Second Stone #18 - Sept/Oct 1991

Second Stone #18 - Sept/Oct 1991

18

1991

Sept/Oct 1991

THE NATIONAL NEWSPAPER FOR GAV AND LESBIAN CHRISTIANS $2.25
TONE SEPTEM{JER/OCTOBER, 1991 9500 Readers Across The USA ISSUE #181
UFMCC
pres .en ts
Human
Rights
Award
Bob and Cary Peck, husband and daughter of Jane Cary
Peck, accept the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan
Community Church's Human Rights Award from Rev.
Elder Nancy Wilson. Jane Cary Peck, who died in 1990,
was a college professor and Vice President of the
National Council of Churches. She was honored for
challenging the injustices in the church. The award
praised Peck for being a champion of peace and justice
for all people and an advocate for gay and lesbian
rights. It was presented at the UFMCC General
Conference, meeting in Phoenix, Arizona in July. See
story Page 9.
11!1 BOOK REVIEWS fflRELATIONSHIPS1
l(il Homosexuality and
. Religion & An
H~norable Profession
Iii Myths that can ruin
your togetherness
By Rev. Fred C. Williams
Mass murderer a homophobic loner
Dahmer thought AIDS
'Yas God's judgement
An Episcopal church worker
who recalls talking with
mass murderer Jeffrey L.
Dahmer said that the killer
thought that AIDS was God's
judgement on Gays. Dahmer
has admitted to killing 17
peopl e since 1978 in Wisconsin
and Ohio . Dismembered
body parts of several of
Dahmer's victims were
discovered in his Milwaukee
apartment on July 22.
Dahmer had met some of his
victims at gay bars or gay
pride events . .
Patrons at several
Milwaukee and Chicago gay
bars wh o recall seeing·
Dahmer said that he was a
' loner, moody and distant.
Jean -Paul Ranieri, a Jay
• brother in the Episcopal
Church who works with gay
men, said tllat after a long
talk with Dahmer he
concluded tha t Dahmer was
"extremely homophobic ." He
recalled Dahmer implying
that AIDS was God's judgement
on Gays.
Prior to being sentenced for a
sexual assault charge in 1989,
Dahm er told Milwaukee
County Circuit Court Judge
William D . Gardner that he
was an alcoholic and a homosexual
with serious sexual
problems. Dahmer never
re ceived treatment for his
alcoholism and the state
probation agent who was
assigned to regularly visit
Dahmer in his home
following his sexual assault
conviction did not follow
through on the visits because
of a heavy caseload.
A candlelight vigil to
reme mber the victims of
Jeffrey Dahmer brought
thousands of concerned people
into the streets of Milwaukee
on August 5. Sponsored by a
coalition of gay and lesbian,
African-American, ci vil
rights, and neighborhood
organizations, speakers ra llied
for changes in the
criminal justice and social
service systems and in the
way the media covers stor ies
affecting Lesbians, Gays and
people of color.
-From reports by Equal Time
and Associated Press
National march on
Washington scheduled
Organizers for the March on
Washington for Lesbian and
Gay Rights are planning for
more than a million Gays and
Lesbians to march on the
nation's capitol. The event is
scheduled for April 25, 1993.
On the weekend of August
3rd about 150 activists met in
Chicag o to begin laying the
groundwork for the march .
Activist s came from every
region of the country,
although not all 50 states
were represented.
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Letters · □ Honolulu, Hawaii
Second Stone Offers
False Hope, Says
Ex-Gay Aspirant
Dear Second Stone,
I recently received a copy of your
paper at my request. "Finally," I
anticipated, "a journal sensitive to
my struggle."
I have now come to realize that ·
except for Christ, I am indeed alone.
There is no one sensitive to my
struggle . Your paper states it is a
paper for gay and lesbian Christians
as if something of that nature exists.
You are frue to your word . I now know
I'm looking for support of people who
are Christians first and also struggle
with homosexuality .
I want victory and every article I
saw was about acceptace. Over the
last few years I have found I have
true Christian friends who accept me
more than some of my gay friends.
My gay friends .ridicule me for trying
to change, for seeking God's help to
chang e. They blast Christianit y as
the source of all my problems when to
me it is the source of my freedom .
Discouraged, at one time I turned to
my gay friends who profess
Christianity, only to find they have
"adapted" their beliefs to allow for
the struggle.
To me gay and lesbian Christians is
like saying adulterous Christians or
gossiping Christians. What's wrong
with this picture? I was depressed to
see an ad in your paper stating · there
are no ex-gays. Where's the victory
of Jesus Christ? Have we rendered
him powerless to hei!l anyone, make
anyone whole? There are no ex-gays?
Perhaps. Like there are no ex-alco·
holies . Alcoholics must deal with
alcohol all their lives. But there is
victory for those who never go back to
alcohol. I seek that victory .
I may never get married but my goal
is to have victory through Jesus
Christ. I pray not to continue in a life
style that has brought such despair
and unhappiness to my life and the
lives of my friends and family . I
wish I had never opened that
Pandora's box. I've made that mis-
Magazine asks for protest letters
Catholic priest condemned in Italy
A Catholic priest, don Goffredo
Crema has been condemned by the
Bishop of Cremona and the Vatican
"for his writings, declarations and
public activities in favor of homo•
sexual people, which is against the
teachings of the Church and not
compatible with his being a priest."
Three reasons were listed in the
condemnation order. First, the fact
that don Crema appeared on a broad•
cast on the national television system
"RAJ 2," talking about the problems
of lesbian and gay Catholics. Then,
he agreed to be interviewed by the
Italian gay monthly Babilonia, in
which he said that other attitudes
towards homosexuality could be
envisaged within the Catholic
Church rather than the prevailing
one. Finally, he accepted an offer to
write a monthly column devoted to
Gays and faith in Babilonia, which
lasted for five months before Crema
was compelled to stop his cooperation
with the magazine.
Crema has been accused, among
other things, of saying that "follow·
ing a homosexual urge may be natural
for a homosexual, accordingly with
his/her nature," and has been told
that this is false, because lesbian and
gay people • are "sick" and "perverted
."
Babilonia is calling for an
international campaign of letterwriting
in support of don Crema
because his case is highly symbolic.
In fact, Crema never attacked
Catholic hierarchies, in an effort to
keep a low profile. What he is being
punished for is not heretical opinions
or open criticism of the Church but,
rather, just for "speaking in favor of
homosexual people," accoraing to the
magazine.
Babilonia also claims that the
Bishop of Cremona, Monsignor Enrico
Assi, had always accepted the
activities of don Crema and that the
order to put the priest under trial
came directly from the Vatican .
Babilonia is_ calling for "friendly,
but firm" protest letters in English or
Italian to Monsignor Enrico Assi,
vescova de Cremona, P .za S. Antontio
Maria Zaccari, 126100 Cremona,
Italy, with a copy to Babilonia, Via
Ebro 11, 120141, Milano , Italy.
In asking for help editor Giovanni
Dall 'Orto said, "Catholic homophobia
is not a domestic Italian problem,
but a worldwide one!"
-Cruise
take before and l don't intend to do it
again by redefining my Christianity
to accept something my· Lord knows
will destroy me. I won't deceive
myself like that . I am a Christian
first, homosexuality is somewhere
far, far down the list in defining my
total personality .
So, as I said before, except for
Christ, I am alone. We are alone, for
there are many of us in "transition"
who have no support system, we will
never come out, we will not bond
together in support groups. we will
take the hand of Christ and march
forward with Him knowing (or not
knowing} that we are making the
bravest choice of all. We will still
follow Christ not only when other
In. This Issue
FEATURES
homosexuals are telling us we are
wrong but, yes, even when "fellow
Christians" are telling us we are
wrong.
I only pray we have the strength to
continue when a paper such as yours
offers us such false hope .
EAF
We welcome you to share your views,
opinions, . feelings and experiences
with our readers. Send letters to:
LETTERS, Second Stone, P. 0. Box
8340, New Orleans, LA 70182 . All
letters must be original and signed by
the writer. Clearly indicate if your
name is to be withheld. We reserve
the right to edit .
□
THEOLOGY FROM HEART & MIND Page 10
COLUMNS
COMMENTARY Page3
RELATIONSHIPS Page 13
TRAVEL Page 19
DEPARTMENTS
LETTERS Page 2
NEWS BRIEFS Page 4
CHURCH & ORGANIZATION NEWS Page 11
CALENDAR Page 12
BOOKS Page 16
CLASSIFIEDS Page 20
fl SECOND STONE
Con1mentary □ One of us or one of them:
Some people may not want to know
'i Why do you have to tell everybody?
HyJjmRoclu:
Contributing Writer
When my brother and sister-inlaw
suddenly decided to move half
way across the country to the town 1
lived in it became apparent they
needed to be told something about,
well, my notoriety as a gay person. I
hadn't ever discussed this with my
brother . Actually I'd spent about an
hour with him per year for the past
decade or so, so it never seemed like a
necessity. But I discovered that this
was an announcement that was best
made at my descretion. From
experience I've learned that surprises
of this sort are best avoided. The
year before when my church found out
that their "family man" minister
was gay all hell had broken loose. 1
was the subject of half page articles
in the local paper, my congregation
met to discuss my gayness, and
threats were made against my life.
You name it, it had happened to me.
Although I have since left t he
ISSN No. 1047-3971
SECOND STONE Newspaper is
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Bailey Communica tions, P. 0. Rox
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Copyright I 991 by Second Stone, a
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SECOND STONE. an ecume nical
Christian newsp:iper commincd lo
informing the gay and lcshian com munity.
l'UflLISHER/EDITOR: Jim Bailey
CONTRIBITTORS FOR nns ISSUE:
William L. Day
Rev. Fred C. Williams
Jim Roche
Cynthia Marquard
Danni Munson
church, members still harass me by
calling employers to make sure they
know I'm gay (I've lost several
positions after phone calls from these
people) and sending mail-order
surprises. Some people can really
hate. ,.
Well, when my brother and his wife
arrived in town we went out for dinner
and before we even began he said,
"Everybody seems to know you around
here. When I go places people say,
'Why do I know that name?"' I sat
them down and broke the news.
"About my roommate David ... I guess
Then the questions,
my sister-in-law first:
"Well, what I don't
understand is, why
do you have to tell
everybody?" She
then gave every
cliche in the book,
suggesting that I was
harassed and losing
my job because I
was, you know,
"flaunting it."
you could say we share more than the
rent."
"Oh?"
Then the questions, my sister-in-law
first: "Well, whal I don 't understand
is, why do you have to tell everybody?"
She then gave every cliche in
the book, suggesting that I was
harassed and losing my job because I
was, you know, "flaunting it." The
conversation went on and seemed to
end in a supportive gesture or two
(they paid for dinner, which was
very important to me as I wasn't too
sure about my employability.) Her
final suggestion: "Move back to New
York. It's the only place you'll be
SEE COMMENTARY, Page 15
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September /October, 19 91 II
Newsbriefs
Greek Orthodox
Suspend National
Council Ties
Upset over women clergy,
controversies over homosexuality and
the liberal views of some mainline
denominations, the largest Eastern
Orthodox Church took a big step back
from the ecumenical movement,
announcing that it has suspended
relations with the National Council
of Churches and the Episcopal
Church .
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese,
which has an estimated 2 million
U.S. members, has withdrawn from
participatioll' in tl,e 32-denomination
National Council and will decide
this fall whether it wants to. keep its
affilia lion.
The breaking off of Episcopal
contacts was prompted by Orthodox
objections to women priests and
bishops, the recent ordination of an
openly lesbian priest in Washington,
D.C., and a book by Episcopal Bishop
John Spong claiming that St. Paul
was a closet homosexual, said Father
Milton Efthimiou, ecumenical officer
for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese.
In 1983, Greek Orthodox leaders
threatened to leave the National
Council when the Universal Fellowship
of Metropolitan Community
Churches sought membership . But
the crisis was averted when the issue
was tabled . However, last fall th e
council's governing board voted to
resume talks.
-Los Angeles Times
Catholic School
Teacher Fired For
Directing Gay Play
The director of a community
production of Jerker, an explicitly
homoerotic play by the late Robert
Chesley, was fired from his teaching
job at Bishop Lynch Roman Catholic
High School in Dallas, Texas.
Bruce Coleman had worked as a
substil\lte teacher since January and
"never discussed the project with
[his) students. "
But school policy demands that
teachers "uphold the Catholic
Church's philosophy inside and
outside the school," said principal
Edward Leyden.
Ten teachers at Lynch sent a letter
to administrators stating that
Coleman was "an exceptionally
valuable" staff member .
-Outlines
A Presbyterian Promise
I
"We will work to increase the acceptance and
participation in the church of all persons regardless
of racial -ethnic origins, sex, class, age,
disability, marital status or sexual orientation"
- 195th General Assembly (1983),
Atlanta, Georgia
If this is your promise, too,
we invite you to join
Presbyterians for
Lesbian/Gay Concerns
Write to Elder James D. Anderson
PLGC, P.O. Box 38, New Brunswick, NJ
08903-0038, 201/846-1510
Frat Members
Suspended For
Anti-Gay Shirts
SYRACUSE, NY . - A Syracuse
University fraternity has been
suspended by its national organi zation
for selling tee-shirts with
anti-gay slogans, including one
jokingly advocating violence against
Gays .
All 54 members of the Alpha Chi
Rho chapter at Syracuse we r e
permanently suspended but those who
win an appeal can rejoin, said Jim
Spencer, executive director of the
fraternity's national headquarters in
Neptune, N.J.
Slogans on the tee-shirts included
"Homophobic and Proud of It!" and
"Club Faggots, Not Seals ." The
university's Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual
Student Alliance complained to
the university's Judicial Board.
-Cruise
Irate Callers Force
Gay Groups Off
School Property
ROSEBURG, OR. - The Gay and
Lesbian Alliance and · the Metropolitan
Community Church moved its
annual summer yard sale from
Roseburg High School grounds after
irate residents threatened to picket.
The fund raising event had been held
without incident in the high school
parking lot for three years, but after
advertisements appeared for this
year's sale, school officials were
bombarded with telephone calls.
Dean of Students Dean Cardiff said
callers thought the high school was
condoning gay and lesbian activities .
-Associated Press
Charlotte, N.C.
Fundamentalists
Protest P-FLAG
National Meeting
The upcoming annua l meeting of the
International Federation of Parents
and Friends of Lesbians and Gays in
Charlotte, North Carolina this fall
has led local conservatives to urge
the host hotel to cancel the booking.
An official of the Omni Charlotte
Hotel said that the October meeting
will go on as scheduled . General
manager Tom Barker said the booking
can't be canceled . "Our purpose is to
serve the general public , not to
endorse or approve of any group," he
said .
Concerned Charlotteans, a
II SECOND STONE
□ conservative religious group , had sent
postcards to the hotel asking officials
to cancel the booking . The Rev.
Joseph Chambers, who heads the
group, considers the meeting a step
toward turning Charlotte into a
"homosexual mecca."
Chambers said his group is
determined to force .the meeting out.
' There are some things in the works,"
he said . "We would like to see it
changed in a very quiet way ... But
you can certainly use some strong er
tactics if your weaker tactics fail."
Nila Baily, president of P-FLAG's
Charlotte chapter said that they
were "just parents trying to help each
other, and help our children."
-Cruise '
"Will Sex Split
The Church?" Right
Wing Pastor Asks
Dr. D. James Kennedy, pastor of Coral
Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort
Lauderdale, Florida asked readers of
USA Today to phone in their votes on
sex outside of marriage, same-sex
marriages, Gays in the pulpits, and
abandonment of traditional family
values.
"As a minister, I am appalled over
wha t is going on in the name of
Christianity," Kennedy said in the
full page ad .
Two 900 line phone numbers were
printed for callers to dial either to
agree or disagree with the pastor .
Callers who phoned to agree were
charged 95 cents per minute. Callers
who phoned to disagree were charged
95 cents. All funds generated by the
invalid survey went to Coral Ridge
Ministries . Results were to be made
available to news services, the
networks and top church officials,
the ad said.
Unitarians Select
Gay Minister
Rev . Scott Alexander, a gay minister,
has been installed as senior pastor of
the la r gest congregation in the
Unitarian Universalist Association
during its annual meeting in
Hollywood, Fla.
"We're saying that God loves
everyone while the others are saying
God loves some of us," said
Alexander, referring to debate going
on in many denominations . Unitarian
Universalists, who affirm the worth
and dignity of every person, have
about 65 Gays and Lesbians among
their 1,010 clergy.
-Associated Press
Newsbriefs ·
Leader of Jewish
Scouts Decries
Pullout of
Mormons,
Catholics
Les Pettit's scouting organization
could be devastated if the Mormon
and Catholic churches end their
affiliation with the Boy Scouts of
America because of litigation over
girls, Gays, and atheism. His troup is
associated with the Jewish Community
Center.
"If some of the larger churches pull
out... it will be pretty much the
demise of scouting," said Pettit, who
has been in scouting for 35 years.
"Financially, it would be a total
disaster."
Scouting officials with The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
and the Roman Catholic Church were
quoted in a New York Times article as
saying their scouting units likely
would withdraw from the Boy Scouts
of America if a court forced the
organization to allow a gay teen-ager
to be an assistant scoutmaster.
Mormon Church . spokesman Don
Lefevre verified that Jack Goaslind,
Jr., a member of the First Quorum of
the Seventy who sits on the Boy
Scouts' executive board, said he
would recommend his church leave
the organization rather than be
forced to adhere to policies
antithetical to Mormon teachings.
-Associated Press
Fundamentalists
Attack AT&T For
Pro-Gay Policy
While many companies have
adopted non-discrimination policies
for their gay and lesbian employees,
AT&T went a step further recently by
recognizing Gay Awareness Week,
instituted by its in-house lesbian/ gay
support group. When some Christian
radio stations heard about Gay
Awareness Week, they publicized it,
and complaints began pouring in from
Christian fundamentalists threatening
to cut up their AT&T credit
cards and cancel their AT&T long
distance service.
AT&T spokesperson Burke Stinson
told The New York Times, "Gay
rights is the issue of the '90s, just as
civil rights was in the '70s." AT&T
has had a non-discrimination policy
since 1975 and has a gay/lesbian
employeee support group, Lesbian and
Gay United Employees (LEAGUE).
LEAGUE representative Stephen F.
Mershon estimates that at least
25,000 of AT&Ts employees in the
United States are gay.
"We'd like AT&T to know that its
customers are willing to back its
support of diversity within its work
force," Merchon said. Gay men,
Lesbians, and other advocates of
freedom can express their support of
AT&T's non-discrimination policy by
calling 1-800-323-4357.
-Stonewall Union Reports
ELCA Synod Says
Gay Pastors Okay
KENOSHA, WI. - Delegates of a
southeastern Wisconsin synod of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America have approved a resolution
encouraging its congregations to
accept gay and lesbian ministers. The
synod encompasses 142 congregations.
The resolution, passed 208-162, by
the Greater Milwaukee Synod
Assembly, "spreads the message that
we're willing to include anyone in the
church," said Rev. Ted Lindquist, 35,
of Racine.
The Rev. Peter Rogness, bishop of
the synod, said the decision may
encourage other congregations to
accept gay and lesbian ministers.
-Equal Time
Monks Drop Plans
For AIDS Hospice
Monks at the Monastery of the
Glorious Ascension have dropped
plans to operate a hospice for AIDS
patients on their property in
Whitfield County, Georgia. Area
residents vigorously opposed the
hospice. ''The neighbors have ,hot
been kind to them," said Florence
Brent, board chair of the proposed St.
Raphael's Residence, Inc. The
Whitfield County Commission had
passed a resolution discouraging
county residents from volunteering,
and the county landfill refused to
accept waste from the monastery,
-Southern Voice
Baptist Preacher
Objects To
Newspaper's
Personal Ads
Fred Lowery, pastor of the First
Baptist Church of Bossier City,
Louisiana, advised his congregation
to protest the appearance of
"Personally Speaking" ads in The
Shreveport Times. Lowery wrote in
the church bulletin that the ads were
''being used as a dating service for
homosexuals" and "are not of moral
value to the public." He urged church
goers to· contact the editor of the
paper and voice concern that the ads
be removed. In a letter to Lowery,
Ursula Enters Copely of the Homosexual
Information Center said that
the campaign to regulate the press
and reading habits of the general
public was beyond Lowery's
authority.
"We understand that you want
church members to observe church
law," said Copely, ''but just as you
want the freedom to practice your
religion without interference you
must allow those of other persuasions
the same freedom of expression ... If
atheists were to try to get rid of
church ads we'd object."
AF A Targets Coors
The ever-vigilant American Family
Association is targeting the Adolph
Coors Company for advertising in Bob
Damron's Address Book.
The July issue of the AFA Journal
noted that the Damron guide is a
"homosexual book giving the localions
where homosexuals can find
other homosexuals for sex ... "
The Journal urged its readers to
□ write to Chairman William K. Coors,
Adolph Coors Company, Golden, CO
80401, (303)279-6565.
Ironically, Coors was boycotted by
Gays and Lesbians in the late '70s and
'80s for alleged anti-gay hiring
practices and funding of anti-gay
organizations.
Heartsong
Releases New
Album
The Christian musical group Heartsong
has recently released a new
cassette album. "Family Feeling,"
recorded in Nashville, Tenn., was
recorded after many months of road
appearances by the group. For
information on the cassette, write to
3527 Oaklawn Ave., #310, Dallas, TX
75219 or call 1-8oo-624-1148.
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September/October, 1991 II
Newsbriefs
Sexual Orientation
Not Protected
Status, Group Says
DENVER, CO. • A Colorado group
has been formed to seek a statewide
initiative to ban the protected status
of sexual orientation. Denver's anti·
discrimination ordinance has already
survived one repeal attempt. Two
Colorado Springs men, Kevin Tebedo
and Tony Marco have formed the
Colorado for Family Values group
and are circulating petitions .to put a
Constitutional amendment on the
1992 state ballot.
"Our civil rigrts laws were not
intended to give protected status to
sexual orientation, including homosexuality,
bisexuality or lesbianism,"
said Marco. "Civil rights have
historically been granted on the basis
of characteristics of birth such as
race, color, gender, national origin or
being physically handicapped. None
of these characteristics which are
protected by civil rights laws are
behavioria\ in nature. Sexual
orientation is behavioral, and not a
characteristic comparable to ethnicity,"
he said.
-Out Front
Catholic Church
Blamed·For
Domestic Partner
Bill Failure
BOSTON, MA. • Just one day after
advocates believed they had the
necessary votes for a bill recognizing
same-sex couples and unmarried
heterosexual couples, the Boston City
Council voted 11-2 against the plan.
Proponents of the domestic partnership
bills blamed the Archbishop
of Boston's Catholic Churches,
Cardinal Bernard Law, and Mayor
Raymond Flynn for the defeat and
vowed to oust the councilors who
opposed it.
Educators Remove
Boy Scout Exhibit
A booth promoting the Boy Scouts of
America was removed from the National
Education Association (NEA)
convention exhibit hall, following
National Coming Out Day
Salutes You !
ttft MAJOR DONORS (to date) -The Adv~i. - Outww:k -Fn::..ti«I - Second S.- . Our World -Gay Mn\ s Hu.I th
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i... {s.a-lo).MetrolJM{H&rtfoo:IJ-Outfn::e1(0m_.). Island Lifest)ia (Honolu,lu) - Equal rune 0-!innc,•polis) -
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objections filed by the Gay and
Lesbian Caucus. The objection was
based on the Boy Scouts discriminatory
practices. The NEA
Representative Assembly was held in
Miami Beach, Florida.
The Boy Scouts discriminate on the
basis of gender, sexual orientation,
and religion, according to members of
the caucus. Military branches have
also been prevented from setting up
exhibits because of the NEA 's
anti-discriminatory policies.
End Military
Discrimination,
Jewish Leader
Urges President
The president of the 1.7 millionmember
Union of American Hebrew
Congregations, the national associ ation
of the Reform Jewish
denomination, has formally called on
President George Bush to ban
discrimination against Lesbians and
Gays in the U.S. military services by
presidential order.
Rabbi Alexander Schindler wrote to
Bush urging the President to "issue an
executive order rescinding Directive
1332.14 to end the Department of
Defense's official policy of discrimination"
based on sexual orientation.
Presbyterian
Friend-of-the-Court
Brief Challenges
Sodomy Law
A top official of the Presbyterian
Church (USA) filed a brief
challenging the constitutionality of
the Kentucky sodomy Jaw, which is
now under study by the state's Supreme
Court. The Rev. James Andrews,
stated clerk for the 2.9 milllionmember
denomination's General
Assembly, filed his friend-of-thecourt
brief in a case involving the
arrest of Jeffery Wasson in Lexington
in 1985. Wasson was charged under
the sodomy law after allegedly
inviting an undercover police officer
to engage in sex.
Lower court judges have ruled that
the sodomy law is unconstitutional
because it violates the right to
privacy guaranteed under the state
constitution.
Andrews said the brief reflects a
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□ long-standing policy of his church,
which opposes homosexual activity
as "not God's wish for humanity," but
also opposes criminal penalties for
sexual relations between consenting
adults.
The Lousiville -headquartered
denomination has a "strong stance on
privacy in bedroom matters,"
Andrews said. "If you can penalize a
homosexual who· has asked for a
date, you can do the same thing to a
heterosexual who has made a blatant
proposition."
The denomination became involved
in the case at the request of the
American Civil Liberties Union
(ACLU) of Kentucky, said . Fred
Jenkins, director of constitutional
services for the Presbyterian General
Assembly.
-Cruise
Resisting Racism
Second Edition
Published
The National Association of Black
and White Men Together
(NABWMT) has issued a manual to
help the gay and lesbian community
explore the issue of racism . Resisting
Racism: An Action Guide was edited
by Gerald Mallon and published by
the Racism Task Force of NABWMT.
Resisting Racism contains over 20
proven action plans for confronting
racism. The anti-racism workshops
are designed for easy presentation to
any group. Each of the workshops in
the manual has been tested in a
variety of community settings around
the country.
For information on Resisting Racism
write to NABWMT Publications, P .O.
Box 408641, Chicago, IL 60640.
Author Seeks
Gay and Lesbian
Christian Stories
Submissions are being sought for a
collection of stories about the gay and
lesbian Christian experience. For
information send a stamped, selfaddressed
envelope to Candace
Chellew, P. 0. Box 1251, Decatur, GA
30031-1251.
Correction
Tabernacle United Church of Christ,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a joint
Presbyterian and United Church of
Christ congregation, has been added
to the More Light roster . It is not the
first Presbyterian or UCC church to
adopt the More Light statement.
Southern Baptists, Concerned
Women protest CDC grant to
· health conference
Atlanta condemning the funding. '' NEW ORLEANS, LA. - The largest
conference in the world dealing with
lesbian and gay health issues was
targeted by conservative religious
organizations attempting to block a
supporting federal grant. The 13th
National Lesbian and Gay Health
Conference and 9th National AIDS/
HIV Forum met in New Orleans in
late July.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control
provided a $25,000 grant to the HIV
prevention workshops of the conference.
The grant was attacked by the
Southern Baptist Convention, Concerned
Women for America and the
Christian Coalition as "ari improper
and inexcusable misuse of the public
treasury and the public trust." The
Christian Coalition also accused the
CDC of ''bankrolling the homosexual
political agenda." The groups wrote
letters to White House Chief of Staff
John Sununu calling upon President
Bush to withdraw the funding. The
Southern Baptists also passed a
reso lution at their June convention in
The Board of Directors of the
National Lesbian and Gay Health
Foundation, which, along with The
GeorgeWashington University Medical
Center, sponsors the conference,
issued a statement responding to the
attacks. "After a decade of AIDS, it
is astonishing that we must still
confront such misguided morality in
our efforts to save lives," the
statement said. "The SBC's strategy
of using their own code of morality as
a means of gauging the distribution of
federal funds is unacceptable .
NLGHF's resolve to develop HIV
prevention programs is strengthened
by this latest incident and we will
continue to advocate on behalf of
these programs."
Great
Response!
The CDC held firm on their
commitment to fund the conference .
Additional funding was provided by
the National Institute of Allergy and
infectious Diseases, which directs
the nation's AIDS research efforts.
Was occasional champion of gay community
Seattle Catholic Archbishop retires
.l!y The SeaWe Gay News
SEATTLE, WA. - The long time
Catholic archbishop of Seattle,
Raymond Hunthausen, has retired.
Hunthausen became archbishop in
1975. His persistent work for world
peace, and his outspoken support for
women and Gays have made him an
occasional champion of the gay
community - and a thorn in the side of
the Vatican.
When Dignity/USA held its
convention in Seattle, Hunthausen
made the Cathedral of St. Ja mes
available for the celebration of mass.
The action prompted a secret Vatican
investigation of the archbishop.
The Vatican assigned a watchdog
bishop, Donald Wuerl, to Seattle and
Hunthausen was basically stripped
of his power in deference to Wuerl.
This was widely regarded as a public
humiliation to Hunthausen and the
American Catholic church, and
created a mass resistance among the
American bishops.
The conflict between Hunthausen
and Wuerl came to a head over a gay
issue in 1986 when Hunthausen
wanted the archdiocese to support a
proposed county ordinance that would
protect the job rights of minorities,
including Gays, and Wuerl dissented.
The Vatican ·sent word that Wuerl
had "complete and final cfocision
making power" and a fir es torm of
protest came from Seattle Catholic s.
A statement was signed by 140 priests
and nuns denouncing the . Vatican's
"unwarranted intervention" in the
affairs of the local church . A
petition was also signed by 13,500
Catholics demanding Hunthausen's
complete and full authority be
reinstated.
Catholic newspapers at the time
began discussing the possibility of a
schism between the American church
and the Vatican. Pope John Paul got
the message and removed Bishop
Wuerl, restored Bishop Hunthausen's
authority, and assigned him a true
assistance, Bishop Thomas Murphy.
In 1989, under pressure from the
Vatican, Hunthausen evicted Dignity
from celebrating mass, as an
organization, in Catholic churches.
At the same time he established a
Catholic ministry to Lesbians and
Gays, which continues to hold
weekly masses at St. Joseph's.
-Tom Flint
September/ 0 ct ob er, 1 9 91
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•
Disciples of Christ
may elect pro-gay
president
Tulsa, Oklahoma will serve as the
sight for the 1991 General Assembly
of the Christian Church (Disciples of
Christ) in the United States and
Canada. Almost 8,000 delegates and
visitors will converge the last week
of October on the heartland of the one
million-member denomination. Concurrent
activities are being planned ·
by the Gay, Lesbian, and Affirming
Disciples (GLAD) Alliance, an
advocacy and educational group
made up of members and friends of
the denomination.
According to Allen V. Harris, GLAD
Alliance Coordinating Committee
member, this year's Assembly is
particularly important due to the
upcoming election of the new General
Minister and President, the leading
executive for the entire denom- ·
ination. Rev. Dr. Michael K.
Kinnamon, Dean of Lexington
Theological Seminary in Lexington,
Kentucky, has been nominated ,by a
search committee and his name
forwarded by the Administrative
Committee of the Christian Church
as candidate for the position. Dr.
Kinnamon has drawn praise from
many for his open support of lesbian
and gay persons within the church.
Ex-Gays?
There
Are None
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Acknowledging his membership in
GLAD Alliance, Kinnamon has
consistently supported his inclusive
position in the face of criticism from
more conservative factions within
the demonination.
Concerning the many letters he had
received about the membership
which he and his wife hold in the
Gay, Lesbiiin and Affirming Disciples
Alliance, Dr . Kinnamon said,
"Almost no correspondents seem
interested in why we would choose
publicly to affirm brothers and sisters
in Christ who are gay and lesbian.
They hear of this commitment and
pronounce it right or wrong, biblical
or unbiblical, thus undercutting any
chance of learning from one another in
the community of faith."
Throughout the Assembly, GLAD
will provide an information , and
community booth in the Assembly's
exhibition hall and a hospitality
suite in a nearby hotel. GLAD will
also sponsor an Interest.Group open to
all Assembly participants entitled
"Embracing Hospitality: Helping
l='OR$ 01<\1: PEOPLE,
REL\C':r\O\NS A \
C.ONTA.CT S~CITT .
Lesbians, Gay Men and Those Who
Affirm Them Feel At Home In Your
Congregation." Phil Ewoldsen,
Indiana GLAD Regional Coordinator,
will facilitate.
The Christian Church (Disciples of
Christ), headquartered in Indianapolis,
has over one million
members in over 4,000 congregations.
For information on the GLAD
Alliance · write to P.O . Box 19223,
Indianapolis, IN 46219-0223.
To appease orthodox denominations
Minnesota Council of Churches tries
to bury gay ministry statement
By Equal Tune
Lutheran church leaders in St. Paul
have charged that the board of
directors of the Minnesota Council of
Churclies (MCC) was led to recant its
support of ministry to and with gay
and lesbian persons due to political
considerations and manipulation of
church documentation by some MCC
staff members.
Rev. Leo Treadway of St. Paul
Reformation Church and Rev. Willis
Merriman, past MCC executive
director, appeared at a press
conference to challenge the minutes of
a January 1991 MCC board meeting
which stated that the board's
historic 1982 "Statement on Ministry
To and With Gay and Lesbian
Pers'ons" was determined never to
have been officially adopted, and
consequently was not a position of the
Council.
"Based on partial and incomplete
evidence the board was led by its
staff to state that the 1982 document
could not be considered as guidan<:e for
Council programs and actions,"
Treadway said. "We have in our
possession documents which challenge
this revision of Council
history."
Those documents included materials
from 1983 and 1984 _MCC annual
reports, and correspondence from the
president of the MCC to the National
Council of Churches.
Treadway said problems began to
develop about the authenticity and
political sensitivities of the
statement shortly after it was
adopted. After a great deal of
response to the document, both
positive and negative, a period of
hibernation followed during which it
received Ii ttle or no attention.
But confusion continued about its
status, with MCC executive director
Margaret Thomas questioning
whether it had passed. Treadway
and oiher church leaders who had
participated in the process leading to
the formal adoption of the statement
assured Thomas it had.
Shortly after the 1988 St. Paul City
Charter amendment campaign,
Thomas became involved in several
internal church processes which
involved the Council with other
denominational church leadership on
the basis of the statement. In 1990,
Treadway asked Thomas if she
would testify on behalf of the MCC
at the St. Paul City Council hearings
on restoring civil rights protection for
sexual minorities. Treadway said
SECOND STONE
-- -- - --·--~- ~-- ·-- ·--- - ~ - - - · · -- -
that Thomas agreed to testify.
'When it came time to finalize the
list of speakers, Rev. Thomas said
neither she nor any of her staff wou\d
be available to testify," Treadway
commented. "We found out later she
had instructed her staff -not to testify
and that she had said the document
could not be referred to as a policy
statement of the Council.
"That its status was called into
question became convenient to negotiations
that transpired between
bringing in orthodox denominations
into the Council and a better working
relationship with the Minnesota
Catholic Conference [the lobbying
arm of the Catholic church]. This
document presented major obstacles to
bringing those groups together."
In order to rectify the situation,
Treadway and other church leaders
are asking the MCC board of directors
to undertake a thorough review of
the matter.
Treadway and the others also
requested that the results of this
review inform the board's current
work on a revised and updated
statement concerning ministry to and
with gay and lesbian persons.
-Mark Kasel
' ' I
,"I Have Opened A Door"
UFMCC General Conference draws record number
A record 2,000 participants and
visitors attended the 15th General
Conference of the Universal Fellow•
ship of Metropolitan Community
Churches, held July 14-21 in Phoenix,
Arizona.
'This is the historical moment,"
Rev. Elder Troy Perry, founder and
moderator of the UFMCC, said in his
opening address. Perry said that at
this moment the entire Christian
church is discussing human sexuality,
which has been "the church's dirty
little secret for 2,000 years." He said
that it was a historical moment for
the UFMCC because it is a time when
lesbian and gay people worldwide
are seeking God. Perry said that
AIDS, breast cancer, and other
illnesses are providing unprecedented
challenges and opportunities for the
UFMCC. 'We can double the number
of UFMCC members in ten years,''.
Perry predicted.
The UFMCC is the world's largest
ministry to gay and lesbian people.
The 23-year-old church began with
12 members in Perry's living room in
Los Angeles. Records show a 20
percent annual growth rate despite
losi'ng 4,000 church members to AIDS
over the past ten years.
The church has an official roster of
more than 27,000 members in 264
churches in 17 countries . Unofficial
membership may be as high as
500,000. Media spokesperson Ian
Taylor said that the UFMCC is the
fastest growing denomination in the
world.
~eople from more than a dozen
nations attended the General Conference.
Delegates voted to increase
registration fees for the next
conference to help finance the
growing travel to the gathering from
abroad. Simultaneous translation
into Spanish was provided via
head phones for business sessions,
worship, forums and workshops.
The international sense may have
influenced the election of an
Australian man to the Board of
Elders of the UFMCC. Willem Hein
of Adelaide, Australia was electeg to
fill the position of Rev. Elder
Charlie Arehart of Denver,
Colorado.
Theological diversity may pose one
of the greatest challenges yet for the
UFMCC. Debate over goddess
worship led to the formation of an
unofficial group called People for
Spiritual Diversity. Perry told the
conference, "I believe the big debate
that we will have in the future, and
maybe we'll settle it and maybe we
won't, is what the bounds of diversity
will be." Other issues tackled by the
conference were ministering to AIDS
patients, racism, homophobia and
relations with mainstream churches.
A children's program was featured
for the first time at General
Conference. Fourteen -children participated
. Conference attendees in
their teens and 20's also organized a
gathering to discuss their particular
needs.
The 15th biennial General
Conference received more media
coverage than any previous gathering.
The UFMCC adopted a new
"open door" policy allowing full
access to reporters. The most widely
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covered event was the mass blessing
of 250 couples during a worship
service .
The UFMCC also received
recognition from the Episcopal
Church, which was meeting in
Phoenix at the same time . Rev. Troy
Perry accepted an invitation to be
presented to the Episcopalian House
of Bishops. II was the first time a
mainline denomination has extended
such recognition to the UFMCC.
A 1992-93 budget of more than $1
million per year was adopted, with
the top priority being maintaining a
solid infrastructure for the church.
Rev. Perry was elected premanently
to the Board of Elders. He announced
that he would be curtailing his
travel schedule to concentrate on a
series of crusade-style rallies that
will begin on July 4, i992.
From Associated Press reports and
Keeping In Touch, the newsletter of
the UFMCC.
Orgeon right-wingers plan
anti-gay initiative
Hr The SeattJe Gzy News
Right-wing Christians in Oregon are
organizing for an initiative to amend
the Oregon state constitution to
prevent the state and local govern•
ment from "spending tax money on any
program or policy that promotes,
condones, encourages or facili tales
homosexuality, pedophilia, sadism,
masochism, bestiality and necrophilia."
Council and The Oregonian, Oregon's
major daily newspaper, have pub•
licly condemned the initiative and
urged citizens not to sign the petition.
The No Special Rights Committee
of the Oregon Citizens Alliance
(OCA), led by Lon Mabon, who some
say is a white supremacist; is
organizing the initiative.
The proposal reads, in part, "This
state shall not recognize any cate·
gorical provision such as 'sexual
orientation,' 'sexual preference,' and
similar phrases that include abnormal
behaviors ... "
Gay and lesbian organizations and
individuals are forming a counter·
campaign. Orgeon's Governor
Barbara Roberts, the Portland City
"In the past, the achievements, triumphs, and defeats of gay
men and lesbians were not only hidden from histo~ most were -
lost for all time. This must never happen again. "-Danni
Munson, editor, The Gtiy & Lesbian Alnuuuic and Events of 1991.
A CHRONICLE OF CURRENT
GAY/LESBIAN HISTORY
This volume r=ds for history:
• The rise of a gay/lesbim movement in Eastan
Europe
• Cclc:bralion 90: Gay Games ill and Cultural
Festival
• The latest research and statistics on AIDS
• The lighl to end military discrimination against
gays and lesbians
• The controversial practice of outing
• The progresa and setbacks in religion
A Calendar ol Upcomi\g Events
Hundreds of 1991 gay/lelbim evenb from
cruises to conceIIS, from rodeoi to music
festivals, md much more. Plus listings of
binhdays of famouo pys & lesbi1M.
Avoilbable at local bookstores or from the publisher
Send 9.95 plus $2.00 postage and handling to:
ENVOY ENTERPRISES ·
740 N. Rush St. SUite 609
Chicago ll 60611
September/ October, 19 91
A Theology From
·Our Hearts and Minds
This evening I was listening ton lecture given by a
priest whose opinions I have admired and trusted. He
wc_i_s speaking about a gathering in n large city. "All
the dregs of society were there," he said, "pimps and
prostitutes and thieves and queers ... " I didn't hear any
more of his lecture. I don't know what he went on to
say, for at that moment I was suffused with an anger
which later grew into a cold rage.
l AM ANGRY at him for lumping us all together and for calling us "dregs,"
and I am furious at myself for not ha v ing yet lea rned to cry out and put a
stop to such homophobic rantings. I am angry with myself and outrag ed at
society and at my church.
I write from South America, a continent from whence has come "Libe ration
Theology," and l wonde r jus t how free, how liberated these theologians
really arc, if they aren't yet free of their ow n h omopho bia. Am l free?
As gay men and women, we arc aware that the discrimination which we
suffer is not ju st, is not God's will. In the past two hundred years there have
been other revolutions here in the Americas, in which the poor and th e
marginatcd hav e stood up - have refused to continue under the yoke of
oppression. Just as Hidalgo's cry for freedom sparked the Mexicaa
revolu tion some years ba ck, so too was Stonewall the beginning of our
revolution . That was the beginning of our cry for freedom.
Every theology that is authentic is born of a spirituality rooted in reality.
The Exodus was the basis for the Old Testamen t and its spiritual yearnings.
Jesus Christ, his life and his words, arc the cornerstone of New Testame nt
spirituality. The experience of-Francis of Assisi or that of Dominic opened
the door to Franciscan and Dominican spir itu ality. Our exper ience as
discriminated and marginated gay men and women is the basis of a new
turning to God. We arc the poor. Humiliated, hounded, hunted, we arc the
recipients of many people's scorn - and of our own as well. Can this be the
Divine Will? From the time of Cain and Able, men a nd women have turned
against each other because they were "different." Joseph's brothers said,
"Let us kill the dreamer," for they were not dreamers. Jesus himself dared
to march to a different song, and the authorities of his day saw fit to do
away with him - because he was "different."
XENOPHOBIA, FEAR OF :rHE STRANGER, easily incorporates with in
itself all sorts of discriminations based on race, religion and sexual
orientation. What we experienc e is social sin; we arc the poor, and we
embrace that discrimination. We choose to be poor and marginatcd. We
cooperate in an unjust system.
But if we _take as our starting point the injustice of the homophobia we
experience, we arc on the road to being liberated from those (and our own)
unjust and sinfu l s tructure s. If we can take a long and dispassionate look at
our lives today, we will r ealize just how oppressive the structures arc in
which we live and work. But if we can take this one step at a time, we can
start with our own liberation. We can sec how, at times, we contribute to
the deep-rooted homophobia that surrou nds us . Are we not being
hypocrites when we pray, "Thy kingdom come," and yet contribute to the
anti-kingdom va lue s of discrimina _tion and self-hatred?
The first step in any liberation is to sec the reality . (Remember the old
paradigm from the 'fifties: See, Judge, Act?) Well, we begin with seeing
the situ ation in which we live. The failure of the society in which we live
to take more cffcrtivc steps to halt the spread of AIDS; a church largely
silent in the face of this life-threatening disease - arc these not symptons of
a social system which is unjust?
Let us move on the the next level of the paradigm, Judge. In the light of
our faith experience, is it God's will that some men and women turn against
their brothers and sisters, and marginate them because of their sexual
orientation? Docs God not incorporate within the Divine Being -both the
male and the female? And if, by God's plan, we were born with a sexual
orientation not shared by everyone, then must we be pursued and driven like
outcasts into the darkness or hate and self-loathing? Can that be the
Divine Will? Or is it not our right - our duty - to denounce the socia l sin of
homophobia? From the point of view of what we sec, we mus\ re-read,
reinterpret our faith.
And then comes Act. As bearers of the Judaco-Christian tradition, we arc
called to act with Jesus in his prophetic role. Just as Jesus of Nazareth was
called on to denounce sin, the early Church Fathers did likewise. We arc
called to follow their tradition, to be one with Jerome and Augustine and
Tertullian, and to denounce injustice a long with Francis and Dominic and
Catherine of Siena.
THIS MAY SOUND NEW and revolutionary, and yet it is not new. The
poor arc constantly being called upon to defend themselves, to claim their
rights , and to demand their freedom.
We speak herein of a new theology, not one done in a classroom, but a
theology worked out in the minds and hearts of gay men and women. It is
theology based on the experience of suffering, which we know is not God's
will.
We speak herein of a new theology, not
one done in a classroom, but a theology
worked out in the minds and hearts of
gay men and women. It is theology based
on the experience of suffering, which we
know is not God's will.
To "do theology" from the perspective of our collective suffering is a
dangerous thing. Were we to speak of angels or virtues, the chances arc we
would be left alone, consider ed harmless. But when we speak of a sinful
discrimination experienced on the basis of our sexual brientation, somehow
we are touching a very sore point. It becomes a risky tHing to do. Yet what
be so here is to align ourselves with the poor and marginatcd of history,
with Abraham, who was an errant vagabond wandering throughout the
Near East. We put ourselves in the company of women like Elizabeth,
shamefully sterile in her old age, or with a poor family of Nazareth, a
forgotten village of Galilee. Now that I think of it, maybe we do belong in
the-company of pimps arc prostitutes and thieves - and queers - for of such is
th e Kingdom of heave. The novelty of Liberation Theology 'is that the
margin has become the center, and from the center will grow a new way of .
looking at ourselves within the plan of God .
-Written anonymously for Communication Newsletter
SECO_ND STONE .
,
I
Church & Organization News
Construction Begins
at King of Peace
The most ambitious church bond
program in UFMCC history came to a
successful conclusion as King of Peace
MCC, St. Petersburg, Fla., sold its
last First Mortgage bonds after a
several months campaign. Bond
Chair, Donna Remsnyder, led a team
of volunteers who canvassed the
Tampa Bay area, and found widespread
support among Gays and
Lesbians for the programs and
outreach of King of Peace.
The bond program was launched on
December 2, 1990, in an effort to raise
sufficient funds to pay off the existing
mortgages on the present church home
and purchase an existing building
which will be renovated into a new
church complex. Construction on the
project has begun .
-Vision
White Rock
Community Church
Changes Location
The White Rock Co'rr1munity Church
of Dallas, Texas, pastored by Jerry T .
Cook, is now meeting at the Hilltop
Inn in Dallas. For church information
call (214)285-2831 or (214)327-9157.
Rev. Ron Anders9n
To Pastor Morning
Star MCC
Rev. Ron J. Anderson has been elected
pastor of Morning Star MCC,
Worcester, Mass. Rev. Anderson has
been with the UFMCC since 1969.
Coming out of an Assemblies of God
background, he joined the San Diego
church in 1969. At that time, San
Diego was one of only three MCCs in
existence. Rev. Anderson was
licensed as a minister in the UFMCC
in 1973 and ordained in 1976.
Over 100 Attend
SDA Kinship
Kamp meeting
Nearly 120 members attended the
12th annual Seventh-day Adventist
Kinship International Kampmeeting
at Menucha Conference Center near
Portland, Oregon . The group dealt
with a wide range of issues including
AIDS treatment and support, gay
Release UM C study report
church wide, says R CP board
The Board of Directors of the
Reconciling Congregation . Program
(RCP) has requested that the report
of the United Methodist Study
Committee on ' Homosexuality be
widely cHsseminated within the
denomination before the General
Conference convenes on May 5, 1992.
"The concerns of lesbian/ gay
Christians continue to be a volatile
issue in the church," stated board
chair, Rev. Kim A. Smith. "We have
observed the cont_roversy and
emotional distress surrounding the
Presbyterian and Episcopalian
assemblies this summer . We believe
that United Methodists want to
make informed and compassionate
decisions on issues related to our gay
and lesbian members. Therefore, we
ask the General Council on Ministries
to make this report widely available
so that every United Methodist, as
well as every General Conference
delegate, can giv·e prayerful attention
to this valuable report."
The Study Committee on
Homosexuality was authorized by
the UMC General Conference in 1988
to report its findings to the 1992
Conference. The Study Committee,
formed under the auspices of the
General Council on Ministries, has
solicited testimony from experts in
many fields and from many United
Methodists over the past three years .
The final report was scheduled to be
completed in late August.
The 17-member RCP Board, which
met in Chicago, August 9-11, also
began plans for a third national
convocation of Reconciling Congregations
in the spring of 1993. The first
convocation drew 125 persons to
Chicago in 1987; over 200 persons
attended the second convocation in
San Francisco in 1990.
"The first two national RCP
gatherings were Spirit -filled events
that brought new vitality to the
lives of individual congregations and
our national reconciling movement,"
said Mark Bowman, the RCP
national coordinator.
The Reconciling Congregations
Program is a growing national
network of United Methodist congregations
that have made a public
declaration that they welcome all
persons, including lesbian, gay, and
bisexual persons, into their community.
There are currently 49 ·
Reconciling Congregations, four
"reconciling" annual conferences, and
numerous other reconciling
organizations .
civil rights and marriage legislation,
substance abuse, mental health issues
including coming out and dealing
with family .
During the organization's annual
membership meeting, Glendale, California
member, Michael McLaughlin
was elected president; the Board of
Directors and Executive Committee
were reorganized, and ten subcommittees
were formed to work on
specific aspects of the organization's
structure and outreach programs.
SDA Kinship was formed in 1976 by
two Adventists in California and has
grown to include 500 active members
and a mailing list of members,
friends, and supporters which totals
nearly 2000 people in 17 countries.
Kinship holds meetings in many local
areas and maintains a toll free
support hot line, 1-800-4-GAY-SDA.
Sojourners
Celebrates 20 Years
Sojourners, an inner-city Christian
community in Washington, D.C., and
magazine that examines issues of
faith, politics, and culture, is celebrating
20 years of life and work.
Sojourners represents an international
movement of people and communities
determined to make a difference in
the church and in the world. The
first issue of the Post American, the
forerunner of Sojourners, came off the
□ press in the fall of 1971.
The hallmark of Sojourners is its
combination of strong biblical faith
and radical social action. It is this
country's largest and most ecumenical
faith-based movement for justice and
peace, and is a voice for spiritual
renewal and social transformation .
Affirmation
Forms Minneapolis
Chapter
Affirmation, a social and self-he! p
group of active, inactive, and former
members of the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter Day Saints and their
supportive partners, friends and
family members, has formed a new
chapter in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
· The official stand of the Mormon
Church is that homosexuality is a
sinful condition that can be repented
of and abandoned. Affirmation was
founded in Los Angeles in 1977 to help
lessen the fear, guilt, and selfoppression
that Mormon Gays and
Lesbians experience by providing a
positive and supportive fellowship
where people can meet and help each
other affirm self-acceptance and
self-worth .
For information on the ·new group,
contact Affirmation Great Lakes,
P.O. Box 3878, Minneapolis, MN
55403 or call (612)753-3345.
CLASSIFIE
First Ten Words
FREE!
I -
Business or personal - The Second Stone
classifieds really ,vork! Please sec the order
form on the classified page. Each additional
word, 35¢, 20 nord minimum.
September /October, 1991
Calendar
The following announcements have
beens ubmittedb y sponsoringo r
affiliatedg roups.
Galilean Fellowship
Camp Meeting
SEPTEMBER1 4, A full day of
Christian fellowship and worship to
be held in the scenic Lehigh Valley
of Pennsylvania. Pastors Vilma
Torres and Karl Selman are featured
speakers. For information call
(215)740-0247,
National
Affirmation
Gathering
SEPTEMBER 20-22, Affirmation :
United Methodists for Lesbian, Gay
and Bisexual Concerns offers friends
and members the opportunity to
"Corne Home" and share in
community fellowship and support.
Grant Park - Adersgate UMC,
Atlanta, Georgia, is host. A variety
of workshops is offered. Author
Chris Glaser is featured speaker.
Sliding scale registration up to
$125.00. For information contact
Affirmation, P.6: Box 60067,
Sacramento, CA 95860-0067.
MCC/DC
Workshops From
Heart to Heart
SEPTEMBER 21, Rev. Torn Bohache
and Rev. Joe Houle lead workshops.
"Sexuality, Christ and Me" and "I'm
OK. You're OK. We're Lesbian,
Straight and Gay" are the offerings.
Cost is $25.00. For information contact
Mid-Atlantic District, c/ o Victor
Skolnik, Z-10 Avon Drive, East
Windsor, NJ 08520.
Gulf Coast
Regional
Campmeeting '91
SEPTEMBER 27-29, three full days of
spiritual renewal hosted by Holy
Cross Metropolitan Community
Church . "Catch the Spirit" is the
theme of the gathering, which
features Heartsong, from Dallas,
Texas, and Rev. Lyn Matiera and the
New Creation Trio from St. Louis. For
information call (904)433-8528.
National
Coming·Out Day
OCTOBER 11, a day of recognition
that the visibility of our community
II
is crucial to the success of civil rights
and health care efforts. For
, information call 1-800-445-NCOD or
write P.O. Box 8349, Santa Fe, NM
87504.
Affirmation
General Conference
OCTOBER 11-13, Affirmation, Gay
and Lesbian Mo_rmons gathers for its
13th conference. The Erawan Garden
Hotel; Indian Wells, California, is
the setting. Chris Glaser, noted
author and chairperson of the
spiritual advisory committee of
AIDS Project Los Angeles is featured
speaker. G11y comic Danny Williams
will entertain. The Los Angeles Gay
Men's Chorus will also perfrorn .
''Now Let-Us Rejoice" is the theme.
For information about the conference
or Affirmation call the group's 24
hour answer line, (213)255-7251 or
write to Box 46022, Los Angeles, CA
90046. All inquires confidential.
Parents FLAG
10th Annual
Convention
OCTOBER 11-14, "Celebrating the
Jewels in our Crown" is the theme of
the tenth annual gathering of the
National Federation of Parents and
Friends of Lesbians and Gays.
Charlotte, North Carolina is the
setting. To receive registration
materials, when available, write to
Charlotte Parents FLAG, 5815
Charing Place, Charlotte, NC 28211.
Advance '91
OCTOBER 18-20, 'The Grace of God:
Apparent, Sufficient, Abundant" is
the theme of this annual conference,
which will be held this year at a
camp north of Houston. Cost is $65,
which includes meals and lodging .
For information write to ADVANCE
Christian Ministrjes, P.O. Box 1388,
Long Beach, CA 90801-1388.,
Casa De La Paloma
Three Day Revival
OCTOBER 25-Tl, Rev. William H.
Carey, Presbyter of the National Gay
Pentecostal Alliance and pastor of
the Lighthouse Apostolic Church in
Schenectady, New York, leads a
revival and workshop at Casa De La
Paloma Apostolic Church in Tucson,
Arizona. For information contact the
church at P.O. Box 14003, Tucson, AZ
85732-4003 or call (602)323-6855.
1991 National Skills
Building Conference
OCTOBER 31-NOVEMBER 2, The
Universal City Hilton in Los Angeles
is the setting for this conference
sponsored by the AIDS National
Interfaith Network, National
Association of People With AIDS
and the National Minority AIDS
Council. "Collaboration,
Cooperation, Partnership, Skills
Building" is the theme. For
information call (202)544-1076.
Masculine,
Feminine, and Gay
Spirituality
JANUARY 3-5, 1992, a retreat for gay
men to explore the characteristics of
healthy masculine and feminine
spiritualities and consider the
characteristics of a wholistic
spirituality for gay males. The
process will include presentations,
dialogue, small group work, and
worship. Facilitator is John McNeil,
Catholic priest, psychotherapist,
co-founder of Dignity, and author of
□ The Churcha nd the Homosexuaal nd
Taking a Chance on God. Fee is $225.
For information write or call
Kirkridge, Bangor, PA 18013-9359,
(215)588-1793.
Sisterly
Conversations
JANUARY 10-12, 1992, current
concerns among Lesbians of faith, led
by Virginia Ramey Mollenkott,
feminist theologian and board
member of the Center for Sexuality
and Religion. Topics include how to
develop a care-based ethic to replace
heteropatriarchy's competitionbased
ethic of conflicting rights and
how to hea: ourselves and our relationships
of the damage done by
incest, physical and psychological
abuse, and the woman-hatred and
gay-hatred of society. Cost is $195.
The setting is Kirkridge, Bangor, PA
18013-9359. Call (215)588-1793 for
information.
SEND EVENT NOTICES TO:
CALENDAR, SECOND STONE,
P.O. BOX 8340,
NEW ORLEANS, LA 70182 ·
Make responsible choices,
-PW A tells UCC youth
NORFOLK, VA. - To 200 United
Church of Christ teenagers gathered
during the church's national
assembly, he was just David, their
"educational night" speaker -
somebody in good physical shape
who works out at the gym and bikes
regularly. But David Kamens of
Washington, D.C., who turned 21 in
June, has AIDS.
His speech on choice and
responsiblility brought standing,
roaring applause from the youth
gathered in Norfolk's Chrysler Hall
at the denomination's 18th biennial
General Synod.
A Congressional lobbyistadvocating
stepped-up efforts in HIV disease
education and a counselor of 21 people
ages 13 to 24, Kamens also works with
hospital boards and the President's
Committee on AIDS.
Kamens' message to youth in clear:
life choices have consequences, so
everyone must live responsibly and
with compassion.
"I was diagnosed with HIV disease
in July 1988, one month after my 18th
birthday, " Kamens said. "I had just
graduated from North Carolina
School of the Arts."
Kamens began drinking and using
drugs at 13 and became sexually
active at 14. "I knew what safe sex
was," he added, "but not when I was
drunk or stoned. I put myself into
many unhealthy, compromising
situations."
A member · of Rock Spring
Congregational United Church of
Christ in Arlington, Va., Kamens
reiterated time and again to the
members of his young audience that
_their age group was the fastest
growing group of people being
diagnosed with AIDS.
"I liked that fact that he was
blunt," said 16-year-old Brian Torres
of San Mateo, Cal. "It was refreshing
to hear that AIDS doesn't have to be
something secret that you have to be
quiet about, or in the shadows.
The Rev. Gordon J. Svoboda II,
youth and young adult specialist
with the denomination's United
Church Board for Homeland
Ministries, said the discuss ion was
appropriate for a church event .
"I thought it was an excellent event
in that issues of life and death were
sensitively and intelligently dealt
with," Svoboda said. "I was
particularly impressed by the
maturity of the young and young
adults and their openness and candor
in discussing this most sensitive and
important issue."
SECOND STONE
I
I
Relationships
Myths that can
wreck your
relationship
By Rev, Fred c. WiUiams
Contributing Writer
Whenever someone asks me what
a relationship is I like to respond
with this answer. A relationship is
like two porcupines trying to stay
warm on a cold winter night. The two
· creatures are shivering, desperate for
warmth, and thus drawn like two
strong magnets. "Ouch!" they shout,
when their pointed, prickly quills
pierce each other's tender skin as
they attempt to come together. They
quickly withdraw to alleviate the
painful closeness. But this time they
do not move as far away as they
originally were. Then they cautiously
creep toward one another a
second time ... only to jab each other
once again, but not so brutally as the
first tim e.
Oh , yes, they jerk away from each
other, but then, once again, they inch
their way closer once more. Then the
two porcupines shift back and forth,
experimenting with positions that
provide the most warmth with the
least amount of discomfort. Finally
they find a position that works. It is
a position that enables them to enjoy
a secure , peaceful and warm relationship
which protects them from
winter winds and snow storms. Their
quills are still sharp. Their coming
together doesn't change or weaken
them . Each has found a way to be
themselves and yet, enjoy being close
to one another. That, my friends, is a
relationship!
How do we find that position that
works for us? We can begin by
exploring the myths about relationships.
And the first myth is this:
All you need in a relationship is love.
Some compare a relationship to a
tub of hot water . "Once you get used
to it, it ain't so hot!" The love we feel
for that special someone at the
beginning of the relationship is like
that tub of hot wat~,·. It's HOT! And
we expect it f.G siay hot forever.
When the bath water gets cold, add
more hot water! When the love in
your relationship starts to cool, add
more love!
Sitting around hoping that the love
you felt in the beginning will keep
your relationship going doesn't get
the job done. There are two kinds of
love in a relationship - romantic love
and realistic love.
Romantic love is based on emotions
and it often causes irrational and
irresponsible behavior. The very
language we use about romantic love
reflects this. We say "I'm crazy
about her!" or "I'm mad about him!"
or ''My head is spinning." Now that's
crazy ... but that's romantic love. And
it won't keep the relationship alive.
You need more than romantic love.
Enter realistic love. That's the hot
water you add before the entire tub
cools off. Realistic love is a way of
acting. It' s the way you treat that
special someone everyday . It's the
love that Paul was talking about in
the scriptu re.
Realistic love is patient, kind,
never jealous, never envious, never
boastful, never proud, never haught y,
never selfish, never rude , never
demanding, never irritable, never
touchy, and never ending. That's a
far cry from romantic love. Romantic
love is like a paper lantern. When
the rain comes and the winds blow,
the light goes out and you're left
with a wet paper bag!
But realistic love can withstand the
winds and the rains. But note,
realistic love doesn't just happen .
You have to work at it. It's true,
relationships may be made in
heaven, but they hav,e to be lived on
earth . And to keep the temperature
of the relationship up, you have to
constantly add more love!
And the second myth about
relationships is that partners must be
compatible! Compatibility is the
term we use to label the ability of
two people to live together in
harmony. This is an age-old idea
that says two people must fit
together like the pieces of a jigsaw
puzzle . And that's a myth. It just
isn't true.
An application of the compatibility
theory would mean, for example,
that a person who likes to dominate
should find someone who likes tci be
dominated . And a person who is
indecisive should find someone who
is forceful and makes decisions easily
and quickly. It would also mean that
a spendthrift should hook up with
someone who can hold on to money.
And a messy person should find
someone who is neat and keeps things
in order.
My experience tells me that when
people like this get together what
they end up with is comments like
this: The dominated says, "Who
does she think she is, bossing me
around all the time?" The decision
maker says, "I wish you would make
at least one decision on your own!"
The tight-wad says, "What's wrong
with you? ... Do you t hink money
grows on trees?" The neat one says,
'The way you throw things around
the house is driving me crazy!"
Co~patibility isn't a guarantee for
a lasting relationship! If you expect
every little edge and shape of your
relationship to fit together like the
interlocking pieces of a jigsaw puzzle,
then you are setting yourself up for a
big disappointment.
Sitting around
hoping that the love
you felt in the
beginning will keep
your relationship
going doesn't get the
job done.
I always say that the strongest
relationship is simply a polite
agreement of two people to put up
with each other's intolerable ways.
The diversity in your relationship
can be your strength . It can draw you
together and give you a foundation
upon which you can build.
The third myth about relationships
is . this: good sex makes a good
relationship. Certainly this is not
true. In fact, just the opposite is more
true: a good relationship is the
foundation for good sex1
It may be true that sex may be the
initial attraction between two
people. But over the years, couples
· who fail to develop strong non-sexual
bonds are usually the ones who say
that sex is not as satisfying as it once
September/ Oc to be r, 19 91_
□
was! On the other hand, couples who
develop a fulfilling relationship in
non-sexual areas tend to enjoy an
ongoing safisfying sexual experience.
A bad relationship, negative
interchanges, and the demands of
family, housework, career, and social
activities all drain time, energy and
emotions, and usually kills all desire
for a sexual interchange. So, good sex
doesn't make a good relationship,
rather, a good relationship is the
foundation for good sex.
When I talk with couples about
their sexual relationship, I lay
before them a ·concept of sex that 1
call cathedral sex. For I believe that
the closer two people are to their
God , the closer they become to each
other . In practical terms this means
that the more two mates put the
qualities of God into their interactions
with each other, the closer
they grow to each other and the
stronger their bond of affection, love
and sex becomes.
And what are those qualities of
God? They are : loving, caring,
understanding, forgiving, and accepting.
When the total, overall
re lationship is filled with these
qualities, it provides a solid foundation
for a good sexual relationship.
And that's cathedral sex!
One final note on this matter of sex
in your relationship . As a couple, you
have a right to enjoy the sexual
experience with the one you love .
The sexual emotions are God given .
And they should be used in the same
manner we use anything else God
gives us. Use them without guilt, or
fear, or other emotional hangups.
If you want to keep the tub water
hot, to accept the diversity in each
other's personality, and to build a
foundation for satisfying sex, try the
following exercise every day that you
are together. It's an exercise that
requires that you say the important
words to each other every day . And
what are these words?
The five most important words are:
You did a good job. The four most
important words are: What is your
opinion? The three most important
words are: I love you. The two most
important words are: Thank you. And
the one most important word is: We.
Yes ... we can make it as a .::ouple.
Remember, the porcupines made it!
And with God's help, you can too.
Rev. Fred C. Williams is Senior
Pastor of King of Peace MCC in St.
Petersburg, Florida. This article
originally appeared in the church
magazine, Vision.
II
Bishop Barbara Harris!
"Episcopal Church 'pimping' gay and lesbian members"
PHOENIX, AZ. - The Rt. Rev .
Barbara Harris, the first woman
bishop in the Episcopal Church,
urged gay and lesbian church
activists not to restrict their efforts to
calling the church to take a
leadership role in gay rights . Rev
Harris addressed a meeting of
Integrity, Inc., during the Episcopal
Church's national convention in July.
"It's important to choose the
battleground carefully," Harris said.
"A confused church is not the area in
which to fight at this moment. If we
win in the courts and in the streets,
the church will, kicking and
screaming or limping along, follow. It
always has, always will. It has
never taken the lead," she said.
Some 850 lay and clergy members of
the House of Deputies and over 170
members of the House of Bishops
wrestled extensively with gay and
lesbian issues during the national
convention, which meets every three
years.
One hotly debated resolution would
have created church law explicitly
restricting sexual activity for priests
to heterosexual marriage. The
proposal was described by one
opponent as an "ecclesiastical sodomy
law - unenforceable, and useful only
as a tool to harass gay and lesbian
clergy, whose relationships the
church refuses to bless." The canon
was defeated in both Houses, a move
bitterly lamented by conservatives.
Delegates approved a resolution
which affirms traditional definitions
of heterosexual marriage,
admits the pain of members who are
homosexual and the inability of
church leaders to reach definitive
conclusions, and calls for continued
study and a pastoral letter from the
bishops. The resolution.also calls for
including gay and lesbian Episcopalians
in the dialogue, a major step
forward for the church.
The Rt. Rev. Edmond Lee Browning,
Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal
Church said of Gays and Lesbians,
"We don't want the issue to go away.
We want Gays and Lesbians to the
part of the dialog. Yes, the
Episcopal Church welcomes you."
Votes on the resolutions followed
several mornings of committee
hearings and a 2 1 /2 hour open
hearing attended by nearly 3000.
Over 100 speakers had registered to
testify, but not all we heard due to
time constraints.
OURWORID
The International Gay Travel Magazine
Month by month, we invite you to explore the exciting world of
travel available to gay men and lesbians. Each month we help you to
discover the multitude of interesting hotels, inns and resorts that
welcome the gay traveler.
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Plus, every month, regular departments
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A call to censure two bishops,
Walter C. Righter, a former assistant
bishop of Newark, N.J., and Ronald
C. Haines of Washington, D.C., for
ordaining a self-affirming gay man
and lesbian, respectively, was also
defeated. During debate, two other
bishops, Edward Jones of
Indianapolis, and Stewart Wood of
Michigan, both rose to say that if the
censure was passed, their riames
should be added, because they had
also engaged in similar ordinations.
In other action, a resolution calling
for the dissemination of a government
report dealing with gay youth
· suicide was passed by the House of
· Deputies, and a resolution calling for
removal of HIV infection from the
list of conditions subject to U.S.
immigration and travel restrictions
was passed by the House of Bishops.
Neither resolution, however,
received the approval of the other
House and thus both failed.
Many people attending the
convention were distressed by a flyer
distributed by a conservative group
from a booth in the convention's
display area, which carried the
title, "Testimony of a F.A.G. -
Fornicator, Adulterer, Glutton" and
the subtitle, "And how the church
can really help homosexual men and
lesbian women." The pamphlet was
denounced . on the floor of the House of
Deputies by Patrick Waddell, a
deputy from California and past
SEE HARRIS, Page 20
Conservatives lament gay/lesbian
success at Episcopal Convention
PHOENIX, AZ. - Successful lobbying
for gay and ·lesbian issues at the
triennial General Convention of the
Episcopal Church led to numerous
threats to leave the church because
of perceived "abandonment of traditional
morality."
·Integrity's three principal
opponents were the Prayer Book
Society, which opposes the use of the
current Prayer Book, the Episcopal
Synod of America, which opposes the
ordination of women to the priesthood
and the episcopate, and
Episcopalians United for Revelation,
Renewal and Reformation, which
seeks a conservative take-over of the
church. Together they spent approximately
$1 million on the convention.
In contrast, Integrity spent $35,000 on
its convention presence.
Two Deputies came out on the floor
of the General Convention - the Rev.
Jane Garrett (Diocese of Vermont) and
Mr. Patrick Waddell (Diocese of El
Camino, California.) Other deputies
proclaimed their sexuality in testimony
before committees. Approximately
30 Integrity members served
as Deputies. The impact of having.
openly lesbian and gay Deputies, a
first at General Convention, helped
to minimize homophobic remarks on
the floor of the House of Bishops .
For the second time, two Integrity
representatives were seated as voting
members of the "third house" of the
convention - the 500-member Triennial
of the Women of the Church .
Integrity is the only lesbian/gay
caucus with official voting status in a
mainline denominational church
body.
One piece of legislation which was
passed by both houses of convention
was a proposal that clergy and laity
be educated about lesbian and gay
issues. This bill, which represented a
consolidation of three resolutions
introduced on Integrity's behalf, was
passed overwhelmingly by both
Houses.
Several Deputies and Integrity
representatives noted that there had
been a fundamental shift in the
nature of the discussion at General
Convention. The consensus was that
General Convention would nof have
to return again to the basic question of
the appropriateness or inappropriateness
of the full inclusion of
Lesbians and gay men , but rather
would focus on how best to accomplish
such inclusion and might begin to
focus in the nea r future on the
blessing or committed same-sex
relatlionships.
In a prepared statement the
anti-gay Episcopal Synod of America
complained that, since 1988, many
biblically-oriented Episcopalians
had been "lost to the Church or
driven out of positions of authority.
Numbers of liberal men, women (most
of whom, though not all, are
theologically liberal), and homosexuals
have been ordained. Thus the
House of Deputies is almost certain to
be even more radical in
1994 .... Predictions of an orthodox
resurgence have proven to be wrong."
Summing up the ESA lamented, "The
votes for biblical Christianity are no
longer there, regardless of what the
people in the pews believe." m SECOND STONE
Appeals Court rules against Dignity/Twin Cities
By Equal Time
MINNEAPOLIS, MN. The
Minnesota Court of Appeals reversed
a ruling of the Minneapolis Civil
Rights Commission which had found
that the Catholic Archdiocese of St.
Paul -Mi_nneapolis discriminated
against the local Dignity chapter
when it evicted the group from the
Newman Center, adjacent to the
University of Minnesota. Dignity
has petitioned the Minnesota
Supreme Court to consider the case.
The Archdiocese was ordered in
November, 1990, to pay more than
$34,000 in fines and damages after
being found guilty of discriminating
against Dignity /Twin Ci ties, a
lesbian and gay Catholic organization
.
The Archdiocese appealed the
decision on the·grounds that it was an
entanglement of church and state,
violating the church's First
Amendment rights. In a 3-0 decision,
the Minnesota Court of Appeals
concurred with the Archdiocese's
argument.
"I feel disappointed and
disenfranchised," said Brian
McNeill, a member of Dignity. ''The
whole issue for Dignity has revolved
around the Catholic Church's
COMMENTARY, From Page 3
happy ... and, well, keep it quiet."
Translation: Don't flaunt it. Stop
making gay and lesbian issues your
life . Why ruin your career over
something so trivial? During this
conversation I found out that neither
my brother nor his wife go ·to work
and tell people they're heterosexuals!
(I looked at the wedding
ring on her finger and wondered ... )
There's nothing wrong with being
gay ... but by letting ·people know
you're just asking for it... I'm sure
you've heard this before.
Later I went home and picked up a
copy of a gay paper and read the
news from Bartow, Florida. It seems
the county sheriff has a policy there
that is, in his words, designed to
"protect" _homosexuals. He says that
he's afraid if incarcerated homosexuals
were mixed up with the
general jail population "all hell
would break loose." Hey, I know that
from experience. So, being as
enlightened as most sheriffs are, he
solved the problem by having all the -
gay and lesbian prisoners wear pink
wrist bands. Yes, that's right, if
you're gay or lesbian you are made to
wear a pink wrist band so that you
can easily be identified. So you don't
assertion that Gays and Lesbians are
'objectively disordered."' He added,
"By ignoring that we are Gays and
Lesbians as well as Catholics, the
Court is denying us the protection of
the Minnesota Civil Rights
ordinance."
Dignity has long argued that its
relationship to the Archdiocese is
that of tenant-landlord, since the
organization rented space at the
Archdiocesan owned Newman Center
for over 10 years. The Newman
Center also rented space to nonCatholic
groups, such as Alcoholics
Anonymous, Weight Watchers, and
the Alliance for Sustainable
Agriculture.
But in January, 1987, Archbishop
John Roach said he was instructed by
the Vatican to have Dignity sign a
document stating compliance with
the church's position on homosexuality.
Dignity refused, and the
rental agreement was terminated.
Dignity filed a grievance in August,
1987, with the Civil Rights
Commission. Initially, the grievance
was dismissed for lack of jurisdiction
following a ruling from the city
attorney's office. Dignity appealed
the ruling, asking that the case be
get mixed up!
When the ACLU asked about this,
the Sheriffs spokesperson said there
wasn't any real special reason for
picking out pink. Other people have
to wear other colors, like prisoners
who are escape risks (can you be a
prisoner and not be?) It isn't even
pink she said, it's "off red," adding
"that's just the color that was
available ." So far six Lesbians had
written t_o the ACLU to complain
that after they were "pink tagged"
they lost privileges and were treated
harshly by corrections officers. The
Sheriff denies all of this, except for
the tags. He thinks that's a good
idea still. He should talk to my
sister-in-law and the two of them
should figure aH this out.
I'm confused. If we wear a tag to
keep us separate, aren't we flaunting
it? But the Sheriff says you have to
flaunt it to keep from getting bashed.
That's not an uncommon theory you
know. Ask William F. Buckley, Jr.
He thinks we should all be well
marked. But ... you see, we don't get
bashed for flaunting it, or lose our jobs
for being open. We get bashed and
lose our jobs because we are who we
are, and one way or another they
want to know ... because ... well ... I
considered as a landlord-tenant
conflict rather than within a church
and state context.
Distinguishing between religious
and non-religious spaces at the
Newman Center, the Minneapolis
Civil Rights Commission found that
the Archdiocese could forbid Dignity
from using the chapel, but not the
secular offices and meeting rooms.
The Appeals Court decision said
Dignity's sole reason for using the
Newman Center was for worship and
involvement in the Catholic Church.
"For Dignity, there were no secular
areas of the Newman Center," said
the court. "They utilized the facility
for its religious identity."
In response to this decision, McNeill
said, "I am astonished that the
Appeals Court sees our relationship
with the Newman Center as purely a
secular issue. It is a landlord-tenant
issue. This decision limits the legal
protection of lesbian and gay people
in real estate [matters) in
Minneapolis."
Dignity attorney Liz Pierce said
that the appeal to the Supreme Court
is the right move because the Court of
Appeals did not address the civil
rights ordinance.
guess they have to know. For these
people the problem is we (Gays)
might be anybody, right? I suppose
that's why my brother and _ sisterin-
law were both wearing wedding
rings, so I would know. And
everybody else would know. It seems
people have to figure these things out
so they can be sure if somebody is one
of us, or one of them. I suppose in some
cases we could be one of them and one
of us too. Depending on who they are.
Or we are.
Tags help. They make it easier. It's
not the Sheriff's fault there are all
these faggots around, right? And,
well, he has to know. They all have
to know, because if they don't well
then ... I guess all hell would break
loose. What's a poor boy or girl to do
about coming out? Should he or she
let everybody know? I've been
working at it for a while and all I can
tell you is that some people seem to
want to know and some people don't
want to know. My suggestion is that
people who want to know wear
yellow tags, and those who don't
want to know wear, well, what color
is left? That way I'll know who I
should tell and who I shouldn't tell,
and we'll all be happy, right? Call
that sheriff, he knows all about
these color things.
Sep !ember/ Oc to be r, 19 91
Because the court did not address
the ordinance, but based its decisions
on facts, she does not anticipate that
the decision will adversely affect
Lesbians and Gays in Minneapolis.
"It's not a good decision, but ii does
not affect the [Minneapolis civil
rights) ordinance," said Pierce.
Dignity/USA president Pat Roche
was upset by the decision and
renewed his call for the Catholic
Church to meet with lesbian and gay
Catholics.
The Archdiocese was elated with
the decision . Archbishop Roach
said, "We are pleased that the court
upheld our nation's long-standing
tradition that government ought not
regulate the internal life of churches;
churches should be allowed to make
decisions about that life according to
their own church doctrines."
Despite the ruling, McNeill vowed
to stay associated with the Catholic
Church. "I stay in the Catholic
Church because I see the church
violating the Gospel. Out of my
loyalty to the Roman Catholic
Church and Jesus Christ someone has
to speak the truth."
-David Anger
,. ....
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II
Books , □ Homosexuality and Religion
Pastoral concerns may help shape church debates on homosexuality
Dy William L Day:
. Contributing Writer
Homosexuality and Religion,
Richard Hasbany, editor, Harrington
Park Press, Binghamton, NY, artd
Londor>. 1989, paperback, 231 pages,
$14.95.
Major Jewish and Christian
religious bodies are engaged in
dialogues between traditionalists
and progressives on attitudes toward
homosexuality. This book, a collection
of papers by religious scholars,
shows that these differences can be
said to form up along two intersecting
axes . One axis concerns the morality
of homosexuality and involves
interpretations of sacred texts . The
other ax is concerns pastoral considerations
with respect to Gays and
Lesbians and involves the modem
understanding of the basic nature of
homosexuality. It is possible that
this latter consideration may
eventually force a shift in traditional
attitudes toward a more
liberal position .
Within churches and synagogues,
outcomes of the debate may decide
the extent to which (1) Gays and
Lesbians are eligible to be ordained
as ministers, priests or .rabbis and
hence gain access to decisive positions
in church communities and (2) gain
recognition of the legitimacy of
homosexual love by blessings of
same-sex marriages or holy unions.
Outs ide the churches, in civil
politics, religious disapproval of
homosexuality can lead to denying
the homosexual minority the
protection of human rights already
extended to blacks, women, and the
disabled . The editor of the book cites
the veto of such a bill by Gov. George
Deukmejian of California in 1984
after receiving more than 100,000
letters in opposition inspired by a
"Committ ee on Moral Concerns," led
by a retired Baptist preacher.
For these reasons, the book may
become required reading for gay and
lesbian activists as well as for
thoughtful Christians and Jews
perplexed by the debates now going
"A strong message
of hope."
-The Advocate
1n goas I
Image f
'
In (joa's Image
Ch~an Witness to the Need
,.-,for Gay/Lesbian Equality
J in the Eyes of the Church
I
by Robert Warren Cromey
Red o r. Trin ity Episcopal Church
San Francisco
"A s tirrin g manife sto and sinc e re
~uide to clear er understandin g. Thi s
rs a nurturing, healing book and a call
/to action. Read it!"
-Malcolm Boyd; Author of Are You
Running with Me, Jesus & Gay Priest
$9 .95/paperback
Send a check today; we cover postage.
AL~MO SQUARE PRESS
P.O. Bo~ 14543, Dept. S, San Francisco, CA 94114
on in their churches . Robert Nugent
and Jeannine Gramick describe four
major positions on homosexuality as
follows (pp . 31-42):
1.) Rejecting-punitive position:
"homogenital expression and the
homosexual condition/orientation [is]
sinful and prohibited by God."
2.) Rejecting non-punitive position :
"rejects homogenital acts but not
homosexual persons."
3.) Qualified acceptance position :
''homosexual orientation, i ncluding,
in some cases, genital expression can
be an acceptable way of living out the
Christian life, [but] it is . still
somehow inferior to heterosex uality."
4 .) Full acceptance position:
"homosexuality is part of the devine
plan of creation ... as natural and good
in every way as heterosexuality [and]
if Lesbians and homosexuals were to
disappear , society's development
toward greate r humanness could be
seriously endangerd." John McNeill
sees "a special providence in the
emergence of visible gay communities
within the Christian churches ... "
Nugent and Grarnick write that
"How the churches evaluate homosexuality
... will strongly influence
how they minister pastorally to
people and how they respond to the
questions and challenges of gay and
lesbian people" (p.42).
Jewish Attitudes
Before going into pastoral counseling
of Gays and Lesbians, examination of
Jewish attitudes may be helpful.
After all, the traditional Christian
. attitudes condemning homosexuality
stern from Jewish (Old Testament)
sources . Yoe! H. Kahn, rabbi of a San
Francisco congregation, draws on
Norman Lamm to explain the orthodox
Jewish position. · Lamm terms
homosexuality an "abomination"
which (1) frustrates procreation, (2)
undermines the family, and (3) is
anatomically and biologically unnatural.
Leviticus (18:22, 20 :13)
prescribes the death penalty for male
homosexual acts. Lamm wants
legislation of this kind to temain on
the books but not be enforced since
"capital punishment is out of the
question, and ... incarceration is not an
advisable substitute" (p.51).
The first in the Conservative Jewish
tradition to recognize the possibility
that homosexuality is not a matter of
choice but an unalterable condition
appears to be H. J. Matt. He . called
Ill SECOND STONE
for civil rights and social acceptance
of homosexuals and raised the
possibility of endorsing homosexual
unions (1978). He later supported
rabbinic ordinations for Gays and
Lesbians .
But probably
Edwards' most
memorable passage
is one in which he
characterizes Jesus
as "The World's
Most Famous
Bachelor" who
thereby is excluded
from the ·
traditionalist dictum
that "to be human
means t o share
humanity with the
opposite sex."
Generally, civil rights and equal
treatment for homosexuals is
endorsed by the Jewish community,
according to Kahn, including
decriminalization of homosexual
acts. Yet "the Jewish community has
been reluctant to grant religious or
communal recognition to gay and
lesbian Jews" (p.58) . However, the
Reform Jewish tradition goes beyond
this and seeks to involve Gays and
Lesbians in "worship, leadership and
general congregational life" (p.64).
Kahn uses the term "progressive" to
describe those who disagree with the
Lamm position and take into account
recent research and psychological
undertandings. Thus Janet Marder,
rabbi of a Los Angeles congregation,
sees homosexuality offering "the
same opportuni ties for love, fulfillment,
spiritual growth and
ethical action as heterosexuality"
(p .66). She concedes that Jewish law
condemns this way of life "but I
cannot accept that law as
authoritative." She adds that "it is
SEE BOOKS , Next Page
Books
An Honorable Profession
, An Honorable Profession, John
1 L'Heureux, author, Viking Press,
' New York, 1991, $19.95.
An Honorable Profession is a moving
and gripping novel by a former Jesuit,
the much published novelist John
L'Heureux. The "honorable profession"
is teaching, and the book is an
account of the collapse of the
familial, social, sexual and ethical
worlds of one Miles Bannon, a teacher
of English in a public high school in
Malburn, Massachusetts. In the
tradition of Catholic writing it is
also the painful story of redemption.
The book tackles head-on the
ugliness of our inhumanity, and none
of the characters emerges lilly-white
in the telling. At the center of the
story is the broom-stick rape of a peer
in the school's locker room by several
footballers who are high on coke and
booze. It is not a pretty depiction .
School is over for the day, and only
Miles, who has been jogging,
overhears the commotion . Reluctant
at first to enter the locker room, he
finally decides to intervene and is
confronted with the aftermath of the
event, its victim and perpetrators.
After slick attempts by the
principal to hush the whole affair
for fear of the broadening scandal
that would result , the slow and
painful reaching-out to Miles by the
victim Billy Mack provides the
hinge of the story . By the time Billy,
painfully confused, professes his love
for the 35-year-old Miles, the latter
is paralyzed by fear. The swirling
innuendos surrounding Billy's rape,
hints of blackmail by the principal
and recrimination among the faculty,
Miles' own extra- and inter-curricular
liaisons - they are almost solely
heterosexual, but include an ill-fated
foray into a gay bar in Boston's
"Combat Zone" - all force Miles into a
reflex rejection of Billy's overtures
with tragic consequences.
Miles, a compassionate and
thoughtful man, is hurled headlong
into a living hell. The story unfolds
at a white-hot pace. Many lives and
loves are seared in the process and
L'Heureux tells the tale with
consummate skill. There is redemption
at the end, though the ending can
scarcely be called a happy one.
L'Heureux has exposed our not very
lovely humanity to the light. And
yet, throughout the book there are
glimmers of transcendence, care and
compassion.
It was only as I finished this
powerful book, however, that I was
able to identify an unsettling feeling
that had gradually been growing.
Though several gay and homosexual
characters (and the two categories
are surely quite distinct) people the
story, I realized that none of them
possessed any of the attractive
qualities L'Heureux grants to . his
other flawed human beings.
Duplicity, venality, sordid libidos ,
jealousies - this seems the limited
.palette L'Heureux chooses in coloring
them, even if I can scarcely accuse
him of overt homophobia .
Original sin touches gay and
straight together, and both need to be
pitied, he seems to say. But an
almost gratuitous jail cell scene
towards the end of the book seems to
sum up an unconscious, dominant bias:
an emasculate street queen all too
readily responds to a macho cell-
Miles had
experienced care
and tenderness in
his one-night-stand
with another man,
no matterhqw
needy (and drunk)
he was.
mate's taunting invitations. Miles,
locked up with these two, is forced to
confront the fact that, by sleeping
with a man himself one night in
' loneliness, despair and drink, he is no
different from this queen . "Mile's
anger and revulsion were replaced by
something else, sadness, and then by
some other emotion he didn't
understand . This went on for a long
time ... [then] the realization struck
him, finally: "I've been there too, he
said to himself. This is who I am ."
It's a strong scene, and yet one that
betrays the bias. Miles had
experienced care and tenderness in his
one-night-stand with another man, .
no matter how needy (and drunk) he
was. Here in the jail cell, the male
sex he observes is merely a physical
act, raw power, humiliation and
internalized homophobia. The two
are not the same! Miles is shown
extensively enjoying passionate sex
with several women; he has regrets
over the way he has used them for
selfish ends, but his sex is never
equated with dirt and guilt. Gay
love, the author seems to imply, is
something else again .
The unfortunate presumption on
L'Heureux's part, even if it is
unconscious, no doubt goes completely
unnoticed by most heterosexual
readers. They can empathize with
young Billy Mack's infatuation with
Miles because subsequent events
prevent us from ever know ing
whether he was truly gay or only
deeply conflicted and in need of a
dad. Thus, ironically, the reader is
BOOKS, From Previous Page
part of my history, but it has no
binding claim on me."
Christian Views
George R. Edwards, a Presbyterian
scholar, illustrates the dialogue in
Christian circles by describing what
he calls "Creationist Homophobia."
In a far-ranging discussion he shows
that traditionalists (fundamentalists,
etc.) rely heavily on Genesis,
Chs. 1-3 (Adam and Eve, procreation,
etc.) along with Ch. 19 (the
destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah)
as well as the Leviticus prohibition.
Turning to the "liberation" alternative,
he argues that . the "important
differences between h9mosexual
practice and orientation are modern
empirical distinctions between
homosexual practice and orientation
which we cannot expect Genesis 1-3 to
be aware" of (p.114). The sin of
Sodom, progressives argue, was not
homosexuality but inhospitality .
But probably Edwards' most
memorable passage is one in which
he characterizes Jesus as "The
World's Most Famous Bachelor" who
thereby is excluded from the
traditionalist dictum that "to be
human means to share humanity
with .the opposite sex" (p. 106).
The Dilemma
Involving Choice
Traditional positions against
homosexuality are based on the
assumption that this orientation has
been freely chosen, but the experience
of most Gays and Lesbians is
otherwise . And the view held today
by most psychiatric authorities is
that a homosexual orientation is as
natural, as basic, as a heterosexual
orientation. If homosexuality is of
. constitutional or genetic in origin - just
as is heterosexual attraction - then
those who condemn it as sinful face a
serious dilemma: Absent the free
September/October, 1991
□
powerfully invited into an outcast's
world without ever having to
identify with a single gay character.
It's a real pity these have been set up
as straw men because L'Heureux has
indeed written a deeply
compassionate book about forgiving
oneself and others.
-Theo Faros
from Communication Newsletter
will to choose, where is the sin? (Of
course, bisexuality may constitute a
special case.)
Therapy for homosexuals must take
this into account. Therapy may be
useful in enabling the homosexual
person to adjust to his or her condition,
but how can therapy be
effective when it seeks to change the
unalterable nature of the individual?
Indeed, how can the homosexual
individual be convinced that he is
wicked and must change his natu~e?
John A. Struzzo, a counselor, warns
If homosexuality is
of constitutional or
genetic origin - just
as heterosexual
attraction - then
those who condemn -
ft as sinful face a
serious dilemma:
Absent the free will
to choose, where is
the sin?
against advisers who "begin with a
stereotyped belief [as to homosexuality]
... anc! selectively perceive
data in a way that justifies current
beliefs and reconstruct[s] the past to
rationalize the stereotype" (p.198).
He also argues that . persons "who
have a fear and revulsion of their
own homosexual capacity tend to
perceive in others what they despise
and have often repressed in
themselves" (p.199). Hence homophobia.
·
SEE BOOKS, Page 20
II
Sexuality report rejection notwithstanding
Gay, lesbian Presbyterians pleased with General Assembly presence
Although Presbyterians did not
adopt a controversial report on
human sexuality that would have
given the church's blessing to gay and
lesbian relationships, leaders of
Presbyterians for Lesbian/Gay Concerns
were not altogether unhappy
with the General Assembly of the 2.9
million member denomination.
The report - "Keeping Body and
Soul Together: Sexuality, Spirituality
and , Social Justice" - espoused
the concept that responsible and
committed sexual expression among
unmarried, homosexual and bisexual
people has ethical integrity. More
than half of the church's presbyteries
had urged rejection of the
report .
James D. Anderson, Communications
Secretary for Presbyterians for
Lesbian/Gay Concerns said that the
high point of the Assembly was the
massive demonstration on the floor of
the Assembly for lesbian and gay
participation in the church. "It was a
moving and joyous event that showed
the church and ourselves the breadth
United Church Coalition for Lesbian/Gay Concerns
(United Church of Christ)
UCCLIGC
• s Up po rt for lesbian, gay
and bisexual • Advocacy people, their
R families and
For information, contact: • esources -friends
UCCUGC
18 N. College St
Athens, OH 45701
(Tei, 614 / 593-7301)
JOIN US IN PROCLAIMING AND
CELEBRATING GOD'S LOVE!
E mpathy is a journal that deserves our
.mpport for the original and creative work it
J,>es in the interest of truth il.nd justice.
E- Rev. Malcolm Boyd, author of 23 books
including Are You Running with Me.Jesus?,
Take Offche Masks, and Gay Priest
E mpathy provides J. much-needt·d and
wdrnmcd rnmmumcarion link tor pcf"Sons
involved in l'Jucation about homophobia. At its
best H will keep us informed and in rouch,
supponcJ ,rnd challenged, excited and proud.
:-f. Bri:1.n Mc Naught, lcclUrcr and author of On
Bt•zn~ Cay: Tho11ght1 on Family, Faith, and Lo1,•e
Empathy
LAn
Interdisciplinary
Journal
for Persons
Working to
End Oppression
on the Basis of
Sexual Identity
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and depth of our conviction and
support," Anderson said. "It will
never be forgotten." The demonstration
was organized by Presbyterian
Act Up, a new informal organization
for lesbian and gay rights in the
Presbyterian Church.
The Assembly moderator invited all
to join in the demonstation. 'There
are persons who feel it is important to
affirm the authority of Scripture in
this," he said. "They have been
listened to. There are also persons
who have acknowledged themselves
as gay and lesbian, bisexual,
partners, family and supporters.
They need to be pastored to and
understood and need to have their
voices heard."
A procession carried a large wooden
cross to the assembly floor: Many
commissioners and church leaders
joined the demonstration. Nearly 500
protesters participated.
Although the sexuality report was
not adopted, PLGC leaders point out
that the report was also not trashed
as so many had demanded. The
General Assembly requested all
congregations "with the encouragement
of sessions and presbyteries, to
undertake serious biblical study of
the issues raised by these reports."
"Study was exactly what we were
hoping for," said Anderson. He also
said that the Assembly approved
lesbian and gay holy unions in
Presbyterian congregations performed
by Presbyterian ministers at the
discretion of the minister and session.
Lutherans form international
AIDS network
Representatives of a wide variety of
Lutheran churches and social ministry
agencies have joined together in
forming an international network
dedicated to enhancing the response
of the churches to the AIDS
epidemic. The Lutheran AIDS
Network (LANET) will promote
greater cooperation and coordination
among the various ministries taking
place throughout the Lutheran
communion.
"As the AIDS epidemic continues to
grow exponentially, doubling every
three years, many Lutherans are
realizing that prayer and chicken
soup is no longer enough," said
Michael Pozar, an organizer of the
network, who has been a caregiver for
people with AIDS for nearly five
years. "We are expecting seven
million cases by the year 2000 but the
Lutheran church has barely begun to
deal with this reality."
Kathy Horton, a member of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Canada, expressed her hope that the
network will spur the churches on to
greater cooperative efforts , "The
challenge of AIDS calls us to work
more closely together - within our
Lutheran communities and in concert
with other churches as · well," she
said.
The network includes Lutherans
who are located in North and South
America as well as a few in Europe
and Africa. 'The scope and focus of
the network will be determined by
the priorities and needs of its
members," explained Rev. Adele
Resmer of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America, who has also
helped organize LANET. "Our goal
is to enhance communication and
support the efforts of dedicated
persons throughout the Lutheran
churches who are responding to the
AIDS epidemic."
For information on LANET write to
Suite 215, 401 Roland Way, Oakland,
CA 94621.
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IJ THE SECOND STONE
Travel . ·. ·-. □ Plan now for a holiday trip to the nation' s captial
1 By Cynthia Marquard
• and Danni Munson
Contributing Writers
Fosrom ething a bit out of the
ordinary for the holiday season, why
not a trip to Washington, D.C.? The
atmosphere is festi~e, from the
decorations in the stores, streets, and
hotels to the towering na!ional
Christmas tree lit up just beyond the
White House. And the weather for
holiday shopping is usually pleasant
and mild.
For gift ideas, Washington, D.C.,
has one of the nation's largest gay/
lesbian bookstores, Lambda·Rising, at
1625 Connecticut Ave., NW. Here you
are sure to find a book to suit the avid
readers on your shopping list. And for
a few more exotic gift ideas, stop by
the Pleasure Chest in the next block.
Women should try the nearby feminist
bookstore, Lammas. Many gay ·
and gay-friendly businesses are
located on and around Connecticut
Ave., in what is called the Dupont
Circle. area.
Doing
Dupont Circle
Dupont Circle is D.C.'s . main
gay /lesbian area . Here the visitor
wiII also find a concentration of gay/
lesbian accommodations as well as
bars and restaurants. And there are
places here to fit every preference
and pocketbook. Consider the gay or
gay-friendly guesthouses.
The Brenton on 16th St. is a restored
mansion that evokes the feel of 19th
century Washington. Seven rooms, all
with shared bath, are beautifully
decorated with antiques. The guest
rooms range in size from large to huge
and are well suited to those who
crave lots of space. Each morning,
extended continental breakfast is
served in the common areas downstairs,
and guests are encouraged to
help themselves to the rack of
newspapers, pamphlets, and maps to
gay places.
Jardan Guest House on S St. is
another charming Bed & Breakfast
along the same lines. It has four guest
rooms, all with shared baths.
There are also small hotels in the
Dupont Circle area that welcome gay
men and Lesbians, notably the
Embassy Inn and the Windsor Inn. All
the rooms have private bath, but at
the Embassy Inn the rooms range from
small to tiny. The Windsor Inn has
somewhat larger rooms. There is
nothing fancy about these small
hotels, but they are clean and
comfortable.
For those who prefer the anonymity
and services of a large hotel, we can
heartily recommend the Omni
Georgetown, a remarkably gayfriendly
place. This is an elegant,
full-service hotel in the heart of
Dupont Circle, with beautifully
appointed rooms and excellent food.
There are two other major hotels in
the Dupont area, the pricy and elegant
Ritz Carlton just around the
corner from the Omni and the
Washington Hilton near the edge of
Dupont Circle, infamous as the site of
the attempted assassination of
former President Ronald Reagan.
While the Hilton is huge and may
give the appearance of anonymity, a
quality prized by many gay /lesbian
travelers, looks are deceiving. The
walls are paper-thin. We could hear
an ordinary phone conversation in the
room next door.
Stepping Out
There are more than 30 gay and gayfriendly
restaurants in Washington,
D.C. Obviously, we could not sample
them all. But we did visit several in
the Dupont Circle area.
Right across P St. from the Omni
Georgetown is Friends, a casual piano
bar and with small dining room,
where men or women visitors can feel
comfortable. This is a good place to
start out. • -
Then, a few blocks away on 17th St
around R St. is what ca11 only be
described as a gay restaurant row. On
this gustatory strip, Annie's is the
only all-gay restaurant. Annie's has
two floors of noise, fun, and really
good food. On Friday and Saturday
nights be prepared to wait a long.
time for a table.
Several other restaurants on 17th
are beyond gay-friendly. One such
spot deserving special mention is
Trio's, which proudly displays an
award from the local gay /lesbian
community. Most of the restaurants on
this row have sidewalk cafes in front
that are open in good weather.
Sightseeing
The best bargain in sightseemg-and
the most flexible way ~to get
around-is the Tourmobile, a buslike
conveyance that makes regular stops
at the major musewns and monuments.
You purchase a ticket for the entire
day and use the buses in a number of
ways:
You can simply board a Tourmobile
at the newly renovated Union Station
and stay on for a ride past all the
major sights along the Mall and
through Arlington National Cemetery.
Or, you can get off at any stop along
the route, spend as much time as you
like, then board another bus to
continue along.
Or, you can do both.
• You can also purchase a special
Tourmobile trip to Mount Vernon.
If you don't want to_spend a whole
day sightseeing, you can use the
public transit system to get to the one
or two places you do want to see. The
automated subway system is espec.
ially convenient, and the stations are
like futuristic light sculptures.
Here are some of the most popular
attractions in the capital:
• The most visited monument is the
Vietnam War Memorial, an incredibly
moving experience.
• The Smithsonian Air and Space
P. 0. Box 118 SL
Belhlehem, NH 03574
(603) 869-3978
Museum
• The Lincoln, Jefferson, and
Washington monuments
• Congress, where you can get in on a
free guided tour or look around on your
own; but you need a pass from your
Senator or Representative to sit in
the Visitor's Gallery of either house.
• The White House, where the tours
are free but the lines are long, usually
entailing a wait of more than two
hours.
In this age of higher air fares, a
weekend trip to D.C. is the best buy.
And those heading for Washington on
weekday business will save a bundle
by staying over the weekend for a
little holiday spree in the capital.
Cynthia A . Marquard is the
owner/manager of Envoy Travel, inc.,
in Chicago and vice-president of the
International Gay Travel Assn.
Danni Munson is the editor and
publisher of The Lesbian and Gay
Almanac and Events of 1991.
the "othtr" plact
undtr tltt sun ...
=~~:c'= ':a'-.::~h ~;
•PO<Mle cozy Janzzl
•FrM coatl■Hbl '"•kfut
Write or call for brochure.
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BOOKS, From Page 17
In their conclusion, Nugent and
Gramick write: "how the churches
evaluate homosexuality. . . will
strongly influence how they minister
pastorally to [gay and lesbian]
people." They warn that "the
tensions raised in the churches
between homosexuality and
traditional Christian beliefs and
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10/91
PEOPLE ORIENTED MINISTER
sought for small independent.
interdenominational, congregational
church ministering to
gay/lesbian community. Partlime
position with benefits. Send
values will not, however, be resolved
quickly ... " (p.43).
The preface by the editor is
followed by nine pa_pers which
examine not only the reasonings of
religious scholars on both sides of the
dialogue but also describe the gay
and lesbian organizations and
groupings within the major faith
communities. The writing is
HARRIS, From Page 14
president of Integrity. "The term
'fag' is a perjorative which is short
for 'faggot.' It is as offensive as the
term 'nigger' ... and to have it
distributed by a semi-official branch
_of the church is intolerable.'' The
following day, a formal apology was
read by the President of the House.
Bishop Harris' speech was
frequently interrupted by applause.
"In street language, the church is
pimping you," she said . "They want
your time, talent and treasure, but do
not accept your humanity. Nor does
the church want you to leave.
Because if you leave, tney won 't
have anybody left to beat up on ."
letter of application with resume
to Pastor Search Commiltee, P.O.
Box 781051, Wichita, Kansas
67278-1051.
Friends/Relationships
SINCERE LESBIAN, 5'8", 144 pounds,
mid-50s, semi-retired journalist; charter MCC
member, seeks dedicated Christian GF Life
Partner. Share modest 2 BR duplex.
Outstanding GF couple neighbors! Private
room, board and $50.00 weekly in exchange
academic in tone, never polemic,
although in general the writers are
sympathetic to homosexual concerns.
Each paper is footnoted (sometimes
elaborately) and documented by
bibliographies and there is also a
general index. The book's title is
somewhat mii;leading in that the
book deals only with Christian and
Jewish teachings. There is no
□ for sharing light housekeeping, filing and
companionship. No drugs - smoker okay. ·
Write to: Boxholder, P.O. Box 90332,
Gainesville, FL 32607. Include recent snapshot
or photo and references. Response
guaranteed. 10/91
GWM, 38, SEEKS PIANIST interested in
relocating to Denver to fonm a two-piano duo.
Classical to pop repertoire, Randy, P. 0 . Box
61502, Denver, CO 80206 10/91
reference to other world religions -
Buddhism, Hinduism, Blam,
Animism, and Native American, etc.
Perhaps they do not have a problem
with homosexuality.
Note: The book was originally
published as the journal of
Homosexuality, vol. 18, nos. 3/4,
1989-90.
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