58 20 2479 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Shower of Stoles Description An account of the resource Items (stoles) for the Shower of Stoles exhibit Stole A stole in the Shower of Stoles exhibit Honoree The person honored by the creation of thestole. Mike Stole Text Here is a stole from a dear friend of mine, Mike. He is now ex-Roman Catholic and “serving” in other ways. He was a part of my ordination 13 years ago. I have the stole he gave to me then. When he was forced to leave the priesthood, he gave me three stoles. This is one of them. It is also one his mother made for him. Thank you! In Christ, Drew Denomination Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Contribution Date 2015 Contribution Story Originally a part of the collection of stoles housed by ReconcilingWorks: Lutherans for Full Participation, this stole was donated by them to the Shower of Stoles Project in 2015. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 1234 Title A name given to the resource Mike Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Unknown, (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Drew Catholic Evangelical Lutherans of America (ELCA) Lutheran Ordination Reconciling Works (formerly Lutherans Concerned) Roman Catholic Theology United States Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Shower of Stoles Description An account of the resource Items (stoles) for the Shower of Stoles exhibit Stole A stole in the Shower of Stoles exhibit Honoree The person honored by the creation of thestole. Michelle Kanatzar Stole Text Michelle Kanatzar, Deacon Metropolitan Community Church Baptist Louisville, KY I always knew that I was destined to serve God in a public way. Yet, something stood in my way. I was a lesbian in a very strict Baptist church. I decided it wasn’t going to stop me from serving God. I started working with kids at only 12 years old and even decided to get my degree in Biblical Studies. I was able to hide my identity until my mid-twenties, but was finally outed. My studies were over and I no longer could work with the kids or be a member of the church. I never felt like I had lost God, but I felt like I would never have a way to reach others. Then, 15 years ago I found Metropolitan Community Churches. I have been able to work with kids again, interpret services, and most importantly become a Deacon of my local congregation. My story is so much like so many others that are forced out of the church that they grew up in. I am one of the lucky ones that find a place to use my gifts for the benefit of God. I pray that others may find that safe place. Denomination Metropolitan Community Church Baptist Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 1165 Title A name given to the resource Michelle Kanatzar Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Louisville, Kentucky (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Michelle Kanatzar Baptist Kanatzar, Michelle Kentucky MCC Ordination Women and Religion Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Shower of Stoles Description An account of the resource Items (stoles) for the Shower of Stoles exhibit Stole A stole in the Shower of Stoles exhibit Honoree The person honored by the creation of thestole. Michael Purintun Stole Text MICHAEL PURINTUN Central Presbyterian Church Louisville, Kentucky Denomination Presbyterian Church (USA) Contribution Date 1996 Contribution Story Central Presbyterian was one of the early More Light congregations, the first in Kentucky, working for the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons in the life and leadership of the Presbyterian Church. Central practiced what it preached, ordaining LGBT persons as elders from the time they first became More Light. This is one of ten identical white satin stoles with rainbow ribbons honoring the ten self-identified gay and lesbian elders who served on Central's session between the church's becoming a More Light Church in the early 1980's and the 1996 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA). These stoles were made by a young man who is a custom lampshade maker by trade, with the church's hope that they "will speak to the whole church for all of us who are part of its life, even though the church may not know it." Martha Juillerat Founder, Shower of Stoles Project 2006 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 62 Title A name given to the resource Michael Purintun Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Louisville, Kentucky (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Central Presbyterian Church Kentucky More Light Presbyterians for LGBT Concerns Ordination Presbyterian Presbyterian Church (USA) Purintum, Michael Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Shower of Stoles Description An account of the resource Items (stoles) for the Shower of Stoles exhibit Stole A stole in the Shower of Stoles exhibit Honoree The person honored by the creation of thestole. Michael Gene Harmon Stole Text Michael Gene Harmon Roman Catholic United Church of Christ Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Michael had been married twenty-five years and raised his family of two sons before he fully accepted his sexuality as a gay man. Michael has been raised as a Catholic and raise his family in the Catholic Church, too. During the late 70’s through the 80’s until his coming out in 1990, Michael had continued his Catholic education and faith traditions, studying and eventually became an ordained deacon in the Catholic Church. He ministered at several churches in Oklahoma and Louisiana. He was working at Mount St. Mary’s High School in Oklahoma City when he came out. When he was later outed at the school, he was told that his services were no longer needed. His position on the board of Catholic Charities Oklahoma City was also terminated. Michael divorced, became homeless for a couple of months, and had to find a new job. Michael met his life partner, Kent Fischer, in 1991. They were together 23 years, building a happy and adventurous life together. In 2014, Michael and Kent went to Palm Springs, CA to get legally married on their anniversary. However, Michael died of a heart attack the morning before they were to be married. Kent says, “I didn’t realize how important the piece of paper saying that I was married was to me. I was already married to Michael in my heart. But several weeks after Michael’s death, I feel I was cheated out of my marriage.” Denomination Roman Catholic Church United Church of Christ Contribution Date 2015 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 1185 Title A name given to the resource Michael Gene Harmon Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kent Fischer Catholic Church Trials Fischer, Kent Harmon, Michael Gene Marriage Equality Oklahoma Roman Catholic Theology United Church of Christ https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/a3a04041450bc1f668c8729ee6c6e30f.jpg 299b95c3c7ac859c0e872dff030e125c Person An individual. Text Any textual data included in the document Michael Adee’s life and faith journey has been marked by providence and grace. The young couple who would become his parents, Larry Adee and Doris Walker, met at a USO dance during World War ll. They fell in love and got married after the war. Larry worked for Continental Oil Company, so they lived in different oil-producing communities. They adopted a son Steve, of Cherokee Indian descent, in Oklahoma. Four years later, living in Billings, Montana, they adopted Michael. Larry was raised Presbyterian while Doris was Baptist but chose to join him at a Presbyterian Church. Michael’s adoption was arranged through First Presbyterian Church Billings where Larry served on the Session with a pediatrician who learned that they were ready for a second son. Michael did not really understand the concept of adoption as a child. His parents always used told him that he had been “chosen”—which was most appropriate in their religious tradition. The Adee family moved to Houston briefly and then to southwest Louisiana where Michael spent his formative years in the town of Sulphur. Catholicism was the dominant religion in the area and the sole Presbyterian Church was small. But Michael found it to be a great faith community in which to grow up. Each of the small number of children was considered special. His dad was an Elder and Clerk of the Session and also taught adult Christian Education. Michael’s mom lost her vision due to diabetes when Michael was in 5th grade. Attempts to save her eyesight through surgery failed. Michael understands that his mother subsequently saw with her “heart” and not with her eyes. Michael is deeply grateful to his parents for being models for his life. They lived out their faith in different, but complementary and harmonious ways. His dad had a clear, rational, logical approach to faith. His mom’s faith was more emotional and impassioned with a justice orientation. School played an important role in Michael’s life during his childhood. He was socially active so joined every club or group available. He played a number of sports. He and his dad were active in Boy Scouts. The family went tent-camping on almost every school holiday—sometimes with friends, but usually with other family relatives. Through spending so much time out-of-doors, Michael’s parents taught him and his brother to love and respect earth and creation. As Michael’s brother Steve entered adolescence he began to struggle with school and to experiment with drugs. This led to encounters with school and police authorities. Eventually Steve was forced to leave public school and live at a reformatory school away from the family home. This resulted in a great sadness for the Adee family. Michael recalls the family’s Sunday routine when he was in high school. His mom would put a roast in the oven before they left for church. She insisted that they get dressed up appropriately for church. Michael and his dad were two of the seven members of the choir in worship. On the way home they would stop at the jail to visit Steve. Michael got his first glimpse of racial profiling as he observed that his family was usually the only White folks there and the only ones dressed up. His mom reassured Steve that he was loved—trying to bring some dignity to a troubling situation. During the times when Steve was not in jail, the family would return home from church to eat the pot roast and then the guys would watch football or other sports. Michael recalls that his mom always wanted to root for the underdog. Her compassionate approach to the world—which showed up even in how she observed sports—had a deep influence on Michael and taught him the importance of working to make a difference in the world. Michael was very much a church geek during his youth. He was not only deeply involved with his Presbyterian Church but he went with his friend Barry to the nearby Baptist church which had a larger youth group. Michael says he was “Presbyterian by day and Baptist by night.” While Michael enjoyed this mix of religious experience, it also created some conflict between the Reformed theology of his family’s tradition and the Anabaptist emphasis on personal faith and salvation. Also the Baptist tradition espoused heteronormativity and even preached outright against homosexuality. Michael felt pressure about meeting the “right girl” and developed—what he later understood as--unhealthy attitudes about sexuality and how one integrates sexuality with faith and humanity. The minister at the Presbyterian Church, Clark, was a single man. Michael’s mom invited him to eat frequently with the Adees out of her concern that a single man would certainly starve. Once Clark invited the Adees to eat with him at the manse (the pastor’s home) where Michael discovered that Clark was a culinary artist and had one of the “fussiest” homes Michael had ever seen. Clark became a mentor to Michael in discerning his life and vocational goals and encouraged Michael to pursue his religious training. Michael enrolled in Louisiana State University in the fall of 1973 for his undergraduate work and intended to continue on to law school. During his undergrad years, Michael became even more of a church geek and kept himself busy with the Presbyterian campus ministry, Campus Crusade, InterVarsity and the Baptist campus programs. Toward the end of his college years Clark took Michael to visit Austin Presbyterian Seminary. Michael wasn’t impressed as he observed that life there seemed rather dull compared to his life at LSU. However, Michael later went on a mission trip with college friends to an African mission program at Southwestern Baptist Seminary in Fort Worth. He thought that school was a good fit for him, particularly since the seminary had tennis courts on its campus. Michael had been an avid tennis player from a young age. After earning his B.S. degree from LSU in 1977, Michael enrolled at Southwestern. Given the social expectations around him, Michael dated women through high school and college. In fact, he was often a popular date because he was such a respectful, Christian young man. However, a few weeks after arriving at seminary, he found he was strongly attracted to one of his tennis buddies. Being an earnest person, Michael immediately went to the seminary counseling center and told a counselor that he thought might be gay. The counselor seemed totally unprepared to deal with such an honest confession and handed Michael some ex-gay pamphlets and said there was nothing else he could do for him. Michael read the pamphlets but was not impressed. So he decided that he would work harder on being straight and continued to date women. Michael completed the M.Div. degree at Southwestern in 1981 but did not feel that he was called to be a pastor. So he decided to do a year of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) at a hospital in Cumberland, Maryland. Under the guidance of an extraordinary supervisor he had a remarkable, transformative year. As to be expected, the CPE experience led him to pull his life apart and put it back together. He developed some friendships with gay men. He continued to play tennis and be involved in church. He began to realize that his social life lacked integrity—he was not being fair to women he dated nor to himself. He dived into more reading, Bible study and prayer to try to sort this out. Michael finished the CPE experience in 1982 and then set off for a two-year stint as a missionary in Zimbabwe. He served as a campus minister at the University of Zimbabwe and worked with the Scripture Union to do programming and retreats with youth. Michael found this to be an amazing experience which led him to become a citizen of the world. During this time away, he also came to realize that it was OK for him to be gay even though this ran counter to what he had been taught in his hometown and in his church experiences. He recognized that Reformed theology and tradition was the solid ground on which he could continue to stand. Michael returned to the U.S. in 1984 and became a campus minister at the University of Nevada-Reno. He found this to be a huge culture shock. While he met some interesting people there, he was uneasy about unethical practices he observed and raised questions with campus ministry leaders. He lost favor and moved on after one year. Because he was now embracing his gay identity, Michael decided he could not continue in campus ministry. So he thought he would explore getting a Ph.D. and teaching. Going back to LSU was an affordable way to do that. He began the doctoral program in rhetoric and public communication along with two colleagues, Donald and Regina. Michael was determined to live a more integrated, honest life. Early in the term, during one of their habitual Tuesday breaks at the Student Union over Earl Grey tea and bagels with cream cheese, Michael took the risk to come out to Regina. Her response was that she had known this for some time. The next day she left a note for Michael that stated: “Dearest Michael, Thank you for inviting me into your life more fully. I have always loved you and love you even more now.” This strong affirmation became a liberating moment for Michael. In 1990, Michael got a teaching position at Northern Kentucky University near Cincinnati, Ohio. During the first semester, he was taken aback when a student in his speech class stated that “gay people deserve to die.” Another student reprimanded the person for the offensive statement. However, Michael was concerned about attitudes toward gay persons on campus and made an appointment with the director of the campus counseling center to discuss this. He met Ann, the director, and proposed the creation of an LGBT student group. She reminded Michael that he was not tenured and he was in northern Kentucky. Michael decided to start a group any way, which met once a week for six weeks in his home. Then he arranged for them to meet in a room at a Chinese restaurant across the street from campus. At that gathering, he proposed that they meet next in the student union on campus. He invited a friend who was active in Cincinnati PFLAG to speak to the group and she was warmly received. During this time, Michael had gone to visit Mt. Auburn Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati, at the suggestion of Ann, the counseling center director. The first Sunday he attended worship there, the congregation’s proposed More Light statement (affirming participation of LGBT persons) was read aloud. Michael was moved to tears and believed that he had finally found a church home. As to be expected, Michael dived into becoming active in the life of the congregation and, in 1992-93, was elected and ordained as an Elder. This practice was not allowed under Presbyterian Church law, so some conservative pastors in the area filed ecclesiastical charges against Mt. Auburn. Back at the university Michael’s department chair and the dean had become unhappy with his work with LGBT students and so moved to fire him from his teaching position. Michael filed a grievance against the university but had no real legal protections. This was a challenging period for Michael as he scrambled to make a living, working a number of part-time jobs of the next year-and-a-half. Eventually he saw a listing for a hospice chaplain job with Vitas Health Care. He interviewed and was hired on the spot. He did hospice work for the next three years, initiating their bereavement program and helping establish an ethics committee. Michael was still actively involved at Mt. Auburn as well as with the national More Light Presbyterians organization. When his activism got local media attention once again, the Vitas director decided he was too controversial and again fired him from his position. Given this tumult, Michael concluded it was time for a fresh start—to leave Cincinnati. He had joined the national gay tennis circuit and competed in the Gay Games in New York City. There he met and fell in love in love with another tennis player, Kevin, from Atlanta. The two of them determined to plot out how to live together. Six cities were identified as possible places to live. Santa Fe was the first to offer Michael a job. He moved there in 1997 to manage an LGBT wellness group. Michael’s good friend Hal Porter, who was pastor at Mt. Auburn, had joined the national board of More Light Presbyterians (MLP). The board often met at the Ghost Ranch Conference Center in Santa Fe. Michael helped with arrangements and hosting for the meetings there. While the board was meeting there in 1999, Hal called Michael and asked him to have dinner together the last night of the meeting. Over the past year, MLP had decided to hire its first national organizer. The search process had dragged on because they didn’t seem to get the right candidate. They were particularly interested in someone with advocacy and organizing experience, not just as a pastor. Hal recognized that Michael’s skills and experience matched MLP’s needs. He asked Michael if he would consider applying for the position. The timing was good for Michael since the director of the agency where he worked had died and they were going through transition. Michael decided to apply, was hired and started working as MLP’S Field Organizer in May 1999. He thrived in that position—which later became Executive Director & Field Organizer—for fourteen years. Michael truly loved this work. It was remarkable in that it coalesced all of his life experiences, education and passions into this work. Furthermore, he was working with a blank slate, so had freedom to create this new position. He recalls that he had two resource documents, the Claiming the Promise curriculum and Walter Wink’s Homosexuality and the Bible. With those in hand, he started traveling to speak in churches all across the U.S., usually in four-five day stints of preaching, teaching, and meeting. The primary goal was to change the policy in the Presbyterian Church USA. However, Michael understood that this was a slow, deliberate process of changing hearts and minds—not just votes at the General Assembly. He observed progress slowly and steadily year after year. Initially, the focus was on removing or deleting laws or policies that were negative toward LGBT persons. But then the MLP board decided to shift to a more positive approach and to espouse a change in ordination procedures that would be more inclusive. The victory finally came at the 2010 General Assembly when all barriers to LGBT participation and ordination were removed. This required a one-year campaign to ratify those changes in the regional presbyteries, which was completed in May 2011. While this was happening, Michael was becoming more aware of the international situation—about antigay laws and atrocities in Africa, Latin America and other places. He started incorporating these perspectives into his work with MLP, recognizing that the Presbyterian Church USA has a presence and relationships in many countries around the world. In the fall of 2011, MLP held a celebratory gathering in Rochester, New York, to mark the ratification of new policies in the PCUSA. Michael did a presentation about international issues during a morning session. Following that, a philanthropist-activist Presbyterian minister asked Michael to go to lunch. She asked Michael if he would be willing to do international LGBT advocacy work separate from MLP, if she helped generate the funding. Michael was sensing that his work at MLP had reached some completion and was pondering where he might be called next. That lunch became a moment of clarity for him—this invitation perfectly fit with Michael’s past experiences and his current passion. Then he had to figure how to make this transition; how he could move into this new ministry while leaving MLP in a stable situation and ready for the new directions it could go. He conferred with the co-moderators in advance of the February 2012 board meeting in San Antonio. The board was generally surprised, with some disappointment but mostly grace in response to Michael’s announcement. They realized this would be a good match for Michael while giving MLP the opportunity to define a new way of being. The board hired Patrick Evans to be its interim director for one year to work with Michael on a transition plan and setting up protocols. Michael started his new position in September 2012. The philanthropist had decided to work through the Horizons Foundation in San Francisco, since it was one of the earliest LGBT foundations. The foundation began funding LGBT projects in the Bay Area but had recently started working in a national collaboration on marriage issues. Taking on a global project was new for them, but they were willing to do it. Initially Michael participated in international AIDS meetings in Washington, D.C. and International Lesbian & Gay Association (ILGA) meetings in Stockholm to explore how to do LGBT organizing globally in a religious context. A program officer at Horizons helped Michael begin to frame this Global Faith and Justice Project. One of his first activities was to respond to anti-gay laws emerging in Uganda. He invited U.S. colleagues to join him in a Faith in Uganda Project to get signatures of U.S. religious leaders to ask Ugandan government leaders to do no more harm. Michael found it quite daunting—both extremely challenging yet gratifying—to determine how to be in solidarity with the Global South even while tackling some immediate, pressing issues. The magnitude of needs and problems for LGBT persons internationally can be overwhelming. But Michael drew on his experience as MLP Field Organizer to remember that what had been accomplished there had seemed impossible at the onset. He has resolved to work faithfully in accompaniment with local LGBT activists and faith leaders around the world and stand with them to do this work. One of the first realizations in his work is that LGBT persons and allies in other parts of the world do not have LGBT-affirming resources and writings to support their activism. So he has begun to work in collaboration with the Center for Lesbian & Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry at Pacific School of Religion to bring together emerging scholars from around the world to help design this curriculum. (This biographical statement written by Mark Bowman from an interview with Michael Adee and edited by Michael Adee.) Biographical Text Michael Adee’s life and faith journey has been marked by providence and grace. The young couple who would become his parents, Larry Adee and Doris Walker, met at a USO dance during World War ll. They fell in love and got married after the war. Larry worked for Continental Oil Company, so they lived in different oil-producing communities. They adopted a son Steve, of Cherokee Indian descent, in Oklahoma. Four years later, living in Billings, Montana, they adopted Michael. Larry was raised Presbyterian while Doris was Baptist but chose to join him at a Presbyterian Church. Michael’s adoption was arranged through First Presbyterian Church Billings where Larry served on the Session with a pediatrician who learned that they were ready for a second son. Michael did not really understand the concept of adoption as a child. His parents always used told him that he had been “chosen”—which was most appropriate in their religious tradition. The Adee family moved to Houston briefly and then to southwest Louisiana where Michael spent his formative years in the town of Sulphur. Catholicism was the dominant religion in the area and the sole Presbyterian Church was small. But Michael found it to be a great faith community in which to grow up. Each of the small number of children was considered special. His dad was an Elder and Clerk of the Session and also taught adult Christian Education. Michael’s mom lost her vision due to diabetes when Michael was in 5th grade. Attempts to save her eyesight through surgery failed. Michael understands that his mother subsequently saw with her “heart” and not with her eyes. Michael is deeply grateful to his parents for being models for his life. They lived out their faith in different, but complementary and harmonious ways. His dad had a clear, rational, logical approach to faith. His mom’s faith was more emotional and impassioned with a justice orientation. School played an important role in Michael’s life during his childhood. He was socially active so joined every club or group available. He played a number of sports. He and his dad were active in Boy Scouts. The family went tent-camping on almost every school holiday—sometimes with friends, but usually with other family relatives. Through spending so much time out-of-doors, Michael’s parents taught him and his brother to love and respect earth and creation. As Michael’s brother Steve entered adolescence he began to struggle with school and to experiment with drugs. This led to encounters with school and police authorities. Eventually Steve was forced to leave public school and live at a reformatory school away from the family home. This resulted in a great sadness for the Adee family. Michael recalls the family’s Sunday routine when he was in high school. His mom would put a roast in the oven before they left for church. She insisted that they get dressed up appropriately for church. Michael and his dad were two of the seven members of the choir in worship. On the way home they would stop at the jail to visit Steve. Michael got his first glimpse of racial profiling as he observed that his family was usually the only White folks there and the only ones dressed up. His mom reassured Steve that he was loved—trying to bring some dignity to a troubling situation. During the times when Steve was not in jail, the family would return home from church to eat the pot roast and then the guys would watch football or other sports. Michael recalls that his mom always wanted to root for the underdog. Her compassionate approach to the world—which showed up even in how she observed sports—had a deep influence on Michael and taught him the importance of working to make a difference in the world. Michael was very much a church geek during his youth. He was not only deeply involved with his Presbyterian Church but he went with his friend Barry to the nearby Baptist church which had a larger youth group. Michael says he was “Presbyterian by day and Baptist by night.” While Michael enjoyed this mix of religious experience, it also created some conflict between the Reformed theology of his family’s tradition and the Anabaptist emphasis on personal faith and salvation. Also the Baptist tradition espoused heteronormativity and even preached outright against homosexuality. Michael felt pressure about meeting the “right girl” and developed—what he later understood as--unhealthy attitudes about sexuality and how one integrates sexuality with faith and humanity. The minister at the Presbyterian Church, Clark, was a single man. Michael’s mom invited him to eat frequently with the Adees out of her concern that a single man would certainly starve. Once Clark invited the Adees to eat with him at the manse (the pastor’s home) where Michael discovered that Clark was a culinary artist and had one of the “fussiest” homes Michael had ever seen. Clark became a mentor to Michael in discerning his life and vocational goals and encouraged Michael to pursue his religious training. Michael enrolled in Louisiana State University in the fall of 1973 for his undergraduate work and intended to continue on to law school. During his undergrad years, Michael became even more of a church geek and kept himself busy with the Presbyterian campus ministry, Campus Crusade, InterVarsity and the Baptist campus programs. Toward the end of his college years Clark took Michael to visit Austin Presbyterian Seminary. Michael wasn’t impressed as he observed that life there seemed rather dull compared to his life at LSU. However, Michael later went on a mission trip with college friends to an African mission program at Southwestern Baptist Seminary in Fort Worth. He thought that school was a good fit for him, particularly since the seminary had tennis courts on its campus. Michael had been an avid tennis player from a young age. After earning his B.S. degree from LSU in 1977, Michael enrolled at Southwestern. Given the social expectations around him, Michael dated women through high school and college. In fact, he was often a popular date because he was such a respectful, Christian young man. However, a few weeks after arriving at seminary, he found he was strongly attracted to one of his tennis buddies. Being an earnest person, Michael immediately went to the seminary counseling center and told a counselor that he thought might be gay. The counselor seemed totally unprepared to deal with such an honest confession and handed Michael some ex-gay pamphlets and said there was nothing else he could do for him. Michael read the pamphlets but was not impressed. So he decided that he would work harder on being straight and continued to date women. Michael completed the M.Div. degree at Southwestern in 1981 but did not feel that he was called to be a pastor. So he decided to do a year of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) at a hospital in Cumberland, Maryland. Under the guidance of an extraordinary supervisor he had a remarkable, transformative year. As to be expected, the CPE experience led him to pull his life apart and put it back together. He developed some friendships with gay men. He continued to play tennis and be involved in church. He began to realize that his social life lacked integrity—he was not being fair to women he dated nor to himself. He dived into more reading, Bible study and prayer to try to sort this out. Michael finished the CPE experience in 1982 and then set off for a two-year stint as a missionary in Zimbabwe. He served as a campus minister at the University of Zimbabwe and worked with the Scripture Union to do programming and retreats with youth. Michael found this to be an amazing experience which led him to become a citizen of the world. During this time away, he also came to realize that it was OK for him to be gay even though this ran counter to what he had been taught in his hometown and in his church experiences. He recognized that Reformed theology and tradition was the solid ground on which he could continue to stand. Michael returned to the U.S. in 1984 and became a campus minister at the University of Nevada-Reno. He found this to be a huge culture shock. While he met some interesting people there, he was uneasy about unethical practices he observed and raised questions with campus ministry leaders. He lost favor and moved on after one year. Because he was now embracing his gay identity, Michael decided he could not continue in campus ministry. So he thought he would explore getting a Ph.D. and teaching. Going back to LSU was an affordable way to do that. He began the doctoral program in rhetoric and public communication along with two colleagues, Donald and Regina. Michael was determined to live a more integrated, honest life. Early in the term, during one of their habitual Tuesday breaks at the Student Union over Earl Grey tea and bagels with cream cheese, Michael took the risk to come out to Regina. Her response was that she had known this for some time. The next day she left a note for Michael that stated: “Dearest Michael, Thank you for inviting me into your life more fully. I have always loved you and love you even more now.” This strong affirmation became a liberating moment for Michael. In 1990, Michael got a teaching position at Northern Kentucky University near Cincinnati, Ohio. During the first semester, he was taken aback when a student in his speech class stated that “gay people deserve to die.” Another student reprimanded the person for the offensive statement. However, Michael was concerned about attitudes toward gay persons on campus and made an appointment with the director of the campus counseling center to discuss this. He met Ann, the director, and proposed the creation of an LGBT student group. She reminded Michael that he was not tenured and he was in northern Kentucky. Michael decided to start a group any way, which met once a week for six weeks in his home. Then he arranged for them to meet in a room at a Chinese restaurant across the street from campus. At that gathering, he proposed that they meet next in the student union on campus. He invited a friend who was active in Cincinnati PFLAG to speak to the group and she was warmly received. During this time, Michael had gone to visit Mt. Auburn Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati, at the suggestion of Ann, the counseling center director. The first Sunday he attended worship there, the congregation’s proposed More Light statement (affirming participation of LGBT persons) was read aloud. Michael was moved to tears and believed that he had finally found a church home. As to be expected, Michael dived into becoming active in the life of the congregation and, in 1992-93, was elected and ordained as an Elder. This practice was not allowed under Presbyterian Church law, so some conservative pastors in the area filed ecclesiastical charges against Mt. Auburn. Back at the university Michael’s department chair and the dean had become unhappy with his work with LGBT students and so moved to fire him from his teaching position. Michael filed a grievance against the university but had no real legal protections. This was a challenging period for Michael as he scrambled to make a living, working a number of part-time jobs of the next year-and-a-half. Eventually he saw a listing for a hospice chaplain job with Vitas Health Care. He interviewed and was hired on the spot. He did hospice work for the next three years, initiating their bereavement program and helping establish an ethics committee. Michael was still actively involved at Mt. Auburn as well as with the national More Light Presbyterians organization. When his activism got local media attention once again, the Vitas director decided he was too controversial and again fired him from his position. Given this tumult, Michael concluded it was time for a fresh start—to leave Cincinnati. He had joined the national gay tennis circuit and competed in the Gay Games in New York City. There he met and fell in love in love with another tennis player, Kevin, from Atlanta. The two of them determined to plot out how to live together. Six cities were identified as possible places to live. Santa Fe was the first to offer Michael a job. He moved there in 1997 to manage an LGBT wellness group. Michael’s good friend Hal Porter, who was pastor at Mt. Auburn, had joined the national board of More Light Presbyterians (MLP). The board often met at the Ghost Ranch Conference Center in Santa Fe. Michael helped with arrangements and hosting for the meetings there. While the board was meeting there in 1999, Hal called Michael and asked him to have dinner together the last night of the meeting. Over the past year, MLP had decided to hire its first national organizer. The search process had dragged on because they didn’t seem to get the right candidate. They were particularly interested in someone with advocacy and organizing experience, not just as a pastor. Hal recognized that Michael’s skills and experience matched MLP’s needs. He asked Michael if he would consider applying for the position. The timing was good for Michael since the director of the agency where he worked had died and they were going through transition. Michael decided to apply, was hired and started working as MLP’S Field Organizer in May 1999. He thrived in that position—which later became Executive Director & Field Organizer—for fourteen years. Michael truly loved this work. It was remarkable in that it coalesced all of his life experiences, education and passions into this work. Furthermore, he was working with a blank slate, so had freedom to create this new position. He recalls that he had two resource documents, the Claiming the Promise curriculum and Walter Wink’s Homosexuality and the Bible. With those in hand, he started traveling to speak in churches all across the U.S., usually in four-five day stints of preaching, teaching, and meeting. The primary goal was to change the policy in the Presbyterian Church USA. However, Michael understood that this was a slow, deliberate process of changing hearts and minds—not just votes at the General Assembly. He observed progress slowly and steadily year after year. Initially, the focus was on removing or deleting laws or policies that were negative toward LGBT persons. But then the MLP board decided to shift to a more positive approach and to espouse a change in ordination procedures that would be more inclusive. The victory finally came at the 2010 General Assembly when all barriers to LGBT participation and ordination were removed. This required a one-year campaign to ratify those changes in the regional presbyteries, which was completed in May 2011. While this was happening, Michael was becoming more aware of the international situation—about antigay laws and atrocities in Africa, Latin America and other places. He started incorporating these perspectives into his work with MLP, recognizing that the Presbyterian Church USA has a presence and relationships in many countries around the world. In the fall of 2011, MLP held a celebratory gathering in Rochester, New York, to mark the ratification of new policies in the PCUSA. Michael did a presentation about international issues during a morning session. Following that, a philanthropist-activist Presbyterian minister asked Michael to go to lunch. She asked Michael if he would be willing to do international LGBT advocacy work separate from MLP, if she helped generate the funding. Michael was sensing that his work at MLP had reached some completion and was pondering where he might be called next. That lunch became a moment of clarity for him—this invitation perfectly fit with Michael’s past experiences and his current passion. Then he had to figure how to make this transition; how he could move into this new ministry while leaving MLP in a stable situation and ready for the new directions it could go. He conferred with the co-moderators in advance of the February 2012 board meeting in San Antonio. The board was generally surprised, with some disappointment but mostly grace in response to Michael’s announcement. They realized this would be a good match for Michael while giving MLP the opportunity to define a new way of being. The board hired Patrick Evans to be its interim director for one year to work with Michael on a transition plan and setting up protocols. Michael started his new position in September 2012. The philanthropist had decided to work through the Horizons Foundation in San Francisco, since it was one of the earliest LGBT foundations. The foundation began funding LGBT projects in the Bay Area but had recently started working in a national collaboration on marriage issues. Taking on a global project was new for them, but they were willing to do it. Initially Michael participated in international AIDS meetings in Washington, D.C. and International Lesbian & Gay Association (ILGA) meetings in Stockholm to explore how to do LGBT organizing globally in a religious context. A program officer at Horizons helped Michael begin to frame this Global Faith and Justice Project. One of his first activities was to respond to anti-gay laws emerging in Uganda. He invited U.S. colleagues to join him in a Faith in Uganda Project to get signatures of U.S. religious leaders to ask Ugandan government leaders to do no more harm. Michael found it quite daunting—both extremely challenging yet gratifying—to determine how to be in solidarity with the Global South even while tackling some immediate, pressing issues. The magnitude of needs and problems for LGBT persons internationally can be overwhelming. But Michael drew on his experience as MLP Field Organizer to remember that what had been accomplished there had seemed impossible at the onset. He has resolved to work faithfully in accompaniment with local LGBT activists and faith leaders around the world and stand with them to do this work. One of the first realizations in his work is that LGBT persons and allies in other parts of the world do not have LGBT-affirming resources and writings to support their activism. So he has begun to work in collaboration with the Center for Lesbian & Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry at Pacific School of Religion to bring together emerging scholars from around the world to help design this curriculum. (This biographical statement written by Mark Bowman from an interview with Michael Adee and edited by Michael Adee.) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Michael Adee Baptist Michael Adee More Light Presbyterians for LGBT Concerns Presbyterian Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Shower of Stoles Description An account of the resource Items (stoles) for the Shower of Stoles exhibit Stole A stole in the Shower of Stoles exhibit Honoree The person honored by the creation of thestole. Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist C (Solidarity Stole) Stole Text Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church Washington, DC We affirm that all individuals are of sacred worth. We declare ourselves in support of the reconciling movement and welcome the full inclusion and participation in the church of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons and their families, as a reflection of God’s unconditional love. We present this stole in celebration of our congregation’s one-year anniversary as a reconciling church and in honor of all of our LGBT brothers and sisters in Christ. June 2009 Denomination United Methodist Church Contribution Date 2009 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 1147 Title A name given to the resource Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church (Solidarity Stole) Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Washington, District of Columbia (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Anne P. Brown Ally Brown, Anne P. MCC Ordination Theology Washington, D.C. https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/a3bea9f14d2ede1babc5b0a75eabb9ee.png 379fe44625b8f23379131962ba66606d Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC): Participating Organization Profile Description An account of the resource Founded in 1968, <a href="https://www.mccchurch.org/">Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC)</a> has been at the vanguard of civil and human rights movements by addressing issues of race, gender, sexual orientation, economics, climate change, aging, and global human rights. MCC was the first to perform same-gender marriages and has been on the forefront of the struggle towards marriage equality in the USA and other countries worldwide. MCC recognizes a state of need around the world in the areas of human rights and justice including but not limited to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer community. As people of faith, MCC endeavors to build bridges that liberate and unite voices of sacred defiance. MCC leads from the margins and transforms. MCC Metropolitan Community Church https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/cb8b9b31df1d466d0c5cf9860a951062.jpg 374f5daf95e16e579f848fa436bf8da3 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Historical Development of BIPOC Trans-spiritual Leadership Website A resource comprising of a web page or web pages and all related assets ( such as images, sound and video files, etc. ). URL https://www.umc.org/en/content/methodist-history-the-christmas-conference Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Methodist History: The Christmas Conference Subject The topic of the resource In 1784, John Wesley dispatched Thomas Coke from England to oversee the founding of the Methodist Episcopal Church in America. Coke met Francis Asbury at Barratt's Chapel in November. Plans were quickly made to gather all Methodist preachers together for the Christmas Conference at Lovely Lane. Historian John Strawbridge talks about what happened over those ten days that formed a new denomination. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Video by United Methodist Communications https://www.umc.org/en/content/methodist-history-the-christmas-conference The Christmas Conference: 10 Days That Started a Church, BY JOE IOVINO, United Methodist Insight, DECEMBER 18, 2018 https://um-insight.net/in-the-church/umc-global-nature/the-christmas-conference-10-days-that-started-a-church/ Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Shower of Stoles Description An account of the resource Items (stoles) for the Shower of Stoles exhibit Stole A stole in the Shower of Stoles exhibit Honoree The person honored by the creation of thestole. Meredith Bischoff Stole Text Meredith Bischoff Community of Christ Chino Hills, CA I was born and raised in the church, and have always been active, when called to the priesthood I was glad to serve. I am now a co-pastor of a welcoming and affirming Community of Christ congregation and an activist in the Welcoming Church Movement. It is my answer to God’s call to serve. Most people in my congregation know I am bisexual, some still do not. Most church members I know outside my congregation are unaware. When we include sexual orientation and gender identity in our liturgy, I feel included and loved by God. Denomination Community of Christ (formerly RLDS) Contribution Date 2008 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 1120 Title A name given to the resource Meredith Bischoff Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Chino Hills, California (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Meredith Bischoff Bischoff, Meredith Bisexual activism California Community of Christ Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Theology Women and Religion https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/a75bb781ef3e747e80d8a044d54a20b6.pdf 2b559230a4e3add534a4a5e2b88861e2 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Memorial Wall/Wall of Honor RTSA Exhibit Description RTSA Memorial Wall https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/e2b6ab5bb07232e144408c5b2a77f01b.jpg 46265a47d2ce70d899b971277be85001 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Memorial Wall Photo 2 Memorial Wall https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/aa3d8a9227a470cc3005e8ec15418384.jpg 08080f84ecbe2e566e38ecf75732f746 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Memorial Wall Photo 1 Memorial Wall https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/7721da8d5f317b6b20011442f557d564.jpg 7893c7fdfd7c1198f66c183b72e5bdc4 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/25af680cc10b95cbfae161f919013e2c.jpg c30d41cf8b6b92b70d277cce4431a087 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Shower of Stoles Description An account of the resource Items (stoles) for the Shower of Stoles exhibit Stole A stole in the Shower of Stoles exhibit Honoree The person honored by the creation of thestole. Memorial Stole (Rutgers Presbyterian Church, New York NY) Stole Text IN MEMORY OF Stephen Festa Jerry Autenback Milano Earl Grandison David Doering Arte Pierce Ray Stevens Steve Leatherwood Jim Pearson Ray Ladd Many friends Bill Caniff Denomination Presbyterian Church (USA) Contribution Date 1996 Contribution Story This is one of about thirty stoles donated to the collection over the years by the members of Rutgers Presbyterian Church in New York in honor of their lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender members, many of whom hold leadership positions within the congregation and in the Presbytery of New York City. Established in 1798 in lower Manhattan, Rutgers has a long history of involvement in social justice and community development issues. Rutgers is a More Light congregation, working for the full inclusion of LGBT persons in the life and leadership of the Presbyterian Church. Along with More Light Presbyterians, Rutgers is a sponsor of Presbyterian Welcome (an affiliate of That All May Freely Serve) and the Covenant Network in their common pursuit for the end of discrimination against LGBT persons in the Presbyterian Church. Martha Juillerat Founder, Shower of Stoles Project 2006 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 252 Title A name given to the resource Memorial Stole (Rutgers Presbyterian Church, New York NY) Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant New York, New York (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Rutgers Presbyterian Church Clergy Activist Covenant Network of Presbyterians More Light Presbyterians for LGBT Concerns New York New York City Presbyterian Presbyterian Church (USA) That All May Freely Serve (TAMFS) https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/ce76ed77e57dd5d65be84480c3193347.jpg c0fc7ff923ee5d416e6a00e80633db86 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/4dcd6c8062a1a74e13c96bed966dcd53.jpg a1f4c06143af8bb74e9f2095673fa5ef https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/bbadd1459dc05894b117fdb9b54c0c1b.jpg 64cba1a828e622f45467e51e5106d116 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Upstairs Lounge Fire Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Text Any textual data included in the document MEMORIAL SERVICE Approximately four hundred persons attended a special memorial service on July 1 at the Metropolitan Community Church of San Francisco to honor the memory of our sister and brothers who were killed by fire in New Orleans. Among those who perished were the pastor and assistant pastor of M.C.C. New Orleans and many members of the congregation who had gathered after their Sunday service for the evening buffet supper at the Up Stairs Lounge. Joining the local M.C.C. congregation were: Sheriff Richard Hongisto, Assemblyman Willie Brown, Supervisor John Molinaro, Candidate Jack Morrison, and representatives for the Board of Supervisors, assemblymen, and congressmen, along with many leaders from within the homophile community and representatives from nearly all the homophile organizations. BENEFIT HELD FOR FIRE VICTIMS The first of two auctions was held on July 12 at the Waterhole No. 3 to raise funds to help with the expenses of those who have been hospitalized as a result of the New Orleans fire tragedy. Due to the generosity of the owners of the Waterhole, ROSE AND JESS, over a thousand dollars was raised that evening. Many a notable volunteered their services as auctioneers: J.J. VanDyke, Rose, Empress of Portland, The Fat Fairy, Bob Rosss, Kissy Dicky, Kate and H.L. Perry. WATCH OUT FOR THE SECOND AUCTION—AND BE THERE! The second auction will be at Big Town on the Sixth of August. For all those who have articles that they would like to donate for this event, the church office can be contacted for particulars. BLOOD DONATIONS NEEDED The existing M.C.C. account at the Irwin Memorial Blood Bank is completely depleted due to the transfer of all credits to the “New Orleans Fire Holocaust Victims.” To all those who are able to donate blood, there is still the need for more blood—both for transfer as needed and to build up the credit of our church here in San Francisco. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Memorial Services in Other Cities Description An account of the resource Memorial service program in Los Angeles and in New York plus a report on the service in San Francisco along with information about auctions there being organized to raise funds and a blood drive. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived MCC historical files at the ONE Archives in Los Angeles; the San Francisco Report, August 1973 MCC San Francisco. https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/6ec91bfe96aceb3daeb04a767a5946a0.jpg 92ee7b1516eb763d7e8d0882aa073e29 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Upstairs Lounge Fire Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Text Any textual data included in the document Cleric Says Oppression a Problem for Homosexuals Memorial Service Held for Fire Victims by Chris Segura The voice of gay activist minister Rev. Mr. Troy Perry abandoned for a moment its sorrowful monotone. Instead, the voice gathered power and with righteousness boomed, “As long as one brother or sister in this country is oppressed it’s our problem.” Similarly, he said such names as “faggots, queers, freaks” are “labels (which) will never put me down.” The founder of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches continued preaching at a memorial services for the 30 victims who perished in last Sunday’s French Quarter fire by saying, “I’m telling you you can have dignity as a human being and hold your head high.” The services at St. Mark’s Methodist Church, 1130 N. Rampart St., was conducted by the Rev. Mr. Perry and other ministers in the church founded for gay people. The other ministers are: John Gill, of Atlanta, Ga., Paul Breton of Washington, D.C. and Lucien Baril of New Orleans. Morty Manford, a member of the Gay Activist Alliance in New York, also participated in the service. The Rev. Mr. Perry told the gathered mourners, including the Rev. Mr. Finis Crutchfield, Methodist bishop of the conference of Louisiana, they should consider the living in their future efforts as well as mourn the dead. In this vein a collection was taken to build a new church for gay persons and to defray the costs of funerals for those victims who were destitute or near destitute. The Rev. Mr. Breton said the assembled mourners should become “living memorials” so that those who perished would “not have alone or in vain.” Social Stigma He also commented that those who had died would never again be subjected to the “branding or the social stigma of name-calling.” Manford said, “Many of the sisters and brothers who died at the Up Stairs (604 Iberville St.) bar were gay. “They knew what it was like to live in a condemning society where churches call us sinners, psychologists call us sick, legislators call us criminals, where capitalists denounce us as subversive and Communists denounce us as decadent.” “The irony of it is that we know we are living, feeling, productive humans.” The Rev. Mr. Perry said witnesses to the fire and the events which preceded it told him the last “song they sang that night” was entitled “United we stand, divided we fall.” He became tearful as he read the words of the song—“and if our backs are ever against the wall, we will be together…” A plea was also made for blood donations for the victims, two of whom still remain in serious condition at Charity Hospital’s new burns facility. Near the end of the service, the Rev. Mr. Breton said, “We need a time, a time to be quiet and think and to say to God what is deepest in our hearts, and for God to say to use what we so need to hear…” A final hymn was begun but interrupted by the Rev. Mr. Perry who said television cameras had been set up outside the church and anyone not wanting to be photographed could leave through a rear exit. There were protestations from the crowd. Several persons said they should all leave together and at least one said the television cameras had been taken away. The activists had requested no press coverage with cameras. The Rev. Mr. Perry said he felt sure that most of the persons there—men, women and children in arms—would want to leave through the front door, but in case there were those who would be embarrassed to be photographed, there was an “escape hatch.” The mourners sang the last verse of the hymn over again and, with the existence of press cameras outside the church still in doubt, they all filed out. No one was seen leaving through the rear. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Memorial Service in New Orleans Paper Description An account of the resource The Times-Picayune also produced a thoughtful account of the July 1st memorial service. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived The Times-Picayune, July 2, 1973. https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/055a7bdd1d130d0e0391ca456b5ebdf9.jpg bf4d9a060d48f977c1a11775e7a64aa0 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Upstairs Lounge Fire Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Text Any textual data included in the document Memorial Rites Honor Lounge Blaze Victims by Valerie M. Haynes “For as many years as gay people in the country or any part of the world remain the captives and victims of hate filled societies—let the last Sunday of each Gay Pride Week each year, hold an hour or day of commemoration for the thousands who, in the missing pages of our history, died alone in fire…” Mary Morris, a lay evangelist for the Metropolitan Community Church, dressed in a clerical collar and pants, read from the official eulogy for the 32 victims who died in the Upstairs Lounge Fire two years ago Tuesday. The small Metropolitan Community Church was filled to capacity Sunday afternoon for the annual memorial service for the fire victims. The church is a Christian Church for everyone, with an open outreach to the gay community the church program stated. Most of the service was dedicated to the late Rev. Bill Larson, once the pastor of the church, who perished along with other church members. An altar and plaque were dedicated to the late minister as a permanent memorial, along with a plaque for the other victims of the fire. Funds for the memorial were raised by the National New Orleans Memorial Fund which was organized in 1973 to aid the survivors, to bury the deceased, and to erect a permanent memorial for the victims, according to the Rev. Joel Kauhl, pastor of the church. The fund membership is comprised of the Rev. Troy Perry, moderator of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches; Morris Knight of the Los Angeles Gay Community Services Center; Marty Manford, of the Gay Activists Alliance in New York City; the Rev. John Gill, pastor of MCC in Atlanta, Ga.; and the Rev. Paul Breton, pastor of MCC, Phoenix, Ariz. “I believe firmly that one of the greatest gifts that God has given us is sex” if it is used for love, said the Rev. William Richardson, a visiting pastor to the church. Jesus never mentioned anything in the Bible about homosexuality. He said we are to love everyone, the minister said. A picture of Christ and a tapestry of The Last Supper hung on the walls of the small church. Two candles burned at the altar. The occasion was a solemn one—one to remember friends, relative and fellow church members who died in the fire. The Rev. Kauhl called it a living memorial of love. There were seven fires in 1973 in the United States in places frequented by members of the gay community, according to Rev. Kauhl, the last being the Upstairs fire. The tragedy, though, he pointed out, united the whole gay community all over the country. One could easily pass up the church at 3123 Magazine St. Only a name sign sits in the window. Other places in the area are mostly businesses. References to homosexuality were made openly in the service. “I’m Not Afraid Anymore” will become the church’s fellowship song, the Rev. Kauhl said. The eulogy read by Mary Morris was adopted by the Trustees of the National New Orleans Memorial Fund as their official proclamation in connection with the fire. It was written by Jeanne Cordova. The words of the liturgy spoke of the hardships suffered by gay men and women throughout history. It also, however, gives them courage. “Let this Sunday and one Sunday each year commemorate these deaths and remind us, Remind us in anger, remind us in strength, and remind us in love That we have years to go before we sleep…in Freedom. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Memorial on Second Anniversary of Fire Description An account of the resource A memorial service, held on the second anniversary of the Upstairs Lounge fire, calls for permanent memorials for the 32 victims of the tragedy. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived The Times-Picayune, June 23, 1975 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/b15d2fd4cdc73d5bdca6546dfb81e181.pdf 19510d57569ca98bd50f64bbef18f9e8 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document Page 1: "Memoir of My Intern Year (1966-1967) as the Minister of Young Adults at theGlide Memorial Methodist Church by Dr. Larry Mamiya, Professor of Religion and Africana Studies at Vassar College I first learned of the Glide Fellows Program in 1965 from Neale Secor, a former lawyer who was studying for his Bachelor of Divinity degree (later changed to a Master of Divinity) at the Union Theological Seminary in New York City, where I was also a student. Neale was the first Glide Fellow and did his intern year as the first Minister to Young Adults at the Glide Memorial Methodist Church in San Francisco. He told me that Glide was composed of three institutional entities—the Glide Memorial Methodist Church, the Glide Urban Center, and the Glide Foundation. His work with young adults, both gay and straight, involved holding an open house during week nights in his family’s apartment, where both gay and straight young adults from the church could gather and socialize. He was married with two children. He also helped out with the work of all three Glide entities in the Tenderloin area surrounding the church. In 1964 Glide had become the first Christian church to establish the Council on Religion and the Homosexual. The Rev. Ted McIIvenna of Glide helped to establish the Council. By doing so, Glide had become a maverick in the United Methodist Church and Christian circles since the Methodists and most Christian denominations still do not approve of homosexuality nor gay marriages. Glide was able to maintain its independent stance and cutting edge, progressive urban ministries largely due to the financial independence the church had from its endowment in the Glide Foundation. Lizzie Glide, whose family’s fortune derived from California oil and cattle, was also a devout Methodist. She saw that the downtown area of the Tenderloin had no church, so she established her own and endowed it with funds coming from the profits of the Californian Hotel nearby. A team of Methodist clergy established in the early 1960’s both the Urban Center and the Foundation as appendages to the church. The Civil Rights movement had triggered a host of bold experimental ministries and Glide saw itself at the forefront of this movement. I was in my second year at Union and was trained as a community organizer, doing rent strikes, welfare mediation, and general problem solving, from the base of a black church in upper East Harlem called the Triangle. Instead of teaching Sunday school which most seminarians do for their field work, two black women from the church and I were trained to run a problem solving clinic. A former Marine captain, lawyer, and associate minister George Fuller taught me how to organize using the methods and principles of Saul Alinksy, which focused on using nonviolent protest and conflict to bring about social change. This background of working as a community organizer in Harlem worked to my advantage when I applied and was accepted to become one of three Glide Fellows. Rich, a Union classmate, was placed in a suburban arts church, Barry from Canada went to Mendocino to work with Caesar Chavez and the farm workers, while I became the Minister to Young Adults at Glide itself. However, before going to Glide, I spent the months from May to July of 1966 as a civil rights organizer in the rural areas, sponsored by the Student Interracial Ministry and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, in the Southwest Georgia Project headed by the Rev. Charles Sherrod (see my memoir (“SIM, SNCC and the Southwest Georgia Project”) in the online Civil Rights Movement Veterans archives: www.crmvets.org)." Page 2: "That summer in Southwest Georgia was an extremely violent one since I saw more blood spilled at that time than for the rest of my life. I left Southwest Georgia into participate in my sister’s wedding in Hawaii. After spending a week in Hawaii, I headed for San Francisco. A Union classmate David Mann introduced me to the Rev. Fred Bird and his wife Ann. Fred, a graduate of the Harvard Divinity School, pastored a church in Chinatown and I stayed in their apartment for a week until I found a place of my own. I also bought a used car from David, a British made Sunbeam sports convertible, for $600. As the new Minister to Young Adults at Glide, I asked around about where many young adults were living and hanging out in the city. The answer was an area where two streets crossed, Haight and Ashbury. So I found an apartment on Parnassus Street below the U.C. Medical Center and on the outskirts of the Haight-Ashbury district. Little did I know that that little community would explode in 1967 with over a million young people coming through and become the center of a burgeoning youth counterculture. As a community organizer, I knew that I had to hang out a while to find out what’s going on and what the important needs were in the neighborhood. In the beginning I did that in the Tenderloin district surrounding Glide church with members of Vanguard who were meeting at the church. I spent three to four nights a week from 10 p.m. to about 3 or 4 a.m. talking to the young street hustlers (male and female prostitutes, transvestites, and transsexuals) on the street corners or in coffee shops. Vanguard was the first group of largely gay young people in the nation organized by Adrian Ravarour (later the Rev. Dr. Ravarour). He would always be introduced at Vanguard events as the “founder.” At that time, I did not know about the background of Adrian’s founding philosophy, which included Mohandas Gandhi and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. among others. But it certainly was in harmony with my own views about the role of nonviolence in social change movements. In retrospect, Vanguard can be seen as the spearhead of a nonviolent social change movement of young gay people, the first in the nation dedicated to bringing about social justice and equal rights. Vanguard was established three years before the famous Stonewall incident in New York City, which is often viewed as the beginning of the gay rights movement. By watching the police harass the young people on the streets or in the coffee shops I quickly discovered that there was a great need for a “safe space,” where they could be themselves, have fun, enjoy music and dancing, and be safe from the cops. So I arranged for members of Vanguard to use the large basement area of Glide as social hall for dances on Friday and Saturday evenings from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. The dances were a great success with anywhere from 100 to 300 people attending. It also made Glide the first church in the country to sponsor gay dances. Many of the members were great dancers and I enjoyed watching them. But most of my time during the dances was spent at the front admissions desk with several Vanguard members because there were always nosy cops or fire marshals coming around wanting to inspect the place. I also knew that their main motive was to shut down the dances if they could. So I always carried a snap on clerical collar in the pocket of my sports jacket. From my experience on the streets, I knew that many of the police and firemen were Irish-Catholics and they had a certain respect for a collar. Whenever I met them with my collar on, they always addressed me as “Father.” That respect helped me to succeed in never letting them in. As an organizer, one uses whatever leverage you have with the authorities. Since Glide church had no youth group of its own, I sort of viewed Vanguard as the church’s youth group. The age range of Vanguard members were from 11 to 35 years old with the majority in their late teens and early twenties. Most of them had run away from or left their homes because of abuse, parental neglect, or not getting along with their parents. Many had been living on the streets, selling their bodies. Drug use was also prevalent. The harsh realities of the lives of Vanguard members shouldn’t be romanticized. These young people were among the most neglected sectors in American society." Page 3: "However, the Vanguard organization did exist to make life better for everyone. Besides the dances, whichwent on successfully from mid-September until the end of December, I also got an office space for Vanguard to use since the office next to mine was unoccupied. J.P. Maurat, the President of Vanguard and some other Vanguard officers and members used the office everyday. The Glide Urban Center was instrumental in getting the Tenderloin declared as one of the poverty areas of the city. Each poverty area had to develop an umbrella community organization, made up of local organizations in the area. This was Alinsky’s “organization of organizations” model of community organizing. Each local organization sent two representatives to the poverty council meetings. Mark Forrester, who was gay, was the community organizer for the Tenderloin. He prevailed upon Vanguard to send two representatives and they did. One of the goals of obtaining the War on Poverty funds was to establish a hospitality center, a safe space, for the youth of the Tenderloin. This goal was why the Vanguard organization as representatives of these youth was critical to obtaining the funds. I gave my home phone number to members of Vanguard and said if you need help, call me. I was called several times between 3 to 4 a.m. and the person said I got arrested, please come and bail me out. My reply was to hang on until 9 a.m. and I will see the bail bondsman. The bail was usually set at $500 so I used the $600 bill of sale for my Sunbeam convertible as the collateral for the bail. I was extremely fortunate that the young people I bailed out showed up at their court dates. Otherwise I would have lost my wheels needed to get around the hills of San Francisco. I trusted the members of Vanguard and they trusted me. In November and December of 1966, a dispute arose between J.P. Maurat and the clergy of the Glide Church, Urban Center and Foundation. Since J.P. was using an office space at Glide and showed up every weekday, he felt that the church should put him on its staff and pay him a salary. However, it was not the church’s policy to pay salaries to officers of affiliated organizations. Glide had many affiliations and Vanguard was only one of them. Apparently, the situation became quite ugly. The clergy who ranked above me were directly involved in the meetings: the Rev. Cecil Williams, the new preaching minister and Pastor, the Rev. Vaughn Smith, Associate Pastor, and the Rev. Louis Durham, head of the Glide Foundation. J.P. Maurat decided that Vanguard should cut its ties to Glide and they left in early January 1967. Mark Forrester, the poverty council organizer, also said that the group could not use the name Vanguard because that name had been used in government contracts for funds that would be directed to the youth of the Tenderloin. If the Vanguard representatives to the council quit, then other young people would be appointed in their place. Thus, J.P.’s dispute with Glide led to the loss of an office space for Vanguard, the social dances on Friday and Saturday nights, the loss of representation on the poverty council and the loss of their own safe space in the Hospitality Center that was created a year later. One person’s ego led to a lot of losses for Vanguard. Racial Rebellions Racial rebellions (called “race riot” by the media) in the 1960’s began with the Harlem rebellion in the summer of 1964. It was followed by the rebellion in Watts in 1965 and many others after that. The really large rebellions were in Detroit and Newark in 1967. My background as a community organizer and as a civil rights worker led the Rev. Cecil Williams to have me accompany him whenever he was called to intervene in the racial rebellions in the Bayview-Hunter’s Point, Oakland, and the Fillmore district of San Francisco. On September 27, 1966 a police officer shot and killed 16 year old Matthew Johnson and three days of black rage erupted. While Cecil dealt with the police, I went with those who were rebelling on the streets. It was at Hunter’s Point that I learned how to" Page 4: "survive in street rebellions. The lesson was to never stand in the front row of protestors because if the police shoot with deadly force then it is the front row that is injured or killed. I learned to stay on the side of the crowd but to move whenever the crowd moves. Not being white also helped. One black protestor looked at me and said, “Are you white?” I said, “No, do I look white?” And we moved on. (other sections will include The Artists Liberation Front and the Invisible Circus, a 72 Happening at Glide, the funeral of Chocolate George of the Hells Angels, Glide’s involvement in the Haight-Ashbury Hippie Community: the establishment of the Black People’s Free Store, the Diggers Thursday night dinners at Glide, and the establishment of the Haight-Ashbury Medical Clinic, Huckleberry’s for Runaways, crash pads, and free concerts in the Panhandle of Golden Gate Park. )" Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Memoir of My Intern Year (1966-1967), by Dr. Larry Mamiya Description An account of the resource Memoir of My Intern Year (1966-1967) as the Minister of Young Adults at the Glide Memorial Methodist Church, by Dr. Larry Mamiya, Professor of Religion and Africana Studies at Vassar College https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/ff4f9243e0d53398abc9c09205d63625.jpg aef5aa48d26e2ceae59168f6ce47d4e5 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document To Members of the Committee. It was my job to write a section on heterosexuality. I've had very little time to give to it and I've had simply to throw together a number of scraps that may or may not be what is wanted. They may overlap on to Duncan's section on the Quaker approach but we can perhaps sort this out on Sunday. I have seen Richard's section on heterosexual deviations and it seems to me to state or imply a great deal of what is normal in physical heterosexual contacts. There seems therefore relatively little of that for me to describe. I would suggest that our pamphlet should open with a statement to this effect: "The contents of this pamphlet are the considered and corporate responsibility of this committee. It is requested that individual members should not be approached by representatives of the Press for any interpretation or answering of questions. There will certainly be much discussion and many questions put to us, but we feel that every question must be consider by the whole committee before any answers are made public in the Press. "Further, although this pamphlet is the work of a Quaker Committee, it has not been submitted for approval to the Society of Friends as a whole, and must not be taken to commit Quakers in general to its findings. K.C.B. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Memo Barnes, 29 January 1961 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Keith Wedmore Papers Description An account of the resource Barnes sent memo re: his draft of a section on heterosexuality. He also proposed statements emphasizing that the study is the creation of the whole committee and that is not sanctioned by the Religious Society of Friends. https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/20f2789f3ac7b202c7a8d7bcd686bac7.jpg a66f91a368de469bc90f91ef137b9a64 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Text Any textual data included in the document CONGREGATION BETH SIMCHAT TORAH Question D. 1.: The following figures are approximations 1973 - M 40/F 10 Total 50 1974 - M 55/F 10 Total 65 1975 - M 150/F 30 Total 180 1976 - M 175/F 36 Total 211 1977 - M 160/F28 Total 188 1978 - M 175/F 36 Total 211 1979 - M 180/F 23 Total 203 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Membership numbers broken down by gender from 1973-1979 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived CBST Archives https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/02adf1dceb0a937e64511f9bee47e1af.jpg e67d5605d73b4446606adf6b461ac966 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/0ee5036a4bc219505ac53f8be4694225.jpg 6f72b900d2ef23f1696ca35319e13647 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Shower of Stoles Description An account of the resource Items (stoles) for the Shower of Stoles exhibit Stole A stole in the Shower of Stoles exhibit Honoree The person honored by the creation of thestole. Members of Southminster Presbyterian Church, Beaverton OR Stole Text SOUTHMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN Beaverton, Oregon Denomination Presbyterian Church (USA) Contribution Date 1996 Contribution Story Southminster Presbyterian Church is a More Light congregation, working for the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people into this life and leadership of the Presbyterian Church (USA). This stole was offered on behalf of LGBT Presbyterians and their allies, at Southminster and throughout the denomination. Martha Juillerat Founder, Shower of Stoles Project 2006 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 214 Title A name given to the resource Members of Southminster Presbyterian Church, Beaverton OR Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Beaverton, Oregon (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Southminster Presbyterian Church Ally More Light Presbyterians for LGBT Concerns Ordination Oregon Presbyterian Presbyterian Church (USA)