Second Stone #40 - May/June 1995

Second Stone #40 - May/June 1995

40

1995

May/June 1995

THE NATIONAL NEWSPAPER FOR GAY/LESBIAN/BISEXUAL CHRISTIANS 2.95
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"Priest"
HOOPLA! MOVIE ABOUT
A GAY CATHOLIC PRIEST
OPENS WITH HYPE. PROTEST
AND PRAISE
The Oklahoma
City bombing
JLTIMATE ACT OF
VIOLE, CE IS A WAKE
UP CA TO HATE N
AMERICA
.Stephen Braddock
A DECADE AGO, HE WAS
ON THE FAST TRACK IN
NEW YORK. NOW HE RUNS
AN AIDS MINISTRY FOR THE
ORDER OF ST. CAMILLUS
The little people
A CRACK BABY AND A TODDLER
WITH AIDS J3RING
RESURRECTION AND NEW
EANI G TO LIVES
THEY TOUCH
Feeling a little
disconnected?
OUR NATIONAL CALENDAR
IS JAMMED WITH NEW
FRIENDS YOU CAN MAKE
THIS SUMMER
TIME DATED MATERIAL
DONOTDELAY
NEW ORLEANS, LA
PERMIT No. 511 I pftqatt 11ianar;sr411, «t'sij.~i•n:e®:ij~~~a;m*I
w Calendar w . . . . . . . . .
Retreat for HIV-positive religious and clergy
MAY 8-12, The Marianist Center in Cupertino, California, is the setting for a five
day retreat for religious and clergy who are HIV-positive. For information contact
John McGrann, Kairos Support for Caregivers, 114 Douglass, San Francis.co,
CA 94114, (415)861-0877:
Peace and Justice for All Festival
MAY 12-14, Rrst Congregational United Church of Christ sponsors this
gathering, themed "An Agenda for New Century Christians" Rev. Mel White is
featured speaker. Musician Ken Medema will perform. All events will take
place at the church, 464 East Walnut Street, Pasadena, Calif. For information on
the festival, call (818)795-0696.
Spiritfest '95
MAY 26-29, DeGray Lake Resort and State Park in Arkansas is the setting for
this annual spirit-filled gathering. For information contact Linda Harris, 5029
Lemmon Ave., Dallas, TX 75209, (214)528-2811.
Religious Life Weekend
JUNE 1·4, The Mercy of God Community sponsors its fourth annual. Religious
Lile Weekend for those considerin~ religious life. The LaSalette Center for
Christian Living, Attleboro, Mass., 1s the setting'. For information contact the
Mercy of God Community, P.O. Box 41055, Providence, RI 02940-1055:
Gay, Lesbian & Christian: Celebrating Our Challenges
JUNE 8·11, This retreat features John McNeil!, Virginia Mollenkott , Lisa
Anderson and Chris Glaser . For inlomation contact Kirkridge, R.R. 3, Box
3402, Bangor, PA 18013. Cost is $295. ·.
Retreat for Catholic parents of gay and lesbian children
JUNE 9-11, The Catholic Parents Network sponsors "Turning the Key," a
weekend of story-telling, presentations, film, discussions, communal prayer,
quiet time, worship and socializing. Facilitators are Mary Ellen Lopata, the
Catholic mother of a gay son who came out ,in 1983 when he was 19, and
Robert Nugent, SDS, a Catholic priest who has written extensively on homosexuality
. For information contact Fr. Robert Nugent, 637 Dover St., Baltimore ,
MD 21230, (301)927-8766.
Spirituality Retreat for People Living With HIV/AIDS.
JUNE 16-17, St. Camillus AIDS Ministry presents "Embracing the Mystery:
HIV/AIDS and the Spiritual Lile." This retreat experience has been designed
to help participants re-frame their often negative experiences of living with
HIV disease. Guided meditation, reframing of emotional resistance, group
sharing, trance journeying, body work, music and ritual are woven into holistic
exploration of tools for healing which participants can integrate into· their daily
lives. There is no fee, but enrollment is limited. For information about location
and registration contact Bro. Stephen Braddock, (414)481-3696.
Golden Threads 9th celebration
JUNE 23·25, Lesbian women from all over the United States and from many
foreign countries will meet at the_ Provincetown Inn in Provincetown, Mass. ,
Golden Threads is a worldwide social network of lesbian women over 50 and
their friends . For information contact Christine Burton, Golden Threads, P.O.
Box 60475, Northampton, MA 01060-0475.
American Baptists Concerned National Retreat
JUNE 24-27, The annual retreat of ABC will be held at Thornfield Retreat
Center in Syracuse, New York. Cost is $175. For·information contact ABC, 872
Erie St., Oakland, CA 94610-2268, (510)465-8652.
· Womaen's Caucus & BMC Celebration
JUNE 25-26, The Church of the Brethren Womaen's Caucus and the
Brethren/Mennonite Council for Lesbian and Gay Concerns sponsors "Dancing
at the Wall: Re-Imagining the Church." The event will be held at St. Peter's
Episcopal Church in Charlotte, N.G. · It precedes the Church of the Brethren
Annual Conference . For information ·contact BMC, Box 6300, Minneapolis,
MN 55406-0300, (612)870-1501, mennojim@aol.com.
15th National Gathering of the UCCUGC
JUNE 26-29, The United Church Coalition for Lesbian/Gay Concerns meets in
Berkeley on the campus of the University of California. "Hurtling Toward The
Millenium: Political Upheaval, Gay Power, and Our Dreams for the Church" is
the theme. The meeting precedes the United Church of Christ General .
Synod . For information call (614)593-7301 or write to UCCL/GC, 18 N.
College St., Athens, OH 45701.
SEE CALENDAR, Page 17
SECOND STONE . -
THE NATIONAL E C UMENICAL CHRISTIAN
NEWSJOURNAL FOR LESBIANS, GAYS AND BISEXUALS
Contents ........ ... ~ ....... •· ~ ... • ·•· .
[I] Calendar
Opportunities for connectedness
across the country
[]}•ws
.r---;;::7
-~-. Oklahoma City bombing
I
I motivated by hate · I A wake-up call for a country
···-- too tolerant of hate crimes ·
St. · Camillus AIDS Ministry ·
Bro. Stephen Braddock finds a: call
at the end of the last lane
[j_] Gay priest with AIDS
Fr. Jimmy Tabler just won't slow down;
. founds new Ecumenical Catholic Church
112 : The Little People . ·. I Superkids make go.od teachers
113 j Videos ·
l . ~ To Tell The Truth Television:
, . . · Cathedral of Hope MCC . L _ · offers videos for cable access television
In Print ·
Reviewed in this issue : Pastor, I Am Gay;
· A gay journey by a straight pastor
[I 6-\ _ Noteworthy
!-18 I Commentary . . l - Mainstream media overlooked
· · Mel White's mission
11· 9· -~ From the editor
· _ · Oklahoma City bombing brings
. scrutiny to those who hate [20] Classifieds
MAY/JUNE l 9 9 5
:m
v News . ............................................. •· ......................... .
Lutheran bishops confront same-sex union debate
LUTHERAN BISHOPS IN Denmark
and Sweden have taken actions that
chip away at their traditional opposi.
tion to same-sex unions. Denmark "s
bishops set up a committee to deal
with, am,mg other things, issues
related to gay and lesbian partnerships.
In Sweden, same-sex couples
may ask for a prayer of intercession
for their partnership. Denmark was
the first country worldwide to legalize
gay unions, while Sweden is the
latest to do so.
The bishops of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in Denmark have
decided to deal with issues concerning
the blessing of same-sex relationships.
In addition to set.ting .up a
committee to address issues concem.
ing the family and society, including
gay and lesbian partnerships, bishops
· have been asked "to come forward
with a referendum" later this year .
Gays and Lesbians may still neither
marry nor have their partnership
blessed in church. The bishop of
Copenhagen recently reprimanded a
pastor in his diocese who gave a
church blessing to a lesbian couple
following the civil registration of their
partnership. "It is not acceptable that
pastors take the law into their own
hands," Bishop Erik Norman
Svendsen told the Danish churEh
newspaper Kristeligt Dagblad. And a
group of 25 pastors in the Danish
church have given notice that they
will protest any moves toward permitting
the blessing of gay partnerships
in church.
In neighboring Sweden, gay
couples may ask for a prayer of intercession
following the civil registration
of their partnership . The Church of
Sweden bishops' conference sent a
proposal for a prayer text to parish
pastors in every ·diocese. One of the
arguments in support of the proposal
was that each sexual relationship
should be based on fidelity and
responsibility. While intercessory
prayer for a gay couple should be
considered an unofficial act and pastoral
in nature, it may be performed
in church at the pastor's discretion.
The Swedish bishops' move came in
the wake of a new law that gives gay
couples the same legal and social
Danes elect their first woman bishop
THE EV ANGELICAL LUTHERAN
Church in Denmark has elected its
first woman bishop. Parish pastor
Lise-Lotte Rebel was installed as· the
new bishop of the Helsingoer diocese
on April 2.
In a January 25 interview with the
Danish newspaper Kristelight Dagblad,
Rebel cited her 15 years of service as
a·parish pastor in the diocese .as. the
main reason for her election. "People
QUOTABLE
Go Ahead, Make My Values.
"Homosexuals should not
be portrayed at all on
television. If young men
need to identify with
someone, they should
identify with
Clint Eastwood."
-Lou Sheldon of the ·
Traditional Values Coalition,
Los Angeles Times, Nov. 3, 1994
S :E: C O N :D S T O N E
who voted for me knew that I had
this experience, but a certain 'local
pride' probably also played a role."
Rebel said that she does not think
the fact that she is a woman was
decisive in the election. Neither does
she expect her gender to cause her
problems as a bishop. "I have served
in a number of ordinations in
Helsingoer Cathedral and have never
had it happen to me that a colleague
would not give me his hand." (Male
ordinands have been known to refuse
to shake hands with female pastors at
their ordination.)
Rebel, 44, has served as a pastor in
. the cathedral parish of Helsingoer
since 1987. She will be the fourth
woman worldwide to s·erve as a
Lutheran bishop, following Maria
Jepson in Hamburg, Germany; April
Ulring. Larson in the La Crosse Area
Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America; and Rosemarie
Koehn in Hamar, Norway.
Rebel may soon be joined by a
second woman bishop in the Danish
church - three women are aμiong the
candidates for bishop of the Fyn
diocese. That election is due to take
place later this year.
- Lutheran World Information -
rights as married heterosexual couples,
making Sweden the third
country to legalize same-sex unions.
The new law, which came into force
on New Year's Day, does not allow
Gays and Lesbians to marry in
church, nor to adopt . or foster children,
and Lesbians will not be able
to have articifial insemination. The
Church of Sweden strongly condemned
the law, which was put
forward by liberal and leftist parties .
Swedish archbishop Gunnar Weman
advised pastors not to take part in
civil registration ceremonies.
- Lutheran World Information
Retired Anglican bishop says he's gay
THE RT REVD DEREK Rawcliffe, the current affairs program .
former ·Anglican Bishop of Glasgow Bishop Rawdiffe 's statement came
and Galloway in England told a BBC after Cardinal Basil Hume, the leader
television program that he was of Roman Catholics in England and
homosexual and called for a church Wales, condemned •homophobia and
blessing for gay couples. discrimination against homosexuals
Bishop Rawcliffe, who served in but restated his support for a Vatican
Glasgow and Galloway from .1981 to statement which described homosexu-
1991 and is now retired, is believed to · al genital acts as "objectively disorbe
the highest ranking Anglican cler- . dered" and "morally wrong".
ic in Britain to state publicly that he is Bishop Rawcliffe said that he was
gay• only able to accept his homosexuality
"I think that it is both false and after he had turned the age of 50,
cruel to say we are gay but are not during his time in the Pacific, where
allowed to exercise that. If God were he spent 30 years. Towards the end of
really saying · that, that would be his time in the Pacific he got married
cruel. We don't say to heterosexual and thought he was no longer gay.
people that God has ... given you this But he said that he realised after his
sexuality but you are not to use it," wife died, and about the time when
Bishop Rawcliffe told the Newsnight he retired, that he was still gay. -ENI
Recent finding by top biblical scholars
offer a radical new view on
the Bible and homosexuality.
What13ible -the
Really Says
About
Homosexuality
. I• 1-\e\~iniak, f'h.D·
oan1e "·
Daniel A. Helminiak, Ph.D.,
respected theologian and
Roman Catholic priest,
explains in a clear fashion
fascinating new insights.
" ... will help any reasonably open and
attentive reader see that the Bible says
something quite different on this subject
from what is often claimed."
-L. William Countryman,
Author of Dirt, Greed and Sex
": .. the most thoughtful, lucid and accessible
summary I know of current biblica
l scholarship relating to homosexual
issues ... eminently useful..."
-James B. Nelson,
Author and Theology Professor
Order now from Second Stone Press
Quan.
□
WHAT THE BIBLE REA LL V SAVS
ABOUT HOMOSEXUALITY
By Daniel A. Helminiak, $9.95, paperbk
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SECOND STONE •
News
••e• • • cs•o •a•••••••• o cs o o o ee ee11 ooo cci Q
Gay couple -fasts to protest
blocked union blessing
TWO MEN, WHOSE plan for a service
to bless their union -was blocked,
conducted a 10-day fast in a chapel of
St. Mark's Cathedral in Seattle to protest
what they called the Episcopal
Churd1's injustice to homosexuals.
The fast, which concluded March 8,
coincided with the House of Bishops
meeting at Kanuga Conference Center
near Hendersonville, North Carolina.
Bishop Vincent Warner of the Diocese
of Olympia forbade the December
service that would have blessed
the union of James A. Black, MD, and
Thomas W. Monnahan, both members
of the cathedral congregation.
While citing his own support for their
cause, Bishop Warner said that he
could not permit the service until the
church as a whole arrives at a consensus
on the issue.
He said that the two undertook the
fast "with no expectations," recognizing
that the bishops' meeting was not
a legislative session that could change
church policy. He added that they
still hoped that the bishops would
find a way to grant each other "some
wiggle room" in which congregations
supportive of same-sex unions could
choose to bless them.
They also hoped that the highly
publicized event would raise con°
sciousness about the · place of homosexuals
in the churcl1, he said.
In an open letter to the bishops,
Monnahan and Black explained the
motivation of their fast, saying, "We
pray that our two voices speaking
with one heart, from -amidst those
millions of us outside the walls of our
church, may appeal to the hearts and
conscience of the . mighty within -the
episcopate of .the church. As the
members of the House of Bishops
break . bread together may they
remember, through our small offering
of ourselves, all of i:mr sisters and
,brothers who yearn to come the table
and join with ·them in the, feast · of
Christ." ,
A 1990 survey ' by Integrity, a
gay/ lesbian Episcopal group, found
gay/ lesbian comrriitmerit ceremonies
were conducted in all 100 Episcopal
dioceses in the United States. In some
dioceses the bishop participated in the
ceremonies, while in other dioceses
the ceremonies were conducted in
secret. - Seattle Gay News &
EpiscapaNl ews Service
Reconciling Congregations speak out
on lesbian coach's firing
EARLY REPORTS OF the firing of
coach Diana Chalfant by a United
Methodist college ·included a statement
by its president that homosexuality
was unacceptable. Chalfant
had publicly challenged her firing by
Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia,
Kentucky in December. She was fired
because she is a lesbian.
After weeks of protests by Lindsey
Wilson students, negative publicity in
an area newspaper and a flurry of
letters from Reconciling Congregations
and pastors around the country,
the president publicly denied that
Chalfant was fired for being a
lesbian. However, an area United
Methodist pastor and school trustee
was reported by local press to have
said "practicing hoR1osexuals may not
hold leadership positions in the
church, and Chalfant's coaching position
was considered a leadership position."
The Reconciling Congregations
Program said that once again United
Methodists have communicated a
message of inhospitality to lesbian,
gay and bisexual persons, a message
they say hinde.rs the ministry-of RCs
and other welcoming congregations.
Staff ~embers of the Reconciling
Congregation Program connected
Chalfant with Edgehill United Methodist
Church -in Nashville. which has
provided a supportive community for
her. - RCP News
Episcopalians support monogamous Gays
THE EPISCOPAL DIOCESE of Washington,
D.C., at its annual convention•
in February, adopted a controversial
statement on homosexuality in
defiance of the church's official stance.
Delegates voted 134-32 to adopt the
Koinonia Statement, which says that
sexual orientation is "morally neutral"
and calls for the church to affirm
monogamous same-sex relationships.
The statement, introduced at the
church's national convention in
August by pro-gay Newark Bishop
John Spong, has been signed by
about 70 bishops, but the D;C: ·
diocese is the first to adopt it at its
convention. .
The statement reads, in part, 'Those
who know themselves ·to be -gay or
lesbian persons, and who iio · not
choose to live alone, J,ut forge
relationships with partners of !_heir:
choice that are faithful, momogamous,
committed, life-giving and holy are to
be honored."- Chicago Outlines
MAY/JUNE 199 5
News ........................................................................
Woman says Catholic school fired her because she's lesbian
LOS ANGELES (AP) -A woman who
claims she was fired from her teaching
job at a Roman Catholic high
school because she is a lesbian says
she feels betrayed by the church.
'The reason I'm coming forward is
that they need to be held accountable
and I am hoping that this will not
happen to anyone else," said Susan
Ford, who was fired from St. Joseph
High School in Santa Maria. "For me,
this is getting the church to deal with
the homophobia." ·
Ford was fired in March 1994 for
undisclosed incompetence. She claims
she lost her job days after she revealed
her sexual orientation, and
filed a Superior Court lawsuit.
"I think at this point, because of the
publicity around this and because I
wasn't (openly gay) before, I can't see
that I would really go back to my old
job," Ford said in a telephone interview.
"It's been very, very, traumatic for
me, not just professionally but personally
and spiritually," she said. " I
feel very betrayed by the Catholic
Church."
The lawsuit, filed in March, accused
St. Joseph High School of violating
public policy, invasion of privacy and
wrongful termination.
The suit also said Ford missed work
due to depression and anxiety over
the firing . She seeks lost wages and
benefits, compensation for mental and
emotional distress, punitive damages
and attorney's fees.
Officials for the school al).d the
Roman Catholic Church have declined
to comment on the suit.
" ·When we have a case in court, we
respond in court;" said church spokesman
Father Gregory Coiro .
Ford, who is represented by Mary
Ann Tardiff of Santa Barbara, now
teaches at a public middle school in
the Los Angeles area. Her lawsuit has
won support from organizations including
. Dignity-USA, a national
organization of gay, lesbian, bisexual
and transgendered Roman Catholics.
"What is hidden behind the
spurious charge of incompetence is
the underlying issue of sexuality," the
Lompoc Valley chapter of the
National Organization for Women
said in a statement Tuesday . " Homosexuality
is in itself insufficient reason
to dismiss a valuable person from
their job."
Church appeals right to intervene in same-sex marriage suit
HONOLULU (AP) - The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has
appealed a state court ruling that denied
it the right to. intervene in a
same-sex marriage case.
Church leaders in Hawaii are
seeking to intervene in the case in
which three homosexual couples have
sued the state for denying them marriage
licenses. . · ·
" We are urging the court to support
Hawaii's families and not undermine
them by radically redefining the
institution of marriage," said Don
Hallstrom, the church's legal repre- to trial Sept. 25. same-sex marriages should not be
sentative for Hawaii. State Judge Herbert Shimabukuro legal in Hawaii.
The Hawaii church has the full denied that petition March 30. Dan Foley, attorney for the couples,
support 'of Mormon leaders in Salt said the Mormon church's motion to
Lake City, he said. A The case against the state was filed intervene was filed too· late and has
church news release in Salt Lake City in 1991 and appealed to the state no legal standing.
said so, too. Supreme Court in 1993. The Mormon Church has 70,000
The justices sent the case back to members in Hawaii.
In its original petition filed in
February, the church said it could
offer Attorney General Margery
Bronster extra legal manpower, expert
witness and research results as
she prepares for the case, which goes
state court, saying the state must
show a compelling interest why
Church of England's first lesbian priest out
CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE:
Helping Christians
LONDON - The Church of England,
mired in controversy over homosexuality
among its clergy, now has its
first acknowledged lesbian priest. The
Sunday Times newspaper said the
Reverend Ros Hunt, from the university
town of Cambridge, had decided
to reveal publicly that she is a
lesbian. "(Her) move will be seen as
a further challenge to the Church of
England's bar on vicars practicing or
being openly homosexuaJ,"·the paper
said .
Traditionalists in the Anglican
church are still coming to terms with
its divisive decision to ordain the first
women priests in its history last year,
and are likely to be uncomfortable
with the idea of lesbian priests, . a
church spokeswoman said .
Some leading clergy have called for
the Church of England, which allows
priests to marry , to reexamine its attitude
to homosexuality inside and outside
the church. ·
Bishop David Hope, the church's
third most senior figure, said recently
he was celibate but his own sexuality
was ambiguous and a grey area after
a gay activist group had threatened to
"out" him as a homosexual.
A national debate on the church
and homosexuality has intensified
since March when a 74-year-old retired
Anglican bishop revealed he
was gay.
Cardinal Basil Hume, the lead er of
Britain's Roman Catholics, has condemned
discrimination against homosexuals
while sticking to the Vatican
line that gay sex .is immoral. -Reuter
Recognize same-sex unions,
says Norway church committee
THE HOMOSEXUALITY WORK
group of the Lutheran Church in
Norway issued a paper February 15
urging that the church recognize
same-sex partnerships and perform
gay and lesbian union . ceremonies,
reported the Oslo newspaper Aftenposten.
The work group rejected allowing
Gays and Lesbians to adopt childr en
$ECO . ND STONE
or access artificial insemination because,
they said , children should be
raised in as "normal" an environment
as possible.
Norway is one of three countries
that offer an equivalent to matrimony
for Gays and Lesbians. ·i :.e gay
marriage law it self does not allow for
adoption or a rtificial .insemination .
- Baltimore Alternative -
Edited by
Sallv B. Geb &
Debate Homosexuality
Few other issues divide the
Christian community more
sharply than homosexuality.
In this new volume, writers
with divergent ppints of view
deal with questions at the
center of the debate between
pro-gay and anti-gay believers.
l )onafcl E. Messer
Edited by Sally 8. Geis, director, lliff
Institute, Lay and Clergy Education, The
lliff School of Theology, Denver, and
Donald E. Messer, president, The Iliff
School of Theology.
Order now from Second Stone Press
Quan.
□ CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE
By Geis/Messer, $12.95, paperbk ___ _
Postage/Handling $3 first book, $1 each additional ____ _
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ORDER FROM: SECOND STONE PRESS, P.O. BOX 8340, NEW ORLEANS, LA 70182
MAY/JUNE 1 9 9 5
w News w ........................................................ . ........... .
Church of England struggles with sexuality issues
AT A PRIVATE, week-long meeting
on the grounds of Windsor Castle outside
of London, the primates of. the
Anglican Communion wrestled with
issues of leadership, evangelism, human
r ights and sexuality--and discussed
plans for the 1998 Lambeth ·
Conference of bishops .
"Our being together has
strengthened our vision in Christ and
renewed our desire to improve our
structures, leadership and communication,"
the leaders said in a pastoral
letter released March 16.
The pastoral letter said that the
primates were "conscious that within
the church itself there are those whose
pat.tern of sexual expression is at variance
with the received Christian
moral tradition but whose lives in
other respects demonstrate the marks
of genuine Christian character."
While acknowledging that the issues
are "deep and complex," the primates
urged careful reflection on sexuality
issues "in the light of the Scriptures
and the Christian moral tradition,"
but with "honesty and integrity,
avoiding unnecessary confrontation
and polarization, in a spirit of faithful
seeking to understand more clearly
the will of God for our lives as Christians."
During the .meeting, an
organization called Outrage! attempted
. to pressure the bishop of London,
David Hope, into admitting that he is
a homosexual. In the face of the
implied threats, the bishop called a
news conference and said he had
"from the beginnin~ chosen to lead a
single, celibate life' and that he .was
"not a sexually active person," although
confessing some "ambiguity"
about his sexual orientation .
The primates issued a letter of
support, expressing their "solidarity
in deploring this reprehensible intrusion
into your private life. We assure
you as a body that we stand against
this kind of provocation."
"We reject homophobia in any
form," Carey said at a closing press
conference. "Homosexuals must be
treated as people made in the image
and likeness of God," he said, adding
that sexuality issues must take into
account human experience as well as
biblical teaching.
Archbishop Keith Rayner of
Australia said that the church is "finding
there are people whose lives
show all the marks of Christian character
and yet in some way are not .
conforming" to the traditional understanding
of Christian sexuality. He
said that scientific study and human
experience had to be taken into
account, "just as the church has had to
modify its views on marriage and
divorce in the light of human experience."
Presiding Bishop Edmond
Browning added, "Before we can
wrestle with the issue of practicing
homosexuals, we have to wrestle with
the issue of same-sex unions." By
addressing the possibility that two
people could live in a life-long committed
relationship, "that would say
something about how we saw that
lifestyle and about the holiness of that
lifestyle."
Browning said in an interview
that there was "a great sense of
anger" among the primates over the
treatment of the bishop of London.
But he added that he was impressed
with the quality and depth of discussions
around sexuality issues,"
including issues that have made some
primates uncomfortable at previous
meetings . "For too long we have
either dodged the issues or been
unwilling to face up to them," he
said.
-James Solheim, Episcopal News Service
Bishop targeted for outing appointed Archbishop of York
A CHURCH OF ENGLAND bishop
recently targeted by a homosexual
"outing" campaign has been appointed
as archbishop of York, the
church's second-highest post.
A leader of the traditionalist
Anglo-Catholic wing of the church,
Hope was a prominent opponent of
the ordination of women, which began
last year . He has permitted them
to be ordained in his diocese but has
declined to participate personally .
At York, Hope will succeed the
Most Rev. John Habgood, who retires
Aug. 31. Prime Minister John Major
chose Hope from two candidates nominated
by the church.
Hope told a news conference
Tuesday that he had received hun- .
dreds of letters of support after he
spoke out about his sexuality last
month .
"Many of them were from
homosexual people themselves and
one or two were extremely moving
letters," he said .
He said he hoped to promote discussion
of the issue within the church.
" At the present time I am just a
little concerned that the debate is
causing rather more heat than light,"
he said.
"I think it's immensely important
that we remain in touch and keep
linked with, as I have attempted to
do, a whole range of groups."
Christina Rees, spokeswoman for
the Ministry of Women, a group
which lobbied for women priests, said
it would have been more encouraging
to see an ally appointed archbishop.
"But David Hope is a man of ·
integrity and I believe he is bigger
SECOND STONE
than his own points of view," she
said.
Hope was ordained in 1966,
appointed bishop of Wakefield in
1985 and then bishop of London in
1991.
Bishop Hope's family came from
Yorkshire where his father ran a
small building firm and, as a young
boy David Hope won a scholarship as
a chorister at Wakefield Cathedral.
Speaking of the relationship
between York and the Archbishop of
Canterbury, Bishop David said that
he had already worked very closely
with Archbishop Carey. 'My own
background and tradition is of course
somewhat different from his and for
example in the matter of the ordina tion
of women, I have taken and
continue to take a different view.
This simply reflects however a wider,
reality within the Church of England.
There are many more fundamental
matters on which we entirely agree.
One is the perception that there is a
spiritual hunger and thirst for faith in
our nation. I share with Archbishop
Carey his vision for encouraging the
Church of England in spiritual
growth in its witness and mission' .
The Archbishop of Canterbury warmly
welcomed the appointment by H er
Majesty of Bishop David Hope and
said 'He is well-known for his scholarship
and spirituality and has proved
to be a shrewd and strong leader in
the Diocese of London where I know
he will be sadly missed.' The Archbishop
said 'We compliment each
other in churchmanship and in opinions
on a wider range of issues but
we are single-minded in our concern
for the Church of .England and its -
mission to the nation and through the
wider Anglican Communion to the
world.'
The Most Revd John Habgood,
Archbishop of York, said that he was
delighted to hear of the appointment
of Bishop David Hope as his successor.
Speaking of Bishop Hope he
said 'He combines a clear theological
mind with deep spirituality, firmness
of purpose and gentleness of touch.'
Bishop Hope said his appointment
was 'A signal to the Anglo-Catholics
that there is still a space in the C of E
for them.'
Responding to questions on
homosexuality, the Archbishop Designate
referred to homosexuals as
'human persons' and . that serious,
careful and reflective discussion need
to be taken on the House of Bishops'
Statement on Sexuality. He also
stated that 'Sexuality is not my main
concern' "and that he appreciated the
ministry of homosexual priests as·well
as heterosexual priests in the church.
Bishop Hope said that he had
fought against stereotyping throughout
his life: "After all the words that
have been written and spoken about
this issue in recent weeks and days I
personally felt it was right to inform
you of the way in which Outrage
have been pursuing this matter with
regard to myself. It has been brought
to my attention that many people,
both inside the church and out of it,
both within the gay community and
outside it - find this approach wholly
unacceptable . Indeed, many believe,
as I do myself, that it could do untold
damage to a better understanding of
homosexuality and homosexual people.
-AP, ENI, Episcopal News Service
OutRage! threatens to out more bishops
LONDON - A gay activist who has
become the scourge of the Church of
England by exposing Anglican clergy
he claims are secretly gay said in
March he had three more bishops in
his sights . The church's third-ranking
clergyman, Bishop of London Dr
Davie! Hope, has already stated his
sexuality was ambiguous and a grey
area, although he was celibate, but
complained that Peter Tatchell's gay
campaign group OutRage! had intimidated
him .
Tatchell's tactics, which he justifies
by saying he is rooting out hypocrisy,
have unleashed a national debate
about the ethics of what he does and
about the church's stance on sex. The
Church of England does not condemn
homosexuality like the Roman ,Catholic
Church but does not accept practicing
homosexuals as priests .
"This small success in getting the
Bishop of London to come out and
getting the church hierarchy to back
him is just a tiny move in a much
bigger game plan," Tatchell said on
television . "OutRage! is privately attempting
to persuade three other
Anglican bishops to come out of their
own free will," he later told Britain's
Press Association news agency. OutRage!
named 10 bishops last year,
alleging they were gay.
MAY/JUNE 199 5
li~l=IH ■il1~t,11=1;t,li=iit;ll1'1l=i
The Oklahoma City bombing:
Hate groups suspected from the first
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Experts
who track hate groups and paramilitary
organizations suspected from
the first that these might be linked to
the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah
Federal Building. Now these
authorities are repeating calls for a
crackdown.
"Americans are dying, and it's time
to seriously investigate these movements,"
said Rick Eaton, a researcher
The origin of hate:
at the Simon Wiesenthal Center in
Los Angeles.
Another monitoring group, the
Southern Poverty Law Center, urged
Attorney General Janet Reno in a
letter last October -to investigate unauthorized
"militias," contending
some of these paramilitary organizations
were mixing with white
supremacists in a "recipe for disaster."
The organizations monitored by the
Southern Poverty Law Center's
Klanwatch network vary widely in
philosophy - from Ku Klux Klan-style
white supremacy to simply advocating
staunchly the right to bear
arms and be free of government
interference.
"We don't believe in violent means
or violent acts," said Samuel
Sherwood, director of the U.S. Militia
Association, based in Blackfoot, Idaho,
with chapters in 10 states. He
denounced more militant groups as
"gangs of.guys with guns."
A neo-Nazi group, the American
National Socialist Workers' Party,
denied that it knew about or participated
in the Oklahoma bombing and
urged any members with information
to help investigators. The group's
official statement added it believed
"members of the Movement" were
involved.
Supremacists use declining economies to anger the uneducated
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) - To
many, the hundreds of decaying factories
around Pennsylvania . indicate
economic decline. To white supremacists,
the empty plants represent op-
. portunity.
And, rights activists say, .supremacists
have wasted no time in taking
advantage of the opportunity.
The Pennsylvania Human Relations
Coinmission reports that 64 white supremacist
groups were active in the
state in 1994, up from 40 the previous
year. Pennsylvania has more neoNazi
groups than any state except
California, according to the 1994
Klanwatch Intelligence Report.
Many uneducated young whites,
once guaranteed jobs at the steel mills
where their -parents worked, are stuck
with _unemployment or low-paying
service jobs today. Blacks, Hispanics,
Asians, Jews, Gays and Lesbians are
easy targets for their angst.
'1t's difficult to tell a young person
to have confidence in a society that
glorifies an AIDS-carrying degenerate
like Greg Louganis and calls. him a
hero when he knows the real hero is
his father, who has worked all his life
HOMOSEXUALITY IN THE CHURCH:
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Both Sides of the Debate
Outstanding authorities on
scripture, tradition, reason,
biology, ethics, and gendered
experience discuss the place
of Gays and Lesbians in the
community of faith. This
book will provoke discussion
in congregations, study groups,
and ethics and social justice
issues.
Edited by Jeffrey S. Siker, Associate
Professor of New Testament at
Loyola Ma·rymount University,
Los Angeles.
Order now from Second Stone Press
□ HOMOSEXUALITY IN THE CHURCH
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SECOND STONE -
at a factory and is then tossed out and
replaced by a minority," said Richard
Barrett, the leader of the Nationalist
Movement and the Nationalist Skinhead
Corps in Learned, Miss.
The organization will not release
exact membership figures, but Barrett
said Pennsylvarua has more members
of the Nationalist Movement than all
but four states - California, Texas,
Massachusetts and New York.
Why would white supremacist
groups thrive in Pennsylvania, with
its peaceful, Quaker roots and its
quaint Amish villages?
The answer, most experts say, is the
decline of industry and the lack of
opportunity.
"Hatred is a unifying agent," said
the Rev. Larry Trachte, who teaches a
class on cults and hate groups at
Wartburg College in Waverly, fowa.
"Hatred often grows out of self-contempt,
when a young person feels
that he is a failure ."
"People who have worked their
whole lives are losing jobs to Japan
and Mexico," Reading Klansman Roy
Frankhouser said. 'There's a tremen-
Thought he was gay, attacker says
dous frustration when they see
foreigners come in and get a smallbusiness
loan. They feel anger and
outrage."
Ann Van Dyke of the Human
Relations Commission said hate
groups usually start in all-white,
all-Christian towns that are losing
their industrial base.
Rabbi Kenneth Cohen noticed the
increase in skinheads around York
·County about two years ago. He
didn't worry about the groups, even
· after skinheads moved into a house
down the street from Ohev Sholom
Synagogue.
On Feb. 18, congregants found a
bloody pig's head hanging on the
synagogue door.
A month later, police arrested two
people with ties to the Eastern Hammer
Skinheads. Andrea Arnold, 18,
and Mason Aldrich, 22, face ethnic
intimidation, institutional vandalism,
desecration of venerated objects, ha0
rassment and criminal conspiracy
charges.
"I think we're concerned," Cohen
SEE HATE, Page 17
Hate crime charged in assault of
mentally handicapped man
LOGAN, Utah (AP) - Cache County
prosecutors are contemplating charging
a man suspected of beating a
mentally handicapped cyclist under
the state's hate crime law.
Cache County Attorney Scott Wyatt
said the 27-year-old suspect apparently
punched and kicked the victim
during an assault in a store parking
lot April 13 because he thought the
man had made a sexual advance
toward him.
The victim, 46-year-old Brent
Carpenter, is a familiar site in Logan,
where he rides his mountain bike as
many as 50 miles every day, waving
at passersby. Carpenter is mentally
handicapped and has worked 18
years at the Junction, a Utah State
University cafeteria.
Carpenter suffered cuts and bruises.
"His only motivation was he
thought this guy was .gay and was
trying to hit on him," said Collins.
The suspect was arrested at the
Logan department store where he
works after a witness to the assault
recognized him and called security.
Logan Police Detective Eric Collins
said the suspect admitted to the
assault and said he hit Carpenter
becuase he thought he was gay and
was making a pass at him. He has
been released on $5,000 bail.
Utah's hate crime statute increases
the severity of crimes committed with
"the intent to intimidate or terrorize
an individual" because of their race,
religion or beliefs.
MAY/JUNE 199 5
Being gay, says Fr. Greg,
made me a better
PRIEST
A movie featuring a gay priest
as its main character opened
in theaters across the country
on April 19 amidst condemnation
from Roman Catholic Church
officials and organizations and much
less noticed praise from many in the
church who say the movie is an
accurate portrayal of human issues
facing the Roman Catholic Church
and the inability of the institution to
respond to those issues.
Devoted to his work, faithful to his
beliefs and true to his word the main
character of "Priest", Father Greg
Pilkington (Linus Roache), finds his
religious ideals quickly called into
question upon his arrival at a poor
and tough Liverpool parish. -Fellow
priest Matthew Thomas (Tom Wilkinson)
is carrying on an intimate relationship
with Maria Kerrigan (Cathy
Tyson), the presbytery's housekeeper.
Fourteen-year-old Lisa Unsworth
(Christine Tremarco) confesses to him
that .she is suffering sexual abuse at
the hands of her own father. Forced
by the situation to choose between his
faith and exposing the truth, Greg's
world becomes one of lies and betrayal
as he begins to question the ways
of the church while confrontin,g his
own hidden demons. ·
Upon first meeting, Father Greg
Pilkington and Father Matthew
Thomas quickly come to philosophical
blows - Matthew preaches tolerance
and understanding often going
against the teachings of the church
while Greg believes the church's
doctrines must be closely adhered to.
Greg begins to grapple with his own
sense of right and wrong as he
considers how to end Lisa's suffeing -
something he knows he must do. He
also knows that the secrets of the confessional
are sacred and that church
law does not allow him to reveal the
secret he knows. ·
Seeking an escape from the pressure
he is under Greg ventures out to
a club one evening where he enjoys
the company of Graham (Robert
Carlyle). A few days later Graham
attends mass and attempts to take
communion from him; Greg ignores
his own sense of human compassion
refusing to absolve him. Greg's feelings
of remorse and guilt now become
extreme. He ceases to function
either as a priest or as a man. When
Mrs. Unsworth (Lesley Sharp) discovers
her husband with Lisa one
afternoon she confronts Greg in a bitter
rage. He is unable to respond to
her anger and is quietly devastated ·
by his own impotence in the situation.
As Greg gradually realizes that the
church doesn't always provide all of
the . answers, and as his own truth
comes more sharply into focus he
slowly com:es to terms with himself
• and with those around him. Ultimately
the story of "Priest". is one of
tolerance and intolerance, . belief and
compassion, about one man's struggle
with a pow·er much larger than himself
- that of desire . Through the pain
of a teenage girl Father Greg is able
to recognize his own pain and finally
embrace his own truth.
Writer Jimmy McGovern first wrote
"Priest" as a four-part BBC television
series in 1992. Many drafts and some
CardinalO 'Connorj oins criticismo f "Priest"
NEW YORK CARDINAL John
O'Connor joined the criticism of the
movie "Priest", calling it "viciously
anti-Catholic", although he hasn't
seen the film.
The 20,.000-member Catholic
League and the mostly Catholic antiabortion
group American Life League
last week started boycotts of the Walt .
Disney Co, parent company of Miramax
Films. More than 20 other
groups, including the politicallyinfluential
Christian Coalition, joined
the boycott.
"No doubt whatsoever. The movie
'Priest' has to be as vicious!/ antiCatholic
as anything that has ever
rotted on the silver screen" the
i:_:::ardinwalr ote in the weekly Catholic
New York. He said he formed his
opinions from reading reviews in
newspapers and magazines on
SECOND STONE
"Priest".
"Five out" of five priests in "Priest"
are twisted, each in his own way,
thoroughly unsavory character, with
fewer redeeming features than a
black beetle in a bowl of black bear
soup," the Archbishop of New York
wrote in the article.
"For every nasty caricature of a
'Priest' kind of priest, I have met a
hundred, a thousand, God knows
how many, celibate, loyal, self-sacrificing
men of Christ."
O'Connor said he was disappointed
with Disney and Miramax, writing
that "your movie is little more than
the kind of thing kids used to take
delight in scrawling on the walls in
men's rooms· ... what you have done
is cheap and onerous."
-Reuter/Variety -
Linus Roache as Father Greg Pilkington
years later the BBC told him _that the
project would be a go as a feature
film. He quickly pared 200 pages
town to 65, and the script was sent to
director Antonia Bird who immediately
fell in love with it. ·
Both McGovern and Bird took the
telling of this story seriously. They
wanted to tell a story about a -poor,
common Catholic parish in Liverpool
- a place where often the people have
very few choices in their day to day
lives and must accept what is dished
out to them. They also wanted to
show the courage and hope that
keeps these people strong in the face
of adversity .
McGovern is from Liverpool. He is
known as a writer who will say the
unmention?ble. He frequently writes
about the hidden aspects of peoples'
lives - what they present to the world
versus what they really do and
believe in their inner most, hidden
thoughts and emotions. In the case of
"Priest" he does it again - the film
deals with subjects people may ,be
aware of, what people may experience
but do not like to talk about.
'The subjects I choose to write about
are · usually controversial but I don't
write about them simply for the shock
value. I like to make comments on
people's motives, to find elements of
selfishness in their action," said
McGovern.
Being raised and schooled as a
Catholic, McGovern had always
planned to write the story of a priest
who hears a confession of incest. "It's
just been my mission in life to get
something writteri about a priest," he
says.
"In the final scene you've got a
priest who thinks he's a sinner and a
girl who's been sinned against horribly,"
says McGovern. "She comes
up and absolves him . That's what the
Eucharist is about, ifs about a man
who is broke, bleeding and dying,
naked on the cross . It's about common
humanity and compassion."
And that is ultimately what the film
"Priest" is about - everyday understanding,
common humanity and
compassion.
Critically acclaimed director
Antonia Bird has alr~ady won several
awards for her work in film and television.
"Priest", her second feature
film, won the Audience Prize at the
Toronto International Film Festival,
the Michael Powell Award for Best
British Film at the Edinburgh International
Film Festival, the FIPRESCI
International Critics Prize at the 1995
Berlin International Film Festival,
and has been nominated by the
British Academy for a 1995 Alexander
Korda Award for Best British Feature
Film.
MAY/JUNE 1995
Miramax bowed to pressure to change
Good Friday theatrical release date
THE NATIONWIDE release of
"Priest," which opened March
31 in New York and Los
Angeles, was changed to April .
19, from Good Friday, April 14,
because of protests from Catholic
groups. The secular Catholic
League, saying the film "insults"
the church and its mem•
bers, had threatened a boycott
of Walt Disney Co., parent of
Miramax, if the film opened on
Good Friday.
Miramax is autonomous, a
spokesperson said, and Disney
was not involved in the decision
to change the release.
Miramax has made films such
as "Pulp Fiction" and "The
Crying Game." Disney officials
declined comment.
William Donohue, president
of the Catholic League, said he
welcomed the change in the
release date but still wanted
Disney to disassociate itself
from the movie. Donohue also
said he was angry about a statement
Miramax released by the
movie's director; Antonia Bird.
In her statement, Bird defended
the fllm and said she had
"gained· a huge respect and
sympathy for Catholicism and
the priesthood as a result of
researching and making the
film."
But she lambasted the Catholic
League for what she called
"transparent attempts at moral
blackmail" and "the blinkered,
indeed totalitarian, view that
the rest of us should share its
assumptions."
The head of the Catholic
group said Miramax's decision
to release the director's statement
"shows they want lo
continue the war ."
the "movie is designed to stick
it to the Catholic Church.'-'
Bird said she does not believe
"that an organization as powerful
and influential as the Cathoin
the way African-Americans
have been depicted in movies
over the years.''
lic Church should be immune "If you're going to be a pro-
.from observation and o;:,mment vider of smut, you cannot be a
from non-members." The Cath- trusted provider of entertainolic
League, she continued, ment for children,'' said Judie
"suffers from the blinkered, Brown, president of the antiindeed
totalitarian, view that abortion American Life League,
the rest of us should share its based in Stafford, Va.
assumptions." Saying the movie insults
Her reference to "moral black- Catholics, both the Life League
mail" ·came in response to and the secular Catholic League
Donohue's analogy that similar- said they plan to boycott all
ly harsh movies about Jews, Disney f.roducts, the Disney
blacks and gays, "in the un- Channe, Disney World and
likely event" they were made, Disneyland.They also plan to
would draw outcries from civil wage a letter campaign.
rights groups. The Life League wants
Responding that the analogy Disney to fire chairman and
was "beyond contempt," Bird chief executive Michael Eisner,
said Donohue "clearly has little remove the movie from distriknowledge
of and scant interest bution in theaters and onvideo _,_,.,....,..._,.,..
and "apologize to every Christian
in the country."
Mark Gill, marketing president
for Miramax, said "We
believe in this movie and
believe it is a portrait of real
life" He said the response from
many Catholics who have seen
the movie has been mostly
favorable.
The head of the Life League
said ·its 300,000 members, 80
percent of whom are Catholic,
object to the film's "attack" on
and inaccurate portrayal of
priests, "the people at the forefront
of the pro-life movement.''
The League also plans to air
nationwide advertisements on
programs such as "The Rush
Limbaugh Show," and the
Catholic League said it would
jam Disney's ·phones with
complaints. -Reuter/Variety
. The New York-based Catholic
League for Religious & Civil
Rights issued an 11-page condemnation
of the movie, saying,
among other things, that Linus Roache, Tom Wilkinson and Cathy Tyson in Antonia Bird's "Priest''
Movie treats audiences like voyeurs, says French monsignor
PARIS (Reuter) - The movie "Priest" is
painful to Catholics and treats audiences
like voyeurs, the head of the
French bishops' conference said i.n a.
letter published April 18.
Monsignor Joseph Duval, in a letter
sent to French bishops April 17 and
printed by the daily Le Figaro, highlighted
"recent media events which
have been a source of suffering for
many Catholics in this country."
SECOND STONE
He criticized the "complacent"
release of the film in the middle of
Easter Holy Week.
"Saying that celibacy is difficult is
self-evident .. Who wouldn't believe
that there are some failures?" Duval
wrote. ''But betting on the commercial
success of a film on this question
means treating the audience like
voyeurs.'' -
The French church has not known
any of the incidents involving sexual
activity that have involved priests in
the United States, Canada and Britain
in past years . But France's oncepowerful,
but now sharply reduced,
Father Jean-Michel di Falco, secretary
and spokesman of the bishops'
conference, had branded the timing
of the release a provocation.
militant anti-clerical movement, once
gleefully highlighted cases of priests
found to be involved in heterosexual
liaisons. The church suffered acute
embarassement in 1974 when Cardinal
Jean Danielou died suddenly in.a
. prostitute's flat in a Paris red-light
district. The church insisted she was
distraught and he was bringing her
moral comfort.
MAY/JUNE l 9 9 5
Vowing to help others ...
BY MARIE ROHDE
A decade ago, Stephen Braddock
was a man on the fast
track. He lived and worked
in New York, providing security
and private investigation work
for the rich and famous. Frank
Sinatra, Sean Connery and Jennifer
O'Neill were among his clients.
At 21, he seemed to be a boy wonder
who had it all - money, friends, a
golden touch in business, an exciting
job. -
Now he is a Roman Catholic
brother with the Order of St. Camillus
in St. Francis, Wisconsin. He has taken
a vow of poverty, chastity, obedience
and serviee"to ·-t-he sick and
dying. He lives with two.other brothers
and a. novice in a former convent,
running an AIDS program.
What brought about the dramatic
change in the direction of his life was
a sudden illness that struck him on
March 19, 1985. It seemed like a flu
but it took a violent swing, and by
the time Braddock arrived in a hospital
emergency room, he couldn't even
speak.
"I was in and out of. consciousness,
and I remember all these doctors and
nurses in hospital gowns and gloves
standing around me asking if I did
drugs or had sex with men," he
recalled. "Nobody knew much about
AIDS then, and they kept asking me
if I could have AIOS.
'There was so much fear then."
Braddock continued. "Peo.ple who
were a big part of my life were afraid
to come to see me."
Braddock nearly died, but he did
not and does not have AIDS. He had
contracted bacterial meningitis, a lifethreatening
but curable illness. One
lasting effect was that he lost some of
his hearing.
Another lasting effect was that he
took on a profoundly different way of
looking at life. ·
"It made me re-evaluate my life
and look at my priorities,'' he said. "I
had cars and boats and was buying
gas stations and had a cleaning
business. Enough was never enough.
But it was all very empty and meaningless
to me."
Braddock came from a :Strongly
SECOND STONE
Catholic family that supported him
through the good times and the bad.
Although he drifted from the church,
he returned as he searched for meaning
in his life. He entered the 400-
year-old Order of _St. Camillus, an
order dedicated to working with the
sick and dying.
The order is devoted to health care
and is committed to supporting a fuiltime
ministry for people with AIDS
and HIV. In October 1993, Braddock
was named director of an AIDS ministry
considered a priority of the order.
He and three other men live in St.
Francis in what was .once a convent in
a building attached to Sacred Heart of
Jesus Catholic Church.
The others are Nels Deloria, a
nurse with a vibrant sense of humor
who entered the order 21 years ago;
Louis Lussier, a medical doctor who
now edits the Journal of Christian Healing
for the order; and Mario Crivello,
a former teacher. Lussier and DeLoria
have taken their final vows as
brothers of the order. Crivello is a
novice, one who is preparing to take
the vows. ·
The house is huge, with 22 small
bedrooms. The furnishings are homey,
intentionally not looking like a
rectory or a hospice. A picture of
Jesus, head thrown back in laughter,
is on one wall. A poster of the crucified
Christ looking down on people
representing all humanity is on
another.
And then there's Braddock's
collection of whimsical monk figurines
- a favorite being three hooded
monks in a line with hymnals (look
closely, because the last holds a
miniature copy of Playboy).
These are earthy men who radiate
spirit1.1ality without preaching, say
those who know them, many of
whom have been alienated from the
church. Braddock and the others say
simply that they are trying to live the
Christian Gospel.
It's a welcoming place for those with
AIDS and HIV and their families, the
site of frequent retreats as well as
formal and informal counseling sessions.
'The Gospel is very clear," Braddock
says. "The only appropriate
response is one of unconditional love
and caring. That is what we try to
provide."
Those who have come for retreats
have ranged in age from 18 to 61, but
Braddock and the others say they
have counseled people in their 70s as
well as children who have AIDS.
Statistics, he says, destroy the myth
that AIDS is an affliction of young
gay men.
'The reality is that women and
children are the fastest growing
group among those with AIDS,"
Braddock said.
Brother Stephen Braddock
Theresa is one of those women who
felt sure she was in a monogamous
relationship. She was visiting the
former convent recently and agreed
to talk to a reporter if her real name
was not used. She has a grown son
who knows that she has tested positive
for HIV.
The 45-year-old accountant doesn't
use drugs and has never been promiscuous;
she's worked hard to raise
her son and is a Catholic who misses
the days when the Mass was said in
Latin.
She met and fell deeply in love
with a businessman who .seemed to
be like her. If he had any faults, it
was that he was a workaholic, she
says.
He died 18 months ago, uncertain
how he contracted AIDS and deeply
sorry that he passed the disease on to
Theresa, a woman he planned to marry.
She is neither bitter nor angry with
her late lover. Each night she plays a
taped recording he made for her.
What does she get from being with
the brothers?
'They are really good people and
so different from.most of the religious
people I grew up with," she said,
explaining she met one of the men at
a seminar on grieving that he was
leading. "I was invited here for
Christmas and other times. It's a
place where I can explore who lam."
Joe Zopp, 39, has been active in
Milwaukee's gay community and
with the gay and lesbian Catholic
group Dignity . He is open about
having AIDS. Unlike Theresa, he had
told his family and has been bolstered
by their support. He also is a
frequent visitor of the former convent
and has been a guest for several
retreats.
Zopp, who learned he had HIV
seven years ago, said he struggled
with his sexuality for years before he
accepted it as a gift, much as he has
accepted the sexuality of his brothers
and sisters who have married.
"AIDS is also a gift," Zopp said.
"You can let it get you down or you
can let it help you understand yourself
and others. It's helped me clear
the clutter out of my life, helped me
to understand sexism and racism."
Zopp says he can no longer work
because of his . illness. These days he
has no long-term goals, but he continues
to practice what his .religion
has taught him: to celebrate life, to
love God with all his heart and love
his neighbors as himself.
Glenn Nash, 41, is a Baptist who has
Ii ved all of his life in Chicago. He
spent much of his life behind bars for
crimes he committed -in order to sup0
port his drug habit. It was while he
was incarcerated that he learned that
he was HIV-positive.
"I lived to use . and used to live,"
Nash said. 'The only time I was :clear
was when I was locked up. My family
shunned me and I was homeless."
The diagnosis changed Nash's life.
At a treatment center, he learned of
Braddock and the retreats. He now is
a full-time volunteer, working to help
others cope with AIDS and to help
others learn from his mistakes. And
he comes to Milwaukee for retreats
with Braddock and the others as often
as he can.
The brothers do more than run
retreats. Braddock has .. organized a
series of lectures - some for those
infected,. some for caregivers. He also
works with a pastoral team at
Children's Hospital in Milwaukee as.
part of a clinical-pastoral training program.
Often, Braddock and the others just
visit the homes of those who are ill or
offer a much-needed break to caregivers.
"Some of the best pastoral care
happens when you're doing the most
mundane things - giving someone a
bath or helping them with their shopping,"
Braddock said.
January and February were difficult
months, Braddock said. Thirteen of
those he was seeing died, and he
officiated at the funerals for many of
them.
"I have no idea how many of them
were Catholics," Braddock said. "It
really doesn't matter."
Marie Rohde is a religion reporter for
The Milwaukee Journal, from which
this article was excerpted.
MAY/JUNE l 9 .9 5
LIMA, Ohio (AP) For Father Jimmy
Tabler, church is a two-story, weathered
hous ·e in South Lima. A chesthigh
ledg e draped with a cloth is his
pulpit. His altar: an antique table in
front of an entertainment center.
On Sundays, his living room .is a
sanctuaiy. He preaches to those who
sit in the makeshift pews formed by
three rows of folding chairs.
Tabler, 48, is an ordained Catholic
priest. H e 's also gay with HIV - the
virus that causes AIDS.
"I feel like gay people really need
the church . People that struggle in
their morality ought to be the most
welcome in the church,'' he said .
"Jesus says love doesn't mean anything
until you love the people who
are hard to love:"
And so, after turning away from
religion when he acknowledged he
was gay, he came back after finding a
church that accepted gays and lesbians
- and even encouraged them to
take leadership roles.
In November, Tabler formed the
Most Holy Redeemer Ecumenical
Catholic Church, a month after he .
was ordained a Catholic priest in
Oklahoma City. The church is an arm
of the Ecumenical Catholic Church of
··•Villa Grande, Calif .;' and has no ties
to the Roman Catholic Church.
His parishioners, often a handful or
fewer, worship in Tabler's old, white
house . The crux of his ·weekly message:
Christian love should be tolerant
of-all people.
"To hate people and to discriminate
is not really the gospel. That's not
being faithful to the gospel of Jesus
Christ," he said. "I don't think the
church can be healthy until it includes
its gay sons and daughters ."
Tabler first chased ,.his dream of
becoming a minister in 1981; enrolling
at the Episcopal Theological
Semilll\ry of the Southwest in Austin,
Texas; after firi.;hing graduate school
at Texas A&M. He dropped out three
years later, pressured by bishops who
had learned · of his lifestyle and told
him to keep it quiet, he says.
Tabler spent 10 years trying to
reconcile his sexual orientation with
his spiritual one. He was troubied
that many religious people he knew
believed it's a sin to b.e gay.
"I still love the church; but I don't
know why they make it- impossible
for anyone who wants to be open and
honest," he said.
Monsignor . Donald Heintschel,
spokesman for the Diocese of Toledo,
doesn't believe the Ecumenical church
is backed by the Roman Catholic
Church.
"We don't name ou·r churches
'Ecumenical,"' he said . " But if he has
a church where homosexuals are
SECOND STONE
welcome, I have no problem with
that.
"Still, I think there are ways of
ministering to people who have AIDS
other than founding a church . I
believe there are a. lot of hospices ·
around, for example."
After seminaiy, Tabler moved to
Dallas · and painted houses for the
next seven years. He also .met Ruben ·
Perez, and the two began attending a
large inner-city Roman Catholic .
Church.
I was there that AIDS began to ·'
touch his life . Before then, it was
somethin ·g they thought .was confined
to cities like Los Angeles, New York .
and San Francisco.
"We were buiying two, three; four
young men a week," he said . " It was
like getting 200 or so friends together
and every week seeing one or two of
them die."
l
i
Tabler and Perez chose to leave 'fhii' i
daily sorrow in . search of a peaceful '
life together in Lima. Tabler was born . ,
in St. Marys and spent most of his ·
early years in rural Gomer . Father Jimmy Tabler, right, founder of the Most Holy Redeemer
Ecumenical Catholic Church in Lima, Ohio. . •· They . talked about how nice it
would be to escape to a place without
AIDS.
"Ruben's family had disowned
him . They did it when they found out
he was gay,'' Tabler said . ' '.My family
was different. So we decided to live
around them."
Tabler continued to paint houses.
Ruben managed a local restaurant.
"We were very happy together, very
happy ."
But within months, Perez got sick.
Six weeks later, on Christmas Day, he
died of AIDS at St. Rita's Medical
Center at age 29.
"Neither of us knew. Neither of us
had been tested,' ' Tabler said . "But
looking back, I .realize that the skin
condition Ruben had was a precursor
."
Tabler knew .he must be HIVpositive,
too.
Tabler believes he got the disease
12 years ago after a bad car accident.
At the time, many people were
infected from tainted blood . ·
Tabler smiles . in the face of death.
He believes death will bring him life
- forever. And so he's not worried.
And he refuses to look at his illness ·
as a death sentence. Instead he fights
it by teaching others - including stu.
dents, church congregations and prisoners.
He now serves on the board of the
AIDS Task Force Regional Cooperative.
His congregation during a recent
Sunday service was his roommate .
She follows the ceremony religiously,
turning the pages of the handmade
hymnal that's bound by yarn .
Tabler belts out the songs in deep
voice, then delivers a sermon from
the Book of Genesis. He predicts a
new beginning for gays in the
church.
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"The whole New Testament
message is one of greater and gnfa.ter
inclusion. It's only been the last 700
years that gays were excluded from
the church,'' he said . " It'll turn
around again sometime. I believe it's
i11 the gospel."
h th!: epirit of 5t. Fraici6 a:tJ 51;;
Clare, wt!re 6et3kite l,ridgt,_ bulilra
a:tJ ~ makers to jourmy with
115 ii the foot61:tipa of JtlEiua Ori;t.
IT
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· O'\l,, community of baptized men V and women from various
· Christian traditions who
0 chose to worship and live in
C?
o'1! a faith-sharing spirit.
You may become an
~ Associat.e or enter the
program leading to the
profession of vows as a
~~ religious Brother or Sister .
Ask to receive our
newsletter, "Footsteps." t We work in ministries
of love, care and reconciliation
nationwide.
For more information,
please write to:
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Att: Vocation Director
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Providence RI 02940-1055
MAY/JUN , E 199 5
I awakened to the sound of myself
crying. I had just dreamt of
another hospital room, another
IV bag dripping into another
vein, another occasion to say goodbye,
another desperate . prayer for .
healing, another death, another loss,
another funeral. Another and another.
I had said goodbye to too many
people who had died of AIDS. My
grief was even in my dreams. I
needed a miracle.
That afternoon I went to babysit for
a friend . She had just had her first
child, and, after six months, she and
her husband were desperate to get
out of the house. I walked in the
door, and she put Gerald in my arms.
They were late for the movie and
rushed to the theater. There I stood
with a smiling baby in my arms. It
was then the miracle began: I was
flooded with hope. With each coo
and smile, I felt life returning to my
grief-worn soul. Tears streamed
down my face. ..Who are you? .. , I
said to the baby. ..Who are you to
work better than my support groups,
and all those finely crafted memorial
services? Who are you?"
No, the baby didn't talk back - I
wasn't that far gone! But I did hear
words in my heart: "I'm your reminder.
In the midst of the real loss, life
continues, hope continues. For everyone
who has abandoned you, there is
another one born to be a companion
on the journey. Whenever love exits,
it appears again, reborn in the newly
born, newly needy, newly smiling .
Incarnation. Crucifixion. Resurrection.
They repeat themselves. over and
over again."
Following my experience with
Gerald, my "little healer," I made
sure to visit the nursery after visiting
anyone with AIDS. A part of me felt
foolish. A part of me didn't care. I
knew who the true healers were. And
I knew · where to find them. They
were my little medicine men and
women, my little shamans, my wise
companions . I hoped some day to
give back to them a part of what they
had given me. ·
I _didn't have long to wait for that
day. Golden Gate Church of the
Nazarene in San Francisco had started
a program called The Bridge. It was
designed to provide respite care to
families who had HIV infected moms,
· dads, or children. That is how I first
met Laurie Greer, a nurse, who had
two foster children, Cornelio and
Patrick.
• Cornelio is a crack baby and Patrick
has AIDS. They were both less than
a year old when I met them. Today,
they are both five.
Laurie acquired Cornelio first. He
had scars on his face from a very
difficult birth. The first time she held
SEC O ND STONE
BY JACK PANTALEO
him Laurie said, "I'm going to kiss
away all his marks." I stared at his
scars and shook my head. I was sure
only plastic surgery could correct
them. Two months later, the scars
were gone. Laurie· was no ordinary
mom.
A few months later, Patrick came to
live with Laurie Greer. He was a
baby with AIDS, recovering from
pneumocystis pneumonia. His motμ- ·
er had already died. He was an
orphan with large, dark eyes, and
satiny bronzed-black skin, desperate
for someone to Jove him .
My first night babysitting both
Cornelio and Patrick was terrifying.
Cornelio had a greater need for attention
than the average child because of
. his drug exposure, and Patrick had
AIDS! I didn't know whom to hold
first. I stared at Cornelio, wondering
how to give him all the attention he
really needed, and I stared at Patrick,
wondering what kind of short life he
. could possibly have. Patrick was in
pain. He had tubes in his ·arm and
belly. He had diarrhea. He was listless,-
sweaty, and barely had the
strength to cry.
"Not again!", I thoughtto myself.
· "Not another sick one. I can't deal
with another one dying. Aduits were
bad enough . How could I watch a
baby die of AIDS?" That was before I
learned that the many loves that had
exited my life would be incarnated in
that tiny shaman.
· Inspired by Laurie's tenacity and
dedication, I made it through that
night and many others. I watched
Patrick and Cornelio once a week for
over two years. I watched Cornelio
grow in confidence and · height,
boosted by Laurie's affirmation and
love. I watched Patrick remain the
~ame size - his body too busy survivmg
to worry about luxuries like
growth. There were many moments
of laughter, and many nights of
agony watching Cornelio work
through his abnormally severe abandonment_
f ears and watching Patrick
endure mfection after infection.
Several of those nights were spent in
the hospital. .
As · his nurse and mother, Laurie
spent many long nights in the
hospital holding Patrick in her arms.
I have watched as the nurses entered
his room. Patrick would lift ·his head
from Laurie's shoulder, reach out his
arm, _cu~ the nurses' chin in the palm
of his little hand and give them a
kiss . Their eyes would well up with
tears, and they would fall in love
instantly. Patrick is a lover, and the
hospital staff is cast under his spell
every hme he is hospitalized . Like
Laurie, they become his advocates,
demandmg the best care possible.
About two years ago, Patrick
developed another bout of pneumocyshs
pneumonia . Having the pneum?
ma diagnosis was synonymous
with a death sentence because Patrick
had become allergic to all known
pneumocystis medications. We prepared
for his death - but not Patrick
or the hospital staff. AIDS specialist~
at UC San Francisco Medical Center
called specialists all over the world
looking for a medication that might
retard the spread of the pneumonia.
After a couple of days, Laurie was
told that a drug used for malaria was
the only hope. I looked at Patrick in
that hospital room and saw him
smile. He was undaunted . All he
.wanted was the ball to throw . He
would Ielus worry. His job was to
play. The medicine worked. And
Patrick remained infections free for
many months until he developed
pancreatitis. '
I arrived home late one night to
find a tearful message from Laurie.
She was at the hosptial with Patrick,
and he wasn't expected to make it
through the night. I arrived to find
Patrick lying in Laurie's arms,
hooked up to monitors recording his
vital signs. He was in severe pain.
His blood pressure was falling and
his pulse was rising. He was in and
out of a coma. Laurie was sobbing.
Our little medicine man was leaving
us - or so we thought.
We decided to lay hands on Patrick.
I was uncomfortable praying aloud
with all the hospital staff in the room.
Finally, I let go of my fear and
prayed that Jesus would either heal
him now or tenderly Jet him pass
from Laurie's arms into Jesus' arms. I
watched as his blood pressure continued
to fall and his pulse rate rise;
Suddenly, the door opened. To our
surprise, Patrick . lifted his head and
watched the nurse enter the room. I
looked at the monitors and saw that
all his vital signs were holding
steady. A few minutes later, we
watched as his blood pressure rose
and .his pulse rate decreased: At 4:00
a.m., I left to go home. Patrick had
stabilized.
The next day his amylase level,
which measures the severity of the
pancreatitis , was less than half what it
was the previous day . Within a
couple of days, he was out, of danger .
Within two weeks, he was home. He
has not had a serious infection since.
Was it our prayers? I'm sure they
helped. But I am also sure that our
tiny shaman had more work to do
here. He continues to cast his spells
with his Jove, cupping an unsuspecting
visitor's chin in the palm of his
hands, !l,elivering God's kisses. Once
Patrick kisses you, life can never be
the same. In his smile, life's pain is
forgotten. In his giggle and sparkling,
dark eyes, hope returns to melt
the bitter grief of the loss of so many
loved ones. ·
"What about the future?" .. Will
Patrick live much longer?" He was
never expected to live a full year .
"But what about tomorrow?" we ask
again. But Patrick teaches us that's
the wrong question. He, like us, was
~nly given today. And today it's
hme to throw the ball. Leave the
worrying for another time. Now it's
time to play. Now is here. Now is
now.
I don't see Cornelio and Patrick as
often. My life has changed now that I
am a social worker taking care of
abused and abandoned children. But
children remain my healers, always
calling me out of myself, reminding
me that in the midst of loss, life
continues, hope continues. Love is
SEE LITTLE PEOPLE, Page 15
MAY/JUNE 1995
Videos .............................. . • .. . • ..................................... .
Lesbian/gay Christian· programming .
available for national cable distribution
··we are now ·in several cities
across the . c9untry and have had
many inquiries from all over," says
Valda Lewis, producer of 'To Tell The
Truth Television." "I am trying to
solicit sponsors initially in Texas, but
our aim is ·to reach the more remote
areas nationwide."
The television program places
lesbian and gay Christian programming
right along side programs produced
by the religious right, which
dominate many local cable channels.
Using a Christian perspective, the
program is intended to challenge the
lies perpetrated by these other programs
which attempt to deny the lesbian
and gay community the freedom
to be Christian.
The Cathedral of Hope is the largest
church congregation in the world
with a -gay and lesbian outreach.
With an average weekly attendance
of more than 1600, the Cathedral of
Hope ranks in the top one percent of
all churches in America. The television
program features sermons by
Senior Pastor Michael Piazza .
'To Tell The Truth TV" hopes to
reach a goal of one hundred different
stations. Target areas include small
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toward Gays and Lesbians is most
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CATHEDRAL OF HOPE Metropolitan
Community Church of Dallas is
building a national cable television
program on Public Access stations.
The 30 minute program of the Sunday
morning worship service is
already being seen in Dallas, Los
Angeles, San Francisco, Milwaukee,
Minneapolis and several other locations.
The show is specifically designed
to counter the views and
opinions of the religious far right and
to bring a message of hope to lesbian
and gay Christians across the nation. "Coming Out Under Fire" profiles military's anti-gay history
SECOND
"COMING OUT UNDER FIRE," a
critically hailed and compelling documentary
going to the heart of the
issue of Gays and Lesbians .in the
military, premieres on public television
in June. Authur Dong's hourlong
program examines the little
known military policy that is the precursor
.to the Congressionally mandated
1993 ruling known as "don't
ask, don't tell," by presenting the true
stories of those who found themselves
fighting two battles: one for their
country and another for their right to.
serve ·.
Gay and lesbian Christians, who
often note the resemblance of the
military's policy to many "don't ask,
don't tell" church policies, will be able
to identify with the men and women
featured in "Coming Out Under
Fire."
Dong uncovers. the history of the
military's anti:gay policy that labeled
homosexuals as mentally ill and
sought their expulsion as "undesirables
." Service men and women
merely suspected of being gay or
Phyllis Abry (Radio Technician,
Women's Army Corps), and her
lover, Mildred in vintage World
War II photo
lesbian were the targets of an armed
services-wide witch·hunt consisting of
dehumanizing interrogations, medical
examinations, lljld incarceration in·
"queer stockades" or hospitals for the
criminally insane.
Based on Allan Berube's groundbreaking
book, Coming Out Under
Fire: The History of Gay Men and
Women in World War Two; probes the
questionable origins of the military's
anti-gay policy and demonstrates how
pseudo-psychiatry, erroneous medical
theory, and misplaced ethics masked
a procedure based on bigotry.
"Coming Out Under Fire" combines
first person, on-camera .interviews
with vintage declassified documents,
photographs, and rare archival footage
of medical examinations, psychiatric
sessions, boot camp training, sex
education lectures, and "drag" troop
entertainment.
Gay and lesbian youth speak for themselves
"SPEAKING FOR OURSELVES: Portraits
of Gay and Lesbian Youth" is a
half-hour documentary profiling the
lives of five gay and lesbian young
people who represent a wide crosssection
of cultures and backgrounds.
Through interviews, the young people
share the stories of their lives -
their challenges and joys. Each story
associates a name and face with a
Five lesbian and gay youth featured in "Speaking For Ourselves" •
spectrum of issues including substance
abuse, suicide, HIV/ AIDS,
homelessness, survival prostitution,
malicious harassment, family acceptance,
and youth activism.
"Speaking Fot Ourselves" also
focuses on the difficu lties gay and
lesbian youth face in school. In an
environment where students are
dealing with their own body changes
and sexuality, this process can become
even more complicated when
they are also asking the question,
"Am I straight?, or "Am I gay?".
Through these articulate young peole,
this program examines the challenges
facing gay and lesbian youth, as well
as the concerns expressed by their
family and friends .
The goal of this video, produced by
Interrnedia, is to help gay and lesbian
youth deal . with the many issues
facing them, and to educate and
create a discussion tool for others to
understand better the issues facing
young gay people.
For information on this • video contact
Intermedia, 800-553-8336 .
MAY/JUN~ l 9 9 5
In Print ................................................................
A gay journey with a straight pastor
P astor, I Am Gay is the story of
a straight male pastor's journey
from his first fumbling
encounter with a troubled
gay parishioner - to a remarkable
understanding of the dignity and
sanctity of gay and lesbian people
and, in his own words, . his "deliverance
from further participation in
one of the church's ugliest sins and
one of the clergy's worst neglects."
Author Howard H. Bess is an
American Baptist minister who now
lives in retirement in the Matanuska
Valley in south central Alaska. Pastor
Bess has written a unique book, from
the caring perspective of a local
church pastor, that deals with the
issues of participation of Gays and
Lesbians in the life of the church.
Bess writes with the firm conviction
that if gay and non-gay parishioners
take time to become truly acquainted,
the facing of such issues will be much
easier.
For pastors and parishioners
struggling to understand the real
issue of homosexuality - the value of
the lives of people who are gay and
the people around them - this book is
an excellent place to begin. The book
issues an indictment of seminaries
where the word "homosexual" is not
even mentioned, am;! their education
of pastors and church leaders who are
ill-prepared to deal with the faces
behind the issue of homosexuality.
The author was a 30-year-old Baptist
minister with college and seminary
degrees before he was aware of serious
discussion of homosexuality. Pastor's
embarrassingly limited knowledge
of homosexuality and his mishandling
of counseling of his first gay
parisioner led him .to learn more
' about gay and lesbian people, which
Now available from Second Stone!
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365 DAILY MEDITATIONS FOR LESBIANS AND GAY MEN
Author Chris Glaser fearlessly
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daily meditations, the Bible's
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Chris Glaser is the author
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he did over the years by meeting
them one individual at a time.
The book thoroughly explores the
division between most Christian
churches and the gay /lesbian community.
It is filled with personality
profiles of gay and lesbian . people
· and tells how they have struggled
just to be themselves - the people God
wants them to be. Very simply, the
book is about what it means to be a
gay man or lesbian woman in church
and society today. It offers disturbing
information on the dilemma faced by
gay youth and good suggestions on
how to become an advocate.
Bess grew up in Fairbury, Illinois, a
small farm community southwest of
Chicago. He served in the U.S.
Army in Korea and then attended
Wheaton College from which he
recieved his Bachelor of Arts degree.
His graduate work took him first to
Northern Baptist Seminary in Chicago
and then to Garrett Theological
Seminary at Northwestern University
where he received his Master of
Divinity degree.
Following completion of seminary
training, Bess served American Baptist
churches in Southern California
for 22 years. In 1980 he was called to
pastor First American Baptist Church
in Anchorage, Alaska, where he
served for seven years. In retirement
he nows gives his pastoral talents to
Church of the Covenant, a small
American Baptist congregation in the
Matanuska Valley. .,.
For the past six years, Bess has
been a regular columnist for the
Frontiersman, the twice -weekly newspaper
in the Valley. Bess and his
wife Darlene have five children,
three of whom make their home in
Alaska. ·
Christian feminist author wins book award
ELISABETH SCHUSSLER FIORENZA
has been named the first recipient of
the Continuum Book Award for her
new ,Publication Jesus: Miriam's Child,
Sophia's Prophet: Critical Issues in Feminist
Christology. The award was presented
at the Annual Meeting of the
American Academy of Religion/Society
of Biblical Literature in Chicago.
Jesus: Miriam's Child, Sophia's Prophet
is the long-awaited sequel to the
author's best-selling scholarly work of
a decade ago, In Memory of Her: A
Feminist Reconstruction of Christian
Origins. Translated into eight languages,
In Memory of Her is recognized
as the best known work by a
feminist biblical scholar throughout
the world . In her new book, Fiorenza
charts the rise and fall into "historical
amnesia" of the liberating movement
gathered around Jesus as the prophet
and messenger of Sophia, the all-powerful
female figure in early Jewish
Scriptures and theology. While teachings
about Woman Wisdom premeate
the texture of the New Testament,
they were quickly clothed in what the
author calls kyriocentric (ruling-male)
language.
Continuum's Publishing Director,
Frank Oveis, who has been the
author's long-term editor, says that
"Jesus: Miriam's Child, Sophia's Prophet
is not simply a work of historical reconstruction,
but a work of constructive
feminist theology, showing how
the historically unrealized possibilities
of Woman Wisdom can offer the
vision of a different world and a different
church."
In announcing the first Continuum
Book Award for Jesus: Miriam's Child,
Sophia's Prophet, Werner Mark Linz,
Chairman and Publisher of The Continuum
Publishing Group, praised
· the book for "its scholarly depth, interdisciplinary
breadth, and humanistic
vision.
Fiorenza is the Krister Stendahl
Professor of Scripture and Interpretation
·at Harvard University Divinity
School. She is the author of In Memory
of Her, Bread Not Stone, But She
Said, and Discipleship of Equals. She is
co-founder and co-editor of the Journal
of Feminist Studies in Religion and
editor of Searching the Scriptures: A
Feminist Introduction and Commentary,
In Print, briefly ...
Out, Loud, & Laughing
A collection of gay and lesbian humor
edited by Charles Flowers, Featured
are 15 of today's funniest gay and
lesbian humorists and stand-up comics.
Net royalties are donated to Broadway
Cares/Equity Fights Al DS,
-From Anchor Books, $12,95
A Singing Something:
Womanist Reflections on
Anna Julia Cooper
This book asks what we can learn
from Coope~s thought and life of
faith as we continue the struggle for
full human tights. Karen Baker·
Fletcher, Ph.D., author,
-From Crossroad
Now Dare Everything
This book, written by Steven Dansky,
equips people with stronger skills for
helping HIV-affected persons confront
a wide range of physical and
mental h~lath challenges.
-From Harrington Park Press
MAY/JUNE l 9 9 5
. • •
Accept AIDS victims, says former Baptist leader
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -The former
president of the Southern Baptist Convention
is opening his arms to victims
of AIDS. At the same time he's lamenting
the fact that many' ministers
areclosing their doors to AIDS sufferers.
Skip, who is gay, has also tested HIV
positive.
Allen, 67, is writing a book about
his family's experience. He .also travels
frequently from his home outside
Atlanta to Dallas so he and Matthew
can enjoy their regular "just us guys"
outings . Toting his grandson's wheelchair
and oxygen tank, the two took
. in an Arby's lunch and movie one
· sweet afternoon last week.
Allen shared his family's pain with
Charlotte churchgoers this weekend,
imploring worshipers to accept death
as a gift from God.
"We need to quit saying 'If I die'
and say, 'When I die,' " he preached.
At Myers Park Presbyterian, where
50 members are already ministering
to AIDS patients, Allen said a congregation's
worth can be partly
. measured by how far they extend the
hand of mercy. Christians are caring ·
'The draw is my love for the
churches and my sorrow over their
.missing the mission," the Rev. Jimmy
Allen said April 23 at Myers Park
Presbyterian Church in Charlotte .
"Families of faith across this nation
are dysfunctional. They fail to realize
that what we need to be is compassionate
.
"If we fail, we fail to be what God
wants," said Allen, his voice cracking
frequently through an emotional
weekend of sermons and speeches.
'The challenge is to be what God calls
us to be."·
AIDS prevention programs
missing smaller communities
Perhaps no religious leader in
America is more qualified to speak
about AIDS than Allen, who has had
four family members stricken by the
virus, The Charlotte Observer reported .
An infected blood transfusion led to
the death of his daughter-in-law,
Lydia, in 1993 at age 37. The transfusion
also led to both her sons -
Allen's grandsons - being stricken by
acquired immune deficiency syn
· drome. Eight-month-old Bryan died
in 1985 from the virus he contracted
in his mother's womb. Twelve-yearold
Matthew is in the final stages at
home in Dallas .
Allen's middle son, 41-year-old
LITTLE PEOPLE,
From Page 12
always reborn in the newly born.
The miracle of life repeats itself. The
little medicine men and women raise
their medicine sticks - their rattles -
and chant their magic incantation -
the coo. Then they administer the
magic medicine - the smile. And the
miracle begins. Shaman Patrick casts
my pain and grief into the fire, and
hope floods my soul. Such is the way
of the sfiaman . Such is the way of the
little people.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Researchers
warned that AIDS prevention programs
are missing small communities
where the rate of HIV infection
among intravenous drug users is on
the rise.
In the small town of East Palo Alto,
one in thrP.e intravenous drug users
was infected with the human immunodeficiency
virus (HIV) when tested
last year, said John Watters of the
University of California, San Francis-
. co.
Watters said the figure is the
highest rate of infection of any heterosexual
population west of Chicago.
Substantial HIV prevention
programs have focused mainly on
major cities and smaller communities
WHAT
you need to know .
WHEN
you need to k,ww it.
ACTION
you can take.
Second Stone's
RESPONSEFAXLetter
COMING THIS JUNE.
FAX or e-mail us for information.
(504)891-7555 / secstone@aol.com.
ITIGAYELLOW PAGES TM INFORMING THE LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL &[TI 1:9.! TRANSGENDER COMMUNIIY SINCE 1973 1:9.!
Complete gay-friendly resources and businesses: accommodations, bars, bookstores, dentists, doctors, lawyers,
therapists, travel services, printers, Organizations, Media, Religious groups, Help lines & AJ.D.SJ H.I.V. resources.
Listings broken down by State & City. Index & fast access phone list. UPDATED ANNUALLY.
For an application to be listed (no charge), or for details of current editions and prices,
or Information about malling labels, please send a sell-addressed stamped envelope to
Renaissance House, PO Box 533-55, VIiiage Station, New York, NY 10014 (212) 674-0120
You can order directly from the address above, or you can find us your local gay-friendly bookstores.
If you wish to order by phone with a credit card, please call A DIFFERENT LIGHT 1-800-343-4002;
FAX (212) 989-2158; outside USA and Canada call 1-212-989-4850. (A Different Light has stores in
New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. They are not involved with production or publication of
Gayellow Pages, so please don't call them except lo order.)
"I wish afl my readers had a copy of this very useful volume. If you live in Nowheresvifle, U.S.A., and haven't a clue
about how to find other gay folks, this book is indispens~ble. There's no way to remain isolated.if you make use of
the information contained in the Gayeflow Pages.• Pat Califla, The Advocate Advisor ·
"By far the most comprehensive and up-to-date gay guide .. . Ga yellow Pages .. . includes the standard entries for
bars and restaurants . . . But the Gayel/ow Pages excels thanks to its additional alphabetized listings by city for
AIDS and HIV services, legal resources, organizations (categorized by purpose or interest), religious groups,
publications, businesses and more. In short, if an entity welcomes gay, lesbian and bisexual peopl!', no matter how
unlikely the service or remote the town, it's probably listed in the Gayel/ow Pages . . . . Hardly a week goes by that it
is not consulted in the Out offices.• Reviewed by Jeff Howells, OUT (Pittsburgh, PA), December 1994
"For over 12 years Gayel/ow Pages t,as been our most-used resource book. We recommend it to eve,y-performer,
author, producer, business person, communitY., organizer, activist, and educator we come in contact with. It's the
perfect coming out gift/" Romanovsky & Phi/lips, Fresh Fruit Records, March 1995
SECOND STONE
near them have not benefited,
Watters wrote in the latest issue of the
Journal of the American Medication
Association.
The smaller cities "lacked the fiscal
and human resources to mount adequate
prevention, drug treatment and
surveillance efforts on their own,'' he
said .
Until recently, East Palo Alto, a
town of 23,000 people, was ignored
. by San Mateo County when it came to
funding AIDS prevention , said
Sharifa Wilson, East Palo Alto's vice
mayor.
Second Stone will run your 30
word classified ad in our next·
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For help call (504)899-4014.
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We reserve the right lo refuse any ad for any reas
for AIDS patients more than before,
he said, but they're still not caring
enough.
'The stigma (over AIDS) has not
diminished in the minds of a lot of
churches," said Allen, who believes
some pastors avoid the issue because
it scares off prospective·members.
Other churches simply don't want
to touch an issue that strikes so close
to home. 'There's a romance to distant
need,'' said Allen, who . describe s
himself as· the last of the moderate
Southern Baptist Convention presidents
. "We like our catastrophes to be
in distant places that we can come
back from."
Selectio11s for your
library available from
Scco11d Sto11c Press ...
DEFECTING IN PLACE: Women
Claiming Responsibility for Their
Own Spiritual Lives
By Miriam Thertse Winter.
Adair Lummis, and Allison. Slobs
Based on a nationwide survey of more than 7,000
women, this book explores women's attitudes towards the
institutional church.
$22.95, hudcovu .
WOMEN AT WORSHIP: Interpretation s
of North American Diversity
Ediled by Marjorie Procter-Smith and Janet R. Walton
A remarkable collection of essays which probe th e
meaning and the many shapes of contemporary feminist
worship.
$15.95, paper.
SEASONS OF THE FEMININE DIVINE:
Christian Feminist Prayers for the
Liturgical Cycle
By Mary Ka1hlun Speegle Schmill
Graceful pra ye rs written by the first woman deacon
ordained in the Anglican Diocese of Quebec.
$11.95, paper .
SEXUALITY AND THE SACRED:
Sources for Theological ReRection
By Janus B. Nelson and Sandra P. Leng/Wow
A comprehensive RSOurce addressing human sexuality as
a critical part of divine revelation.
$14.99, paper.
MURDER AMONG FRIENDS
By Chuck Fager
A prophetic and scary murder mystery about a gay
Quaker activist
. $13:95, paper.
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO
LESBIAN AND GAY WEDDINGS
By Tess Ayers am1 Paul Brown
- Vows, invitations, what to wear ... everything you need to
alow about planning a same-gcndtr service.
$16,00, paper .
A SINGING SOMETHING: Womanist
Retlections on Anna Julia Cooper
By Kantt Baler-Fletchu, .PhD.
A study of Cooper's thought and life of faith in the
struggle for ·buman rights .
$19.95, hardcover.
IN THE COURTS OF THE WRD
By Jim Ferry
A gay priest is put on bial by the F.piscopal Church
$22.95, hardcover.
Place your order today!
Quan. Tide Price Total
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Handling $3 firsl
book, $1 each additional
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MAY/JUNE 199 5
'
,. "I.:
Presbyterian Church cancels gay activity
QENVER (AP)~ 0ffici~~ of a I:.afontain!! said she beli!!ves
Denver church say they have some members of tht> church
canceled a contract with a gay were nervous that the Voices of
support grouf1 because the Faith meeting .,might "ttl'.fn into
group didn't ~1,1brrμhp,ecjfic another Reimaginirtg Conference." ,
plans for a worshlp service at · · She referred to a controversial
the' chu:r'ch, • · · . meeting in Minneapolis two years
But,thegrpup claims Central ago at w):ri,ch feminist theologx
Presbyterian Qhurch i~afraid to : aJ)d god'dess-worsfilp were disbiJ.
host for a .gay S1'01!R because pissed.
of criticism fro!ll some church · The 'Rev, Mark Ramsey, senior
members. · pastor of Central ,PNSbytE)ri,m said
· 'Central Pi:esbyterian •Church the dispute over Voices ofFaith has
agreed .~v .eral monfus ru;o-to :nothirig to db with ideology • .He .
allow Voices of Faith to:Use the . acknowledged that it had been a
site £1:9~ May 4 through 6, but '.'tough thing" for the church . to .
decided this week fo'cancel l!lie agree to .the meeting "but theses-
.. ''contract"because 'it never got. ·sion came to terms with it." ·
explicit irifom)ation abeut the "I feel terrible about it, but we
plalll'\.ed worsmysero,ce May-5;' · ,have ,idmiri~trative deadlines and
The , Rev:. la~ne ~ontaine, . ·· the session (church board} agreed to
dfr.ector of Voice~, which is a host .the meeting 1f we gqt the inforbranch.
of E olorad(), mation ab.out the worship;' Ramsey
ljisputjld . on, a . s\jid. •: ' , : , . .
· Presby:teriarimuu , Lafontaine How~v.er, Ramsey conel!ded' that
said; she was surprised by-the. . if a more traditional church had
church's aclion 'becau~ltspon- . asked to US!) Cenfral Presbyterian,
· s9red a Worl'd XIDS Day semte . he w.ou'ldn't have asked: for detaifs
. last year anti spe Ii~ preached abouO~e ~orship service.
~~ taught classes there ..
. '
New books available
from Second Stone!
Is the Homosexual
My Neighbor?
Revised and Updated, by
Letha Dawson Scanzoni and
Virginia Ramey Mollenkott,
$1 LOO, paper
The Wor~ Is Out
The Bible Reclaimed for
Lesbians and Gay Men,
by Chris Glaser,
$12.00, paper
Jesus Acted Up
A Gay and Lesbian
Manifesto, by
Robert Goss
$14.00, paper
Family
A Portrait of Gay and
Lesbian America, by
photographer Nancy Andrews,
$25.00, paper ·
Order now from Second Stone Press
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SEC5°ND STONE 4D
W Noteworthy W ....................................
Evangelical group
develops national plan
. 6.EV ANGELICA LS CONCERNED
Western Region plans to expand its
ministry beyond the western states to
every part of the country. The dec1s10n
to go national was reached at
the organization's winter board meeting
in Laguna Hills January 29.
According to ECWR, the group has
been approached by several groups
m other parts of the United States
inquiring about membership. ECWR
is solicting input on their plans to
become a national organization.
Comments may be sent to P.O. Box
66906, Phoenix, AZ85082-6906
Gay Pentecostals
announce appointments
6.THE NATIONAL GAY Pentecostal
Alliance has appointed Rev. James
Virgilio of Little Rock, Arkansas as
Elder of the South Central District of
the NGPA. Virgilio is pastor of Hope
Apostolic Church in Little Rock. Rev .
Rebecca D. Boyd is also working out
oi the the South Central District. She
is Director of Prison Ministries, a
division of NGPA's Home Missions
Department.
ECC ordains John French
a}OHN FRENCH was ordained into
the priesthood of the Ecumenical
Catholic Church on March 25, 1995.
French is an adminstrator and professor
at Cape Cod Community College.
Before seeking ordination with the
ECC, French spent many years as a
~enedictine monk in New Jersey. He
1s currently the newly appointed
pastor of St. Luke ECC in Dennis,
Mass.
J COULDN'f GO from this garden spot. I wouldn't go.
Even if thet carriage would pull up along by the way,
and all your heart's desire a beckonin' within to join
'em, the( door open, and inside YOf' could see Hope
and ~atience all dressed in rosy silks, and creamy white
~onmtsadorne1 of small roses beneath the trim, nestled
in the finest veil of lace. And each a wavin' to come on,
and Frank, my Frank, a ho/din' the door, his prime
Jigger all in black, tall and p_roud, a lookin' stiddy on.
I jest couldn't do it, jest couldn't move from this
spot where I stand. Thet blue velvet seat a shinin' so in
the beams of sunlight, set off by gold braid all round.
,:ind Patience a ho/din' up my blue silk dress, fresh as
it wuz when new, and glistenin' like a pale summer sky.
I jest stand, like there weren't no way to 'em. No
way to thet rest and friendship, thet end to trial and
sorrow.
Even if I could, there's somethin' heavy a p~ssin'
down on my inner sides. Somethin' old fate must a
wished upon me at my christenin', some long path thet
needed a ·travelm ', and only I could a done it. It jest
wouldn't a got done should I stray to easy times, jest far
wan~ a. comfort; far a understandin' hand to rest gentle
like in my own. It wouldn't still thet drivin' desire
thet don't know where ar what it will lead to, but
needs to be free, to be given its own head, so thet it
may find home in its own way.
You wouldn't know I wuz a travelin' gal, a settin'
here these long years. You wouldn't see me a t' all lest
you could close your eyes, and look with a different kind
a sight. There hain 't nothin' hard to it. Them shinin'
stars git down close at night, and the silence seems
filled, filled with them that's come and gone, lives
spe~t unknown, but left a clear, wide path of faith in
theirselves alone. Thet they wuz part of somethin' thet
made everythin' whole, and they had a job to do
though it ware heavy and long, they led on. ' .
And_ I ,wait here, thet seems the hardest job of all, a
reachm out though my hands are still._ Longin' to be
home, to see them lights a blazin' within, to hear them
laughin' voices, and know they're a waiting for me.
-Sister Mary Jqne Noder
Christiansbrnnn Kloster Newsletter
MAY/JUNE 199 5
Gays, Lesbians, other minorities targets of supremacist hate
From Page 7
said. "I don 't think we're afraid yet.
We're not sitting here quaking in
mortal dread waiting for something to
happen to us."
Also in February, two skinheads in
Allentown were .charged with killing
their parents and 11-year-old brother.
Bryan and David Freeman, who sport
neo-N azi tattoos, were scheduled for a
preliminary hearing on April 26.
During a March recruiting trip to
York, Lancaster and Reading, Barrett
distanced hlmself from the Freemans,
Arnold and Aldrich. He said members
of his organization don't wear
tattoos or break the law, although he
understands the frustration that leads
to violence.
CALEND AR,
From Pa&e 2
CMI Retreat
"We condemn violence, but we also
condemn the desperate conditions
that drive desperate men to desperate
acts," Barrett said. 'The causes of
violence in Pennsylvania and
throughout the country are favors for
minorities, illegal immigration, the
implication of unjust affirmative
action and forced busing."
Anger over affirmative action is a
prime recruiting tool used by the
white supremacists.
"A lot of whit.es are upset about
affirmative action," Penn State sociology
professor Glenn Firebaugh
said. ''It's probably more acute now
than it was in the past. Most whites
had jobs then."
Thornhill Cosby, president of the
Philadelphia branch of the National
JUNE 27-30, Communication Ministry sponsors a retreat for Catholic lesbian
nuns and gay priests and brothers. The Serra Retreat House, Malibu, Calif.,
is the setting. For information contact CMI, P.O. Box 60125, Chicago, IL
60660-0125.
Gay and Lesbian Parents Coalition Conference
JUNE 30-JUL Y 3, Gay and lesbian parenting groups from Southern California
will host the 16th Annual Gay and Lesbian Parents Coalition International Conference
at the University of California at Los Angeles. Part of the conference
will focus on issues of relevance to those . who are currently parents, those who
function in a parenting role, or those who wish to -become parents. Two other
sub-conferences will examine topics bf import~nce to the children of lesbian or
gay parents. Conference fees include all meals and three nights lodging at
UCLA's Sunset Village. For information write to GLPCI '95, 7985 Santa
Monica Blvd., Box 109-346, West Hollywood, CA 90046 or call (213)654-0307,
FAX (310)652-7584.
Evangelicals Concerned ConnECtion '95
JULY 1-4, This conference is an opportunity to gather with 200 other Christian
Gays and Lesbians in a supportive atmosphere of acceptance and celebration.
Keynote speakers are author Michael J. Christensen and EC founder Dr.
Ralph Blair. This year's conferen.ce returns to the San Franciso Bay Area and
the campus of Mills College. For information contact ECWR, P.O. Box 66906,
Phoenix, Al.85082-6906, (602)893-6952.
Convocation of Reconciling Congregations ·
JULY 13-16, "Bound for the Promised Land" is the theme for the fourth national
gathering of Reconciling C<?ngregati~ns, to be held i~. Minneapolis. ':, youth
and stud.ant rally and a special gathering of the Reconciling Pastors' ·Action Network
is planned. Individualf ee is $165, $85 for children and youth. For information
contact the Reconciling Congregations Program, 3801 N. Keeler Ave.,
Chicago, IL60641, (312)736-5526.
The UFMCC General Conference
JULY 23-30, the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches will
~ather at the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel in Atlanta for its 17th ·conference.
'All Things Are Possible" is the theme for this conference which offers a discounted
rate of $180 for non-delegates. A special gathering will be held at the
Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Non-Violent Social Change. For information,
contact UFMCC GCXVll, 5300 Santa Monica Blvd., #304, Los Angeles, CA
90029, (213)464-5100. ·
Conference of the National Gay Pentecostal Alliance
JULY 28-30 NGPA holds its General Conference in Schenectady, New York,
on dates coi~ciding with the 15th anniversary of the founding of the _or~anization.
A variety of speakers ~ill be fea~ured an~ the ~nference will m~lude
teaching workshops and evening worship. For mformat1on on NGPA write to
P.O. Box 1391, Schenectady, NY 12301-1391.
Announcements of interest to gay, lesbian and bisexual Christians are welcome and
will be included free of charge. Send to Second Stone, P. 0. Box 8340, New
Orleans,L A 70182,F AX to (504)891-7555o r e-mailt o secstone@aol.com.
SECOND STONE $
Association for the Advancement of
Colored Peopl e, said white men
unfairly blame minorities for lost jobs.
'The white woman has benefited
from affirmative action more than any
minority," he said. 'The white man is
afraid of becoming a minority in the
work force. He's desperate to protect
his position of power."
The state Human Relations Commission
reported 417 crimes of ethnic
intimidation in 1993, up from 181 in
1988, the first year the statistics were
compiled.
"I thlrik at least some of the increase
is due to increased reporting to the
police arid recording by police," Penn
State Criminal Justice professor
Thomas Bernard said.
Trachte said the more troubling
aspect of hate groups is not that they
are committing more crimes, but the
crimes they are committing are more
violent.
"You no longer have Klansmen
threatening with shotguns, you have
young skinheads firing Uzis and they
are organiz ing on a national level,"
he said.
Because many whites in rural
Pennsylvania know few minorities,
the potential for violence is even
greater, Trachte said.
"As long as you can live in your
own isolation and can feed the myth
that these people are not real persons,
it doesn't matter what you do to
them," he said. ''You can kill them or
you can blow them up because they
are not real to you."
Religious conservatives . praise
custody denial decision
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Gay-rights
advocates assailed a Virginia Supreme
Court decision denying a lesbian
custody of her son, whlle conservative
groups hailed it as a victory for
decency.
In a 4-3 decision April 21, the court
said Sharon Bottoms is an unfit mother
and 3-year-old Tyler Doustou
should remain in the custody of his
maternal grandmother.
"Common sense tells us a parent's
sexual practices have a strong influence
on a child," said Kristi Hamrick,
spokeswoman for the Washingtonbased
Family Research Council, a
group she described as a pro-family
public policy organization . "One of
the messages of lesbianism is that
men are not necessary, that men and
women are interchangeable puzzle
pieces."
Mike Russell, spokesman for Pat
Robertson's Christian Coalition, said
the ruling "is iri keeping with what
we think is mainstream Middle
America's ·wishes." He said the 1.5
million-member coalition believes
courts "should do all they can to
strengthen the traditional family."
Elizabeth Birch, executive director
• of . the Washington-based Human
Rights Campaign Fund, had a different
view. ·
"Anyone who truly cares about
families should be morally outraged
that the government has taken a child
from his own loving mother because
of other people's prejudices," she said.
Kate Kendall, legal director of the
National Center for Lesbian Rights in
San Francisco, said Virginia is one of
a half-dozen states whose hlghest
courts appear to have taken the position
that homosexuality alone makes
a parent unfit. She said the others are
Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota,
South Dakota and Oklahoma.
But Kay Bottoms, who retained
custody of Tyler while the case was
appealed, said the court recognized
there were factors .other than homosexuality
that made her daughter a
bad mother.
'Thank God they proved her unfit
besides just being a lesbian," she told
radio station WFLS in Fredericksburg.
"She neglected thls baby a lot. I
didn't fight her just because she
turned lesbian."
Kay Bottoms accused the American
Civil Liberties Uniori and the media
of turning the case into a homosexualrights
issu,e.
Sharon-Bottoms ~as advised not to
talk to reporters for a couple of days,
said one of her lawyers, Player
Michelson. Michelson said her client
"was floored" bythe ruling.
In the ruling, the Supreme Court
said lesbianism was one of many
factors that made Sharon :Bottoms an
unfit mother. Sharon Bottoms testified
two years ago that she and Ms. Wade
have oral sex, a felony in Virginia for
heterosexuals as well as homosexuals.
Other factors cited in the court.'s
decision included her history of moving
from place to place, relying on
others for support arid "difficulty
controlling her temper," the justices
said. ·
In a dissenting opinion, Justice
Barbara M. Keenan wrote that the
intermediate . appeals court properly
ruled that ''adverse effects of a
parent's homosexuality on a child
cannot be assumed without specific
proof."
Sharon Bottoms' lead attorney,
Donald K. Butler, said he would ask
the court to reconsider its decision.
Ms. Bottoms, 25, and the child's
father were divorced before she met
Ms. Wade. The father, who has not
been involved in the chlld's upbringing,
has said the child should live
with Ms. Bottoms.
MAY/JUNE 199 5
Comment . .......................................................................
Even in Mississippi Freedom to live where we want to
By Rev. Jan Griesinger
Guest comment
Wiy would you want to live in
rural Mississippi anyhow?" If
Brenda and Wanda Henson
rom Ovett, Miss., hear this
one more time they .may scream.
They have been traveling around the
country to speak about the harassment
they have faced from local
folks, Southern Baptist ministers, and
Mississippi for Family Values at their
lesbian and feminist education center.
If it is not safe for them in rural
Mississippi, is it safe for us in Athens,
Ohio or South Bristol, Maine, or San
Francisco, or Northampton? As they
have traveled, people have told them
of a~sault, murder, bashing or harassment
in every city they have visited.
People acknowledge that these actions
are more than likely not reported to
law enforcement officials. You may
recall that poet Audre Lorde warned
us that our silence will not protect us.
Even our density does not protect us.
But we all like to believe that by
1995 we have created safe zones.
Clearly most of us do seem safe -
either by staying closeted, choosing
urban neighborhoods, or being selective
about who knows much detail
about our lives.
The Hensons have chosen the road
farthest away from silence - high
visibility. They have had many
years of experience as spokespersons
in Mississippi on feminist anti-racist
and progressive issues and are very
media savvy. They have appeared
on television talk shows and communicate
regularly with media in
their area.
But they are tired of being blamed
by members of our gay /lesbian/bisexual
communities for wanting to
live in an area where the civil rights
movement lost many battles and
many lives and where the distinctions
between the KKK and local law
enforcement officials are not always
clear. It's hard to hear "blaming the
victim" from our own. Mississippi is
Jewish community gets apology fmm Robertson; Gays get silence
their home. They found inexpensive
rural land to realize their dream of
safe educational space. They happen
to believe that Lesbians and women
everywhere deserve a feminist education
and land to learn new skills.
I traveled to Camp Sister Spirit with
three students during _ spring break
from my work as campus minister at
Ohio University. We helped build,
clear land for camp sites, answer the
phones, . put out a bulk . mailing,
transcribe the depositions from critics/
attackers who have filed a nuisance
law suit against the Hensons claiming
their project creates too much noise
and traffic. We had a wonderful
time, working with students from
Kutztown University, Goucher Colege
and Smith College.
The women at the camp will host a
Freedom Ride to the camp over
Memorial Day weekend. It is co-sponsored
by Robin Tyler, women's music
producer, and the Universal Fellowship
of Metropolitan Community
Churches. UFMCC founder Rev.
Troy Perry urged people to come to
Camp Sister Spirit "to serve notice to
the reactionary forces in this country
that these sisters have the right to
purchase and establish their camp
anywhere in America."
What the Hensons are doing
benefits all of us. Once the nuisance
suit is thrown out of court they plan to
pursue a legal rights case that will
stop at nothing less than civil rights
protection for gay /lesbian/bisexual
people everywhere. And they will
continue their front line resistance
against the assault of the so-called
Christian Right. These sisters deserve
your support. Go there with a
group for a work project . Send a
letter of support or a contribution to
Camp Sister Spirit, P.O. Box 12,
Ovett, MS 39464, (601)344-1411.
Jan Griesinger is a national coardinatar
for the United Church Coalition far Lesbian/
Gay Concerns and campus minister
at Ohio University.
Mainstream media ignored Mel White's mission at CBN
By Paula Xanthoooulou
Guest Comment
I n a year of political obsession,
a drama recently unfolded in
Virginia Beach that had major
· political significance. Yet
most people did not hear about it, or
if they did, they saw precious little
in-d epth reporting on the issues .
Mel White, Minister of Justice for
the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan
Community Churches and former
Pat Robertson speechwriter, went
to the Christian Broadcasting Network
(CBN) on Valentine's Day to seek a
meeting with Robertson. He wanted
to talk about homophobic rhetoric
emanating from the 700 Club, et al,
and its -.relation to growing violence
against Lesbians and Gays aU across
America. He wanted to seek Robertson's
help in stopping the rhetoric
and the violence. He had tried for
months to get a meeting and went in
person as a last resort. He was turned
away. When he returned the next
day he was arrested for trespassing.
White believed that since his parents,
1grandmother and many others have
contributed to Robertson's projects as
a matter of faith, the CBN belongs to
God and not to Robertson. He refused
to admit guilt by posting a bond or
paying a fine, and fasted in jail for 23
days in his commitment -to having
that meeting and stopping the violence.
Every day, a group of local
community and religious leaders,
"Bearing Witness," visited the CBN to
ask for the meeting. On March 8,
SECOND STONE
Robertson visited White in jail, in a
meeting reportedly arranged by the
Sheriff. Robertson said he would
respond shortly to White's request
about the violence and to hear the
stories of P-FLAG members. He then
dropped the charges against White.
End of Round One.
Here's what Pat's People had been
saying before the meeting: 1) There
would be no meeting, because such a
meeting would give credibility to the
. lesbian and gay rights movement; 2)
Robertson has repeatedly condemned
violence on the air (although not
specifically anti-gay violence); and 3)
Mel White was staging a publicityseeking
stunt to promote a book he
wrote entitled Stranger at the Gate: To
Be Gay and Christian in America.
r,f!!]__ Pontius' Puddle
I-IE'/, 'FO~TIOS,
I'I/E: G-OT A
t,IEIJ OEFEt-lSI:
fO~ VOO 0~
JOt>(r!I\EN'f"Ol\/.
Did Robertson actually have a
change of heart?
On March 2, a piece by Frank Rich
in The New York Times mentioned
some recently published articles
which had discussed various · antiSemitic
citations in Pat Robertson's
four-year-old book, The New World
Order. Rich talked about the extremist
views held by Robertson and the
efforts to gloss over them with the
cunning lobbying of Ralph Reed of
the Christian Coalition. He called it
"bait and switch." Rich aiso took the
press to task for not challenging
Robertson and Reed enough or looking
deeper into all that is the foundation
of the Christian Coalition and its
powerful political base.
Those lingering questions about
Robertson's book prompted the AntiDefamation
League to seek immedi-ate
clarification. In 24 hours, they
had it - a 500-word explanation
/ apology from Robertson faxed to the
Times. The lesbian and gay community
has had no such response . Mel
White was in jail for three weeks! In
Robertson's eyes, offending the Jewish
community is a big political
problem. Gay men and Lesbians not
only don't count, but efforts to demonize
and disempower them is the staff
of religious right life! On page 227 of
The New World Order, Robertson had
this to say: 'There will never be
world peace until God's house and
God's people are given their rightful
' sEE COMMENT, Next Page
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We'll pay more attention to hate now
By Jim Bailey
WHETNHE FIRST shocking imag~s of the smoldering Alfred P. Murrah
Federal Building in Oklahoma City were transmitted to television screens
across our nation, we wanted to think that some dreadful accident - perhaps a
gas explosion - had ripped the building apart. Then the crater was
discovered and we reluctantly accepted the horrible reality: Somebody did
this. For as long as we could, we suspected some foreign enemy. But little
Baylee Almon and all the others who died in this tragedy were not killed by
terrorists from the Middle East.
The photo of Baylee being passed from Police Sgt. John Avera to firefighter
Chris Fields will be remembered as a symbol of the devastation that followed
the bombing. And the photo of bombing suspect Thomas James McVeigh,
face locked in a piercing, remorseless expression, being led away by federal
authorities, will be remembered as a symbol of the day that many Americans
learned what a hate crime is.
In the hulk of the Murrah Federal Building, African-Americans, Jews, Gays
and Lesbians and other minorities who have long been the victims of hate
crimes could see vandalized synagogs and burned-out homes and churches.
We have stared, often with fear, into the faces of many McVeighs and we
have become experts in our knowledge of hate. -
Now we are called to be teachers. When Magic Johnson announced that he
was HIV-positive and thus sounded the wake up call for mainstream America
that AIDS was everybody's pain and sorrow, we compassionately and
unselfishly . shared oui know!eage and experience. The Oklahoma City
bombing is another wake up call for mainstream America. Hate is everybody's
pain and sorrow.
During the week following the bombing, there has been an unprecedented
backlash against organized hate groups, including a condemnation from an
outraged President Clinton, who criticized the most common practice of hate -
hate talk and its outlets including talk radio shows. Hate groups, who are
chronically rather paranoid, have become even more defensive. ''We don't
believe in violence," say the cowards, as they sit on arsenals of weapons.
If we are able now to go out and teach the lessons of love and respect for
each life that God creates on earth and speak against those who have no such
i:espect for human life, we can recall the lives of the many who perished at
the hangs of McVeigh and his accomplices with even more fullness.
My prayers are with those in Oklahoma City whose lives have been taken
away or forever changed by this senseless act. . -··--;~ .~---Cr~
SECOND STONE Newsjoumal, ISSN No. 1047-3971, is published every other
month by Bailey Communications, P. 0. Box 8340; New Orleans, LA-70182.
Copyright 1995 by Second Stone, a registered trademark.
SUBSCRIPTIONS, U.S.A. $17.00 per year, six issues. Foreign subscribers add
$10.00 for postage. All payments U.S. currency only.
ADVERTISING, For display advertising information call (504)891-7555 or write
to P.O. Box 8340, New Orleans, LA 70182.
EDITORIAL, send letters, calendar announcements, noteworthy items to
(Department title) Second Stone, P.O. Box 8340; New Orleans, LA 70182.
Manuscripts to l>e returned should be accompanied by a stamped, self addressed
envelope. Second Stone is otherwise not responsible for the return of any material.
SECOND STONE, a national ecumenical Christian social justice newsjoumal
with a specific outreach to sexual orientation minorities.
PUBLISHER/EDITOR Jim Bailey
CONTRIBUTORS FOR THIS ISSUE: Jack Pantaleo, Marie Rohde,
Paula Xanthopoulou, Rev. Jan Griesinger
SECOND STONE
COMMENT
· From Pr~vious Page
place of leadership at the top of the
world . How can there be peace when
drunkards, drug dealers, communists,
atheists, New Age worshippers
of Satan, secular · humanist[, oppressive
dictators, greedy moneychangers,
revoluntionary assassins, adulterers,
and homosexuals are on top?
Under their leadership the world will
never, I repeat never, experience
lasting peace." Will he explain this in
a few days?
This insidious and dangerous
"homophobia+" has been validated
by the scant press coverage of White's
mission and related issues. Why? In
his statement to the Times, Robertson
said: " ... only someone who is desperately
attempting to cause mischief
would make the unfounded allegations
about me and or my book that
have recently appeared in The New
York Times." Mischief? Can we really
allow Pat Robertson to be a political
force in our democracy and. also the
harbinger of discrimination against
those who don't fit into the Christian
Coalition Master Plan? Is he so
powerful that we can just forget or
gloss over what took Mel White to
Virginia Beach? Has the press (wittingly
or unwittingly?) become part
of this clever cover-up? Who will join
in the imperative task of holding Pat
Robertson's feet to the fire as long as
he insists on mixing religion and
politics ... and building what amounts
to an empire?
Paula Xanthopoulou is editor of c.c.
watch, an independentn ewsletterm onitoring
the religious right, 3741 N.E.
163rd St., Ste. 311, Sunny Isles, FL
33160-4104W, atch97@aol.com.
YourTum ·-........ ~ .......... .
Weymouth, Massachusetts
Publicize malpractice
of ex-gay counselors
Dear Second Stone,
The "ex-gay" ministries, including
such misdirected groups as Homosexuals
Anonymous - whose goal is to
change one's sexual orientation from
homosexual to heterosexual - represent
an extremely violent abuse of
Christianity and must be stopped.
One powerful tactic in shutting
down these alleged "ministries" is
publicizing cases such as the "change
minister" from Glendale, Calif., who
was convicted of involuntary manslaughter
after one of his clients killed
himself (Second Stone, Jan/Feb, 1995).
Indeed, these very dangerous
people need to know that there are
not only emotional, spiritual and
physical consequences of their dirty
work, but legal ramifications as well.
Thank you for spreading the true
Good News!
Sincerely,
Sean L. Avery
Riverside, California
Second Stone not
responsible for "outing"
Dear Second Stone,
Thank you for the excellent work you
are doing. We must comment on a,
well, strange missive from Todd
Ferrell. (Letters, Jan/Feb '95). Mr.
Ferrell shared a heart-warming story
of his parents struggling through to
acceptance of his gayness. But then
his letter goes astray.
He objects to your article "Anti-gay
activist has AIDS" (News Lines,
Nov/Dec '94). First, he claims that
you wrote it in an unloving spirit of
cynicism. We believe that any such
spirit is in Mr. Ferrell's mind; it was
not in your article.
Second, he objects to Second Stone
thus "stooping" to "out" someone.
The man in question had already acknowledged
his.homosexuality and
been publicly (and unfairly) ousted
for it. Because you only reported this,
certainly you are not the one guilty of
the outing itself.
Mr. Ferrell seems like a nice, wellmeaning
fellow, whose heart is the
the right place, but whose logic is
sadly lacking.
We would like to express one concern
about · your news articles. Occasionally
the news items are just too
brief to clarify questions they raise in
the reader's mind. Indeed, a little
more inofrmation, including dates,
would be helpful.
We can think of no better . closing
than Ferrell's: "God bless you all as
you con.tinue to serve and share
Christ.."
In our Lord's service,
Gwen and Bob Bergh
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