 145 clients.
Pastor Randy Hill lost over 1000
theological books . Computer equipment,
programs and data were also
lost in the blaze.
The Santa Clara Council of
Churches has launched an operation
to help restore the church. Clothing
and food donations are being collected
at the Defrank Center, 175 Stocktor,
Avenue in San Jose and cash
donations, marked "fire relief' may
be sent to 24 N. 5th Street, San Jose,
CA95112.
Plumbers' AIDS
Scam Uncovered
ROCKVILLE, MD; - KSA Plumbing
and Heating, Inc., has been· sued in
Montgomery County Circuit Court
after allegedly charging fees for
"AIDS control" measures that
workers told customers were required
bylaw.
After unclogging a drain for a
customer a KSA plumber insisted
county regulations aimed at
preventing AIDS required him to
sanitize a drop cloth and cable
"snake" used to clear the drain.
-Baltimore Alternative
Queen's Chaplain
Comes Out
The Rev. Canon Eric James, one of the
chaplains to the Queen, said that
having a homosexual side to their
nature has helped leading people in
the Church of England.
"Many pastors who have become
bishops and principals of theological
colleges very often have a very strong
gay side to their nature and it's a
marvelous help in a pastoral
ministry," said Canon James. "If we
deny ordination to gay people we
deny some of our best pastors.
Canon James expressed his views on
the television program "Out on
Sunday: Gay Priests in the Church."
-Voice of Integrity
Will Presbyterians
Act Up At Church
·Assembly?
A recent issue of More Light Update,
the newsletter of Presbyterians for
Lesbian and Gay Concerns, included
an announcement inviting anyone .
attending the Church's General
Assembly in Baltimore toparticipate
in "an informal group called
Presbyterian Act Up." Spokesperson
Howard Warren said, "If General
Assembly does not act favorably in
relation to lesbian/ gay orientation
issues in the Human Sexuality Task
Force report, there are many of us
who will not sit quietly by, decently
and in order." Readers ·interested in
participating can write to Warren at
□ 1305 Pennsylvania, Indianapolis, IN
46202 or call (317)632-0123. Write To Gays,
Lesbians Around
The World Rev. Freda Smith
Honored By City International Gay Penpals has
published . an updated newsletter
listing more than 300 gay men and
women from England, France, Japan,
Sweden, USSR, Denmark, Australia,
Germany, Canada and elsewhere.
For a copy of the newsletter send a
stam~, self-addressed envelope to
I<;;P;-} Ste. 320, Box 7304, No.
SACRAMENTO - Rev. Freda Smith
senior pastor of the Metropolita~
Community Church and long time gay
rights activist has been recognized
for her courage at the 1991 Women in
History Awards Celebration
sponsored by the Sacramento History
Museum. Rev. Smith was honored for
standing for what she believes in the
face of great opposition.
' Hollywood, CA 91603.
-Latest Issue
United Church Coalition for Lesbian/Gay Concerns
(United Church of Christ)
UCCLIGC
• Support !Or lesbian, gay
Ad and bisexual
• V0C8CY · people, their
For infonnation, contact: R. es families and • . ources friends
UCCUGC
18 N. College St
Athens. OH 45701
(Tel. 614 / 593-7301)
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May/June, 1991 II
E mpuhy is a joumaf.tf.-tiservcs our
.ruppon for the originalai creative work it
does m the interest of auth:~ustia.
•• Rev. Malcolm Bord, ........ of 23 books
including An- YoN R.n~,-Zb Mt,]ts•s?,
Ta, O/Jth, M,w,and ,C.. •Pri,fl
E mf)4.lhy provides .t mu,.~ccJc..J and
wckomcd comna.init;Au.t link for persons
involved in cdu~uion.a~~t lamuphobia. At its
best it will keep us i~ad in touch,
supported and chal~-Clllicd and proud.
~ Bij;i;n McNaught. l~nrn)d au11-K-ir of On
B~ing Gay: ThoNgMJ. on Fu,ily, faith , 11nd l~
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''In the past, the adtievements, triumphs, and defeats of gay
men and lesbians were not only hidden from history, most were
lost for all time. This must never happen again."-Danni
Munson, editor, The Gay & Lesbian Almanac and Events of 1991.
A CHRONICLE OF CURRENT
GAY/LESBIAN HISTORY
This volume records for history:
• The rise of a gay/lesbian movement in Eastern
Europe
• Celebration 90: Gay Games III and Cultural
Festival
• The latest research and statistics on AIDS
• The fight to end military discrimination against
gays and lesbians
• The controversial practi~ of outing
• The progress.and setbacks in religion
A Colendar ot Upcoming Events
Hundreds of 1991 gay/lesbian events from
cruises to concerts, from rodeos to music
feslivals, and much more. Plus listings of
birlhdays of famous gays & lesbians. · -
Availbable at local bookstores or from the publisher
Send 9.95 plus $2.00 postage and handling to:
ENVOY ENTERPRISES
740 N. Rush St. Suite 609
Chicago _lL 60611
Newsbriefs
Pope Will Issue
Letter On
Social Problems
Pope John Paul II has announced he
will issue a new letter to the Bishops
on the social problems of the 20th
century. Church watchers feel this
latest encyclical will include issues of
homosexuality, AIDS and birth
control.
-Cruise
Archbishop
Replaced Over
High Number Of
Molestation Cases
Pope John Paul II has replaced
Newfoundland Archbishop Monsignor
Alphonsus Penney; after Penney
took responsibility for the fact that
20 priests in his diocese had been
charged with or convicted of sexually
abusing boys during a 2 1 /2 year
period. Monsignor James MacDonald
from Charlottestown, Prince Edward
Island, is the new archbishop-
Baltimore Alternative
Cathedral Says
Gay Chorus
Okay After All
The Episcopal cathedral in Orlando,
Florida, reversed a decision to cancel
an AIDS benefit concert because the
Orlando Gay Chorus was to be
included.
'The real reason we changed our
mind is that we want to express our
loving support to the community by
the church," said the Very Rev.
Harry Sherman, dean of the
Cathedral Church of St. Luke. "We
are a loving church and not exercising
judgment against people. God loves us
all. The atmosphere that we created
was not a loving one. I'm sorry that
happened."
-Episcopal News Service
Episcopal Diocese
Passes Pro-Gay
Resolutions
The Episcopal Diocese of Michigan,
at its annual convention in March,
made stror>g steps toward the full
acceptance and inclusion of lesbian
and gay persons in the life of the
_church . In spite of scattered
conservative opposition, delegates
voted in favor of four pro-gay
resolutions which came to the floor.
The resolutions condemned the use of
sexist and homophobic language,
II SECOND STONE
□ called upon the people of the diocese
to learn more about homosexuality
from gay and lesbian people
themselves, and also called upon the
church to call for the full civil rights
of gay persons and to actively seek to
include lesbian and gay persons as ·
full and equal members of the church.
Another resolution passed by the
convention called for an end to
anti-gay policies in the U.S.
military.
The Rev. Rod Reinhart, chaplain of_
Integrity /Detroit and co-author of
the resolutions said, "With these
resolutions, the church has said that
it is no longer appropriate or right for
Christians to use their religion as as
excuse for homophobic attitudes,
bigoted speech or anti-gay violence.''
Fourth Annual
"Creating Change"
Conference
Announced
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Lesbian and
gay organizers from around the nation
will converge on Alexandria, Va., in
the Washington, DC, metropolitan
area, November 9-12 for the fourth
annual Creating Change conference of
the National Gay and Lesbian Task
Force. Creating Change is the
-country's largest skills-building
symposium fot gay and lesbian
political activists and organizations.
The conference, sponsored annually
by NGL TF,. will feature more than 60
workshops, as well as cultural events,
caucuses, networking sessions, leading
activists from the national and
grassroots scene and "some of the most
electrifying, provocative speakers in
the lesbian and gay movement." Last
years conference, held in Minneapolis,
Minn., attracted more than
700 participants. For information,
write or call Brian Albert, Creating
Change Coordinator, NGLTF, 1734
14th St., NW, Washington, DC
20009, (202)332-6483.
Gay/Lesbian
Couples Sought
For Thesis . Project
Couples who have been together for
at least one year and who are willing
to respond with honest answers to a
questionnair.e are being sought to
participate in a graduate thesis.
Confidentiality is assured. Interested
persons may contact Mitch at
(617)524-9206.
• I
Washington
Association Of
Churches Issues
AIDS Statement
SEA TI LE - In the face of increasing
numbers of state residents infected
and affected by AIDS/HIV, the
Washington Association of Churches
has called on faith communities to
respond _with compassion, education
and advocacy.
The WAC Board of Directors
unanimously adopted a policy
statement which reads: "The
responsibility of the church is to
respond compassionately to persons
living with HIV/ AIDS, their loved
ones, and those who labor i~ this
taxing vineyard. Our challenge is. to
do so in ways that promote
reconciliation _and healing, without -
judgments that separate the people of
God from the Body of Christ
"The Washington Association of
Churches calls upon all faith
communities to foster education to
prevent the spread Of HIV/ AIDS and
the fears and prejudices that often
accompany this disease. We exhort
clergy and laity to advocate for
adequate health care and social
services and for · research · toward
control and cure. We further call on
all churches and other ministries to ·
provide a strong witness of God's
unceasiI1g love by welcoming into
fellowship those living with
HIV/ AIDS and their loved ones." .
Kaposi's Sarcoma
Treatment Overview
Available
The twice-monthly publication AIDS ·
Treatment News has released a
special issue · devoted entirely to the
· treatment of Kaposi's sarcoina. The
issue, number 1~, covers treatments
available now, plus an update on
rese atch that could have far 0
reaching implications for future _
anti-HIV and anti-cancer work. The
special issue- is said to , be one o"f the
most thorough and' ilp ·10 date
analyses in print today on · "KS
treatments,
" "As people with · AIDS live longer,
increasing numbers are having to cope
with complications of KS and
lymphoma," according to journalist
Michelle Roland, who . prepared the
special report for AIDS Treatment
News. According to a recent study in
the British Medical Journal, KS and
lymphomas are an increasing cause of
• _ death for persons with AIDS. The
report is available at no charge by
writing AIDS Treatment News, P.O.
□ Box 411256, San Francisco, CA 94141,
or by calling 1-800-873-2812 or
(415)255-0588 .
Honeymoon Tales
Sought By
Filmmaker '' ATHENS, OH. - Independent
filmmaker Ann Alter and
writer /researcher Laine Goldman are
-seeking honeymoon tales for their
new documentary film, Horizontal
Mambo and Other Honeymoon Tales.
Currently in the research phase, this
feature-length documentary chronicles
the romantic passage of the
honeymoon and investigates
dynamics of a ritual rarely discussed
in professional and/ or private life.
The research/pre-production phase is
funded in part by the Ohio Arts
.CQuncil and the ·Center for New
Television NEA Region~.! Fellowship
Great
Resp©nse!
program. ·
Co-directors/producers Alter and
. Goldman are asking individuals and
couples to share their honeymoon
tales - from the traditional to the
offbeat. Special attention is being
made to contact the physically
challenged and people from di{ferent
ethnic, religious, geographic,
alternative lifestyle and mainstream
backgrounds from 12 to 100 years of
age.
Horizontal · Mambo and Other
Honeymoon Tales turns over the "do
not disturb" sign and lets the public
better understand a rather private
celebration. Inquiries, stories and
suggestions should be sent to
Horizontal- Mambo Productions, P.O.
Box 5657, Athens, OH 45701.
NYC Gay Men's
Chorus on CD
"Love _ Lives- On,'' featuring 18
selections from the pops and show
tune repertoire of the critically
acclaimed 15~voice New York City
Gay Men's Chorus has been released
by Virgin Record's Variations label
in CD and cassette fonnats. It is the
first 0t.:several discs the chorus will
ma~j~fthe rtew Variations label.
fn' '.response to -the ongoing health
crisis, a special NYCGMC AIDS
Outreach Program has disbursed
thousands of dollars to organizations
on the front lines in the fight against
AIDS. For information call
· (212)691-7590.
Business or PersonalTry
a Second St.one
Classified.Ad!
May /June, 1991
,,,
That's what a Second St.one advertiser
told us recently. --'-
And we hear that more and more b days. That's because
Second Stone reaches readers where many other gay and
lesbian publications can't. Like public and university libraries .
We don't carry advertising or editorial content that would put
us .behind the counter. We're up front - in plain sight!
For busiJJeSSeS offering products and serv•
ices t.o the national ·g11.y and lesbian com•
munity, we're an exciting new marketing
approach! - -
Reach new.customers in every-state across theUSA.
Second Stone offers a .variety of in-column ad sizes with frequency
discounts. We offer.spot and fuU-color. We'll lay out
your ad at no charge and ~e'll get-it right - we'll send you a
proof to make sure. Second Stone will also insert your
brochure, flier or ~gin ow:mailing.
It doesn't cost as much as you think.
You can reach a paid coastto coast readership for about what
_ you'd pay to advertise in one local free distributimgay newspaper.
And ... to mail your insert in Second SIODe costs
less than mailing it yourself! ·
You won't know till you try it.
The potential sales you.lose while you're thinking about adver- ·
tising cannot be recaptured. If you're thinking you've paid too
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SECOND STCNE
You'll be p]easedwith the :results.
Call 1-504-899-4014 rcir} d_vcnising assisiancc.
United Church of Christ strengthens
protections for employees with AIDS
sroNelYAt.t.R 1ors
rov'RF 80'tCOTTIN6 Gl?ANDMl1 's
J,/£00/fr'G 8ECAVU USBIANS
BY ANDREAN ATALIE
CLEVELAND, OH - To protect
employees and job seekers who have
the AIDS virus, a top body of the
United Church of Christ has
strengthened the personnel policies of
the church's national offices and
suggested similar policies to the
entire denomination.
The actions, including a prohibition
of AIDS testing as a pre-employment
condition, came at a recent meeting of
the church's 44 member Executive
Council. The council conducts the
business -0f the 1.6 million-member
church between biennial meetings of
its central deliberative body, the
General Synod.
The council voted several updates to
the manual governing policies and
procedures in the church's executive
offices, and encouraged the adoption
of similar policies by the rest of the
church's national and regional offices
and its more than 6,300 local
congregations in the U.S. and Puerto
Rico.
The revised manual prohibits
"discriminatory behavior or harassment"
against employees on the
basis of "HIV/ AIDS diagnosis or
disability." The manual already
prohibited such discrimination based
on such factors as race, color, national
origin, sex, age, sexual orientation
and disabilities.
The prohibition of pre-employment
testing for HIV and AIDS comes in a
new appendix to the manual,
consisting of ''Ten Principles for the
Workplace" developed originally by
the Citizens Commission on AIDS for
New York City and Northern New
Jersey. The principles were endorsed
by the General Synod in 1989. Among
other things, the pririciples require
the employer to keep employees'
health matters confidential and
provide employees with educational
material on AIDS.
The revision moves a strengthened
paragraph on HIV and AIDS irrto the
"Equal Employment Opportunity and
Affirmative Action" section of the
manual. Noting that a person with
HIV or AIDS "poses no risk of
infection to co-workers," it says:
"Therefore, a job applicant or
employee with HIV disease who is
otherwise capable of doing the job
will not be discriminated against by
the employer or dismissed from
employment because of his or her
illness."
A similar paragraph appeared in
the previous version of the manual,
but it was qualified (it spoke of "the
weight of medical opinion" on the
transmission of AIDS} and appeared
A PresbyterianP romise
"We will work to increase the acceptance and
participation in the church of all persons regardless
of racial-ethnic origins, sex, class, age,
disability, marital status or sexual orientation"
- 195th General Assembly (1983),
Atlanta, Georgia
If this is your promise, too,
we invite you to join
Presbyteriansf or
Lesbian/GayC oncerns
Write to Elder James D. Anderson
PLGC, P.O. Box 38, New Brunswick, NJ
08903-0038,201/846-1510
CAN'T l1AIU?i'? Ir/Ir WO/IL/)
rov EYE# WANT MAKRY7 Y if
/-1
in a later section on general
employment matters.
The revisions send a positive
message throughout the dtmomination,
said the Rev, William R.
Johnson, a member of the church's
HIV/ AIDS Ministry Implementation
Team, which .recommended the
changes.
"It says to our members that the
United Church of Christ's commitment
to non-discrimination is. solid,"
said Johnson, secretary for AIDS
Programs and Ministries Coordination
with the denomination's United
Church Board for Homeland
Ministries in New York City. The
policies •immediately cover the
church's 25 executive · office
employees in Cleveland, and are
likely to extend to the rest of the
more than 300 national church
employees there . and elsewhere as
other boards of directors within the
church adopt similar policies.
Johnson said he hoped the policies
also would be "a beacon to other
denominations" as well.
The United Church of Christ is a
1957 union of the Evangelical and
Reformed Church and the
Congregational Christian Churches.
Presbyterian study panel:
Ordain qualified persons
regardless of sexual orientation
A study panel of the Presbyterian
Church (USA) has recommended that
the church not automatically condemn
"any sexual relations iri which
there is genuine equality and mutual
respect." , The church should also
accept Le.sbians and Gays as "full
participant members," and ordain
qualified persons regardless of their
sexual orientation and celibate
status . The report asks the church's
Board of Pensions to provide medical
and pension benefits to same-sex
couples.
Recent surveys indicate that the
denomination's laity and clergy
overwhemingly oppose the ordination
of Gays and Lesbians,
The church's Special Task Force on
Human Sexuality voted to forward
the 200-page report containing the
recommendations to the church's
General Assembly for a two-year
study period. The assembly meets iri
June.
II SECOND STONE
Cover Story _ □ Reconstructionist Gary DeMar:
·,, "Severest penalty" for homosexual acts in "reconstructed'' America
On January 4, 1991, Skipp
Porteous, author of this issue's
cover story and co-editor of
The Freedom Writer, appeared
as a guest on "Sound
Off," hosted by Paul Gonzales
on Superstation WSB in
Atlanta, Georgia. Gary DeMar,
a leading Reconstructionist,
was also a guest on the show.
The following is an excerpt of
the interview.
PAUL: Just when you think you've
heard it all, you tune into the Paul
Gonzales Show and you find out
there's a group of Christian people -
people that call themselves
Christians - who advocate the
execution of homosexuals, adulterers,
fornicators, and I guess, women who
have abortions.
SKIP: Jay Grimstead, the head of
COR, says, 'The Bible has something
like eleven reasons for capital
punishment. Murder was one.
Homosexuality, rape, kidnapping,
were some of the others ." And he
said, "The actual punishments we
don't have agreement on , ·but we
think · that homosexuality, and
abortion, and pornography should be
outlawed .
GARY: Well, I waited this long to
see how many, I want to call them
lies, but this is misinformation that
Mr. Porteous has been sending out. He
started off by saying the Coalition
. On Revival is a Reconstructionist
organization . At first he said it was
a "front" for Reconstructionism.
I've been involved with the
Coalition On Revival since its
inception. It is not, and I'm going to
repeat, is not a Reconstructionist
organization. It does not advocate
the things that Mr. Porteous i s
saying.
SKIPP: OK, you know who Dr. Jay
Grimstead is?
GARY: Oh, sure. I spoke to him
today.
SKIPP: Alright. .ls he a Reconstructionist?
GARY: No, he isn't.
SKIPP: Alright. Well, listen, this is
what he told me, and I quote him.
GARY : Let me · get something
straight . First of all, you have not
defined Christian Reconstruction.
You have defined certain distinctives
that you say are . Reconstructionist
thinking . I have written a number of
books setting forth detailed definitions
of what Christian Reconstruction
is. Even my Reconstructionist
friends, and others who
· disagree with me, point to my books,
The Reduction of Christianity and
another book I wrote called The
Debate Over Christian Reconstruction,
as primers as to what Christian
Reconstruction is. I have not heard
you give an accurate definition of
Christian Reconstruction . And yet
you've been on the air for an hour and
th irty ~five minutes .
PAUL: . Why don't you give us a
definition?
GARY: The definition of Christian
Reconstruction .is simply this: That
the Bible applies to every facet of
life. That means, not just the judicial
aspects of life, civil government as
one examp le, but self-government,
family government, church government,
business, economics, every facet
of society. The Bible has something
to say about each of those things .
Now, most Christian Reconstructionists,
especially those of us who
write, are into scholarly avenue of
research . That is, we look at the
Bible and we say, what does it say
about this particular issue? And then
we set forth what we feel the Bible ·
says about that issue. For example,
the execution of homosexuals. We do
not believe that homosexuals · ought
to be executed. Mr. Porteous claims to
have been in the Pentecostal Church
and knows the Bible from cover -to
cover. The Bible doesn't say th~t.
SKIPP: I'm wondering how many
pages he's tom out qf the Bible?
Listen, this is wha t Dr. Jay
Grimstead told me, and I quote him
accurately and exactly. He said,
"We believe that God has gi ven the
Bible as a rule book for all society,
Christian and non-Christian alike ."
And, he added, "I concur with most of
the Reconstructionists matters . I am
trying to help rebuild the society on
the word of God, and loosely, that
w ould be Reconst .ructionist orientation
in anybody's book." Then, he
also added, "The Bible had
something like eleven reasons for
capital punishment, and murder was
SEE INTERVIEW, Page 13 .
COVER STORY, closed if serious offenders
Fro~ Page 1 were executed, and if less
that after church members
had taken dominion over
the forces of the world that
there would be "no more
abortions... education is
going to be in the hands of
godly people ... prisons will
be virtually empty . ..
pornographers no longer
a group of 180 churches
spread across the country .
Coppes is an avowed
Reconstruct ionist. He
agrees that homosexuality ..
and abortion should be
pun ishable by death, and
adds, 'The question is, who
is going to set the law
system? I think God should
set the . law system, not
Qian. Those laws · that
define the .seriousness of a
crime, and are rooted in the
moral natu re of God, . are
still binding on us. If ·they
[homosexuals] don't repent,
the Bible says that they
ought to be ·put to death.
It's just a matter of what
former Presbyterian minister,
is considered the father
of Reconstructionism. Since
1964, the 74 year - old
minister has quietly devoted
his energies to research,
writing, and promoting
Christian Reconstructionism.
Rushdoony's small
organization, Chakedon,
has had a great impact on
American Christianity .
For instance, most of the
books on Christian activism
appearing in Christian
bookstores are written by
Reconstructionists .
serious criminals worked to
religious right. First, a make restitution for their
broad doctrinal. consensus crimes; _ ~apital ofrel\ses,
has been reach~ i!,l,Ot~e.r to · ·requiring the death penprovidemuch
heeded unity. alty, shouid include
Second, a dramatic ·shift in unrepenten t homosexuality,
political focus has moved abortion, and adultry;
the new · religious right's pornography in any form
target from national poli- should be eliminated;
.tics to towns, cities, schools should •be run by
coWi.ties, and states . Third, churches, and property
the "troops" are now being taxes should be abolished;
recruited and trained . All husbands should be the
of this is being accomp- heads of household, and
lished through careful women and children should
planning and networking. be subservient.
It is being carried out
through a commitment to
decisive action.
Reconstructionists believe:
God's law, as revealed in
the • Bible, should .govern
every area of life; local
government, not Fejieral
. government, should rule;
prisions could virtually be
Pat Robertson revealed
the 'influence that the
Reconstructionist mindset
had on his own thinking
when, iri December, 1984,
he told an audience at
evangelist Robert Tilton's
Word of Faith World
Outreach Center in Dallas
·-have any access to the
"If they
[homosexuals]
don't repent, the
Bible says that they
ought to be put to
death. It's just a
matter of what God
says."
piiblic whatsoever, where
there is no more of . that
stuff on our newstands or
any place else. "
The Rev. Leonard Coppes
is pastor of the Providence
Church of Denver, Colorado,
and his 100-member
church is part of the
Orthodox Presbyterian sect,
May /June, I 991
God says ." ·
"Believers have to sta.nd
for what they believe is
right," Coppes said.
'We're . comm;anded, Jn the
Scripture to pray that
God's kingdom would come
to earth as it is in heaven.
And that's my prayer .
What we pray for, surely,
we're commanded to work
for ."
Rousas John Rushdoony, a
Born again · Christian
activism has not . realized
its political potential
because of lack of unity and
organization. While many .
doctrinal disputes will '{
never be -resolved, a con- 'l
federatjon of new religious :f
'right leaders has made an ·,
important and enormous
step in this direction.
Since 1986, the
California-based Coalition
On Revival (COR) has
SEE COVER STORY,
Next Page
Cover Story
Reconstructionism
COVER STORY,
From Previous Page
labored with little or no
publicity. Its founder and
National Director is Jay
Grimstead, an accomplished
networker who
advances COR's agenda
wiihin a close-knit alliance
of new religious right
leaders. Its steering committee
of 112 well-known
Christian leaders is a
virtual Who's Who of the
born again movement. They
represent millions of
American Christians, and,
collectively, wield more
power than any single
Christian group in the
country.
Its steering
committee of 112
well-known
Christian leaders is
a virtual Who's
Who of the born
again movement.
They represent
millions -of
American
Christians and,
collectively, wield
more power than
any single Christian
group in the
country.
According to Jay
Grimstead, "COR creates
documents that provide the
philosophical foundation
for action." [There are) " ... a
number of items that we
think ought to happen ...
political involvement. ..
educational involvement. ..
and well-regulated militias
locally." It's Grimstead's
understanding that
both the county and the
state are supposed to have
militias, which he calls
"local government with
force ."
''We believe that
God has given the
Bible as a rule book
for all society,
Christian and
non-Christian
alike."
Grimstead adds, "We
believe that God has given
the Bible as a rule book for
all society, Christian and
non-Christian alike." And,
"I concur with most of the
Reconstructionist matters; I
am trying to help rebuild
the society on the Word of
God, and loosely, that
would be a Reconstructionist
orientation in
anybody 's book.
Grimstead explained
COR's strategy: "For
example, in Santa Clara
County there are about 14
cities, including S~ Jose,
the big city. We think it's
very possible, by the year
2000, to have Christians -
mature, biblically literate
- gain the majority of seats
in all the city councils in
our county. Plus, the Board
of County Supervisors." He
added, "That's one step,
the political scene. That'll
be the easiest."
"It's just organization," he
continued. "And the facts
are, we have enough
Christians to totally,
politically, by vote, overpower
any other groups of
minorities, if we would just
do it. We have the
majority vote. We are the
largest minority ." He
added, "It is the goal of a
number of us to try to
Christianize the state of
California."
"It is the goal of a
number of us to try
to Christianize the
state of California."
Fred Clarkson, a
Washington-based journalist,
agrees that COR is a
Reconstructionist front; a
way of packaging theo/
political ideas to do
effective networking and
political bridge building; to
build a much more serious
and permanent religious
right political movement .
He says, "The numbers
may not be large, as yet, but
they don't have to . be.
Because if you develop an
ideologically committed
cadre of well-trained leadership,
it doesn't matter
what your numbers are,
because you've got ministers
of congregations . You have
people who have a vision
for the long haul...yeah,
there'll be flakes - but
they'll also have some
serious contenders who will
know how to package
themselves to get some
county council seats , local
sheriffs, and that kind of
stuff. There are so few
people who vote in those
kinds of elections ... you tum
out a couple of churches full
of people and away you
go."
Beverly LeHaye is a
member of the COR's steering
committee . She also
heads the radical Concerned
Women for America,
a group which promotes the
new religious right's
agenda. Now ten years old,
Concerned Women claims
more than 600,000 members,
making it the largest
women's organization in .
.America.
SECO_ND STONE
Like every group in the
new religious right, Concerned
Women has a
detailed plan of action to
achieve its agenda; and it,
too, maintains that "This
battle must be waged at the
local level."
LaHayes group has
effective chapters in every
state, and additional
political action groups in
many metropolitan areas .
Their political training
seminars are sometimes
referred to as "basic
training/boot camps ."
Local chapters conduct
briefings on state issues,
and hold meetings and
receptions with state
legislators. Colorado State
Representative Kathi
Williams called CWA " a
powerful force at the
Capitol."
Concerned Women has
four full-time attorneys on
its staff, including Michael
Farris, who also serves on
COR's steering committee.
CWA's legal staff has its
hands full as it argues cases ·
which affect its agenda
across the nation.
LaHaye's group is hardly
the only organization of
the new religious right
with an active legal staff.
In fact, R.J. Rushdoony is a
former board member of The
Rutherford Institute, a
Christian legal organization
he helped found.
Attorney John Whitehead
is the group's National
Director - and a COR
steering committee member.
In 1989, Rutherford
handled some 190 cases,
with several dozen currently
pending.
"This battle must be
waged at the local
level."
· Focus on the Family is
another highly organized,
radical ministry. Headed
by Christian psychologist
Dr . James Dobson, this
California-based organization
employs 750 workers,
and operates on a $60
million a year budget.
· With the aid of a $4
□ million private grant, Focus
on Family plans to relocate
to Colorado , Springs,
', " •Colorado, in the near
future.
Dobson, too, is forming
coalitions of radical
Christian political special
interest groups . Although
not directly connected to
COR, Focus on the Family
networks with, and
endorses a number of COR
affiliates. "Once these
.coalitions are in place,"
Dobson says, "our state
legislators will discover
they can no longer write off
the concerns of conservative
Christian families."
"Once these
coalitions are in
place our state
legislators will
discover they can
no longer write off
the concerns of
conservative
Christian families."
Having failed in his
ventur:e into national
politics, Pat Robertson has
also switched his efforts to
the local arena. In the
spring of 1990, he created a ·
new organization called
the Christian Coalition.
While Robertson is not
personally a member of
COR, some of his Regent
University staff are
members.
According to Ralph Reed,
the Christian Coalition's
executive director, "The
Christian community got it
backwards in the 1980's.
We tried to charge Washington
when we· should
have been focusing on the
states. The real battles of
concern to Christians are in
neighborhoods, school
boards, city councils and
state legislatures."
Skipp Porteous is
co-editor of The Freedom
Writer, the national newsletter
that defends the
•separation of church and
state, P.O. Box s'89, Great
Barrington, MA 01230.
,
I
Church & Organization News
Resource Formed
For Mennonite/
Brethren Churches
CHICAGO, IL. - A network has been
formed of Mennonite and Brethren
congregations wishing to be supportive
of lesbian, gay and bisexual
members of the church. In line with
denominational statements encouraging
dialogue on this issue, the
Supportive Congregations Network
(SCN) is a resource for and
encouragement to congregations wishing
to explore issues of homosexuality
and the Christian faith .
. The network provides three levels
of participation: Exploring Congregations
( churches interested in the
issue, just beginning discussion),
Accepting Congregations ( churches
prepared to accept gay, lesbian and
bisexual people as full members) and
Affirming Congregations (churches
prepared to take on a public advocacy
role in support of lesbian, gay and
bisexual people in the church.)
A resource packet for congregations
will be ready by July and
representatives of the network will
be available for discussion at this
summer's Church of the Brethren
. Annual Conference and Mennonite
Church General Assembly.
For information write to Supportive
Congregations Network, Box 479241,
Chicago, IL 60647-9241.
Merrell To Pastor
Alabama Church
Birmingham Community Church has
ordained and installed Rev. Edward
L. Merrell as pastor. Merrell had
served the congregration as pastoral
leader for more than a year.
Ann Arbor Church
May Affiliate With
UFMCC
Members of the Huron Valley
Community Church of Ann Arbor,
Michigan, have met with Judy Dale,
Great Lakes District Coordinator for
the Universal Fellowship of
Metropolitan Community Churches to
explore possible affiliation with
MCC.
Hicks Appointed
ANIN President
W ASHING10N, D.C. - The Board of
Directors of the AIDS National
Interfaith Network has selected
Bishop Sherman G. Hicks to serve as
president. Bishop Hicks is presently
the bishop of the Metropolitan
.· Chicago Synod of the Eva11geHc~~ -·
Lutheran Church in America.
Previous positions include Associate
Executive Director . and Director of
Mission Support for the ELCA and
Assistant to the Bishop at the
Illinois Synod, Lutheran Church in
America.
"We're especially pleased to have
Bishop Hicks join our inferfaith
AIDS efforts in confronting this
epidemic," said Rev. Kenneth T.
South, Executive Officer of ANIN.
"His considerable experien · ,, in
helping communities respon · : ve to
social change will be an in- iluable
contribution to our organiza< ,n."
Morning Star Moves
To New Building
Morning Star MCC, Worcester, Mass.,
has moved to a new church building
at 231 Main Street, Cherry Valley.
The New England style building seats
over 120 people. The congregation
expressed thanks to the Unitarian
Universalist Church, which housed
Moring Star for eight years.
Covenant MCC
Celebrates Tenth
Covenant Metropolitan Community
Church in Birmingham, Ala., celebrated
its tenth anniversary with
services and festivities in mid
February.
New UFMCC
Ecumenical
Director NaJl)ed
LOS ANGELES - Rev. Kittredge
Cherry has been named Field
Director of Ecumenical Witness and
Ministry for the Universal Fellowship
of Metropolitan Community
Churches.
Her duties will include handling
ecumenical relations at the national
and international levels, and editing
the UFMCC newsletter, "Keeping in
Touch."
Rev. Cherry spent the past three
years on the clergy staff at MCC of
San Francisco. She also has a decade
of experience as a professional
journalist. Her most recent book;
Hide and Speak: How to Free
Ourselves for Our Secrets, will be
published in July by Harper Collins.
She has a Master of Divinity degree
from Pacific School of Religion and a
Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism
from the University of Iowa.
Business or Personal -
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May/June, 1991
Calendar
The following announcements·have
been submitted by sponsoring or
affiliated groups.
1991 More Light
Conference
MAY 3-5, 1991, ''Different Gifts, but
the Same Spirit" is the theme of the
1991 Presbyterian More Light
_ Conference, to be held in Rochester,
New York. A warm weekend of
spiritual enrichment and personal
connections is promised. The keynote
address will be given by Dr. Letty M.
Russell, Professor of Theology, Yale
Divinity School. Cost is $60.00.
For more information, call Chris
Bensch (716)473-0192 or Lee Fischer
(716)442-5117 or write: More Light
Conference, cl o Downtown United
Presbyterian Church, 121 North
Fitzhugh St., Rochester, NY 14614.
Spiritfest
New Orleans
MAY 24-27, Grace Ministries sponsors
a Christian gathering at Holy
Redeemer Retreat Center, Lacombe,
Louisiana. The retreat center, a
former Redemptorist seminary, is
beautifully situated on 110 acres of
forested land on the north shore of
Lake Ponchartrain. Cost is $100.00
per person. For information write to
Spiritfest '91, P.O. Box 70555, New
Orleans, LA 70172-0555.
SDA Kinship
Kamp meeting
• JUNE 9-16, The Seventh-day
Adventists Kinship International
twelfth annual gathering will be
held at Menucha Camp just outside
Portland, Ore. For information write
to Kampmeeting Coordinator, P.O.
Box 6476, Portland, OR 9722~76 or
call (503)452-1013. Limited
scholarships are available.
Gav/Lesbian
and Christian:
Celebrating the
Love of God
JUNE 13-16, the annual lesbian/ gay
conference at Kirkridge, Bangor,
Penn. In this 15th annual event for
Lesbians and gay men of all colors,
their families and friends, and _ those
who minister in support, participants
will continue to explore issues of
sexuality and homosexuality in the
context of Christian faith and
practice. For information call
(215)588-1793.
1B
Gay and Lesbian
Parents Coalition
Family Reunion
JUNE 13·16, The Twelfth Annual
Conference of Gay and Lesbian
Parents Coalition International will
have a "Family Reunion - Texas
Style." Separate conference workshops
and activities for parents,
youth and children. The Hyatt
Regency West Houston is the setting.
For information write to GLPCI 91,
P.O. Box 7537, Houston, TX
77270-7537.
"Breaking The
Chains That
Bind Us"
JUNE 19, The Southeast Michigan
Ecumenical Gay and Lesbian Pride
Celebration will be held at
MCC/Detroit. Members of the gay
arid lesbian religious community will
gathei:_in ecumenical celebration of
spiritual unity and love. "Breaking
The Chains That Bind Us, Forging
The Chains That Unite Us" is the
theme. Cont;i.ct Integrity /Detroit,
980 Whitmore #205, Detroit, MI
48203.
National UCCL/GC
Gathering
JUNE 23 -26, The United Church
Coalition for Lesbian/Gay Concerns'
National Gathering 11 immediately
precedes the United Church of Christ
General Synod 18 in Norfolk, Virginia.
The theme is "Family Life:
Sharing the Joy /Healing the Pain."
The setting for the gathering will be
the Old Dominion University campus
in Norfolk. Connecticut UCCL/GC is
planning the three day event, which
will offer opportunities for single
persons and persons in relationships
to explore ways we are family: the
family we're in now, the family we
came from, the family we would wish
for. Virginia Ramey Mollenkott,
author of Is The Homosexual My
Neighbor?, will be the featured
speaker. For information write to:
UCCL/GC, 18 N. College, Athens,
OH 45701 or call (614)593-7301.
NABWMT
Convention '91:
Living, Loving
and Working
Together
JUNE 23-30, The Detroit ~apter of
Black and White Men Together hosts
the 1991 convention of the National
Association of Black and While Men
Together, an organization formed ten
years ago to break down racial barriers
between gay people and provide
a multiracial political and social
forum. The NABWMT is an umbrella
organization for over 25 chapters
nationwide. Convention '91 will
explore the many ways we relate as
gay people and examine methods lo
unify the gay community. Workshops
will be presented on interpersonal
relationships, health issues and
AIDS awareness, bridging cultural
differences and many other issues.
The Hotel St. Regis is the setting.
For information write:
BWMT /Detroit, Convention '91, P .0.
Box 24-8831, Detroit, MI 48224.
Embodied
Spirituality
& Sexuality
JUNE 24-28, St. Joseph's Retreat
House in San Antonio, Texas, is the
setting fot this retreat for gay clergy
and religious. The retreat received
such outstanding reviews last year
that it ls liefng offered again,
thoroughly revised and improved.
For information wriie to CMI Retreat;
127 Oblate Dr., San Antonio, TX -
78216. ·
Fifth Annual
Golden Threads
Celebration
JUNE 28-30, Lesbians from all over
the United States and many foreign
countries will gather at the Provincetown
Inn irt Provincetow,n; M.ass,,_ -for-_
the annu.ii Golden Threads celebration.
rn· existence since 1985, Golden
Threads is a worldwide ~al ~~: .. . .
work ·of<Usbillns ·om50 (and friends,
no Iesbianois ~xchided.) Entertainment
will be provided by Janice Perry
a.k.a.GAL.
For-information contact Christine
Burton, Golden Threads, P.O. Box
3177, Burlington, VT 05401-0031.
· · Internati~rial Deaf
Lesbian and Gay
Conference
JULY 1-7, Loew's Anatole Ho tel,
Dallas, is the setting for the 1991
International Deaf Lesbian and Gay
Conference. Contact the Rainbow
Alliance of the Deaf, P.O. Box
225661, Dallas, TX 75222 or call
(214)394-6979 (TDD).
SECOND STONE
connECtion '91
JULY 4-7, the first joint Evangelicals
Concerned Midwest and Western
Region conference. The campus of the
University of Denver is the setting.
-The conference will include keynote
addresses, workshops, small group
interaction, prayer, and socializing.
The conference features a unique
presentation by New York actor Ron
Drurnmond, who will do a dramatic
impersonation of Scottish evangelist
Henry Drummond's talk on love, The
Greatest Thing in the World.
Participants will fellowship with
gay and lesbian Christians from
across the United States and learn
more about the integration of sexuality
and spirituality and discover
new ways to love God, others and
self. To show off Colorado's natural
wonders, the weekend will feature a
half-day trip into the Rocky
Mountains.
For registration information,
contact Scott at the ECWR office,
(303)830-2823, or write to P.O . Box
4750, Denver, CO 80204.
UFMCC
Fifteenth
General Conference_
JULY 14-21, AIDS, racism,
homophobia, sexism, poverty, peace,
social justice and equal rights for
same-gender couples are only some of
the issues on the agenda of the
Universal Fellowship of Metro-
. politan Community Church's
fifteenth general conference to be
held in Phoenix, Arizona.
Reflecting the conference's theme, "I
Have Opened a Door," church
founder Rev. Troy Perry said the•
church will open the door for ..
discussion of a wide range of issues _
and willfeature a series of wox~~ -~-, -·
shops, discussions arufmusic ; Over
1000 delegates and observers are _
expected to attend. ' The f'.ointe _at ,
Tapatio Cliffs is the ,settiilg . . Contact
your local MCC for information or
write to UFMCC, 5300 Santa Monica
Blvd.,"Ste. 304, Los Angeles, CA 90029
or call (213>464--5100.
National Lesbian &
Gay Health
Conference
JULY 24-28, Up to 1200 lesbian and
gay health professionals are
expected to congregate in New
Orleans for the 13th National
SEE CALENDAR, Next Page
,
I
Cover Story
Reconstructionism woman lie together , they are to be
put to death.
SKIPP: What the hell do you think
that is!
GARY: Well, wait a minute. If a guy
comes up to me and he says, 'Tm a
homosexual," that doesn't mean that
he's to be executed. If you understand
the scriptures , it says very clearly, if
a man comes up to you and says, ''I've
murdered somebody," that doesn't
mean that person ought to be
executed.
INTERVIEWF, rom Page 9
one, and homosexuality, and rape and
kidnapping were some others."
This is what the leader of your
group said, Gary.
GARY: Well first, he's not the
leader of my group, and secondly,
you ...
SKIPP: What do you mean he's not
the leader of your group! You say
you're a member of COR. You're on
the Steering Committee of the
CALENDAR, From Previous Page
Lesbian and Gay Health Conference
and 9th National AIDS Forum. The
conference provides an opportunity
for health care providers and caregivers
to discuss issues of importance
to the lesbian and gay community. It
also gives health professionals of
diverse disciplines an opportunity to ·
learn, exchange ideas and contribute
to new thinking about the needs and
well being of the lesbian and gay
community. For further information
contact the National Lesbian and
Gay Health Foundation , Inc., 1638 R
St NW #2, Washington, DC 20009 or
call (202)797-3708.
Our Heroic Journey:
Building A Healing
Circle
AUGUST 26 - 29, A special retreat of
celebration for gay and lesbian ministers.
This retreat will tap the very
special experience of the Holy Spirit
that every gay -,.nd lesbian minister
has to learn to utilize to strengthen
and celebrate their lives. The Weber
House, Baltimore, Maryland, is the
setting. Limited financial assistance
is available. For registration information,
write to CMI Retreat, P.O.
Box 60125, Chicago, IL 606(,()-()125.
CMI Workshop On
Support Networks
AUGUST 29, Communication
Ministry, Inc., p~nts ''Support
Networks for Lesbian and Gay
Sisters, Priests and Brothers" at the
Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill (prior
to the Dignity /USA Convention.) A
panel of religious and priests will
. discuss various kinds of support
networks, Open to Ca,tholic lesbiaff
sisters and gay brothers and priests.
Coalition On Revival.
GARY: We're talking about
Christian Reconstructionism. I'm a
member of a number of dHferen_t
groups.
SKIPP: Well, you're on the Steering
Committee of the Coalition On
Revival. Jay Grimstead is the head
of the group.
GARY: Let me explain. The Bible
doesn't say that_homosexuals should
be executed . What it says is thisc If
two men lie together like a man and a
For information write to CMI, P.O.
Box 60125, Chicago, IL 606(,()-()125.
Dignity/USA
Convention '91
AUGUST 29-SEPTEMBER1 , The
Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill in
Washington, D.C. will the be setting
for Dignity /USA's tenth biennial
convention . Thiseventbrings
together delegates, members and
friends for a gathering that matches
no other in the Dignity datebook.
Themed "Many Gifts, One Spirit,"
the convention program will feature
presentations and workshops that
reflect the diversity of Dignity's
national community. Social events
will add to the excitement. Convention
topics will be organized into
five areas of interest: AIDS Ministry,
Removal of Barriers to Women,
Support for Human Rights Laws,
Anti-Gay /Lesbian Violence, The
Primacy of Conscience and the Right
to Dissent. For more infor- rnation
write: Convention '91, Dignity/USA,
Box 29661, Washington, DC 20017.
Parents FLAG
10th Annual
Convention
OCTOBER 11-14, "Celebrating the
Jewels in our Crown" is the theme of
the tenth annual gathering of the
National Federation of Parents and
Friends of Lesbians and Gays. -
Charlotte, North Carolina is the
setting. To receive registration
materials, when available, write to
Charlotte Parents FLAG, 5815 .
Charing Place, Charlotte, NC 28211.
SEND EVENT NOTICES TO!
CALENDAR, SECOND STONE,
P.O. BOX 8340,
NEW ORLEANS, LA 70182
PAUL: Oh, so what you're saying,
Gary, is if you catch homosexuals in
the act, then the Bible says to execute
them.
GARY: The Bible lays forth the
severest penalty. The severest
penalty would be capital punishment
for two men who publicly engaged in
sodomy. Which would mean, that if
that law were on the books - which it
has been on the books in many states,
and probably still is in many states in
the nation today . ·
PAUL: Does it say "publicly" in . the
Bible? . .
GARY: Oh, you've got to have two
witnesses . So, you're going to have at
least two witnesses who would come
forth and testify against two people
who engaged in sodomy . Now,
Atlanta is a pretty populous city for
homosexuality. I would imagine that
most people in this city, probably
99% of them, have never seen two
people engaged in sodomy. But, if it
did happen, the severes\ punishment
that amid come upon somebody would
be capital punishment. It doesn't
mean that has to be the punishment.
SKIPP: By capital punishment, you
mean death.
GARY: Well, yes.
SKIPP: Now, there was a case a
couple of years ago, and I believe it
was Georgia, maybe it was another
state ...
GARY: It was Georgia.
SKIPP: Two men were seen by the
police, because the police came in the
house for a differentreason, and saw
them having sex, engaging in
homosexual activity in bed.
GARY: Sodomy .
SKIPP: They were arrested . So,
you're saying that these two men,
according to the Bible, could receive
the death penalty?
GARY: Well ...
SKIPP: Is that what you're saying?
GARY: First of all, remember, the
Supreme Cour t upheld Georgia's law.
Secondly, yes.
SKIPP: Secondly, yes! The Bible
advocates the death penalty for
homosexuals .
GARY: No, it doesn't.
SKIPP: Homosexual activity, excuse
me.
May /June, 1991
□ GARY: For example, if a guy raped a
seven-year old . He. sodomized a
seven-year old boy - the seven-year
old boy is innocent.
SKIPP: No, no. You said ''two men,
two men lying together."
GARY: Right.
SKIPP: The Bible says they should
be executed.
GARY: Right._
SKIPP: Alright, so ...
PAUL: Wait a minu te, wait a
minute. Would you condone that?
GARY: Condone what?
PAUL: If indeed this movement were
to go right by the Bible as you just
said a few moments ago, would you
advocate two men being caught in a
homosexual act being executed?
GARY: No. That's not what I'm
saying. What I'm saying is that the
severest penalty ...
·PAUL: Wait a minute, now! You said
the Reconstructionist movement
advocates the Bible being very much
SEE INTERVIEW, Next Page
r
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II
-,
Cover Story
Reconstructionism her is not by man, but by the Holy
Spirit.
Now, the law in scriptures
concerning ad_ultery means that the
inn9cent party has as [recourse] the
toughest penalty that could be
INTERVIEWF,r om Pre'\TjouPs age
brought on the guilty party, the
death penalty. So, for example, if a
community is correct, which !·believe woman had a husband who was a
if is, that a pre-born individual is in constant womanizer, and he just
a part of every aspect of society and fact a human being, then the same would not stop, she could bring
you mentioned government. rights are accorded to the pre-born charges against her. husband of
GARY: Right. child as a born child. Then the same . adultery, and the severest penalty
PAUL: So then, if you indeed believe punishment would occur for the doctor · could be, according to scripture, .the
that, then you would have to believe performing the abortion. So, the death penalty. · It wouldn't have to
that people caught in homosexuality pre-born child is in fact a human be, but it could be. Now, this would
should be executed. being, and a born -child is in fact a do a number of things. And again, I
SKIPP: That's_ Biblical Jaw. human being, therefore the same . want to go back and underscore
GARY: They could be executed. punishment prevails. That is, if something. Most of the_ laws in the
SKIPP: They could be. capital punishment could be brought Bible were designed not so much to be
p AUL: They could be. on someone who killed a one-0ay old - implemented, but to keep people from
GARY: Right. child, then _the_ same punishment practicing that particular behavior.
PAUL: .So, what are y011 saying. here? · would occur. with-someone 'who killed PAUL: Well, all laws are basically
GARY: I just fold you whafT'm achiid •irtthewomb. - - that way.
saying. That could be the severest PAUL: So Gary, you would agree GARY, Right. Well, it was the same
penalty. Let me give you an example. that a doctor performing an abortion thing with homosexuality. · -When
PAUL: Wait, before you get to that, should receive capital punishment? there were laws on the books that
now, you said, again, these are your GARY: Obviously, if abortion were could punish homosexuality, it didn't
very own words. You said, that this illegal, and he performed an illegal - do away with homosexuality per se;
movement that you're involved with, abortion and killed a pre-born baby but it kept it hidden. Kept it in the
advocates the Bible being used as a the same punishment would apply. closet. ·
basis for everything in society, And, of course, we've got our owrt PAUL: And again, back with the
including... · system today that very few people same question again. You're using the
GARY: Wait a minute... who commit murder actually suffer word ''could" be, and if indeed the
PAUL: No,- you wait a minute, the death penalty. That could be the Reconstructionist movement ever
please. If indeed ·that's the case, if severest penalty, yes. made it in America, would you
you beli¢ve that, then you would be PAUL: So, now what our guest was advocate these biblical principles
cimtradic;μngyourselfif.you wouldn't saying at the top of the show, that being carried out, just like the
advocate homo!i¢cuals being executed people who are Reconstructionist execution of the adulterer? -Just )ike
for homosexual activity. believe iri this, you have told us that the execution of the abortionist; and
GARY: I want to make sure . the the death penalty co1,1ldb e given to just like the execution of the
listeners understand that when . we , people who perform abortions; and homosexu,il?
talk about a movenierit, are we the death penalty - your word is GARY: Well, ~ believe, like Mr.
talking about the Coalition On "could" - be applied under a Porteous does, in the democratic
llevival, which is not a Christian _nation fc,r_ people who_ are process. Of course; these laws
Reconstructionist movement, or are we caught in homosexual acts. OK, how couldn't be brought -into the legal
talking about Christian Reconstruc- about adulterers? system unless people actualJy wanted
tion itself? Which moyement are you GARY: You can take two case$ out the· these Jaws. _
talking about? · · __ · · of New Testament. It's interesting, PAUL: But,. ifindeed enough people
PAUL: Yeah, but Gary, I'm though, when people don't believe . . -who have your belief system get into
understanding how ybu · just very the Bible, ii1'e Mr. Portrous, go to the that, and people vote for all •of this,
cleverly steered away from my point Bible and takes cases out of jt _ to then you would go along with these
- that you would have. to agree with support his position when it's strict penalties? .
the death penalty for people being convenient. Anci when it's not GARY: I'm saying that they could be
caught in homosexuality, convenient he lays the Bible aside. implemented, yes.
GARY: .I already agreed with you But let's take two cases. The first SKIPP: You are working toward that
that • .that couid · be the severest case is Mary and Joseph. As we know, goal, though, aren't you?
. pena\ty; J me.m,. I-.cctori'tk no_w-bow .. Mary; -~as _w__it h child, but Joseph GARY:- Not~rily:,no. This is
' ~}'. times I .havet oJ ell yim. Yes,l ' hadn!fknown a woman, hadn't known what usually happens when you're
agree tltat the.-,BiJ)le lays · the death Mary. ~t is, he hadn't had sexual ~rching in an area. Mr. Porteous
penalty for two men -who are engaged intercourse with her. Now, what was has taken _ probal:>ly one-tenth of
in sOdomyin public .. Yes.J dc,n'tknow he to suspect? He was to suspect that what we actually do, and he _ has
how many times I have to tell you she had committed adultery. Now, it blown it up like an inflated balloon
before it gets through your head! says in scriptures that he decided to and he says, 'This is what Christian
SKIPP: Does the Bible allow the put her away, quietly, or secretly. Reconstruction is."
same punishment for an abortionist? That is, he was to proceed with a SKIPP: Gary, could you give us your
GARY: If abortion were illegal, the divorce without making it part of the .viewpoint on the separation of
quesUon comes down to what civil court. That is, not making a church and state?
punishment would there be for charge against her of adultery. Of GARY: Well, first of all, the
someone who performed an illegal rourse, an angel comes and explains to Constitution, including the Bill of
abortion? Now, _ if - the pro-life her that that which is conceived in Rights, says nothing about a ·sep-
Ill SECOND STONE
-□
aration of church and state. The First
Amendment says, " Congress shall
make no law respecting an establishment
of religion, or prohibiting
the free exercise thereof." Which
simply means, that our national
government cannot establish a
national church. Typically, what's
happened in our day, the-courts, and
other things, they have interpreted
that to mean that nothing religious
can be involved in any sort of ciyil
decision. And I just thirik that that's
just erroneous. Any fourth grader who
knows anything about history; knows
as a fact that religion was always
incorporated into decision-making
policies. Prayer, Bible-reading, 1.aws
based upon scripture principles have
no violation under the First
Amendment. At the time of the
drafting of the First Amendment
there were nine states that had
established state teligi.ons. -I'm not
advocating that, but obviously the
First Amendment does not mean what
Mr. Porteous and other advocates of
church/ state separation .•.
SKIPP: Gary, Jay Grimstead told me __
that "the goal of a number of us is to
try to . Christianize _the state of
California." Then he said ,. "the
church is not supposed -to try to take
over the government of San Jose. The
people Who take over the government
of San Jose are American citizens who
happen to be informed by the Bible of
what is justice and what is injustice.
The .Bible controls_ both church and
state." Would you agree with Dr.
Grimstead on -that statement?
GARYi That the Bible is a law book
for both church and estate? Yes, but
that's different than saying . 'that_
church and state are merged by the
Bible. The Bible is very specific
about · a_ -separation between church
and state. And Irecol:rtmend that you ,,
read my Ruler of the Nations to see -
how · l've_ layed out, very specifically,
in great detail, what .the Bible and :
what the Constitution says about the ·--·
principles. I'm getting the impression
listening to you and debating this
topic, and writing on -this topic for
over ten years now, thatmost of the
critics of Christian Reconstruction
haven't read what Reconstructionists
ha"~-written. And Paul, to give you
someidea, we ·have nearly 100 books ·
on the market right now, very .easily
available to anyone who wants them,' ·
to go in and look and -see what we·
have to say. I'm amazed that Mr.
Porteous misunderstands very clear ·
statements in our books what we meanby
separation of churcl:\ and state.
SKIPP: Well, Gary, earlier you
accused meof lying about many things
SEE INTERVIEW, Next Page
I
I
United Methodist Church Study Committee:
Throw out church statement condemning homosexuality
By the United Methodist
NewsServia:
ST. LOUIS, MO. - A United
Methodist study committee is recommending
that the church's 18-year-·
old Social Principles statement
condemning the practice of homosexuality
as "incompatible with
Christian teaching" be dropped.
In its place would be substituted an
acknowledgment that the church is
COMMENT ARY, From Page 2
that the sex education and the
condom plan amounts to the
"ratification of sexual . promiscuity."
To all these people AIDS and sex
education are still, to this day, about
promoting homosexuality.
Wanting to identify people's HIV
status isn't just a goal of the right
wing. Criticism, I think well
deserved, has also been made of our
own community's handling of the
issue of identification . Too many of
us, through . actions direct and
indirect, are willing to say, "so much
for education (and the safe sex that
goes with it), just telt;me who these
(infected) people · are." Read
personal ads in the gay press across
the country and you'll find only a few
papers which have finally, after a
lot of soul searching, refused to
publish ads which specify HIV
status as a preference or condition
within them.
What kind of person would write a
personal ad that says, "HIV- seeks
same for good times and possible
relationsh,ip?" What kind of idiot
would base a relationship on
someone's supposed HIV status? You
have to ask yourself, if someone
claims they're HIV negative , would
that change the way you have sex?
Most would say . no, but really?
Would it? Would knowing someone's
HIV status change who you have sex
with? Doesn't it? Talking with
HIV+ friends I hear story after story
of relationships and friendships that
take sudden turns of direction after
HIV status is revealed. These
personal ads and the way I see people
behaving every day demonstrates not
only our own willingness as a
community to discriminate, but also
the total failure of AIDS education.
It isn't only the middle-aged heteros
on Oprah who don't seem to
understand that a negative test
means nothing . Their paranoid
delusions about getting infected by
mosquitoes, toilet seats, drinking
cups, gay dentists or food cooked by
gay chefs aren't too tiifferent from
the denial and fantasy of gay men
"unable to arrive at a common mind"
on the subject.
While many in the church affirm
the present denominational position,
the proposed substitute says others
believe homosexuality is acceptable
"when practiced in a context of
human caring and covenental
faithfulness."
The committee, headed by the Rev.
Nancy Yamasaki, Spokane, Wash.,
wanting things to be the way they
were before AIDS. Responsibility
free.
Recent statistics show an increase in
unsafe sex practices in younger gay
men. !_hear a lot about how "I don't ·
have sex with anyone over thirty,"
as if age differences make some kind
of guarantee of HIV status. Even
Queer Nation-NY has come under
criticism from some writers, being
called the "ACT-UP for HIV
negatives." At a recent meeting of
Their paranoid
delusions about
getting infected by .
mosquitoes, toilet
seats, drinking cups,
gay dentists or food
cooked by gay chefs
aren't too different
from the denial and
fantasy of gay men
wanting things to be
the way they were
before AIDS.
Responsibility free.
Queer Nation-NY members hissed as
. one member read a recent article from
a New York magazine mentioning
this apparent division. "Not us!
We're not like that," people yelled.
But I have to admit, while I know
many Queer Nationalists who are
HIV+, I also seem to know the HIV
status of too many people to feel
comfortable ignoring this criticism .
Why do so many at Queer Nation tell
me their own, and other's, HIV
status?
People still don't seem to understand
approved the resolution by a 7-4 vote
during its meeting here in February.
Its recommendations and report will
go to the 1992 General Conference, the
top legislative body of the church.
The 1988 General Conference
reaffirmed position ·s on homosexuality
taken by previous conferences:
These include the "incompatibility"
statement and prohibitions of
ordaining or appointing "self-avowed
AIDS and HIV infection. I t
reminded to the experience I had
testifying in favor of a sex education
program in Norfolk, Virginia. After
the testimony of Marc Demma, a
leader in the local gay and lesbian
youth movement, about AIDS, sex
education and gay teen suicide, the
response from many of the adults,
parents to be specific, was that if
their son or daughter was gay or· ..
lesbian, they would prefer they were
dead. And if they · get AID5, well,
they're queer, right? Who would
admit this kind of evil thought
publicly at a School Board hearing?
Come .to Norfolk, Virginia, and you
can meet these people in the PT A.
They don't want to learn about Gays
and Lesbians, they don't want to
fight bigotry,discrimination and bias
violence with education and information.
They want people identified
and removed. ''Rubbed out" I guess
you could say.
The opposition to sex education,
AIDS education and the rising
emphasis on identification rather
than education, is · part of the
continuing movement of genocide
against Gays and Lesbians, the poor,
IV drug users and people of color. It is
direct, out in the open . . ,,It can't be
like that," you say. But it is, and we,
the gay community, are still as much
a part of this genocide as everyone
else. As the reported . numbers of
AIDS cases reaches 140,00 and
heterosexual infection becomes, by
the year 2000, the means of
transmission in 80 percent of all AIDS
cases, we find ourselves in what the
American Association of Sex
Educators has called a total "state of
denial."
If we want to teach, we have to tell
people what they don't want to hear.
We have to tell them over and over
again. Like it or not, the only other
choice really is identifying, which
would mean changing our way of life.
Giving up basic freedoms and liberties,
surrendering the Constitution
and Bill of Rights to paranoid fears
and hate filled fantasies. But that's
been Dannema.yer's and the right
wing's real agenda all along.
May /June, 1991
practicing" homosexuals or givmg
church funds to groups that "promote
the acceptance" of homosexuality.
However, 1988 delegates asked the
General Council on Ministries, with
offices in Dayton, Ohio, to conduct a
study of homosexuality and report to
SEE ME1HODISTS, Page 18
INTERVIEW, From Previous Page
I said tonight, but in the last 20
. minutes or so, you've . confirmed
everything I've said.
GARY: No, because at the beginning
of the show you claimed - and it was
very clear what you were doing - the
Coalition On Revival is a
Reconstructionist movement, and then
you said that these people, the
LaHayes, Wildmon, and so forth,
should leave this organization
because this is a Reconstructionist
organization, and it isn't. I've been on
some of·even the drafting documents
and anything that even hinted at
Reconstructionist distinctives · were
left out because the people didn't
agree with them. Now, how can you
say it's a Reconstructionist movement
when I was there? I was in the
drafting document on government.
And there isn't anything about what
you're saying about Christian
Reconstructionist distinctives in that
drafting document . So, to say then
that the Coalition On Revival is a_
Reconstructionist organization, when
its documents have none of the
particulars of Christian Reconstruction
in them, specifically the one on
civil government, is a bald-face lie.
SKIPP: Well, I happen to have some
of those documents myself, and I'm
also going by what your leader Jay
Grimstead said, that he is a
· Reconstructionist and he agrees with
most of the Reconstructionist doctrines
.
GARY: OK ...
PAUL: You did say that our first
guest, Skipp, mentioned that the
Bible principles should be applied to
society, in your viewpoint. And you
did say that ...
GARY: All Christians agree with
that!
PAUL: Yeah, but most Christians
don't think that capital punishment
could be applied to people caught in .
homosexual acts, or could be for .
adulterers, or whatever :
GARY: But see, Christian
Reconstruct... what . he's saying about
Christian Reconstruction is one-tenth
of one percent of Christian
Reconstruction.
SKIPP: The one-tenth I'm speaking
about is the worst part of it.
11
Books
The Middle Years: what's the difference?
Uncommon models for a common experience
The midlife issues of
gay and lesbian clergy
Vy Toby Johnson,PhD
Contributing Writer
Since the mid-70s, psychologically
sophisticated Americans have
talked about the developmental
stages of adult life. These days we
all talk casually, sometimes half
tongue-in-cheek, about mid-life
crises. Indeed, what was once
euphemistically called a n~rvous
breakdown is now still
euphemistically - called a life crisis.
The fact is, of course, except for the
dedicated psychologists, most of us
don't really know what the content of
a life crisis is - at least until we get
there. And then it's not so abstract
and sophisticated. Instead it is
mind-boggling, ronfusing, depressing,
and upsetting - at best! The mid-life
crisis, for instance, calls us to question
the worth of all the decisions and
romrriitments we've made in our ·lives.
This is especially difficult for those
who have made such decisions and
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commitments based on a set of beliefs
and values. For then in the midst of
the ' crisis not only do they question
the personal decisions they've made,
they also have to question the beliefs
and values out of which they made
them. Such is the kind of mid-life
crisis faced by the professionally and
vocationally religious, i.e., clergy,
priests, brothers and nuns.
Religious Hfe, with its inherent
obligation to vows of poverty, celibacy
and obedience made in early
adulthood, seems specifically
opposed to the very notion of a
life-crisis in which fundamental
decisions can be questioned. (Part of
my own religious life experience was
with the Marianists who take a·
fourth vow of stability, which is a
commitment not to consider leaving
the Order, i.e., it's a .vow, made in
one's mid-twenties, not to have a
mid-life crisis in one's forties.). That
crisis is made even more difficult
when included in it is the recognition
of, or reconciliation to, homosexual .
sexual orientation. Even the most
sophisticated and psychologically
trained individual will have
difficulty sorting through the
conflicting value and belief systems
invol_ved.
And so i,t'.s interesting and
instructive to find accounts of the
interior processing of clergy ~nd
religious as they deal with these
difficult issues. The Autumn , 1990,
CMI Journal, titled The Middle
Years: what's the difference,
specifically focuses on these mid-life
issues. The journal is produced by
Communications Ministries, Inc. - a
Chicago-based networking ministry
to gay and lesbian religious and
clergy. The eighty-page magazinesize
journal presents a variety of
expositions of. these · issues: poems,
personal accounts, scholarly articles,
self-help assessment schedules.
Though myself out of religious life
now for over twenty years and no
longer · what might be called a
"practteing Catholic," this writ~r
found the collection fascinating and
even at times moving. I am in my
mid-forties and so, I suppose, facing
these issues myself, though as an
openly gay professional and
community developer, happily
settled into a business and personal
relationship of seven years duration,
my experience of mid-life is very
different from that of the religious .
men and women - bound to celibacy
and a professsion generally inimical
to sexuality - who report on their
SECOND STONE
□
lives in the pages of the CMI Journal.
While the obvious appeal of this
journal is to like-minded souls who
could benefit from the discoveries of
other gay and lesbian religious, it
seems to me it holds value for lots of
others as welJ, others who are ·
neither Catholic, nor r~ligious, nor,
for that matter, lesbian or gay. For
many people, priests, . brothers and
Especially now, in
the Age of Al0S,
there maybe
important lessons in
-the experience of
those who
discovered sex in a ·
very controlled and
restricted way
(based on internal
values, not just
external threats - of
disease, for
instance).
nuns are not exactly human. They are
more characters of myth, culture and
ritual than people. Yet the cultural
role they hold is generally as models
and teachers of values and behavior.
.The inconsistencies therein are partly
responsible, it seems to me, for some of
the faih,1re of religious life to survive
and flourish in modem America.
. The most striking thing about the
· accounts in The Middle Years: what's
the difference is how human they are
and how honestly spiritual. I. found
it instructive to read of the dilemmas
· and the suffer.ings these men and
women have faced. It made me feel I
· could perhaps trust them . Certainly
trust ·them more than if they ne:ver
):tad sucn feelings and . were only
mouthing the eternal, unchanging
doctrine of the Church. That is to say
that I found these accounts helped me
to humanize the Church in my mind.
The personal accounts belie those
SEp YEARS, Next Page
- - - ----~- - -
,
I
t
Books
YEARS, From Previous Page
peculiar notions of anti-gay fundamentalists
that homosexuality is a
moral perversion (and not a
psychological orientation) that can,
and must, be changed with prayer
and commitment to Jesus. Oearly the
nuns and priests recounting their
struggles with their lesbian and
homosexual feelings - especially in
the context of vows which at least
some understood to forbid any sexual
acting out - were women and men of
prayer and commitment to Jesus. (If
they weren't committed, the struggles
It's ironic that, after
all this time,
Lesbians and gay
men who've felt so
rejected by the
Church might
actually find role
models they can
identify with in those
priests and nuns
who'd seemed such
mysterious
characters to
Catholic school
· children.
would have gone away.) That didn't
eliminate their homosexual orientation.
It' did give it moral
significance, however. These people
thought - and prayed - long and hard
about the content of their sexual
feelings. And when they acted on
them - however they did or did not
act - they did so deliberately and in
concert with their spirituality:
Not all of the contributors had
chosen to eschew intimacy or sex
entirely; many of them learned to
develop intimate relationships of one
sort or another. Their accounts
revealed . the value of that
soul-searching to make sense of
sexuality in a spiritual context. The
CMI Journal articles suggest that a
certain amount of soul-searching and
self-discipline fosters personal -
psychological and spiritual - growth
and heightens intimacy. Especially
now, in the Age of AIDS,. there may
□ be important lessons in the experience
of those who discovered sex in a very
controlled and restricted way (based
on internal values, not just external
threats - of disease, for instance) .
One could make a case that some
young homosexuals find sexual acting
out too easy and over-eroticize their
lives. This is certainly one of the
popular negative stereotypes of
homosexuality - and- it may be
self-perpetuating.
It's ironic that, after all this time,
Lesbians and gay men who've felt so
rejected by the Church might
actually find role models they can
identify with in those priests and
nuns who'd seemed such mysterious
characters to Catholic school
children. How interesting to have
the mysteries revealed!
As the babyboomers hit the
mid-forties, American culture is going
to hear more and more about the
crises of mid-life and the reevaluation
of values and recomrnitrnent to
quality that resolve them. Though
the essence of this reevaluation is
spiritual and metaphysical, many
people will not deal with it as a
spiritual phenomenon . The eMI
Journal accounts can help us place
these issues in that spiritual context.
This journal may not on the surface
seem to appeal to a wide audience,
but I strongly suggest that there are
gems herein for almost everybody .
CMI Journal is available from CMI,
P.O. Box 60125, Chicago, IL
60660-0125. $7 .50 plus $2.00 postage
and handling. (Illinois residents add
sales tax.) Or from Liberty-Books,
Austin, Texas, 800-828-1279.
Communication Ministry, Inc., is an
all volunteer peer ministry for
lesbian and gay religious and clergy
since 1977. Besides its publications,
CMI offers a monthly newsletter, an
annual retreat program and
developmental workshops for its
subscribers and currently serves a
readership of over 500 religious,
clergy and lay persons.
Literary Awards
Down To Finalists
Lambda Book Reporf has announced
{inalists for the Third Annual Lamba
Literary A wards, to be presented in
New York Oty on May 31. From the
thousands of nominations received for
the awards, 86 titles from 43 different
publishers were selected as
finalists. The country's largest gay
and lesbian presses, Alyson Publications
and Naiad Press respectively,
placed the most finalists with six
each.
May/June, 1991
Youd on'ht ave to ~ve up
God to be gay!
Coming Out
to God
Prayersfo r Lesbians
and Gay Men, Their
Familiesa nd Friends
Chris Glaser
"For Chris Glaser, prayer is a mysterious, wondrous, yet
earthy place where the dance of spirituality and sexuality is
celebrated. His own fondest prayer for all of us is that we
may be opened up to greet God's coming out-to us."
-Malcolm Boyd, author of Are You Running with Me,
Jesus?,T akeo ff the Masks,a nd Gay Priest:A n Innerj ourney
Paper $8.95
.. .a nd you tf,on'th ave
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masculinlty to be
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The Intimate
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Male Sexuality,
Masculine
Spirituality
James B. Nelson
This book "demonstrates clearly what men have to gain
from the feminist revolution." -James W Maddock,
Ph.D., PreszdentA, mericanA ssociationo f Sex Education,'
Counselorsa, nd TherapistsN. elsoh, who teaches Christian
Ethics at a leading seminary, "deals with friendship,
homophobia, sexist dualism, bodytheology, images of
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Paper $8.95
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m
Lutheran Church~Missouri Synod:
Homosexuality "particularly disruptive" in the life of the church
By Rev Daniel HOQPer
Contributing Writer
The Council of District Presidents of .
the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
adopted new guidelines regarding
homosexuality at their recent
meeting in St. Louis.
The 11-page document is largely
derivative from older material and
represents no new thought about
homosexuality. In 1973, the Lutheran
Church-Missouri Synod's general
convention adopted a brief resolution
(based on no preparatory study)
which declared homosexual behavior
"intrinsically sinful." In 1981, a
report by the denomination's
Commission of Theology and Church
Relations, Human Sexuality,
addressed a few pages to homosexuality;
while attempting to offer
the church 's "compassionate help" to
homosexual persons, it maintained
that all homosexual behavior is
sinful.
The new document borrows heavily
from the 1973 resolution and the 1981
report for its theological foundation .
The guidelines are i.ntended for
supervisory personnel in dealing with
specific "instances of homosexuality
in the lives of professional church
workers," including pastors and
teachers in the Synod's many schools
and colleges.
Among its ideas, the guidelines
suggest grounds for the discipline of
individuals for refusal to enter and
continue in counseling to overcome
homosexual behavior. Counseling is
understood not as psychotherapeutic
or psychiatric care, but religious
· counsel which teaches that the
homosexual "propensity" is an
"aberration of God's will" and
expects repentance "for any homosexual
acts in word, thought, and
deed."
The document asks not life-long
sexual abstinence by gay and lesbian
church professionals, but "consecrated
celibacy," a concept which is foreign
to Lutheran doctrine.
Absent from the stringent guidelines
are any hearing or appeals process for
persons who are accused, any specifics
or program regarding pastoral counsel
or .. c.onsecrated celibacy" for use in
individual circumstances.
· . The guidelines see "homophile
behavior" as . "a particularly disruptive
element" in the life of the
church. Upon investigation, determining
a person ·to be "unquestionably
guilty," specific action to discipline,
terminate or remove an individual
from a professional roster or the
churchbody is to be determined by
his/her immediate superior on the
II
basis of how "unrepentant " the
individual is and how publicly visible
the individual's position is.
An unprecedented adaption of
Kinsey's sexual orientation scale is
used, a double continuum along which
the offended may be charted. The
first scale ranges from the person who
experiences "homosexual propensity"
but "has never engaged in overt
homosexual behavior" to the opposite
end, the "unrepentant practicing
homosexual, openly involved in
sexual activity. " A second intersecting
scale delineates two
professional opposites : the position
with a "high degree of public
visibility" (such as the parish
ministry) ranging to a position of
"virtual isolation" or "technological
service" not open to public view .
· There is no theological or juridical
rationale for why a person with a
less publicly visible position should
be treated differently than one who
is more publicly visible.
Disciplinary actions available to
the supervisor, depending on 'the
degree of violation as determined by
these two intersecting continuums,
include remaining in one's position,
suspension, and removal from the
professional roster .
The guidelines do not suggest any
procedures for investigation of
allegations against a church professional,
nor a definition of what
"unquestionably guilty" means.
One potentially serious feature in
the guidelines in the definition of
homosexual acts as including "word,
thought, and deed," a phrase which
is adapted from a traditional
Lutheran liturgical prayer in the ·
confession of sins. The most commonly
accepted definition, in Christian
ethical and juridical circles, would
define "homosexual acts" as genital
sexual behavior . As with most other
Protestant and Catholic documents
discussing homosexual behavior,
specific genital actions are not
delineated. But the Lutheran
Church-Missouri Synod Presidents,
by including "word" and "thought" in
the definition of acts, may be
suggesting that public dissent over
church teaching on homosexuality,
and even private disagreement, are
themselves sinful · and grounds for
discipline . The document unmistakably
creates a "chilling effect" on
open discussion of homosexuality at
any level within the 2.8 million
member church.
In the light of such chilling
findings, the document's offer · of
"help" to gay and lesbian people is
ironic. Its language suggests that
both God and the immediate
supervisor should help the homosexual.
For example, "the Scriptures'
condemnation of homophile behavior
is not meant to deprive those guilty of
such sins the help which God would
extend to them." And the supervisor
responsible to discipline , suspend or
remove a church professional, should
take action "accompanied by
appropriate concern for the
individual 's spiritual and physical
welfare .. "
Episcopal church panel:
But the "help" available to the
homosexual person from God, the
supervisor, and the Lutheran
Church-Missour i Synod, is not
detailed in the guidelines. In its
final paragraph, the document
commends to both heterosexual and
homosexual sinners ''daily contrition,"
repentance and renewal.
Rev. Daniel Hooper is the Chair of
the Task Force on Theology of
Lutherans Concerned North America.
Let bishops ordain gay
and lesbian priests
An Episcopal Church panel said after
a three-year study that bishops
should be allowed to ordain openly
lesbian and gay priests . The
recommendation, issued by the
Standing Commission on Human
Affairs, will go to the Episcopal
General Convention in July . The
commission also recommended that
METHODISTS, From Page 1s
the next General Conference.
The Social Principles is a
compilation of the denomination's
positions on social, moral and public
policy issues . The homosexuality
paragraph appears in the "human
sexuality" portion of a larger .
statement on "The Nurturing
Community ."
The proposed new statem,ent says
"the present state of knowledge in
the relevant disciplines does not
provide a satisfactory basis upon
which the church can responsibly
maintain a specific prohibition of
homosexua l practice . . .
'1n doing so the church continues to
affirm that God's grace is bestowed
on all, and that the members of
Christ's body are calied to be in
ministry for and with one another,
and to the world."
The church is seeking "further
understanding through continued
prayer, study and pastoral
experience," the statement says.
The recommended changes, plus
information for churchwide study,
must be completed in time to present
to the GCOM members when they
meet Dec. 2-6 in Chicago.
When the proposed change in the
Social Principles was adopted during
the committee's meeting here, one of
the four persons voting against it
resigned and walked out. James W.
the church recognize gay and lesbian
unions. '
Bishop George Hunt of Rhod e
Island, chair of the panel, said the
proposal stands firmly within the
historic Episcopal tradition of
leaving ordination decisions to local
dioceses.
Holsinger, Jr., chief medical officer
for the Department of Veterans
Affairs in Washington, and a staunch
supporter of the church's current
position , told the committee he could
not remain a member and support the
committee's majority conclusion.
Holsinger has consistently
expressed dissatisfaction with the
study committee, particularly at
what he considered an imbalance of
members favoring a more liberal
stance on the issue.
Members for the original committee
were selected by the GCOM in 1988
from a list of nominees representing
fields such as sociology, theology,
psychiatry and biology. Other
members came from the GCOM
membership, Council of Bishops, and
three persons at large to guarantee
varying points of view'On the subject.
In response to complaints that no
openly gay man was included, the
committee later added William M .
Kent, a Jacksonville, Fla., attorney.
At the request of committee members
who voted during the meeting here
with the majority on the Social
Principles change, the four-member
minority prepared its own recommended
replacement, which may go
to GCOM as a companion statement.
It agrees with the majority
statement that the church has no
"common mind" about compatibility
SEE METHODISTS, Page 20
THE SECOND STONE
Travcl .
Savoring French Canada in Montreal
,. By Cynthia Marquard
and Danni Munson
Contributing Writers
Where can you take a European
vacation without either the cost or
. the jet lag? French Canada .
Visit Montreal in the French
Canadian Province of Quebec an<i you
can experience foreign money (bu' not
too foreign), try out your rusty French
(without risk because 60 percent of
the people speak English), and bask
in all the charm of French culture,
including French cuisine. And as an
added incentfve to gay and lesbian
vacationers, Montreal has one of the
greatest gay /lesbian areas of any city
and is very accepting of Gays.
Canada is only the second nation in
the world to have national
legislation legalizing homosexuality.
(The Netherlands was the first.)
Montreal's
Gay Village
Along St. Catherine Street, festively
lighted with glass globes (seven
per light pole), lies The Village,
Montreal's main gay area. ~,ost, but
not all of the city's gay restaurants
and bars are located here . In The
Village, it's common to see gay men or
Lesbians holding hands and walking
unse l fconsciously down St. Catherine
St., past the bookstores and shops.
Dining for Days
Montreal claims to have the
highest number of restaurants per
capita of any city in North America .
That's easy to believe, because
restaurants are everywhere. They
range from intimate French restaurants
to carry-out croissant places;
from pizza parlors to fresh pasta
ristorantes; from elegant dining rooms
to simple store fronts; and, of course,
Montreal also has the usual fast- food
chains . Another nice touch about
Montreal restaurants is that all
menus and prices must . be posted
outside so you know exactly what you
are getting into before you go in .
A number of the best small
restaurants are almost exclusively
gay or very gay friendly. We enjoyed
·an excellent French dinner at Chablis
on St. Hubert St. for a very reasonable
price. The specials of the day,
including soup, salad, and dessert, ran
about $14.95 in Canadian dollars.
You can linger over a cheese or beef
fondue at .Restaurant le Script at
Wolfe and Rene Levesque streets.
Many small bring-your-own-wine
restaurants are located on Duluth St.
in the lesbian area . And there is no
corkage fee. Apres de Jour, a moderately
priced and . exclusively gay
restaurant, is also in this area.
Needless to say, there are many fine
straight restaurants, most located in
a section called Old Montreal. For an
outstanding Sunday bmnch, there is
Les Pille du Roi (Daughters of the
King) at 415 Bonsecours St. The food
is magnificent, as is the setting--a
stone house dating from the early
1700s originally built by a wealthy
merchant. What once was the rear
courtyard has been enclosed with
glass and now serves as the bar and
waiting area. There are several
large and small dining rooms inside,
each visited in ·turn by FrenchCanadian
folk musicians and singers
for the patrons' entertainment.
Where to Stay
The selection of accommodations for
Gays and Lesbians is no less va:ied
than the d·ining and night life. For
women, there are three guesthouses .
Lindsey's, a cozy, homey two-story
place with three guestrooms, is
loca\ed in the heart of Montreal's
lesbian area. The largest guestroom. is
in the basement and is more like a
suite with private bath. The two
guestrooms on the second floor share a
bath richly decorated with tile,
wood, and plants and dominated by a
wood-and-glass enclosed bathing
area that can best be described as a
four-poster tub.
Also near the lesbian area is the
Montreal Women's B & B, with three
guest rooms. On the far outskirts of
town is La Douillette, with eight
guestrooirr
Two guesthotises cater to both gay
men and lesbians. La Concier;;erie,
convenient to The Village, is a
Victorian building with 17 guestrooms
(9 with private bath)
attractively decorated in cool grays
and pastels and furnished with
platform beds. The public rooms
have beautiful, intricate moldings. A
roof garden affords a stunning view of.
Montreal.
La Chambier, on the edge of The
Village, is somewhat plainer and
less costly than the others . It has
eight clean and simple rooms, two
. with private bath, and a homey,
vintage 1950s kitchen.
Montreal also has some gay friendly
hotels and guesthouses that represent
outstanding value . In the heart of
The Village is Le Saint-Andre Hotel,
recently redecorated and within
wafking distance of many men's bars
and Bilitis II. Another small, gay- ·
friendly hotel is the Pierre, but
furnishings and plumbing here could
use some updating.
On the other side of town is a jewel
of a guesthouse, Auberve de la
Fontaine , overlooking the city's large
La Fontaine Park . Like a small
European hotel, it has 13 rooms, all
with private bath and all tastefully
decorated with a sort of theme: a
broad horizontal stripe on each wall
with water-color pastels of little
houses or flowers . Breakfast is
served in a sunny room overlooking
the park or on a small outdoor deck.
There are ground-floor rooms
specially outfitted for handicapped
visitors and a second floor suite with
a large private dec.k fronting on the
park.
Sightseeing
A city tour is the.best way to get the
lay of the · land, and in Montreal
there is a gay tour operator-Le Tour
du Village. The owner, Danny Beck,
can meet visitors at the plane, show
them where the gay or lesbian areas
are located, and also provide a tour of
the city.
Montreal is especially noted for its
Gothic churches. One of the most
notable is Notre Dame, a large
basilica with magnificent wood
carvings, paintings, and stained
glass. ·The high altar is surrounded
by statuary and carved spires and
pinn .acles that soar like those of a
medieval castle. The church's 6,800-
pipe organ is the larges\ in North
America and frequently used for
concerts. The most imposing church is
St. Joseph 's Oratory, a domed stone
structure on the side of Mount Royal.
Visitors could easily spend a day in
the are,i around the Olympic
Stadium, built for the 1976 Summer
Olympics . In this area is a Botanical
Garden, amusement nark, and a
planned insectarium 'and science
museum.
There is also plenty of opportunity
for outdoor activities--and in all
seasons . There are 50 miles of bike
trails in and around · the city . In
winter, these become cross-country ski
trails. Downhill skiing is nearby in
the Laurentian Mountains .
A ,Side Trip
to Quebec City
It's easy to take a trip to Quebec, a
·May /June , 1991
□
three and a half hour ride by car or on
a modem comfortable bus. The
superhighway passes through flat
pastoral countryside with, here and
there, islands of birch, poplar, and
evergreen trees. But as soon as you
cross the St. Lawrence River, the
landscape changes dramatically,
becoming rocky and hilly as you near
the fC'1thills of the Laurentians.
Quebec is divided into two sectionsthe
upper and lower town. The upper
town is tl>e most pict.uresque. It
consists mainly of the old walled
city. The streets are narrow, lined
with very old French -style buildings
some with facades painted in
brilliant green, red, or blue.
Between Montreal and Quebec, one
can have the closest thing approaching
a European vacation that the
North American continent has to
offer.
Cynthia A . Marquard is the
owner/manager of Envoy Travel, Inc.,
in Chicago and vice-president of the
International Gay Travel Assn.
Danni Munson is the editor and
publisher of The Lesbian and Gay
Almanac and Events of 1991.
P. 0 . Box 118 SL
Bethlehem; NH 03574
(603) 869-3978
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South Padre Island, Texas 78597
(S12)761-L YLE
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HEY DUDE! Are you athletic, 110-175 pounds,
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METHODISTS, From Page 1s
of homosexuality with Christian
teaching, but maintains the present
statement condemning the practice.
Insufficient scholarly evidence is
not a basis for changing the policy,
the minority report says.
The Rev. J. Philip Wogaman, ethics
profe&sor at Wesley Theological
Seminary, Washington, lead writer
for the majority proposal, told the
committee the proposed change is
meant as a compromise and is
unlikely to please those on either
side of the issue.
"For further movement in the church
on this issue we need to give and take
on both sides," he said.
Bishop Richard Looney, Macon, Ga.,
the committee's newest member, who
supported the minority report,
criticized compromise on an issue he
described as "divisive" and "clearly
defined."
The committee received a working
paper on the historic position of
Scripture and tradition, prepared and
presented by the Rev . David A.
Seamands, a faculty member at
Asbury Theological Seminary,
Wilmore, Kentucky.
know more then SE!nd your photo, letter and a
phone number ii possible to G. Lance Rine, 508
South Ninth, Independence, KS 67301. All
serious letters answered. 6/91.
ARE YOU A GAY CHRISTIAN with a social
conscience? Are you out or is your closet door
wide-open? Then you probably have even more
in common with this passionate, well-educated,
advenl\rous, and handsome man. I know you'd
need a photo but I'm 35, 5'10', weigh 160, have
blond hair and green eyes. And you? Have you,
too, been !)oping and praying for a soulmate?
WeU, ask God if the fella' that wrote this could
He maintains that, based on "cle<1r
<1nd heterosexual" references
throughout the · Bible, Scripture
clearly condemns homosexuality .
New and Old Testament passages set
the sexual standards for ancient times
and for today, with ''.no question
about what acceptable moral
standards were in Jesus' day,"
Seamands said. ·
Committee member Kent questioned
application of those sexual standards
in modem times: ·
Seamands' paper parallels one
written earlier for the committee by
the Rev. Victor P . Furnish, New
Testament professor at Perkins School
of Theology at Southern Methodist
University in Dallas. Furnish stated
that "biblical interpreters have come
to different conclusions" about
scriptural passages related to
homosexuality.
Consistent with the current Social
Principles, the committee is expected
to recommend that churches be
communities of support and
accountablity for gay and lesbian
persons and advocates for their civil
rights .
In addition to recommended changes
in the Book of Discipline, the
□
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committee plans to recommend a
churchwide study with materials
that reflect consensus and differences
on homosexuality from the
standpoints of science, ethics,
theology and Scripture. ·
During the meeting here, Yamasaki
announced the resignations of two
committee members: the Rev. Stanley
Hauerwas, Durham, N.C., because of
professional commitments, and the
Rev. James C. Logan, Washington,
because of illness.
The next meeting of the committee is
scheduled for August .22-23. The
location has not been set.
Get To S.F. Gay
Pride Celebration
For Less
Orion Travel Consultants, a full
service, lesbian/ gay owned and
operated travel agency in San
Francisco has announced discounted
air fares (for travel from June 22 to
July 7) and accommodations for the
annual Lesbian/Gay Pride
Celebration. Call 1-800-552-3326 for
information.
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