100 20 2500 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/a6c8ba1532e609a57ca4a1942526e0bb.pdf ae55cca539965915b64604eea838eb96 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Second Stone Description An account of the resource Issues of the Second Stone publication. Issue An issue of a recurring publication. Issue Number The number of the issue (within a volume) 6 Publication Year The year the issue was published 1989 Publication Date The date the issue was published Sept/Oct 1989 Text Any textual data included in the document THE NATIONAL NEWSPAPER FOR GAV AND LESBIAN CHRISTIANS $2.25 I SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER, 1989 8000 Readers Across The USA Crusading Mom After Son's AIDS Death Beverly Barbo Changing Church Attitudes Towards Gays & Lesbians By Pan Grippo Contribμting Writer You can see it all in her eyes. The pain, the compassion, and the determination. Beverly Barbo has lived through one of the most painful experiences imaginable -- she Jost her 27 year old son Tim to the scourge of AIDS in 1986. She has seen up close and first hand the devastation AIDS can visit upon a loved one, as she tended to Tim's needs during the last year of his life. SEE COVER STORY, Page 10 D Real Live Monkeys, Queers And Angels II FAMILIES: Storybook Marriage Didn't Work By Dr. Louie Crew By Rev. Sylvia Pennington TONE ISSUE#6 j AIDS Issue Dominates MCC General Conference By Eric Martin Contributing Writer The issue of AIDS was foremost in the minds of many of the 1500 delegates who convened in St. Paul, Minn . for the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Church' s General Conference in late July. Early in the conference, feeiings . surfaced among I - ---- ----- -- delegates that AIDS was not being dealt with as a top priority and a special forum was held which led to the funding of a full time field director for AIDS ministry. UFMCC founder and moderator Rev . Elder Troy · Perry said that AIDS had substantially affected most Metropolitan Community SEE UFMCC, Page 2 Take Action Against Teen Suicide, Report Urges A report just released by the · U.S. Department of Health · and. Human Services (DHHS) .Task Force on Youth Suicide acknowledges that Lesbian and Gay youth are at increased risk for suicide and calls for "an end (to) dis crimination against youths on the basis of such char acteristics as disability, sexual orientation, and financial status." The report, wh ich was prepared under former DHHS Secretary Otis R. Bowen, was completed in January, 1989 but did not receive publication until mid August. "According to research discussed in the DHHS report, suicide is the leading ·ca.use of death among Lesbian, Gay and other sexual minority youth," said Kevin Berrill, Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Ta sk Force's Anti -ViolenGe Project. "The increased risk of suicide facing these youth is linked to growing up in . a ·· society that teaches them 16'--. hide and to hate themselves. " The DHHS report reflects the findings and recom mendations of three 1986 conferences sponsored by the Secretary's Task Force on Youth Suicide. At the urging of NGLTF and other organ - SEE SUIODE, Page 10 SUBSCRIBE TODAY! ONE YEAR ONLY $12.60! BOX 8340 • NEW ORLEANS, LA 70182 P.O. Box 8340 New Ormns LA 70182 In Our Next Issue: "Change" Ministries L the issue of full acceptance ofGays and Lesbians into mainstream church congregations and pulpits is being heard with a louder voice. And so are those who claim to have the real answer: "EX-GAY" MINISTRIES. Robert McKnight has an in-depth report in our next issue. From The Editor . C Taking Care of Business Just a few short, but important, items and we'll get on with our biggest issue to cjate. Our Thanks To UFMCC We had the pleasure of meeting many of our readers and making new friends at the Metropolitan Community Church's General Conference in St. Paul. We were also able to introduce The Second Stone to many who hadn't heard of us. Our thanks to Rev. Ro Halford of the UFMCC for arranging an exhibit table for us. Ciur friendly neighbor exhibitors included Martin Meier of The Book Service, Chuck Vickers of Progressive Praise Productions, Rev. Louis Kavar of Lazarus Ministries and singer Shelia O'Kane. There is a report on the conference in this issue. Unrequested Plain Envelope Mailings To End We have so far mailed all issues of The Second Stone in envelopes but, beginning with our next issue, papers will be labeled and go out as self-mailers unless you have requested otherwise . If there is a letter "P" on your address label, your paper will continue to be mailed in a plain envelope. If this letter does not appear on your label, and you want your , paper mailed in a plain envelope, please drop us a note. You Mu~_t_N_otify Us If You Move When we get a non-delivery complaint, invariably the problem is that the reader has moved without telling us. The post office will not forward The Second Stone because it is mailed at bulk rate (unlike your magazines that are , forwardable which are mailed at second class.) Even if you fill out a change of address form at the post office, your newspaper will still go_ to your old address. If moving, please remember to let us know. Acceptance of Post Paid Cards Ends In the spring of last year, when we announced publication, we distributed yellow post paid cards to various groups kind enough to hand them out for us. The permit information on these cards · will be valid only through December, so we ask if you have any of these cards left that you throw them away. We will be distributing new subscriber cards shortly. · And now enjoy our September /October issue, which was especially challenging and fun to put together. UFMCC, From Page 1 Churches, but that the church had not responded to the issue sooner because of denia( , "All of MCC has AIDS," Perry said, "If we do not have AIDS physically, then it exists in our hearts and minds." He added that it is difficult for people with AIDS to let fellow church or community members know of their situation - that it's like having to "come out" all over again. duced at the conference, "Spiritual Strength for · Survival," which was written by Rev. Stephen Pieters, a long-term survivor . . . of AIDS, who will hold the AIDS ministry position that delegates voted to fund. and injustice. Boswell was presented with the UFMCC 1989 Human Rights Award. The UFMCC started with . one group of 12 people in Los Angeles, Cal., on October 6, 1968 and has grown to an international ministry of 249 churches with over 22,000 members. The clergy includes 166 men and 123 women, g1vmg MCC · a larger percentage of women clergy than any other Christian denomination .' Wfrh a membership growth of 82% during the past decade, it is one of the fastest growing denominaThe MCC has developed a tions in the U.S. new AIDS pamplet, intro- Rev. Don Eastman said that the AIDS -issue has overshadowed many of the women's issues, but that the · Lesbian community has pulled together to assist their brothers. REV. TROY PERRY Highlights of the conference , themed "Good News For All People," included speeches by Dr. John Boswell, Yale University Professor -of History and author of Christianity. Social Tolerance and Homosexuality and activist Camille Bell. Bell, a death penalty opponent whose son was killed in the Atlanta murders a decade ago, delivered a powerful and stirring speech on oppression Letters PhoenixA, rizona DavidR ickey Fan Dear Second Stone, Just wanted to tell you that I am truly impressed with your publication. It is quite well done and has , exceeded my ' expec .tations. I appreciate almost everything, but the highlight of each issue is the "Relationships" column by David a Rickey. It's great! Peace in Christ, Frank S. Lou/an □ We welcome you to share your views, opinions, feelings and experiences with our readers. Send letters to: LETTERS, The Second Stone, P.O. Box 8340, New Orleans, LA 70182. All · 1·etters must be original and signe~f by the . writer. Clearly indicate if your name is to be withheld. We reserve the right to edit. ' .. THE SECOND STONE The next General Conference will take place in Phoenix, Az., in two years. In This Issue FEATURES REAL LIVE MONKEYS COVER STORY COLUMNS FROM THE EDITOR CLOSER LOOK FAMILIES BOOK REVIEW TRAVEL ADVENTURE MAKING OTHER PLANS DEPARTMENTS LETTERS NEWS BRIEFS CALENDAR . . . . . . ' . . ORGANIZATION NEWS CLASSIFIEDS □--. Page7 Page,10 Page_2 Page6 Page9 Pag~ 11 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page2 Page3 Pc!g1;!8. Pa-gei2 Page15 News briefs No AIDS Education, Says Assembly of God Pastor Gay activists picketed a recent service of a Mora, Minn. Assembly of God Church whose pastor, David Squire, has been accused of making inaccurate and bigoted statements about G.ays and . is supporting a . movement to remove sex and AIDS edu cation from the Mora schools curriculum, even ·though AIDS _education is required by Minnesota law. Squire also criticized a high school presentation of "Amazing Grace," a play he said seemed "to endo rse homosexuality as an acceptable, alternate lifestyle." Dignity Leader Honored Jim Bussen, president of Dignity USA, • was scheduled to receive the Paul R. Goldman award from the Chicago Interfaith Conference. -Chicago Outlines Bobby Griffith Memorial Scholarship Established The nation 's first scholarship offered to a Gay or Lesbian senior high school student has been established as a joint venture of the . Diablo Valley (Cal.) Chapter of Parents and Friends of THE SECOND STONE Newspaper is published every other month by Bailey - Communications, P. 0. Box 8340, New Orleans, LA 70182. Copyright 1989 by The Second Stone, a registered trademark. SUBSCRIPTIONS, U.S.A. $12.60 per year, six issues. Foreign subscribers add $8:00 for postage. All payments U. S. currency ony. ADVERTISING, Display advertising one time rates: Full Page, $595.00; Hall Page, $304.00; Quarter Page, $155.00; Eighth Page, $81.00; Sixteenth Page, $42.00. Send inquiries to: Box 8340, New Orleans, LA 70182. Classified advertising is 35 cents per word. EDITORIAL, send letters, calendar announcements, and church/organization news to (Department tiUe) The Second Stone, P. 0. Box 8340, New Orleans, LA 70182. Manuscripts to be returned should be accompanied by a stamped, self addressed envelope. Mark manuscripts submitted on speculation either 'Ministry" or 'For consideration at your usual rates.• THE SECOND STONE, an ecumenical newspaper committed to expanding Christian ministry in the Gay community· - and to the spiritual growth and . . . development of Gay persons, their famllies and friends. PUBLISHER/EDITOR: Jim Bailey Lesbians and Gays, (PFLAG), and the Contra Costa County ; Chapter of the Bay Area Network of Gay .and Lesbian Educators, (BANGLE). The scholarship is being offered in the memory of Robe~ (Bobby) W. Griffith, , a G<1y studen t who dropped out of high sch ool just two months before his graduation because of a lack of support and accurate information regarding his . Gay identity. He jumped to his death from a freeway overpass two years later. Mary Griffith, Bobby's mother and President of the Daiblo Valley Chapter of PFLAG and Robert Bircle, Chairperson of the Contra Costa County Chapter of BANGLE initiated the scholarship in order to offer hope and support to young Gay and Lesbian students who might otherwise feel isolated and unsupported. Conrtributions may be sent to The Bobby Griffith Memorial Scholarship, c/o Diablo Valley PFLAG, 1304 Rudgear Road, Walnut Creek, CA 94596. United Church of Christ Adds Gay Church The 150 m:ember Spirit of the Lakes Ecumenical Community Church in Minneapolis, Minn. has become ·the . nation's first openly homosexual congregation to join a mainline church after being accepted into membership of the United Church of Christ. Rev. Dan Geslin is pastor. -Baltimore Alternative NGL TF Names NeVJ Executive Director Urvash( Vaid has been named new executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force by a unanimous decision of the organization's board of .directors, according to board chairs Jim · Holm and Genie Cowan. Vaid, presently public information director for NGLTF, was chosen following a three month, intensive search that attracted 86 candidates. "I feel that my background and my love · for. this movement - everything that my life has been about for the past 12 years - . have prepared me to accept .. t'1e. c'1!1Jte~ge __ qf .~iirecting the nation's :. 1eading '-Lesbian: ·and Gay civil rights ' otganizatfort,'' Vaid '.said . National Gay:and :Lesbian Task Force has more · than 15,000 members nationwide. ··· .1.,-'; ' Business or :J.?en,6n~l ... ~cy'.'"a--Secoitd ,. . <-<«- Sr!~~u•aiSchieber <>Jiorlored : :'\: ~ Stone Classified Ad Sister ; Eile~n Schieber, volunteer coordii,;,ato; fo~ tile'. NOV A Project in ,,_-., __ I9Jg_gQ, Qh.i.o.i:~cegtly received an Ohio pepartment of Health AIDS Service Award. The award was presented in recognition of her volunteer efforts to assist People With Aids in the Toledo area as well as thoughout the state. In . addition to her work with the NOV A Project, Sr. Eileen has been instrumental in the development of David's House, a home providing assisted living for T oledo-area PWAs without homes of their own. -Cruise Rev. James Sandmire Dies The Rev. James_ E. Sandmire, founder of numerous Metropolitan Community Churches including All Saints in West Hollywood, Golden Gate in San Francisco, and the MCC in Oakland, has died at the age of 59. Sandmire was · a Harvard graduate and also held a master's degree from the University of California at Berkeley . He was the first openly Gay chaplain to the San Francisco Police Department. In addition to his MCC duites, Sandmire served as an adviser to a · group of Gay and Lesbian Mormons who · wanted to form their own religious community, which .became Affirmation . Rev. Sandmire and his partner, Jack Hubbs, would have celebrated their 30th-anniversary this summer . Marine Captain's Discharge Overturned □ In a stunning reversal of a discharge recommendation, a Marine Corps Board of Review on July 6-reinstated a female Marine Corps Captain who had been court-martialed for her friendship with a civilian Lesbian. Captain Judy Meade, stationed a l Carrip Lejeune, North Carolina, wai notified that the board determined the evidence against her was "insufficien l to justify an involuntary separatior from the Marine Corps." "Judy Meade's case underscores th1 ridiculous lengths to which th, military's witchhunters will go tc purge women who are someho \l connected with the charge o Lesbianism," said Sue Hyde, of t h1 National Gay & Lesbian. Task Forc1 and the Gay and Lesbian Milita11 Freedom Project. "The Nava Investigative Service is contemptible ir its singleminded campaign o f terro ; against women in the Marines and th1 Navy. Coupled with its m o11ey· wasting, time-wasting foolish pursui of the utterly discredited 'homosexua connection' in the USS Iowa explosion _ . it is now past time for a Congressiona l . inquiry into the acti'l(ities of the NIS." A Presbyterian Promise _ "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 .,,, ,-Lesbia1:1,IGay Concerns ~ ~ . ~. ·. . : ', ., ' . ' ' . . Write 't◊' Elaer Jam.es D. Anderson L - ,.. ~- .·. ,,·- ! f • ..,-::~- • <. (.· .. :-:.,:i:hd ; {. ' · -~ . · :• - .,:.~PLOC 1 P.O .. Box 38;NewBrunswick,NJ ,,-, · 08903-0038~)01/846-1510 . Newsbriefs Gay Group Recognized By Chicago Archdiocese Formal recognition of Archdiocesan Gay and Lesbian Outreach Chicago (AGLOChicago), an organization that will extend the Church's pastoral ministry to Gay and Lesbian Catholics in Cook and Lake Counties, Ill., has been given by the Archdiocese of Chicago. Jerry McEnany, a former leader of Dignity/Chi"cago, said that "recognition as an organization of the Archdiocese exceeds the expectations we had as we began working with the Archdiocese a year and a half .ago." -Chicago Outlines Kummer Honored By · Minnesota Archdiocese The Catholic Commission on Social Justice of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has awarded the 1989 . Archbishop John Ireland Award to William P. Kummer, founder of the Catholic Pastoral Committee on 'Sexual Minorities. Kummer organized the Committee in 1980 and served as staff from 1984 to 1986. The CPCSM is a grassroots, self-supporting coalition dedicated to promoting a ministry of justice and hospitality to, with, and on behalf of PATLAR VOICE OF GAY AMERICA MONTHLY NEWSMAGAZINE FREE AT OUR D ISTRIBUTION POINTS SUBSCRIPTIONS $35 ANN UALLY SAMP LE(t4Jp~Us\ 5)gtr~~~~ USA $4 FOR INFO ON ADVERTISING po cs'il'k &i~~/llt~l~~~ti2c~~§a22 F' ., ~vaDge/icals 'Oge/her Inc. SUPPORT COMMUNITY SERVICE FOR Gay & lesbian Christians In Southern California ... since 1979 Suite 109-Box 16 7985 Santa M onica Boulevard West Hollywood, CA 90046 213/656-8570 It.. j II Gay and Lesbian persons, their families and friends. David McCaffrey, public . affairs laison for the Catholic Pastoral Committee on Sexual Minorities, said the award· was "of particular significance in light of tbe current climate ·within the Catholic Church regarding the plight of its Gay a.nd Lesbian members." Kummer currently is development coordinator for PW Alive (Persons With AIDS live) Publications, Inc. PW Alive is a . coalition of persons directly and indirectly affected by AIDS, dedicated to promoting a message of empowerment and hope throughout the AIDS community. Kummer also directs a CPCSM project, supported by the Headwaters ]:und , called "Mainstream Churches Learning to Live with Gays and Lesbians." The project has a goal of educating and sensitizing parishes on Gay and Lesbian concerns . Established in 1968 and named after the internation,illy renowned first archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the Archbishop John Irelancl Award is given annually to those who distinguish themselves in promoting better human relations based oh justice . This year's award acknowledges Kummer "for his vision and dedication in working towards a society inclusive of and hospitable to all its members, for his profound commitment to Church ministry with sexual minorities, and for his demonstration of sensitivity and courage on behalf of persons with AIDS by which he gives personal witness to the struggle for justice ." Campaign Informs Military Personnel Of Rights Regarding HIV Testing Citizen Soldier, a non -profit GI and veteran advocacy organization, has launched a public service campaign to inform . soldiers and sailors of their legal · rights while undergoing mandatory HIV testing. Ed Asner, best known for his role as ''Lou Grant" on both the Mary Tyler Moore and Lou Grant television series, has given the campaign a boost by endorsing it publicly and appearing on the announcement. All too often military members who test positive for the . BIV antibody are harassed by .their peers and discriminated against by th _e command, although such action is officially against policy. Citizen Soldier is distributing brochures to those serving on active duty, the Reserves and the National Guard. For information, contact Citizen Soldier, 175 Fifth Ave., #808, New York, NY 10010 or call (212) 777-3470. Cardinal: Safe Sex Info "Unacceptable" In a letter which was read during all masses in Boston, Cardinal Bernard F. Law condemned the sex education lessons which are to b~ taught to students in grades seven to twleve. The cardinal has stated that the proposed · curriculum suggest promiscuity which is · unacceptable for Catholics, as well as others, in the community. -Baltimore Alternative No Catholic Church Donations From Me, Says PFLAG Mom Seventy-seven-year-old PFLAG member Veronica ·Colfer, a devout Catholic, has informed Washington, D.C. Cardinal James Hickey that she will not respond to fund appeals until the church deals fairly with its Gay members, according to columnist Robert Bernstejn. Colfer's son's lover recently died of AIDS and she says the church failed to provide her son with any support in his time of need. Colfer and. her husband now worship at Dignity services. · -Chicago Outlines Defense Department · Committee Responds To Military Freedom Project ALEXANDRIA, Va Historic testimony delivered to a Department of Defense panel by four female U.S. Military personnel has prompted the panel to recommend that the DOD recognize and address harassment and d_isharge of women personnel due to allegations of lesbianism . The testimony was organized by the Gay and Lesbian Military Freedom Project, a joint project of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, the Women's Equity Action League, the National Organization for Women, the ACLU Gay & Lesbian Rights Project , and the National Lawyers' Guild's Military Law Task Force. , Studies of discharges from the military services reveal that women are three times more likely t o be discharged for homosexuality than men . . Constituents interested in lobbying their members on gay and lesbian THE SECOND STONE □ military issues are urged to contact Peri Jude Radecic at NGLTF, 1517 U Street NW, Washington, DC 20009. The Gay and Lesbian Military Freedom Project was formed in 1988 to advocate · for the rights of ·gay and lesbian Americans to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces and to press for action ' combatting · the sexual harassment of all women in the military. Dr. Virginia Mollenkott Honored Samaritan College hosted a brunch at the UFMCC General Conference in St. Paul to honor Dr . Virginia Mollenkott with an Honorary Doctorate of Ministries for her ministry to, for, and with Gay /Lesbian people. Dr. Mollenkott co -authored Is The Homosexual My Neighbor? She has been an outstanding and ·courageous spokeswoman on behalf of Lesbian/Gay Christians in mainline church settings. Dr. Mollenkott was outspoke'! in her support of the UFMCC's applicatio11 for membership to the National Council of Churches. She demonstrated her profound courage by coming out as a Lesbian to the NCC as she spoke in support of t heir application. Other published works by Dr. Mollenkott include The Divine Feminine and her recently released book, Godding. Samaritan College was founded by UFMCC in 1970. Over 450 students from . the USA, Canada, Great Britain, Australia and Mexico are enrolled at Samaritan, the largest college serving the Lesbian/Gay community. The college serves both the secular community with _ _the School of Human Services and Gav /Lesbian Christians with the School ~f Theology . Family Discount Discrimination Case Won Seattle 's Human Rights Department has "found probable cause" that the membership policy of AAA Automobile Club of Washington is discriminatory on the basis of marital status . The ruling was issued in a case brought by Demian, a Seattle resident. The department ruled that the automobile club discriminated against Demian when it told him that his · domestic partner was ineligible for "associate membership." The case now proceeds to,\o nference and conciliation, a proc_ess wherepy the department will work with ' both parties to achieve a "just and equitable resolution" to the matter. Newsbriefs Bishop Bans Blessing Rev. David E. Johnson, Episcopal Bishop of Massachusetts has instructed the clergy of St. John the Evangelist Parish, Beacon Hill, not to bless the Holy Union of a lesbian couple. The decision angered the congregatio~. -Baltimore Alternative Lutheran Group Seeks To Ordain Gay Clergy A San Francisco -based coalition of Lutheran clergy and laity is preparing to launch a congregational ministry to the Gay /Lesbian community to be served by openly Gay pastors, in spite of an Evangelical Lutheran Church policy prohibiting practicing Gays and Lesbians from being ordained. Bishop Lyle Miller, leader of the ' ELCA Northern California -Northern Nevada Synod, said that if a Gay or Lesbian candidate not in compliance with ELCA policy were called and ordained by a congregation, he would not sign the call. · A spokesperson for the group, "Lutheran Lesbian and Gay Ministry," said that the proposed ministry would have credibility with a "large segment" of the Gay and Lesbian population only if it we re staffed by openly Gay and Lesbian clergy. Never Morally Acceptable, Says Bishop Five members of Pittsburgh's CRY OUT!, along · with City Councilman Mark Pollock and Human Relations Commission Executive Director John Gabriel rec ently met with Pitts1'urgh Diocese Bishop Donald Wuerl to seek a resolution of the Catholic Church ' s opposition to a Gay rights ordinance in Pittsburgh. Wuerl has stated his concern for the effect such an ordinance might have on the hiring practices for Catholic school teachers and the church's ability to conduct its moral teachings. In a letter published in Pittsburgh Catholic, Wuerl said "Homosexual union can never be a morally acceptal;>le alternative to the union of a man and a woman in marriage." -Pittsburgh's OUT Literary Journal To Debut A literary journal ·said to be of the highest quality will make its debut this winter. Tribe, to be issued quarterly, will feature fiction, poetry and _essays _ by, for, and about Gay men. Manuscripts are now being solicited. Tribe's editorial review board consists of three well respected_ members of the Gay publishing community: David Groff, an editor at Crown Publishers, a founder of the Publishing Triangle, and Poetry Editor of Out /Look magazine; John Preston, a contributor to The Advocate, author of a number of important books, and currently a Writer in Residence for the AIDS Project; and George Stambolian, editor of the highly regarded Men on Men books and - Professor of · French at Wellesly College. Trib.e will be published quarterly and will•be distributed nationally. Authors submitting manuscripts are asked to include a self-addressed stamped envelope. All manuscripts will be evaluated blindly. Short, medium size, and long pieces are welcome. Contact: Tribe, c/o Columbia Publishing Co., Inc., 234 East 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218, · (301)366-7070. Group Seeks Christian Poetry The National Arts Society is searching across the United States for Christian poetry writers. The Society will be publishing a book entitled "Windows of the Soul." Up to two original poems (30 lines or less) may be submitted for publication . All poetry must be Christian in nature. Poetry may be sent to the National A rts Society, PO Bo x 95 , Pass Christian, .MS 39571 no lat er than August 31, 1989. 'Windows of the Soul" will be going to press September 30; 1989. There is no charge or fee for submitting poetry. Catalog Lists Gay Books Paths Untrodden, a Gay-owned/Gay operated mail order book service for literature pertaining to male homosexuality and the Gay liberation movement has released its 1989 catalog, listing hundreds of titles in a subject classification that inlcudes 46 areas. Paths Untrodden specializes in hard to find books, out of print, small press and imported titles. The catalog includes titles never before listed as well as books relating to men's issues arid sale books. A special tribute to Gay activist Ed Murphy is included .. The catalog, a 32 page bibliography, is available for $3.00 fro-m Paths Untrodden, PO Box 459, Village Station, New York, NY 10014-0459. New Gayellow Pages Underway Gayellow Pages, the USA/Canada Directory of Lesbian and Gay Resources since 1973 is preparing to publish_ the 1990 edition, its eighteenth issue. Organizations, businesses, etc., welcoming Lesbian and Gay people but who have not received a mailing from Renaissance House, the book's publisher, should contact them as soon as possible to be sure of being included . Editions currenUy available are: USA/Canada, .#17 (1989), $10.00 postpaid; New York/New Jersey, #25 (1989), $4.50 postpaid; Northe\lst, #10 (1990), $4.50 postpaid; and South/Southern Midwest #6 (1990), $4.50 postpaid . Gayellow Pages is sold by most Gay, Lesbian, Feminist, and alternative bookstores, as well as by many "adult" stores and a · number of sympathetic general bookstores. Quantity discounts are available on request to retail outlets, organizations, etc. For information or for an application to be listed, send a business size self-addressed envelope to Renaissance House GY, Box 292 Village Station, New York, NY 10014. Anti-Gay Violence In New Orleans Under Study □ New Orleans Mayor Sidney Barthelemy has endorsed a project of his Advisory Committee on Lesbian and Gay Issues to collect data on anti-Gay and -Lesbian violence and discrimination in New Orleans. A report will be released this fall documenting incidents of violence or intimidation. The Mayor's Committee will also attempt to measure -the extent of anti-Lesbian and Gay discrimination in jobs, housing, public accomodations, insurance, medical/dental, judicial/ legal and credit/banking: In his endorsement of the project_. Mayor Barthelemy said, "Prejudice, discrimination a·nd violence against any group - be the group Black, Hispanic, Vietnamese, Jewish, Gay and Lesbian or whatever - are threats to all people and must be met with laws to address them." ''lt!J articles are often compellingly written and · thoughtprf! voking . as a magazi n,• handling difficult subject mn ,ter. Open Hnnds:-is to be com mended ' for its results." -judge s' comments from Reconciling Mini s tries with Lesbians & Gay Men Associated Chureh Press Jo.-:;..: Award of Merit Program Open Hands , the only national Christian magazine focussing on the concern s lesbian s and gay men , is now in its fifth year of publication . Each issue of Or Hands addresses a particular concern of gay/ lesbian Christians with: • feature articles by national/local church leaders • ideas for congregational ministries • worship and spiritual growth resources • news from ReconciJing Corigregations and other ministries with lesbian s anrl gay men. Annual subscription (four issues)-$16 Single issue-$5 BACK ISSUES AVAILABLE: .. Be Ye Reconciled" !Summer 1985) "A Matt er of Justice" (Winter 1986) "Our Fa milies" (Spring 1986) "Our Churches' PoliCies" (Summer 1986) ""Images of Healing .. (Fall 1986! "Homophobia and the Church" (Winter 1987) "Minoriti es within a Minority" (Sprini; 1987) ··An Emerging Community·· (Summer 19871 "S exual Violence" IFall 1<)87} "Se xuality and Spirituality" (Winter 19881 ''Building Reconciling Ministries'' (Spring \()8Xi "Living and loving with AIDS" iSummer 19881 "Raising Reconciling Children'' (Fall 1988) "Sexual Ethics" {Winter 1989) .. Called to Create .. ISprjng 19891 . . ~ ........................................................... ... ... . __ Please send me a one-year subscription to Open Hands @ $16. __ Please send me a copy of each of the back issues marked above. D Enclosed is my payment of $ ___ , 0 Please bill me. __ I may want to receive Open Hnnds, please send me a sample issu~ Name _____ _ ___ _ ___ __ ____ __ ___ _ __ _ Address ___ __ ____ _ __ __ ____ _ ~ -- --- - - City -- ------ ---- ~-State __ __ ___ Zip __ _ Open Hands • P.O. Box 23636 • Washington, D.C. 20026 Published by Affirm"a.tion: United Methodists for lesbian/Gay Concerns September/October 1989 ·u Closer Look The Weight Of Words By Rev. Brus:e Roller Contributing Writer Do you not know that the wicked [aou:oi, the unjust ones] will not [inherit the kingdom of God, NIVJ receive the reign of God? Do not be misled: Neither the (nopvot, fornicators, sex ually immoral] nor idolaters nor [μ01mcoi, adulterers] nor [μaA,ax:oi, the soft] nor [apuevox:onai, (an obscure ancient Greek word whose definition has been lost; it's root consists of ·two non-sexually connotative · words, men and bed) nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor [).oioopoi, railers] nor [vp:rcages, rapacious] [will inherit the kingdom of God, NIVJ receive the reign of God. And that is what some of yau · were: .But you were washed, you were [made holy by God], you were justified in the name of the Lord /esus Christ and by the Spirit ·of t>ur God, (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). · We also know that the law is not made for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and , irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for adulterers and preverts, for [people-stealers] and liars and perjurers - and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which God entrusted to me, (1 Timothy 1:9-11). Here we have a close.r look at two New Tes~ament lists that have been used for several hundred years to condemn gay men (and more recently have been used against lesbian women as well, though no possible stretch of the imagination can make the original Jan- I am with You Fear Not! (A Correct ive Look at the Lesbian and Gay Clobber Passages) Professionally produced Video-tape Audia-tape & W ~rkbook A new book by the Rev. Bruce Roller Pastor of Reconciliation MCC Grand Rapids, MI ·~ cp rtJ J-IIlfl! _ lHE ~SSAGE OF ~V.,.. (./ RECONCILIATION VHS Vidaoc C90 f1VnJ $24.95 Al.d:J Tape SS.00 • WCJri!bOOk $5.00 Lo\ling O..selwS $6.95 Ad:i 25% for Slipping & handing. .- : . Faithful Publications P.O. Bo,:-3701 Grand Rapids, MI 49501 .guage here relate to sexual or romantic attachments between two women). As you can see from the brief notes on the Scripture passages above, the confusion is rife ab .out the actual definitions of many of the words in this passage, among them the word transliterated . aresenokoitai which had been translated in ways as · diverse as pederast, male offender, abusers of themselves with [sic] mankind, etc. I have deliberately omitted the paraphrases of the word that utilize "homose xual" anywhere in the term since the term itself in no way speaks of two men in a sexual sense. Far be it from me - a simple country prea cher - to wade in and assign definitions to ancient Greek words that even Greek scholars would not dare to do. However, as a pastor and preacher, I can certainly say that it is unconscienable to base doctrine on such an unclear and ambiguous word - especially doctrine - that attempts to tell people who may or may not go to heaven! The other word under discussion here - malakos - is a bit clearer since it is used one other place in the New Testament. Jesus, speaking highly of John the Baptist in Luke 7:24-28, asked the people what they saw in John. "Did you go out to see someone dressed in fine clothes?" Jesus asked, and then answered his own question, "No, those who wear expensive clothes and indu]ge in luxury are in palaces ." The word · translated here by the NIV as fine (in the sense of luxurious), and by the KJV as soft , is this same word - malakos! Here the word malakos carried no explicitly sexual connotation, and certainly no. homosexual distinction. T~ough some scholars have pointed to other JI'eanings in classical Greek ; I am here concerned With the · K~ine, the Greek of ,·the New .Te.stament . · · O( course, I am very interested in ·word stud ies and specifics of the New THE SECOND STONE Testament text because of my continual exegesis of the Word of God, but the more important step we have not even considered in this study is the wider understanding of the passage: what did the writer seek to convey to the readers · of the first century AD? To understand this we must stand back from the trees for a moment and see the forest. This passage comes in the midst of the discussion about one of the failures of the Corinthian Christians in that they took their legal grievances against one another into the pagan civil court for decisions. The writer urges the Christians instead to submit themselves in these cases to the .reign ofGod - to let the leaders of the church decide who is right and wrong in such issues, rather than going to pagan civil authorities. In this context then Paul says that the unjustified, the wicked, the unjust ones will not submit themselves .to the re,ign of God. Then he names a few . activities (certainly not an exhaustive list) that ' would indicate people who are not living out the Christian virtues expressed by Jesus. Paul's conclusion is that some of the Corinthian Ch ristians had lived with that kind of unregenerate spirit, but now that · they are living in Christ, they need to exerc\se themselves in righ teousness, and to submit themselves to the reign of God which was better exemplified by the leaders of the church than by pagan authorities. The Timothy passage may well be repeated indirectly from the Corinthians one, but in an entirely different context. The writer of · Timothy speaks of those who are trying to impose Hebrew law on the Ephesian Christians, and Paul says · that the Hebrew law, though . good, is ·not for the righteous (those who have believed into Christ), butfor those who practice activities contrary to 'sound doctrine. Only one in the long list of such □ . practices is explicitly a sexual sin, and that is the word translated in the Corinthian passage by the NIV as "sexually immoral." There is no homosexual connotation, nor any other specific: The writer ,leaves this word open to the consc ience of the reader. Moreover in neither passage is the writer dealing with what the crit eria is for entering heaven. The phrase in Cori nthians deals with submitting to the realm . (or reign) of God now on earth, and the Scripture in Timothy speaks of those against whom the Hebrew law would be used. Both stipulate that these descriptions have . no bearing on those who are "righteous ", i.e., those who have believed into Jesus Christ, and have .by grace through faith been justified and sanctified by God. To base any doctrine on such flimsy evidence would be foolish, but to purport to deny entry into the realm of God to a category of individuals .· based on this Scripture is no less than sinful (alienating, marginalizing, and unlike God). Read in context it is easy to see that these passages of Scripture are not dealing with homosexual orientation or entrance into heaven, but with a completely different concept of submitting ourselves to the reign of God in this life by making practical life decisons based on the authority of God and the church rather than o.n the conclusions of the .society around us. The Reverend Bruce Roller is pastor of Reconciliation MCC in Grand Rapids, MI. He has prepared . a workbook on 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 that is available for $3.50 plus 25% handling and shipping . This . book allows the student to draw conclusions themselves from the Word of God, and has helped ma,ny people over their fear • of..,,cpndemnation from _this ,Rassage of Scripture. Tlie woi-Jcli,iok is available from . 'fa 'lth{ul Publications, P.O. Box 3701, Grand Rapids, MI 49501 . . \ Louie Crew, the founder of Integrity, an Episcopalian support group for Lesbians and Gays, appeared before the Standing Committee of the Diocese of South · Carolina on the issue of Lesbians and Gays in the Church. A resolution adopted by the denomination's General Conference encourages open dialogue between the Church and the Gay community. This is Louie Crew's address to the Standing Committee. FELLOW AND SISTER DEVIANTS, it's always a treat to address Christ- . ians, who understand what it is to deviate from the standards of this world. It's also extremely important to keep a sense of humor lest we lose sight of the joy for which you and I were made. Let me illustrate again: Recently Kalen, Father Ramcharan's granddaughter, about 6 or 7 years old, came to him with a teasing smile. "Do you want to see a pictu r e of a real live monkey?" she asked him. "Do you have such a picture?" Father replied. "Yes. Do you want to see it? Here," she said, and handed him a mirror. Father Ramcharan looked carefully . "But I don't see a picture of a real live monkey." "Yes, it's right there," Kalen said, curling he.r finger over J}ie top of the mirror, careful to keep the mirror pointed towards her grandfather lest he tilt it back to her. "No, I see something else." "What?" she asked. "I see a beautiful young angel." "No," she insisted, "it's a real live monkey." "It's a beautiful young angel, see!" Father 'lumded her the mirror . She lookeqcarefully for several seconds and replied softly, "Yes, I see.I' .': "Unless you come as a little child, Real Live Monkeys, Queers and Angels BY DR. LOUIE CREW you shall in no way enter the kingdom of heaven." I REMEMBER MEETING early in 1976 with a Commission chaired by George Murray, who had been my own bishop in Alabama. In a motel at the Atlanta airport several of us helped his Commission to word a document by which the Church could speak the love of Christ to Lesbians and Gay · men . "H-o-m-o-sex-u-al persons," we began tediously, and then cleared our throat, "are Children of God and .... " Not real live monkeys. Not "queers" and "fairies," but "Children of God!" " ... and are entitled to the full love, care, and pastoral concern of the Church." What we said seemed to me then, and still seems to me now, a bit presumptuous, rather as if a small group of ordinary folks had decided to ratify Calvary . It was as if we dared to say. "Well, Jesus, you do have a way of loving everybody, don't you? And I suppose we'll have to go along ." The Episcopal Church passed that resolution, and dozens, maybe scores of heterosexual Christians have joined us in trying to get the good news of God's . love to all Lesbian and Gay people. Those of you who attended General Convention last summer undoubtedly noted a very different Episcopal Church from the one you had seen at previous General Conventions . Hundreds of deputies wore pink triangles, or rainbow ribbons, or both -the pink triangle to show solidarity with Lesbians and Gays, the rainbow ribbons to show solidarity with AIDS victims. Over 20,000 people have been active in Integrity in its 15 years, and many of them new converts, many more of them'. people who had left the Church in despair only to return when they heard the good news that they aren't "real live queers and lezzies," but Children of God." But those numbers are too small, given the millions of Lesbians and Gays who have not heard or have not believed God's love . As you heterosexual Christian deviants . know, it's hard to get people to accept good news, hard to get people to see . the beautiful young angel: it's much easier to settle for .being the victim, the real live monkey . And sometimes our witness sounds so feeble. LAST YEAR CHRISTMAS caught me by surprise, and I dashed off a card to my friends that frankly embarra~sed me by its doggerel, especially when I compared it with the beauty and power of the model. I felt as if I had hung up faded decorations alongside my neighbors ' fresh ones. I wrote my card to the tune of "Greensleeves," and it began, "Why hang AIDS bells on our green tree?" the State the leper is asking. "I dare to claim that God loves me and in this hope Fm basking. This, this is Christ, the King whom peasants guard and angels sing: Haste, haste to bring God laud, The babe, the child of Mary. Silly, I thought, and much too grim for such a holy and peaceful season. "Why must I politicize Christmas!?" I asked myself. Yet I did . I even managed to drop a reference to this silly card into my first conversation with Bishop Allison, just before Chfistmas . I told him how my friend Allen Hess, a man with AIDS, had called me a couple of days before from his hospital in Milwaukee to sing my silly card to me. "You said you weren't demented yet!" I teased Allen when he sang off key! Allen called me again after I got back from Charleston. "Louie," he asked, in a moment of absolute seriousness, "Do you really believe God loves me?" Everything in Allen's voice said, "Sugar, God could not possibly love . me. I'm tacky . I'm angry. I'm sick. I'm queer! " "Allen, honey," I said with all the power of Calvary behind me, "of course, God loves you. God is not god if god's promises are false!" MY GOOD FRIEND Dick Bradley, Warden for the Bishop of Milwaukee, met with Allen many times in the last three months. A priest prepared Allen, and he was confirmed. An atheist friend was the first to call last Saturday night, to tell me that my lover Ernest Clay and Pick Bradley got to Allen's bedside just after Allen had receive.d his last rites. Ernest and . Dick reported that Allen died · certain '. the God loved him. Allen was buried night before last. He had spent most September/October 1989 of his life quietly affirming other people, especially the poor and other outcasts; hundreds packed the small All Saint's Cathedral. All saints indeed. I have another dear friend dying of AIDS 15 blocks from this cathedral, but I don't know anyone in this diocese whom I can call to prepare him for confirmation . He has already heard you, but not a word about the good news at the 1976 General Convention, and much less about the healing at the 1988 C,eneral Convention. My friend in Charleston, like Allen in Milwaukee, has given substantially to the life of his city. I owe so much to him personally. Sixteen years ago my friend lived for a summer in my home in Orangeburg. He was the first person ever to show me the you can be gay and be whole too. I remember the · afternoon during that distant summer . that I discovered to my shock, that integrity means 'wholeness,' and not 'respectability' as used car dealers and other church folks had tried to make me believe. . After I met with Bishop Allison last December, my friend with AIDS and I went out for seafood. He explained that he is finding his major spiritual help from Voodoo. IN FEBRUARY I WROTE to every parish in the diocese offering to help · as we try to act on Resolution-120. Only five persons (The Dean of the Cathedral, Father Houghton, the Rector of Old St. Andrew's, the Rector at Cherow, and Father Snow at Redeemer) have r~sponded, one bluntly, the others kindly, not one with a n invitation . The silence of the others underwhelms. I have heard in greater numbers from Lesbians and Gays who spotted our tiny notice for Integrity in Jubilate Deo. Some of them who are on vestries in this diocese report that they hear us called queers right on church property. The few who report that they have found a sympathetic priest, .uniformly say that they cannot expect the priest to speak out compassionately in this diocese. The priest and the levite did not grow snouts: they were not comic book vill!lins, but just too busy with Church Work to see the victim in .the ditch. Only the despised Samaritan saw, SEE REAL LIVE MONKEYS, Page 11 Calendar The following ll1UWIUICtl1le1 have been submitted by sponsoring OT affiliated groups. Beyond-Survival To Ministry AUGUST 31, A conference sponsored by Communications Ministries . 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Cathedral Hill Hotel, Van Ness at Bush St ., San Francisco, Cal. Featuring an intervie w with a panel composed of gay diocesan and religious priests, a religious brother and a o~111 SIDES N@W Lccal, oatialal, I intematioaal ['lellS I, ~I AID5 iDfaDla.tial , book :ceview:s & Jl:Xe in Maui •s Ralthly g,r;f/bi/u,sbi,m - $10/ye,.,r (5alllple issue S1 I to BSN ~ . ro B:D: 5042 , r.ahul.ui, Mam. m: 96732. ~/>c~lcrO ./ ARE YOU MOVING? The Fbst · Offce wiH not f orward The Second Stone. __ _ YQU rrust notify us for uninterrupted service if you move. II Please notify u s four weeks in advan ce fo r un intenu pted del ivery . Send bo th old and new add resses. If poss ibl e attach mai1ing label in space prO\flded. PRINT NEW AODR ESS (/) 0 )> li ~ 1 ~ i:: Send complel:ed fOt"m 10: 11-IE SECOND STONE Box8340 NswOfoons, LA 70182 lesbian sister. Followed by an a~ent by conference participants of the current situation of gay /lesbian religious and priests in the U.S. Church. Cost is $25.00. Contact CMI/Retreat Confer- ence 1989, 245 Lee St., #206, Oakland, CA 94610. Dignity/USA National Convention AUGUST 31-SEPTEMBER 3, The 20th Anniversary of the founding of Dignity /USA will be celebrated at the group's national convention to be held at The Cathedral Hill Hotel in San Francisco. Cost is $185.00 for members, $235.00 for non -members. Con tact Dignity 1989 Convention, 584 Castro St., #474, San Francisco, CA 94.114. Third Annual Self-Esteem Retreat SEPTEMBER 9·11, The third annual Self-Esteem Retreat for the Gay and · Lesbian community and friends touts · the theme "Can You Feel It? ... A MIRAQ..E is near." · RETREAT PARTICIPANTS will actively explore a myriad of markers o n the path to a new self image. They will learn to effective ly manage such taboos as anger, guilt, and fear and will practice using ·tools for successful decis ion-making and goal setting, forgiveness, trust, and building self-esteem in relationships. The retreat begtns Friday , September 9 at 7:00 p.m . and ends Sunday, September 11 at 3:00 p .m. The retreat site at Point Bonita is .wheelchair accessible . Full or partial scho lar shi ps are available through a grant from Bay Area Physicians for Human Rights . For info rma ti on write: Self Esteem Ministry, Diablo Valley MCC, 2253 Concord Blvd. , Con cord , CA 94521-0139 or call (415)827-2960. Third Annual Key West Women's Week · SEPTEMBERll-17, The Key West Business Guild announces 'Women in Paradise," a week of events for women to be held September 11 through the 17th . During the entire week there will be sailing, boating, snorkeling, . scuba, windsurfing, basketball, music, dances and other activities primarily designed for women participants. A special theatrical presentation will be staged the nights of September 14 through 16 at the Red Barn Theatre on Duval Street; On Friday, September 15, comedian Judith Sloan will perform ''Responding to Chaos" in what is sure to be a terrific concert. For registration · information write to the Key West Business Guild, Women's Week , P .O. Box 1208, Key West, FL 33041 or call (305) 296-2211. ' JUDITH SLOAN Affirmation Fall ~eeting SEPTEMBER 15-17, The National Fall Affirmation meeting will be held at Heme n way United Methodist Church in Evanston, 111. The theme is "Envisioning Our Future." For information write to . Affirmation/Chicago, Box 1021, Evanston, IL 60204 or call Otis Thompson at (312)281-1344 or Jan Olson at (312) 539-4626. Damien Ministries PWA Retreats SEPTEMBER 11-14, Washington, D .C., NOVEMBER 13-16, Chicago, IL, DECEMBER 11-14, Annapolis, Md. , Damien Ministries, a community of Catho lic men and women, both lay and religious, sponsors retreats for People With AIDS. Each retr eat is free to PW As, their care partners, significant others, families and friends. PW As who apply early are eligible to have their travel expenses paid in full. Contact Damien Ministries, P.O. Box 10202, Washington, D.C. 20018 or call (202)387-2926 . A~vance '89 OCTOBER 4-8, 'Thy Kingdom Corne, Thy Will Be Done .. ." is the theme of this conference sponsored by ADVANCE Christian Ministries and hosted by Circle of Glory Church, Fort Worth, Tex. A _variety of educational and worship opportunities will be presented . For information contact: ADVANCE '89, c/o 2734-A Oak Lawn Ave., Dallas, TX 75219 or call (817)457-9043 or (214)522-1520. THE SECOND STONE Great Outdoors 10th Anniversary □ OCTOBER 12-15, Great Outdoors , 'the largest Gay and Lesbian outd~r recreation group, is celebrating it's 10th Anniversary by hosting the first west coast IGLOO, . International Gay and Lesbian Outing Organization, Jamboree. Jamboree '89 will be held at Mount Cross, Cal. Pre- and post-Jamboree activities arranged by Great Outdoors Chapters include a tour of San Simeon, a Sacramento river delta house boating trip and mck climbing with Stonewall rock climbers at Yosemite National Park. Cost is $125-$140 per person, which includes housing and meals for four days and three nights.. For more information, call Wayne Proctor at (602) 325-7607 or write Great Outdoors, 3750 North Country Club #44, Tucson, AZ. 85716-1264. Our Church Has AIDS National Conference OCTOBER 26-28, The National Episcopal AIDS Coalition sponsors a conference to enable Episcopal parishes and institutions to educate their own membership about HIV and AIDS, and to provide models of service and collabo r ation within and beyond the parish for the empowerment of · ministry . The conference is designed for laity, clergy, educators, persons with AIDS or HIV infection. Bishop Barbara Harris will speak. Christ Church and the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Cincinnati, Ohio, is th e setting . Cos t i s $85- $100 per person. Contact Sue W. Scott, Coordinator, P.O. Box 550275, Dallas, TX 753?5 or call (214) 343-6936. NGL TF Creating Change NO V EMBER 9-12, The National Gay & Lesbian Task Force's Creating Change conference for grassroots activists and gay and lesbian organizations will feature keynote addresses by three leading gay activists, a demonstration calling for an end to discrimination against Gay men and Lesbians in the military, and a day -long institute on fundraising. The Holiday Inn, Bethesda, is the location. Workshops will be interpreted for the hearing impaired and the facility is wheelchair accessible. Fees for the Fundraising Institute range from $75.00 - $125.00 and for the conference itself, $50.00 - $125 .00. Contact NGLTF Creating Change, 1517 U Street NW, Washington, DC 20009. , SEND EVENT NOTICES TO: CALENDAR, THE SECOND STONE, P.O. BOX 8340, NEW ORLEANS, LA 70182 Families Almost The "Perfect" Wife Storybook Marriage A Painful Road To Discovery By Rev. Sylvia Pennin~n Columnist Marilyn grew up loving the Lord. She can't tell you of · ever having accepted Christ as her Savior and she can't remember a time when she didn 't know the Lord was -with her . She was a gentle, passive child, very content and -secure in a home where gentleness,_ love and prayer surrounded the lives of her, her parents, two sisters and two brothers. Marilyn's folks were comfortably fixed and the family spent their summers in their seaside home. Her dad just spent weekends with the family during those months, months when she had the freedom to run along the waterfront, swim, water ski and have time to be by herself where she was able to be very reflective. She often thought about her family. They laughed at some of her tomboy activities -for she related much more to the games her brothers played than those her sisters seemed to enjoy . . Marilyn watched _ her mothe r, pert _ and chipper, basking in the delight , of pleasing her husband, nurturing her children, cooking everyone 's favorite foods - the perfect hostess when her dad's bu ·siness associates came to visit. Her mom was everything a good Christian wife and mother was expected to be-- A role model was being set for her which, in later years, she struggled to emulate. By teenage years Marilyn often wondered why she didn't have the same interest in _boys that her peers had . Her dad told her not to worry about it, she was just a late bloomer . That would have been logical but she knew she was concealing some feelings that weren 't blooming late. Those were the feelings she had about the• girls her brothers dated. She'd secretly wish th<!t they were her dates .. Instinctively, she was very careful not to let those thoughts and feelings be known. In high school Marilyn preferred group activities but did date occasionally, hoping to find a fellow that could fill her with excitement and butterflies. She was a bright youngster and by sixteen she knew that she was a Lesbian. She was also a strong Baptist and believed she knew that she couldn't live a gay lifestyle. · · After graduation Marilyn attended _Oral Roberts University as a psychology major . It was her first time away from her family and although she missed them, she had a strange sense of freedom. , In her junior year she became a prayer-partner with a senior fellow who planned to enter the ministry. She and Carl began dating. · He was fun to be with, and very easy going and athletic . · It wasn't too long before he knew that he was in love; Marilyn knew she wasn't but everyone had to get married eventually and she was certain that Carl would be as good a husband as her d a d was. Carl and Marilyn were married right after she graduated. Carl already was serving as a Pastor's assistant and Youth Minister of a large, prosperous churcl) . She tried - she tried desparately to be the kind of wife her mother was , the kind of woman most of the women in the church were . Concealing _ her sexuality was hard enough but as a Pastor's wife she w_as always in the spotlight. A growing sense of despair filled her heart as she knew more, ·with each passing year, that the time would come soon when she could no longer supress her feelings . Marilyn struggled constantly with attractions to women in the church, but she always had to keep her feelings under control. It was how a good Christian wife had to be. Many hours of prayer and pleading were taking up much of her time . Surely God would help her get free of her perverted desires. She was a Christian woman , she'd made a vow to God to love, honor and cherish until death would she and Carl part. H er pain was reaching an unbelievable point. She knew she had to ~nd the marriage but how could she bring scand<1l down on her husband . She de<1rly loved him and he never let her forget how proud he was of his "perfe 'ct" wife. What right did she have to decide that he should suffer instead of herself. She had the problem, Carl didn't. People would surely believe that he had to have done something wrong if she left him. The push -pull struggle reached a climatic point to where her inner pain was so great that she began to doubt if God could love her and let her be this unbearably broken hearted and desolate . Carl saw Marilyn's increasing depression and _ after many attempts· fo prob e her sadness, she tearfully related the whole saga of her unhappiness to him. Carl's first reaction was one of great anger - an emotion he rarel y displayed, but in time, as they pra y ed the issu e throug h together, he kne w -he had to let her go. He wanted her to just lea ve, taking nothing but her clothes with her. Broken beyond word s ari.d feeling very desolate, Marilyn left in the middle to the night , fourteen years after taking her wedding vows. In the months which followed Jesus made Himself overpoweringly present to her. As she spent many of her nights being with Him and talking with Him, she gradually came to realize that her marriage which was bas~d on self -denial and cover-ups had already been broken years before . A covenant had been entered into which, from the start, was not an honest covenant. She began to realize that God always knew that she was a homosexual, from even before she was born. He was setting September/October 1989 her free to finally be exactly who she was created to be. Much bonding had taken place during her marriage to Carl. It took some time, put past the initial · shock and pain of a divorce, they were able to go on and be best of friends until death do they part. Carl visits Marilyn with her new spouse, Pam. The years of struggle were finally over and Marilyn can live the rest of her life as the unique woman, loved by God, that met the earliest desires of · her heart. In Proverbs there is a verse which ' says, "Hope deferred maketh the heart sick, but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life ." That tree of life was God's gift to her. Rev. Sylvia Pennington, a heterosexual fundamentalist, began her ministry to Gays· in the mid-sixties in San Francisco. The purpose was to "g et Gays saved, filled with the Holy Spirit · and delivered from homosexuality." Over the years, with much prayer . and study, her understanding of God ' s at t itude towards gay people totally reversed . Her first book, But Lord, They're Gay ($7.00) tells how God changed her understanding. Rev. Pennington's books are a vailable at most gay bookstores or can be ordered from Lambda Christian Fellowship, PO Box 1967, Hawthorne, CA 90250. Did you.receiv~ · copy of TSS through a city• ti ? promo on. We hope yoti enjoy reacing lhis edition of TH~ SECOND STONE which you may have received through special one-lime-ony promotions in your area. Subscribe NOW to continue receiving THE SECOND STONE. We'Nkeep you up to date on important news and issues ... and we'll keep you thinking and exploring · through our features and columns. Fill out and mail the subscriber form in this issue! • The mother's true story of her son's homosexuality and his eventual AIDS _related death. • The story of love and devotion between two young men. • The story of a journey to spiritual peace . byBeverly Barbo PAPERBACK $8.50 HARD BOUND $15.50 price includes shipping&. handling available at CARLSON'S Publishing . (913) 227-3360 P.O. Box3 64 114 South Main Lindsborg, Kansas 67456 Ex-Gay s? The re Are Non e Lambda Christian Fellowship is pleased to announce a new book by Rev. Sylvia Pennington - an examination of ex-gay ministries • what they do - what they don't do. You'll meet people who, only through God's grace, have survived and stopped trying to be ex-gays, because, in truth, there is no such thing as an ex-gay fJ;IS/XI. Now Available From Lambda _ Christian Fellowship P. 0. Box 1967 Hawthorne, CA 90250 $15.00 plus $1.50 for postage aro handling. California residents add 6% sales tax. II Cover Story FROMPAGEl She has done more than survive the ordeal, however. She has been transformed by it. She has written a book about the experience, and has emerged a stronger, more compassionate person, and one with a mission . A deeply religious woman, Barbo now leaves her Lindsborg, Kansas home to journey all over the country, speaking openly and movingly of the value of Tim's life, the integrity of his relationship with his lover Torn, and the need for mainline churches to pu_blicly validate Gay and Lesbian relationships. "After witnessing the generous, unselfish love shared . by Tim and To\n, SUI ODE, From Page I izations, representatives of Gay and Gay-affirmative groups - including Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays and the loving support of the Gay community that was there for Tim and for me during his final days, I am convinced that faithful Gay and Lesbian rela tionships are good ·and should be blessed by churches," she says. "Negative church attitudes toward homo sexuafity have done great damage to Gay people's self esteem. Those attitudes have been internalized and have contributed to the high incidence of drug and alcohol use and suicide in the Gay community, " she says. "I believe the answer involves church blessing of same -sex unions . Only then will Gay and Lesbian couples receive the support and affirmation they need and San Francisco ' s Community United Against Violence - were invited to attend the conferences. Second Stone Back Issues Issue # _3 March/April 1989 ONLY 500 AVAILABLE (No orders after Sept 30, 1989) Issue #4 May/ June 1989 ONLY 200 AVAILABLE (No orders after Sept 30, 1989) Issue# 5 July / August 1989 All issues prior to Mar/Apr 1989 ARE SOLD OUT. To order send $2.25 plus 45 cents per issue shipping & handling. (Foreign orders $I.DO per issue.)Orders will be shipped promptly. Please send me .......... copies each of [ ]Issue # 3 [ ]Issue #4 [ ]Issue #5 Name ............... ............... ................ ... , ........... . Address .......................... . ........ : ...... ........... ..... . City, State & Zip., .. .................. ... ...... ............ . mr and deserve ." Barbo didn't always see things this way. Her traditional upbringing and early years of married life did not prepare her for what she was to experience with her son Tim . Faithful church- goers, she and her husband Dave did not question their church's condemnation of homosexuality. "I really didn't give it much thought because it seemed so distant from my own life," she says. Tim c;hanged all that. "He was different from the other boys . He was gentle. Because of this he was never accepted . He was always on the outside looking in ." "We worried a lot and, unconsciously I think, tried to change him. Since the other boys didn't accept him, his best friends were girls, and he spent a lot of . time playing with dolls. I'd throw in a GI Joe doll, thinking inaybe that would help . Or we'd want hin:t to go out for sports he really didn't like." She shakes her head and smiles as she remembers the efforts to change Tim. "But he simply was who he was. It took us a long time to accept that." "In high school, he got involved with an older boy, and that boy told the whole school about Tim. He was ostracized and ridiculed, and he internalized ·that ·scorn for awhile .- He came to us and said, 'Mom and Dad, I am a hopeless homosexual.' We were devasted." Barbo and her husband went to their . church pastors, seeking aid and support. "They couldn't accept it. Instead they wanted to deny the whole thing." "We felt so isolated. What we really needed was some support. We needed to know we were not alone. Even a hug would have helped." She sighs. "They were good people, but they couldn 't help us, they weren't prepared for this. We had to go through it alone." THE SECOND STONE "One of the heaviest burdens families place on · themselves is believing they have to hide their children's sexuality from everyone . Families· will go to great lengths to cover it up. I see now what a mistake that is.'' "At the time I did not realize how much of Tim's pain, and our pain, was caused not by his homosexuality but by what churches had taught us to believe about homosexuality." · "Promiscuity, gay or straight, is the problem, not homosexuality," Barbo says. "That is why it is so important for churches to find a way to bless same-sex unions. Church condemnation makes it difficult for Gay and Lesbian people to sustain their relationships . We all need support for our commitments ." Tim did become comfortable with his sexuality. He moved from Kansas to California and soon met his lover Torn. By this time -the Barbos had decided to accept Tim as he was, regardless of what their church taught, and they also accepted Torn as a part of their family . Things were finally looking up - l.)ntil AIDS. When Tim died, Barbo felt compelled to write the book. "I had to do it. I thought to myself, 'Thes ~ young men are dying, and no one gives a damn because they are gay.' I wanted people to see what . I had seen -- the incredible love that is possible between people that society considers castaways ·." Barbo experienced more pain writing the book than she had allowed herself to feel during Tim's illness and death. "When you're going through it, you wake up every morning and grit your teeth and concentrate on what must be done to get through the day. But ~vhen I wrote the book I had to let my feelings out." "It was painful for me, and for my husband. I would write it out longhand and Dave would key it into □ the word processor. He would come downstairs with tears in his eyes, saying, 'I had no idea it was like that.' I was able to go to California to be with Tim and Tom during the final months of Tim's life. All Dave knew was what I told him in our daily phone conversations. I kept a lot to myself at .the time. So for both of us the book was extremely painful, but it was also part of the grieving we needed to go through ." After spending nine months writing the book, Barbo sent it to both religious and general ' publishers. "The religious publishers said I was too much of an advocate for homosexuality. The general publishers said there was too much 'God-talk' in the book." She laughs and shrugs her shoulders. "So we decided to publish it ourselves." They were told that most self-published books are lucky to sell a thousand copies. So they printed 750. The book has sold over 3,500 copies in less than two years. Barbo has been invited to speak in 14 different states since the book was published. She speaks at . junior and senior high schools, colleges and . universities, seminaries, medical and health care institutim,s, to community, religious · and hospice .groups, even to corporations. , "The repsonse has been overwhelming," she says as she pulls out a, three-inch thick folder brin:trning with letters. "These are just a few of them. I've got six more folders at home the same size." The letters come from all over the country. She picks a few at random and gently reads out loud. They contain the voices of people · with AIDS, of parents and loved one of people with _ AIDS, of people whp didn't know how to talk .to their families a1?out their sexuality or . t~eir ,illness SEE COVER STORY, Next Page Book Review The Silver Lining ofthe A.IDS Crisis '_'Walking Wounded" A Story Of Hope ByDanGJiwo Contributing Writer Within the curse of AIDS. there can be a blessing, for those who . are willing to receive it. The blessing is that AIDS can teach us what life, and'llove, -are really about. Beverly Barbo has received this blessing. She received it from her son Tim, whose life and AIDS-related death she chronicles in The Walking Wounded (pb., 247 pgs., $6.95, Carlson's, 1987.) narrow church doctrine that attempts to exclude an entire segment · of humanity from salvation for the terrible crime of being different. Self published, because religious publishers said it was too "prohomosexual" and secular publishers said ·there was too much .talk about God, The Walking Wounded is not · fancy in typeface or design, and the style could have been polished a bit with professional editing. But don't let that fool you into thinking it is . not an important or powerful book. This is, in fact, a book that will -move you deeply not only because it is about AIDS but also beeause it is a book about families, about the pain of growing up different and the pain of being a parent of someone growing up different; hurting when your child hurts, wishing you could do something to make the pain go away. When you finish The Walking Wounded you will be uplifted, because despite the suffering, this is a story of hope. Tim's suffering and death lead ·many people to love and growth. And because religious intoleran ce is not able to overcome either his or his family's faith, he is able to die, and they are able to let him go,-in peace, knowing he is "going home" to his Creator. Though it hides nothing of the ugly side of AIDS, the book is not without a brighter side. Even in the face of AIDS -- perhaps especially in the face of AIDS - Tim, his mother, and his lover find simple ways to celebrate life during Tim's final months. □ Indeed, this is a book that · celebrates the many kinds of love that . surround Tim; the love of his mother and father, his brother and sister, other relatives, his friends, and his lover Tom. If you doubt that selfless -fove exists in the world, read this book. It is brimming with-that kind of love. And if you think AIDS is a hopeless illness, read this book It will help you see that is is not how we die but how w.e live and love that matter most. The Walking Wounded my be ordered from Carlson's Publishing, P. 0. Box 364, Lindsborg, KS 67456-0364. Cost including shipping and handling is $8.50. The book unfolds with a series of scenes from Tim's -life, beginning with his birth and early eye problems that necessitated several surgeries, moving into his childhood where his gentle nature left him with few friends in the rough-and-tumble world of boyhood, then on to an adolescence spent in painful self discovery and ostracism, to a young adulthood marked by greater and greater self acceptance and the unfolding of a faithful, loving relationship , until the tragedy of AIDS strikes and Tim battles a foe that holds · all the cards. Lesbian & Gay Episcopalians Meet In San Francisco The 1,tory does not end with Tim's death, however. The hidden ·story throughout is the story · of a mother transformed by her son's suffering, a woman no _ longer willing to accept COVER STORY until they read her book, of ministers thanking her for opening their eyes -- of people sharing their pain and their gratitude 'with this remarkable woman of courage. "There will be another book,''. she says. "There has to be. I can't possibly have walked through so many people's pain without there being another book." When you look into her eyes you have no cloubt there will be another book. And when you thirik about this • loving mother and wife from Bible-belt middle America writing and speaking for for religio 'iis .. ·blessing of homose'xuiil' unions, you can't help '·B\lt marvel ·at the way " i1 God calls prophets. - ·- · ·-- For the first time ever, official -representatives of a mainstream Christian denomination traveled to a meeting of a Gay and Lesbi;m organization to listen to its members ' concerns. members ." Four representatives of the Commission on Human Affairs were present. They were the Right Reverend George N. Hunt, Bishop of Rhode Island and the chair of the Commission; · the R.ight Reverend Frederick H, Borsch, Bishop of Los Angeles; Mel Matteson, lay member from the Diocese of Olympia; and Lydia Lopez, lay member from the In e,irly July, four members of, the Episcopal Church Standing Commission on Human Affairs held open hearings at Grace _ Cathedral in San Francisco at the conclusion of a national convention of Integrity, the Episcopal Church's Lesbian and Gay '- Diocese of Los Angeles. The Integrity convention began on June 30 and ran for three days. The gathering marked the fifteenth anniversary of the organization's founding in 1974 by Dr. Louie Crew. Dr. Cr ew was honored by being awarded the first annual "Louie Crew Award for Outstanding Contributions to Integrity." Integrity now has more than 50 U.S. chapters · and chapters-in-formation and eight affiliated chapters in Canada ·and Australia . organization. · "It was something of a first," said · Kim Byham, Integrity's national president. 'We certainly understood the event as a sign that the Church is trying to reach out in the direction of its Lesbian and Gay members, but I wouldn't want to exaggerate its significance. Gay and Lesbian people still have a long, long way to go in the Episcopal Church. We are still far from being accepted as full REAL UVE MONKEYS, From Page 7 bound the wounds, took the victim into a hospice, and paid the bills. OURS IS THE STRANGEST religion on earth, a religion which welcomes bad people more than good people, prodigals more that elder brothers like you and me. - . . . When I grew up,people told me lots of lies ;ibo_ut Gay men, -that we always hold our fingers out .strilight to view them li~e women, that we wear green on Tl;lU)'sdays, that our pitches are always high, that all of us can cook .. but one that most missed the - target with me was the lie, "Gay men can't whistle." I admit that I can:t hail a taxi properly, but I can carry a tune. This, this is Christ, the King whom peasants guard and angels sing: . Hll$t,e✓ haste to,br/ng God laud, This ba_be, the child of MfY· May the $«;>ulSof the faithful · dep¥te< t restj!l -peace ;,and light perpetual shine upon them. (C) 1989 by Louie .Crew September/October ' 1989 · The . convention, which featured seminars and discussions by an impressive array of scholars and civil rights leaders, including Dr. Norman Pittenger and the Reverend Malcolm Boyd, attracted more than 350 participants . · The Integrity convention was called to divise a strategy for the future. "There is no doubt we - are at a crossroads," said Byham. "We felt we had to help the Episcopal Church move forward on the issue of Lesbian and Gay rights. The situation is all the more urgent because of AIDS, because of the rising tide of violence against Gay people, and because of an increase of 'throwaway kids; young people who are rejected and thrown into the street by their families when they find out these children are gay. We simply must have the Church's help ib. dealing with these problems. But not only that, the Church needs us -- and the gifts we can bring." The invitation to the Standing Commission on Human Affairs to receive Integrity's testimony was one part of the organization's on'going - effort to foster Lesbian/Gay inclusive i'1ess in the Church. In addition, the organization discussed plans for its presence at General Convention in 1991 and passed a series of resolutions designed to encourilge the Church to greater acceptance of Gay people and to end discrimination against them. The convention passed .. resoh,1tions that: . . -called upon the Church to repent SEE EPISCOP AUANS, Page 16 Church & Organization News ReconciliatMioin istry ReceiveGs rant grant from the AIDS Foundation of Kent County for fiscal 1989-1990. The award is to be used "to provide services to maintain basic needs on a temporary basis until other existing organizations can be utilized." The church org,mization has also committed itself to "work toward bridge-building between the various service organizations and people whose lives have ,been changed People With People With AIDS, a because of AIDS. newly organized direct services ministry of Reconciliation Metropolitan Community Church in Grand Rapids, Mich., has received a $5650 The board of Re1=onciliation MCC has approved to oversee the fund Patti Gibbs, former Client Services Coordinator for the Grand Rapids .,. • • - -.:;'.~, ... , .. i, ..... -.-•.• •• ~anJtanc,sco m ~-YIN AMERICA Reprints of the complete Examiner series now available. ****** *** The Examiner has just concluded an unprecedented 16-part feature on gays in America. More than 60 Examiner staff members contributed to this series, talking to thousands of people in the Bay Area and across the country. This important report studied gay Americans, American society and their uneasy intersection. In every major aspect of our culture, "Gay in America" revealed how gay and straight attitudes are changing as we approach the 90s. For a limited time, we're making available this extraordinary work as a special reprint package. Each is a full sixty-four pages, printed flexographically ( the ink won't come off on your fingers). Every reprint comes with a bonus: the original 13½ x 23-inch poster used to pr<llnote the series. Cost for the reprint and poster together (sorry, they're not available separately) is $5.00. This covers our costs for processing, postage and same-day shipping when we ·receive your order. The Examiner makes no profit on sales of these reprints. Quantities are limited; order soon. Examiner "Gay in America" Reprint Offer I'd like to order reprint(s) / poster(s) as follows: D Send me __ reprint/poster sets@$5 .00* each. Nam,~- -----~------- Address, ___________ _,,pt._ City . 'tatc_Zip __ Phon~------------~D Send _reprint/poster sets@$5.00• each as my gift to: Addres~-------------"PL~ City _____ --- -~tatc--.Zip_ ._ Phon~-------------City 'tatc------.Zip __ Payment: □ My check is enclosed, payable to SF EXAMINER. (To expedite, please be sure to enclose just one check for tht• total of all above orders) □ Charge my □ MASTERCARD D VISA Cardf ________ ___ ____ _ Expiration date_ /_ Signatur~----- ~ ------- Mail your order to: Gay in America Hcprint 943 Howard Street #304 San Fr~ncisco, CA 94 I 03 ;§,anlfl'randfs!cxoa mincr THE SECOND STONE AIDS .Task Force; Dan Brauer, a professional accountant who is Student Clergy at Reconciliation MCC; R. Anthony Espinoza, Executive Director of the Grand Rapids Minority AIDS Project; and Reconciliation MCC's pastor, the Rev. Bruce Roller. High Gay/Lesbian VisibilitAy t PresbyteriCano nference The Presbyterian Church/USA held its most "open and affirming" General Assembly in decades this summer, according to James D. Anderson, Communications Secretary of Presbyterians for Lesbian/Gay Cone cems. "When we· do achieve a truly inclusive church, and I know we will, we will look back on .this assembly as .r the one that turned the corner and ·· began the long process of rejecting the · current ban on Lesbian and Gay participation in the Presbyterian Church," Anderson said. BatonR ougeM CC EyesL argerF acility The Board · of Directors of MCC Baton Rouge, La., is negotiating . a , lease on a new, larger worship . · facility. The 3000 sq. ft. building could eventually serve as a Gay and Lesbian community center for Baton Rouge, according to Pasto r Cindy Drake. PikesP eakM CC Celebrate1s0 th Pikes Peak MCC . in Colo rado Springs, Colo. celebrated in August the tenth anniversary of its founding. Rev. Marion C. Harrison pastors the church which is located at 730 North Tejon Street in Colorado Springs. PLGCG roupF or. LouisianPao ssible Two Presbyterian for Lesbian/Gay Concerns members from Baton Rouge, La.,are measuring interest in forming a chapter in Louisiana. Anyone interested in being part of the group may write to Louisiana PLGC, 2285 Cedardale, Baton Rouge, LA 708.08. Sendn ewsa nda nnouncementots C hurcha nd OrganizationN ewsT, HE SECONDS TONE, P. 0. Box8 340,N ewO rleansL, A7 0182. If sendingc hurchn ewsletterps,le aseh ighligh:t informatiofno r oura ttention. _ · .·Travel Vancouver Picturesque Site Of Gay Games III By Cynthia A. Marquard Contributing Writer As the site for Gay Games III in August 1990, one can hardly imagine a more beautiful setting than Van c ouver, Canada. Nature provides a northern rain forest of cedar and hemlock on a calm harbor studded with islands and surrounded by snow-capped mountains. · To introduce .the inter national gay /lesbian community to the charm · of Vancouver, the local community recently hosted the , annual convention of the International Gay Travel Association. The main focus was, of course, on Celebration '90: Gay Games III and Cultural Festival, which will run from Aug. 4, 1990,' to August 11. The event is being organized by the Metropolitan Vancouver Athletic and Arts Association, and they see this upcoming occasion as much more than a gay /lesbian sports competition. "Celebration '90 is a celebration of the gay and lesbian lifestyle," says Barry McDell, a director of Celebration '90 and des ignated spokesperson. "It has two equal components, Gay Games III and the Cultural Festival." Gay Garnes III will have at least 28 competition categories, some 20 of which will be individual sports, such as track & field, darts, equestrian even ts, and a triathalon. The other com -· petition categories will be for such team sports as basketball, water polo, softball, and s.occer. The Cultural Festival will feature a whole range · of gay /lesbian expression: dance, theater, music, liter ature, film, and fine arts exhibits . The Opening and Closing Ceremonies wm be held at ·=n Is This Your ,, l I Last Issue? .. '\] Renew NOW if the expiration date on your address label is .10/89 British Columbia Place, a domed stadium that seats 65,000 ·people. ·"We see the opening and closing ceremonies as the vehicle for passing on ··. the emotional experience of gay /lesbian pride," says another Gay Games organizer. The details of the ceremonies are a closely guarded secret, but they will have bands, a light show, banners and flags, Big-Name entertainers, and Denver is organizing a 1,000 voice Festival Chorus. Celebration '90 promises to provide a rich experience for everyone, and exploring Vancouver will be another major component of that experience. There are many beautiful sites in and around the city . It would . be easy to spend the better part of a day at Vancouver's Stanley Park. This remarkable area covers 1,000 landscaped acres and houses the Kid's Zoo and the Public Aquariu 'm, where there are daily shows by killer and beluga whales. The park was donated to the city 100 years ago by one of Canada's Governors General, Lord Stanley, who also began hockey's Stanley Cup. Vancouver is divided . into several shopping areas, each with its own unique characteristics. Robson Street, sometimes called ''Robsonstrasse" by the locals for its European flare, is lined with trendy shops featuring Gucci and other brand -name imports. Farther along you'll find the Vancouver Art Gallery, Robson Square, and the Pacific Centre shopping mall. Gastown is a restored historic area, named for "Gassy" Jack Deighton, an earlier barkeeper, who apparently liked to talk a lot. The atmosphere is decidedly yesteryear, with . antique shops in renovated buildings, fancy street lamps from a bygone era, and the 1887 Steam Clock, that lets off a blast every 15 ·minutes. Canada Place; built for Expo '86, is a huge shopping, hotel, and cruise ship docking complex. Prince Charles and Lady Di stayed at the PanPacific Hotel here when they opened Expo. The area that probably has the highest percentage of gays is the West End . It is also reporte _d to be the most densely populated area in the world, with 35,000 people per square mile, The reason everyone squeezes in here is the view. Dozens of luxurious high rises offer spectacular views of Vancouver ' s harbor and mountains, certainly among the top-ten living room views in the world . There are several spots in the West End attractive to gays -and lesbians . The West End's English Bay Beach, for example, is known as Gay Bay . The gay section is rather difficult to reach . down a very steep grade. One of the many attractions on the beach is the Sylvia Hotel, the great movie stars · stayed in the 1920s and 1930s. The gay scene in Vancouver has changed radically over the past few years. Five years ago there were almost no night spots for gay men and lesbians . Now there are several gay restaurants and about a dozen bars. For fine but casual dining, there is Thurlow's on EXPERIENCE EL MIRASOL VILLAS A Prfrate Resort Hotel Discover our magic ... .. . why so many of our guests return year after year. Call or write for our special vacation package (800) 327 -2985 525 Warm Sands Drive Palm Springs, CA 92264 (619) 327-5913 In CA (Color Broch11rt 11po,r rrqust) Thurlow ·Street in the West End. The prices are moderate for their featured salmon; pasta, and Australian lamb dishes. Doll & · Penny's is an eclectically decorated eatery that people in Vancouver .• regard as "California chic." Hamburger Mary's serves sandwiches, and at 6:00 p .m . offers one special. In addition to bars and restaurants, Vancouver · .has many community organizations, bookstores, a library, . and various gay /lesbian religious organizations, such as Dignity, Integrity, and a Metropolitan Community Church. To find out what is going on, pick up the local free gay /lesbian monthly newspaper, Angles. During Celebration '90, .hotel rooms will be at a premium. The organizers expect about 7,500 athletes and around · 25,000 spectators . Various gay/lesbian travel agents and tour operators have blocked several □ thousand hotel rooms. But these will go fast. So to be assured of getting the accommodations you want, today is not to soon to book . Your local IGTA travel agents have all the details. Cynthia A. Marquard is the owner/manager of Envoy Travel, Inc ., 740 N . Rush St., Suite 609, Chicago IL 60611. P. 0. Box 118 SL Bethlehem, NH 03S74 (603) 869-3978 In San Francisco 'Cfie... For tbai "Special Occ0sion" - try - or, for strictly business! Btd & Breakfast • Panoramic vieWs oftbe City ■ Hot Tub & Sun Deck ■ Suite available ft,r ptiuate parties • Candlelight go11rmet dinners served in the elegance of our dining room or the intimacy of your boudoir ■ Conference room and secretarial services available • First class accommodations far the woman tr0veling 011 business or pleasure 637 Steiner St. San Francisrn, CA 94117 415/863-0538 the "other" place under the sun ... •Steps to the gay beach •Visit nearby · Mexico • Pool & cozy Jacuzzi • Free continental . breakfast Write or call for brochure. 120 E. Atol St., P. 0 . Box 2326 South Padre Island, Texas 78597 (512)761-L YLE Air connections via American, Continental, Southwest September /October 1989 Adventure New Group Shares Exhilaration Of Climbing On a wall of rock soaring skyward hundreds of feet are two figures perched precariously on a thin ledge. The two are tied to oppo s ite ends of the same rope to ensure ·each other's safety. A strong bond , built on trust and interdependence emerges as they continue the ascent. A blur of physical exertion, delicate movement, fear and exhilaration fill them as they face the unique challenge of the vertical w orld. Finally the top is reached with a feeling of satisfaction and pride. A handshake . An embrace. For years Gay climbers have shared these powerful experiences, but seldom with other Gay climbers. Until now. On the last weekend of May, Gay and Lesbian climbers from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Washington, DC, Pennsylvania and Texas gathered at the Shawangunks, · At the Shawangu~ks, the foundiJ members decided to expand t: original conception to explicit include bisexual climbers. Accordi; to Mark Mueller, who · original conceived the idea of the clu "Bisexuals can feel like a doub minority, neither complete accepted among straight friends, n among Gay people. By includiI bisexuals from the start, we hope create a comfortable environmen The membership went even further affirm that all people - includi1 straight people - who accept tl goa ls of the club' are welcome to 1 members. (Many openly Gay climb€ climb regularly with straig partners .) Climbing trips planned for the m six months range from Acad National Park in northem Maine Joshua Tree National Monument southern California . Despite ' predominance of U.S. climbers p:resent, the club · i s conceived international. Planned trips for tJyear include Quebec and t Canadian Rockies . A friend for the journey. Subscribe today {o THE SECOND STONE . Randy Tate of Providence, Rhode Island, stretches for a handhold. a major East coast climbing area near New York City, to found Stonewall Climbers. Climbers from more distant places - Ontario, Minnesota and California - sent their best wishes. Many of the founding members had previously climbed together over the last year , sometimes driving , hun dreds of miles to explore new climbing areas . For dedicated climbers, distance is no object. Each classic climbing area has its own personality and characteristic features: cracks or overhanging ceilings, low -angle slabs or vertical walls . Climbers loye to visit areas that differ from their local haunts : It made sense to form a club to publicize trips happening all YES, I want to receive The Second Stone, over. the national newspaper for Gay and According to John Yanson, the club's Lesbian Christians ... send me: public relations officer, "Our !ntent is to serve as an umbrella group to_ [ ] Oneyear (6 issues) for $12.60 encourage climbing .within the structure of local gay and lesbi;ui [ ] Two years (12 issues) for $23.00 outdoor organizations . . Virtually , [ ] Three years (18 issues) for $32.00 every major U.S. and Canadian city' Peter Daley of Boston, Ma Stonewall Cli:(nbers Treasurer, h: above the tree~. (and many ,European and Australi_an Aecordi-ng to"-. Carla -Krys ~:~~i:;;:;ldi::::: ?' :,: ::;s;.;i, :~Ziit~~:~;::i t~;f':£iriar~[: , . .. _ . , .~t R.g;,i!-}g'.,J,t~ );?, .r. ~ ,~!'Y ?L the'~e executive CQ~Il'\~te(:! In absen · ,.!,,.. ; ~f.l'T1 \ ::,•.; t: .,' . ;-, ···:- •'-' ~,:;·.:~! ·:·~chv~}1~~~--~~~--~~,sy :-to~,fi~d ... ~nou_~h .. "Thete·.are <Gay-.cl~ber~ ·-everywli Check here if you prefer. plain en~}</Pl1 for mailing: ( :LP.tease al,19','f _&~. futerest~Aμe.gp~e. !Qcally .to run trips .. _, _ we just need 1ft) gef:ffieWord out!" weeks for delivery of your firsl'issue. Add $8.00 per year for postage · - 11 c b in Canadand all other foreign countries. U.S. currency only. - · · _)3ut for. d imbing · , parti cularly i,ce Write to Stonewa Jim ers climbing ,~ we have :tolookbeyond our P.O. Box 445, Boston, MA 02124 \ ~ Box-834(),New0r~e~s,L~7Ql.~ .-.:..::·.· _ :· ~ ... -.... ~- -~·-,.~ Own~back-yards:''·. · .·::·-:.,·/i·;:, ½.>~ :., .. : -~ : -~Ftdfn· Cruise Magazine· /5t ~111~- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~T~.H~E~ .. ~s~'E'~t~O-N..,..DSTO.....,_;_N_E.:____ .:.__:_.:___ ____ .:_____ _:: ___ ~ Making Other Plans High -Fidelity · Sy David Doorley '.::olumnist Three months after I met my life ?artner , I embarked on what I ntended to be a three-week sexual xlyssey in San Francisco . It was · 1981, nany years before I would hear the :erm AIDS, and since I was on ,acation and had my lover's ,ermission, I was prepared, to try inything . To my surprise I found 'idelity. At ·thi=lt time , the friend I was risiting . had been living with his over, Dennis, for three faithful ,eJ rs. Many of h°is friends in San 1rancisco were involved in mono; arnous relationships . Sexual adventures, .huh. Well, I ,. ried, but I discovered something bout myself on that trip: sex w_ithout Jve was fine and fun when l wasn't in JVe, but now that I was, it wasn 't. I ,a s a one-man man. My lover, on the •ther hand, believed in monogamy, ,ot fidelity. Dennis's definition of monogamy It's A Classified Secret A great way to promote your business, product or service is through the classifieds! And now, you can try our classifieds at a special discount • just attach· the coupon below to your order. includes fidelity. At first he and Jeff were smug about their commitment, while their Gay fri,ends pitied them or found their relationship incomprehensible . "It is work," Dennis admits. "Make up your mind to that. You need patience, and you have to give your relationship time to mature and grow. Independently we both wanted it. I didn't need a real good roommate." Dennis thinks it incongruous that some coup les set a a little household, play house and then trip over to someone else's bedroom. "There seems to be a ·desperate need for change and excitement," he comments . "Young love in bloom . Well, we're a.JI different. For a -while Jeff and I were the - exception rather than the rule, but not anymore. You see monogamous couples springing up . all the time . Oh, look! There's another one." My lover had been in an open relationship for eight years, and he did not believe in exclusivity - and before he met me he had certainly put his beliefs into practice. I did not believe that love lasted forever. I ' had been burned before, and I swore I'd never be burned again. (Uttered with a fist clenched heavenward, somewhat like Scarlett's scene in the turnip patch.) What we did believe in was our Jove for each other. And so, when I decided to leave Brian rather than deal with a type of relationship 1 · was not comfortable with, he agreed to try things my way. We promised to exclude all others sexually. · Of course, that was not a guarantee . that we would live happily ever after. Because I was insecure and · Brian had difficulty expressing his feelings, we traveled through the next two years on a roller coaster ride of incredibl~ highs and equally incredible lows. Perhaps we might ·have made it this far without fidelity. I don't think it's likely, though . We were · both conditioned to different behaviors, and our solutions would have led us away from each other and a resolution to our conflicts. Obvious ly fidelity"has become more important today. It could save your life. But I'd like to think that' the couples who are forming faithful relationships are doing so not from □ fear but for reasons s imibu to Jeff's and Dennis's. Seven years ago my lover and I were not afraid of any sexually transmitted diseases. · I was worried that Brian would find someone who was better in bed . He was concerned that I might falf in love with someone else. What we both were afraid of was a commitment. And how has mote than one-half of a decade of fidelity affected us? Well .. .! arri not quite as insecure, and , Brian still has difficulty expressing himself. But there is one thing we can count on ; Each other. Classifieds - □ Notice: Prison Correspondence READERS ARE CAUTIONED to follow these guidelines in corresponding with inmates: · Do not send checks or money orders thrpugh the mail to inmates. Do not cash checks or money orders from inmates. Persons cashing altered money orders are personally responsible for the difference between the issue amount and the altered amount. Do not reveal personal or confidential information that would be harmful to you if passed along to your employer, family, etc., or may otherwise be used in extortion. Books & Publications 20%-'0FF ALL BOOKS!!! No matter where you find them listed or catalogued, we offer · 20% DISCOUNT on all Gay/Lesbian titles and authors when you order by mail from LAMBDA PASSAGES BOOKSTORE, 7545 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, FL 33138 (305)754-6900. Please add $2.00 S/H first book, and 50 cents each additional. Florida residents please include 6% sales tax to total order. For complete catalogue, please send $2.00 12/89 · Join the nation's ONLY Lesbian and Gay BOOK CLUB. No membership fees. No minimum purchases. Send for FREE catalog: LIBERATiON BOOK CLUB, f'.O. Box 453, Dept 2, South Norwalk, CT 06856 2/91 Friends/Relationships GWM, 25, 5'7; 140 pds, blonde, blue eyes. Sincere, honest, athletic guy looking for monogcjmous relationship with someone around same age and interest. Write 31 o 7· Debra Blvd., Panama City, FL 32405 4/6/10/89 LONELY 27 yr. old GBM, believer in God, seeks friends for inspirational purposes. A very rare prisoner, confined to a cell 23 hours daily, with limited outside communications. Eric White #93484, La. State Prison, Camp J, Angola, LA 70712 12/89 THIRTYONESOMETHING Uncloseted HIVGay male (WASP Minister) seeks similar Northeast friend w car for weekend/holiday travel. (609)347-8231, P.O. Box 1294, Atlantic City, NJ 10/89 Travel CARL'S GUEST HOUSE, PROVINCETOWN - Clean, comfortable, friendly., affordable. Excellent location. FREE BROCHURE write to 68 Bradford St., Provincetown, MA 02657 (508)487-1650 10/89 Classified Order Form Pl ease pla ce my ad in these issues: [] Jan/Feb [ J Mar/Apr [ J May/Jun [ j Jul/Aug [ ] Sept/Oct [ J Nov/Dec FOR ONLY 35 CENTS PER WORD, your ad can appear in the next edition of THE SECOND STONE. Take advantage of _our low cost (but high profile) classified section by placing your advertising order today! _ Mail To: THE SECOND STONE P.O.Box:8340 _· New Orleans,LA 70182 Name __________ _ Address _____ ~---- City/St./Zip ____ ~------ AD .COPY ________ _ __ words X .35= $ _______ _ 20 word ininimum. All classifieds must be pre-paid. Deadline one month prior to cover date. We will mail you a copy of the -edition(s) in which your ad . appears September /October 1989 CLASSIFICATIONS []Books & Publications · [ ] Business Opportunities [ ] Empioyment [ ] Friends/Relationships [ ] General Interest [ ] Mail Order [ ] Merchandise [ ] Organizations [ ] Professional Services [ ] Real Estate [] Retreats [ 1 Roommates [ ]Travel II . National Committee To Free Sharon Kowalski Accomplishes Goal "Everything is set in place for a secure future for Sharon," said ·Tacie Dejanikus, co-chair of the National Comriuttee to Free Sharon Kowalski, which has accomplished its goal and is shutting down. "With Sharon's move, we have substantially completed the agenda around which we organized .in 1987. Sharon is getting good rehabilitation; she has contact with Karen Thompson and her other friends; she has returned to the.Minneapolis area, where she had made her home; we've promoted the book Karen wrore with Julie Andrzejewski, Why Can't Sharon Kowalski Come Home?, to get the facts of the case out to the public; and as a bonus, Donald Kowalski will be · replaced as -guardian. We're proud of what we've accomplished" The comm1ttee said in an open letter to tl)e Gay community that "The case of Sharon Kowalski has been instrumentc1l in focusing the att~ntion of the Lesbian and Gay community on the need for domestic partnership protections, which is sure to be one of the biggest community issues of the next decade... Karen Thompson's determination and her refusal to give Sharon Kowalski up for dead have made possible the education of hundreds and thousands of Lesbians and Gay men and people with disabilities about the rights we have and must protect, and the rights we do not have and must fight for-" Sharon Kowalski may receive cards flowers, etc., at Trevilla of Robbinsdale, 3130 Grimes Ave. N ., Robbinsdale, MN 55422 . Unitarians Name New Program Director Boston, MA - The Unitarian Universalist Association has named the Rev. Scott W. Alexander as Director of its.Office of Lesbian and Gay Concerns (OL9C) . A graduate of Lawrence University and the Thomas Starr King School for the Ministry, Alexander was ordained to the Unitarian Universalist ministry in 1975. As Director of the Office of Lesbian and Gay Concerns, Alexander will coordinate efforts to combat homophobia with .in the 11beral religious denomination as well as in society at large. During the course of the next year, the Offic e of Lesbian and Gay Concerns will . launch a major EPISCOPALIANS, From Page 11 · for past persectuion of Lesbians and Gay men; - urged equal opportunity in the Church, including access to the ordination process for Gay people; -denounced so-called "ex -Gay" ministries . as immoral and urged their rejection by the Church; - deplored the absence of any openly Lesbian or Gay members of the Standing .Comm i ssion on Human Affairs; - urged the Church's acceptance and blessing of same-sex unions; - urged bishops to respond t o anti -Gay attacks with positive affirmations; and· . - urged the House o:f Bishops to deplore the situation in ·the Anglican Diocese of Sydney, Australia, where all openly Lesbian and Gay people and all straight people wh o s peak on campaign for Unitarian Universalist churches, the "Welcoming Congre gation,:' a · program . which is "inclusive and expressive of the concerns of Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual persons at every level of congregational life , in worship and program. Participating congregations welcome not only the presence of Gays, Lesbians, and Bisexuals, but the unique gifts and particularities of their lives as well." For information on the Unitarian Universalist Association 's Office of Lesbian and Gay Concerns or on the "Welcoming Congregations" program, contact The Rev . _Scott Alexander, UUA, 25 Beaccm St., Boston, MA 02108~2800 or call (617)742 -2100 . their behalf hav<;? been denied the s·acraments, removed · from Church positions, arid . excluded from virtually every _ aspect of Church life. The convention . also took steps to expand Integrity 's own inclusiveness, particu 'larly with regard to disabled persons, including those with AIDS. One attendee, who is blind as well as wheelchair -bou n d , prais~d the . organization's efforts on behalf of disabled persons. "I joined the Episcopal Church," she said, "because of the wonderful 'smells and bells' of its services and I joined • Integrity because I found a community within the Church that accepted me _in •,ev:ery way -- as a Lesbian, as a disabled person, and as a human being . · Half Page Vertical 5 1/4" X 121;'.2" Half Page Hotizontc (not illustrated) 1_03/4"X61/4" A ~ / Quarter Page 5 1/4" X 6 1/4" Eighth Page 51/4"X3" A Note To Our Advertisers Effective with our next . from the SAU column i issue, we are changing format, which will enh nch format to a modular the paper. Because of anc~ the appearance of and improved reach o'.11' increasing circulation rate adjustment at th _we_ are also announcing a Th S 1s t.ime e econd Stone now · states and in man ti . has readers in all 50 . . Y ore1gn coun1r· servatJve estimate of d - . ies. Our con- . remain one of the l rea ersh1p is 8700. We h east expensi sue a precisely tar e . ve ways lo reach level. . ~ ted audience on a national The proportio; s for d . . page ad are drawn o ; -venismg up to a half lO 3/4" wide x 12 1~.~ -page. (A full page is your ad, please be sur - igh.) When setting up guidelines. e II falls within these For furth - . Ur Information or assistance . please write to· THE SECOND STONE . Box 8340 New Orleans, LA 70182 Sixteenth Page • 25/8" X 3" m September/ October 1989 · Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Second Stone #6 - Sept/Oct 1989 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/5ae4640368dfae2f054a15531c411db2.pdf 159519d0d1b17164e8d877e275e31e00 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Second Stone Description An account of the resource Issues of the Second Stone publication. Issue An issue of a recurring publication. Issue Number The number of the issue (within a volume) 7 Publication Year The year the issue was published 1989 Publication Date The date the issue was published Nov/Dec 1989 Text Any textual data included in the document THE NATIONAL NEWSPAPER"FOR GAY AND LESBIAN CHRISTIANS $2.25 8000 Readers Across The USA ISSUE #7 I A Change Of...Heart? Ex-Gay Ministries Say There Is Another Choice By Robert McKnight Contributing Writer Though science tends more and more to show that sexuality is formed by physical causes lying beyond an individual's choice, change ministries that offer help toward sexual conversion are more popular than ever, said an expert in the field. "Before Anita Bryant's campaign on the homosexual rights bill in Miami, churches didn't discuss this," said Rev. Sylvia Pennington. "There are many more (churches confronting the issue) now than then. They're getting more sophisticated, more subtle. Maybe they're not stressing 'ex-gay.' They'll teach you you'll still have desires sometimes." SEE COVER STORY, Page 9 IDl Art Inspired By The Light Within m FAMILIES: WasA Promise From God Broken? By Michael Blankenship By Rev. Sylvia Pennington Planning Underway For National Lesbian Convention A national lesbian conference moved one step clpser to reality when more than 160 Lesbians gathered at Portland State University for a secon d planning meeting. The three day session resulted in an interim task committee that is empowered to begin the work necessary to make the conference a reality for all Lesbians in the United States. It is anticipated that the task force will manage daily operations until the full steering committee begins to function in January of 1990. The conference is scheduled for April 24 to 28, 1991 in Atlanta, Georgia. Conference SEE CONFERENCE , Page 20 Disciples Of Christ Gay . Organization Participates In General Assembly Gay, lesbi a n and affirming memb ers and cler gy of the Christian Chur ch (Disciples of. Christ) in the United States and Canada created a formal organization and officiall y participated in that Church's biennial General Assembly. The group known as the Gay, Lesbian· and Affirming Disciples · Alliance · or GLAD Alliance _ is an outgrowth of clandestine meetings which began at the 1979 General Assembly in St. Louis and continued through the 1987 Gen e ral Assembly in Louis v ille . In 1988, the Alliance met in Chicago to begin th e process • of creating a formal struct ur e and lay ing th e groundwo rk for a public presence at the Church's 1989 . Gene ra l Assembly. At a retreat held immediately prior to the convening of the Assemb ly, the Alli ance adopte d a "Design and Cove11ant" to define its purposes a nd organizational structure. Along with other denomination a l a nd ecumenical groups, the Alliance operated a booth in the Exhibition H a ll of the Convention Center. Members disseminated literature and SEE ASSEMBLY, Page 14 SUBSCRIBE TODAY! ONE YEAR ONLY $12.60! BOX 8340 • NEW ORLEANS, LA 70182 P.O. Box 8340 New Orleans LA 70182 In Our Next Issue: Youth Counseling BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PA ID NEW ORLEANS, LA PERMIT No. 511 In spite of a recent government report indicating that gay and lesbian youth are at increased risk of suicide, most high schools dare not approach the touchy subject for fear of a backlash from parents and others: In our next edition, we look at an innovative, yet embattled, youth counseling program. From The Editor Playing Hou~e No "Cure" For Being Gay In the beautifully photographed motion picture Maurie~, from the novel by E. M. Forster, two handsome young men, Maurice and Clive, meet during their undergraduate years at Cambridge, grow to love ee1ch other, and share many warm and wonderful times. Shortly after passing his bar exams, Clive turns away from Maurice, . declaring that he has "become normal," and later marries a quiet and charming woman and assumes his role in society. Maurice is unsuccessful in his attempts through therapy to stop loving Clive and to change his homosexuality . Soon he falls in love with another man and appears at Clive's home one evening to make the announcement. It was to be the last time that Clive would ever see Maurice. Clive watches from a window as Maurice disappears. Slowly h e closes the shutters. Shutting Maurice - out of his life . Shutting himself into a life of dispassionate love, never again to feel the intense joy of the sunny afternoons of their days ·back at school. It was a love that was innocent and terrible at the same time. Innocent, because it happened so wonderfully, and terrible, only because someone said . so :i Can the heart of one who longs for, .or "who's experienced, such a love ever be changed? The cqver story for our seventh edition is not so much about · change as if is choice . And it's ' not so• much about .sexuality as it is the longing of the heart . A friend of mine, Don, 27, graduated from an all-male high school where there was considerable pressure to date girls. H_e married at 19 and the ~ Evangelicals If::' '(/ loge/her Inc. SUPPORT COMMUNITY & SERVICE FOR Gay & Lesbian Christians In Southern California ... since 1979 Suite 109-Box 15 79B5 S _anta. MOnlca Boulevard West -Hollywood, CA 90045 213~(;56-B570 PATLAR VOICE OF GAY Pi.t,AEAICA MONTHLY NEWSMAGAZINE FR.EE AT OUR DISTRIBUTION POINTS SUBSCRIPTIONS $35 ANNUALLY SAMPLE(i~P~u:sW6'crrl/;\'t~ USA $4 FOR INFO ON ADVERTISING po c:J} &~~W/lll~lt~~ti2cf~~s22 newlyweds soon had a baby girl. Don began to feel incomplete in his love and marriage and the family, with much hurt, anguish and frustration, broke apart. Don was, is, and always will be a gay man who, although physically fully functional in a heterosexual situation, longed for a completeness which ·he was not to know in his · marriage to his wife. What is so troubling about the ex-gay concept is that this, uh ... "ex-straight " man already had what change ministries channel a gay or lesbian person toward ... an opposite-sex spouse, a home , and children. Yet, with much heartache, Don left his home and family. How tragic for him, his loving and caring wife, and his b ea utiful daughter. A decision to play house is no "cure" for being gay. In the Sept/ Oct, 1988, issue of Daughters of Sarah there appeared an article entitled "My Husband is Gay". It was an interview with a woman who had married a .gay man. Mike and Linda were both evangelical Christians. They had two sons and one daughter and were living in the Midwest. Linda said of Mike, "He tried every kind of therapy, 12-step groups, Bible studies, and so ·on. For seven or eight years •·it was an intense _efforL If anyone sh,ould have ~hanged by -now, it would be Mike." And of her own struggle Linda said, "I had to deal with _ the fact that my husband is not sexually attracted to me and he is attracted to men. I came to . realize my husband would probably ·share his love and affection with someone other than me. " Mike's heart was a restless hunter . I met Ray a couple of years ago. He had moved to the city from a rural area, thinking that it might be easier to meet the man of his dreams. He was good natured, attractive, and fun to be with. In spite of these qualities, Ray was unable to establish th e relationship that he longed for. One afternoon he told me he was tired of being alone and had began dating Diane, a woman who he had known for a !<;mg time. I felt sad for Diane. There was an unevenness in their relationship. She was .attracted to him and loved him dearly. For Ray, Diane was a refuge from !onliness . I always thought that she deserved more. What an unfortunate day for her when this "ex-gay" man finds the love that he · initially sought. No "conversion " has taken place just because a gay man or lesbian settles into an opposite-sex marriage . Even th e evidence of their physical bonding - a child - is no proof of the ".conversion," although ex-gay ministries would see a victory ther e. Only slightly below the facade is ·much potential for hurt and suffering, not only for the ex-gay "convert" but for his or her spouse and children as well. A gay man or lesbian making an ex-gay decision loses the chance to love · fully. Th e ir opposite-sex spouse will be cheat ed, never receiving back the precious love that they give so fully and freely. The ·"right person" for both of them is still out there, somewhere, alone and seeking. And it's all the more tragic if any children are born into the ex-gay In This Issue FEATURES COVER STORY THE LIGHT WITHIN COLUMNS FROM THE EDITOR COMMENTARY CLOSER LOOK FAMILIES TRAVEL VIDEOS MAKING -OTHER PLANS PARTING THOUGHT DEPARTMENTS 'NEWSBRIEFS ORGANIZATION NEWS CALENDAR CLASSIFIED THE SECOND STONE □ family. Affectual and se·xual orientation is a basic, innate part of .one's being . To change it is not a decision one can make . There is, however , a choke to be. made. Maurice chose to fully be himself, to live and love to his greatest potential, in spite of the difficulties. Clive chose to play his role as best he could, entering into a loveless marriage, never really living life for himself . There were days when he probably stood alone peering through the shutters. Remembering. Longing. ~ □ Page 9 Page 10 Page 2 Page 3 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 4 Page 12 Page13 Page '19 Commentary Jim Roche -Non-Existing In Four Fifths Of America ByJimRoche Contributing Writer In Gay Justice Richard Morh asks: "How can it b e that fully four-fifths of Americans claim that they don't have any Gay or Lesbian _acquai nt ances?" After celebrating the twentieth anniversary of Stonewall you too may be asking that question. In New York it was an entire month of eve nts: gay and lesbian dances, gay and .lesbian film festivals, gay and lesbian parties, forums, church services, marches, rallies and picnics. Too m any things for me to even try and attend. And Gay and Lesbian month isn't the on ly time of year we are to be heard from. It's amazing that with all the gay publicity that is seen and heard these days because of AIDS, with all the political actions that we read and hear about (when isn't ACT-UP in the paper?), with all the Gay and Lesbian characters in TV programs, in movies and in literature, and with all the Gay Pride Day celebrations everywhere from New York to San Francisco to Norfo lk, Virginia and• Austin, Texas, that most Americans still claim they don't even know of us ! But that's the claim, that's what they say, and I believe them. That is, I believe that's what they think. Or what they want to think. We all know it isn't true, but they are THE SECOND STONE Newspaper is published every other month by Bailey Communications, P. 0. Box 8340, New 0rteans, LA 70182. Copyright 1989 by The Second Stone, a registered trademark. SUBSCRIPTIONS, U.S.A. $12.60 per year, six issues. Foreign subscribers add $8.00 for postage. All payments U .. S. currency only. ADVERTISING, Display advertising one time rates: Full Page, $595.00; Half Page, $304.00; Quarter Page, $155.00; Eighth Page, $81.00; Sixteenth Page, $42.00. Send inquiries to: Box 8340, New 0rteans, LA 70182. Classified advertising is 35 cents per word. EDITORIAL, send letters, calendar announcements, and church/organization news to (Department title) The Second Stone, P. 0. Box 8340, New Orleans, LA. 70182. Manuscripts to be returned should be accompanied by a stamped, self addressed envelope. Mark manuscripts submitted on speculation either "Ministry" or "For consideration at your usual rates.· THE SECOND STONE, an ecumenical newspaper committed to expanding Christian ministry in the Gay community and to the spiritual growth and development of Gay persqns, their families and friends. PUBLISHER/EDITOR: Jim Bailey convinced it is true. In After the Ball Marshall Kirk and H unt er Madsen put it another way: "What do straights think about Gays? They don't." That's all there is to it. They don't think about Gays. Period. And they don't want do. And Gay P rid e Day won't help change that. Once-a-year memorial services for those who have died , from complications of AIDS won't help. Once -a-year events only prove to straight society that running into us, running in to a Gay or Lesbian person is an exception . We can be found in parades or mentioned on occasion in the papers and on TV. So don 't worry. To middle America that · kind of visibi lity isn't proof that we really exist and matter, instead it's proof that we don 't exist. At least not in any way that matters. Too many times I have heard the rationale that AIDS will come home to everyone. That every single person in this country will be affected by it. I don't think that's ·true. AIDS is still so .connected -with the -untouchable , the unknowable, the unthinkable that people have a capacity to ignore i t and not be affected. It still h<Jppens to someone else. To middl e America it will never happen to someone they know, b eca use it happens to Gays and they .don't know a·ny. If .it does happen to someone they know , it. was another exception. Middle America will put forth whatever efforts are necessary to see that we don't exist. Or if we do, they won't know about it. The on ly one who seems to get an understanding from all these eve nts, all these parades and celebrations and memorials , that it means we do really exist is us. Gay men and Lesb ian women. It proves to us th at, as my bumper sticker on my car says, "we are everywhere." -Now that isn't bad in itself , because more Gay and Lesbian people have had a hard ti.me dealing with the reality of their own existence right from 'the beginning. Usually we are told by our parents and friends that our feelings don't · exist, that our sexual urges don 't exist and by the government as well as our friends that our relationships don't exist. Try having a discussion about your gay or lesbian relationship with a few straight friends and you'll see how quickly the sub ject changes. Proving to ourselves that we do exist, with parades and rallies and parties and film festivals, is not so bad in itself. But still to the vast majority of Americans, we are in:.rislble. The invisible minority. We are as real to them as the faeries of Shakespeare. Our being an invisib le minority isn't somethi n g to take lightly. Some of us like it that way, and we prefer that who we are be kept a secret. We need to protect our jobs, our relationships and sometimes ourselves. The government and others also want who we are kept a little secret. That's why there's been so much opposition to the anti-Gay hate crimes bills that have been defeated all over the country. If we are being threatened, beat up and murdered all over the American landscape , then we exist. So Jesse Helms and oth e rs do whatever they can to see to it that we don't. And that no evidence that we exist com.es to light. That's why anti-discrimination laws are so hard to get passed, and when they are Reach for the Light! YES? Sign me up for the magazine that shincdorth the light of hope for all God's people. I want: _ l ycarofTheOtMrSideforS12.50 Save $9.2,5 plus get 1M "Givef.r .Guide " _ 2 years of TM Other Sith for $25.00 Save $18SO plus get tM _ "Giver's Guith"· _ Payment enclosed. _ Bill me later. Name _ _ ____ _ Adm=· _______ _ City--------- Statel.ip _ __ _ __ _ Add.$8 p,r year for ncn-U.S. and APO or FPO addn.ssu. S0751Z November /December 1989 □ . passed, so easy to repeal. It isn't that people feel, as they say, that we shouldn't get "special privileges" or that the government shou ldn' t pass laws that in effect "promote homosexuality as a lifestyle." Nor is it that people actually want us to be discriminated against, it's that they object to any law that says we exist. That we are real, substantial beings. To these right wing religious groups any law that would bring to public view proof that we exist is a bad .Jaw. If we are discriminated against, we must really be, right? That's why so many people object to the inclusion of homosexuality in school family life and sex education programs. Recently when the state Cif Virginia mandated that the ·school family lif e curriculum include information on SEE COMMENTARY, Page 4 An Incredible Price on an Incredible Magazine Act now and you'll save as much as $18.50 on The Other Side, the premier magazine of hope and love for all God's people. Clip the coupon below and discover a Christian peace-and, social-justice . magazine infused with the biblical vision of jubilee, a mag¥ine that has courageously sided with gay and lesbian Christians since 1977. Great reading . Fascinating .people. Refreshing ideas. An Amazing Bonus If You Act Now Subscriptions to The Other Side. are nonnally $21.75 a year. Act now and we'll send it to you for just $12.50. PLUS we'll include, as the first issue on your subscription, our special, elflra-value "Giver's .Guide," a fact-filled guide to 123 charitable organizations involved in a variety of causes. You'll find detailed opinions and ,perspectives, including concrete infonnation on those organizations which actually acknowledge that they discriminate against gay and lesbian people. The "Giver's Guide" alone is worth the price of your subscription. Quantities limited! Respond today! The Other Side 300 W. Apsley Sueet, Philadelphia, Pa. 19144 II Newsbriefs World AIDS Day, Dec. 1 The Worl,d Health Organization has declared December f.lhe second annual · World AIDS Day, For information write to Public Information Office, Globaf Programme on AIDS, WHO, 1211 .Geneva 27, Switzerland . Gay Religious Order Forming Ecumenical Brothers of the Mercy of God is a gay Christian religious community of men who feel the call of Christ to serve the needs of all people. A spokesperson for the group said, "If you feel a special call to serve Chris t through the message of the Gospel, we invite you to join this very special society. Your be ing .gay is not what we question here, it is your desire to be a part of a religious family sharing your God -given gifts to those who are . reaching out. Although we are -in formation, we are receiving candidates ." For furthur information contact the Ecumenical Brothers of the Mercy of God , Suite 212 /3 41 East Center St ., Man~hester, CT 06040. , :Out Front Judges' Code May Include Ban On Discrimination Against. Gays BOSTON - The next code of ethics for judges will include a ban against discrimination based on sexual orientation if the National Gay and Lesbian Law Association has its way . Board member Suzanne Bryant testified in Washington, D .C. before · the American Bar Association committee which is currently revising the ethics code. Ms. Bryant described the c:urrent "epidemic ofviolence" against Lesbians and Gays "who are often reluctant to · . . _,,,,,,,,::1' Dece111 er: "Merry ristmas ·~n January: "Thinking - Of You." March: "You're · Special." May: "Love . You." July: "I Care." September: "You' re In My Heart." A Christmas gift subscription to THE SECOND STONE let's someone know how much you care ... and it's a gift that keeps on giving ... all year long. What a nice way to say so much to someone you love! . . . . ... .... . · ..... Please send a gift subscription and greeting card to: Name ........................................................................ .. ·Address ................................................................ . City, Stale & Zip ................................................... .. Name .................................................... _. .................... . . Address ................................................................. . City, State & Zip ................................................. . Name ......................................................................... .. Address ................................................................ .. City, State & Zip ................................................... .. I enclose $ ............... for: YOUR NAME ............................................................................... . [ ] One gift • $12.60 [ ] Two gifts - $23.00 AbDRESS ............................................ : ...................................... . [ ] Three gifts • $32.00 CITY, STATE & ZIP ................................................... , ............ .. All gift subscriptions mailed in a plain envelope. Add $8.00 per year for postage for each subsaipt1on outside the USA. Orders received after December.8 will NOJ.reach the reci ient before Christmas. rep ort' crimes because they fear they may, like rape victims, be victimized a second time by the judicial system." Last February that ABA passed a resolution supporting legis l ation prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment, housing and public accomodations . Now, the ABA is revising , the Model Code of Judicial Ccihduct which serves as ethical guidance for judges throughout the country. The draft revised code prohibits bias based on race, sex, religion an.d national origin, but fails to mention sexual orientation. Testimony at the hearing showed that the justice system is not always impartial when it comes to Lesbians and Gays . In 1987, Daniel Wan was brutally beaten and murdered outside a gay bar in Fort Lauderdale. At a COMMENTARY, From Page 3 homosexuality, to do something about their increasing drop out and teen suicid e rate, parents and .right wing religious groups objected, forcing many school districts to remove any mention of homosexuality from their curriculum . Some said they would rather have a "dead son than a gay one." They want us not to exist. And that's how far they are willing to go to make sure we don ' t. They will ignore the life and death struggles of their own children . If they don't have to admit that we exist, for all intents and purposes, we don'.t. Much of the time we seem to b e all too willing to go along with the idea . The problem we have is that for the most part we can go along our everyday paths and never seem to be any more gay or lesbian than anyone else. We can pass . That's something no other minority group has been able to do before, and ies also one of the reasons that people are so paranoid about Gay and Lesbian people. Like communists, we don't know any, but anyone could be one. What does all this mean? It means that you should know that coming out at a parade is nice. Numbers are important . Coming out at a rally, a sit -in or a memorial service is nice. It's something we should all do, for our own sake. But the most important place to come out, the most important place to take your stand as a Gay man or Lesbian womyn isn't publicly , it's personally . Coming out to your friends, your family . . Your workmates. That 's where coming out really counts. Morh writes in Gays/Justice, "The main aim of gay public education should be publicity - and not by proxy. Coming out, singly and in groups is still the most D THE SECOND STONE □ pre-trial hearing, Judge Daniel Futch asked the prosecutor, "That's a crime now, to beat up a homosexual?" The judge later said he was kidding, but gay rights groups throughout the country failed to see the humor . Last year in Dallas, Judge Jack Hampton admitted in an interview with the Dallas Times Herald that he had · given a convicted murderer a light sentence because the victim was homosexual. The frightening implication of remarks like these is that gay people are fair game. If the Code .of Judicial Conduct is revised to .include a ban against judicial discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, judges will be accountable and may think twice before they fail to provide equal justice under the ·1aw. important thing a Gay person can do politically ." Those people you marched with, those people you went to the rally or memorial service with, they aren ' t the people who need to be told you're Gay or Lesbian . They aren't the ones who need to know that "we .are everywhere ." Let's stop preaching to the converted. We can't really have pride without dignity, and no matter how big our parades become, how many people attend our marches and rallies, until every person feels that he or she can say they are gay or lesbian without threat to their jobs, their friendships, their church membership, their very lives, we still have no pride to speak of . We put a misguided emphasis on our sexuality being a matter of privacy, therefore, it's best if we don't exist, isn't it? Our sexuality should not be a matter of privacy but a matter of pride. March, and be counted. (But rememb .er, they always undercount us.) More importantly, speak up and out, as an i.ndividual. Make sui-e that somehow, one way of another, everyone finds out that they do, really, know someone who is gay or lesbian . Make sure, one way or another, they know "we are everywhere." Twenty years after Stonewall we should be doing better than one-fifth of this ccmntry having a Gay or Lesbian acquaintance, don't you think? Hug someone straight today. Jim Roche is a Unitarian Minister, therapist and member of the. American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists. He is also a regular contribuior to Oμr :Own Community Press. Bays Undor Brm by Maury Johnston. A Gay Christian's Response to the Moral Majority. This book is meant to be an aggressive attack upon the anti-gay ideology of "Falwellian" fundamentalism as well as an objectively critiC31 review of various life-styles among some gay Christians which only tend to give more credence to the extremist accusations that all gays are "immoral and perverted." 202 pages, hardbound . ........ S1_5.95 eom1,. out ta P111nt1 by Mary V. Borhek. By the author of . "My Son Eric." Mary Borhek deftly presents both sides of this delicate issue . . She explores the ·!ears. and misgivings that homosexuals often have about telling their parents they are gay or lesbian, and she examines ihe feelings of disappointment, confusion, and guilt that can beset parents. 208 pages, papertiack. S9.95 111..,11rs of S111h MlpzlM. May/ June, Sept/Oct Issue. ·A Christian magazine concentrating on "NOmen's issues. A two-part series pertaining to Christian lesbians. Such articles as "Is Lesbianism The Real lssue?,""My Husband ls Gay .. ,"and two articles on "Can Homosexual Behavior ee· Christian?" Magazine . subscription info is also available on request. . . . . . $3.00 Dirt, 6rlld &· Sax by L. William Countryman. A direct. simple, solid piece of scholarly work which can profitably infonn even the casual reader. Much care is taken to 'unwrap' the New Testament passages which fonn directly and indirectly how we think about issues of human ~ sexuality. 288 pgs, hardcover. $19.95 Dcubttul Cllrlltlm M1k1 Qi.a,r Saints by Or: Ralph Blair. Concerns the gay Christian's anxjety over incomplete integration of Christian faith and homosexuality. Uses Martin Luthers li1e in comparisof! to the anxious gay Christian. 80 pages, pamphlet. $4.39 Embodt .. nt. An Approach to S1x111llty by James B. Nelson. A first-class study in theo lo gical ethics. Th e comprehensive and imagi nat ive treatment sets both tradili\lflal. and unconventional sexuality issues within the context of God's fulfilling grace. 303 pages, papertiack . ..... $11.95 THE BOOK SERVICE We have the books you're looking for! Christmas Shopping A Problem? We stock over 140 books and tapes for 5lift items. To insure delivery by Christmas please order by Dec. 6'i1i. LARGEST SELECTION OF GAY CHRISTIAN BOOKS AND TAPES AVAILABLE! FOR FREE CATALOG, CREDIT CARD ORDERS, AND CHURCH DISCOUNT PROGRAM Call Today 1-800-728-8282 "Ravlval" Cassette Tape (Music) Cassette Tape of Pentecostal Christian Music. Includes: "Revival," "Almost Home," "Jesus," "Will Soon Be Oone," "Gonna Be Gone," "Sound of His Coming," & "The Rock" ... · ... $9.95 BaySpak by James Chesebro, editor. Essays on coming out, gay civil rights, the media and homosexuality, lesbian relationships, and a host of other issues. 367 pages, papertiack. 19.95 Good N1W1 f11r Mod1m 61yl by Rev. Sylvia Pennington. This is not a theological treatise written to theologians. It is one non-gay Christian woman's .search for Truth ·and Understanding, written simply and easily for others who also seek truth on this controversial subject. ~21 pages, papertiack . .. ..... . . .. . .. . $8.00 Hamo11x111llty & El!IICI by Edward Batchelor, Jr., Edito.r. A collection of statements and opinions by church leaders from different viewpoints concerning the Church and homosexuality. 261 pages, papertiack. . . . .. $8.95 Rev.S yMaPffl ningion HomomuIllty ind th, Conumtlv, Cllrllllin by Rev. L. Robert Arthur. A brief, concise explanation of each of the Biblical 'clobber passages· written from the view of a conservative Christian. Rev. Robert Arthur holdsa Master of Arts degree in Bible·from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. Recommended reading for those struggling with what the Bible says about the subject of homosexuality. 13 pages, papert,ack . ... . -. ....... . .. $2.50 . Ex-Bay by Dr. Ralph Blair Reviews and exposes the false hope of the "ex-gay" movement as well as the unreasonableness of enforced celibacy. SO pages, pamphlet . .. , ... . . $4.39 61y/L11blu Llbmtlon/ A Biblical Perspective by George R. Edwards. This book shows, on Biblical grounds, that gay/lesbian liberation rightfully belongs to the genre of liberation theology, that the homophobic reject ion of gay/lesbian persons by the church and synagogue cannot claim Biblical sanction. 153 pages. papemack, .. ...... .. . .... 19.95 NEW RELEASE/ Ex- G ays? There ar e none. by Rev . Sylvia Pennington. This book is an examin a tion oY .gay m inistr ies; What th ey do an d do no t d o . It is tol d through the positiv e testimoni es of many women & men who have over come thier lif elo n g st ru gg le ab out being g a y and Chr ist ia n. 400 p ages, pa per . . . . $15.00 Wlllt Boll! Ey11 0111n by Patricia Johnson & Janet Kalven. ''The human species ... has been driving down the highway of life with one eye (the female) held firmly closed," says Elizabeth Dodson Gray . This · book encourages a second look at patriarchal Christian theology from a more balanced perspective. 201 pages, paperback. , ... • . $10.95 Wo11111t of fllllt In Dlllt111111 by Virginia Ramey Mollenkott. In a unique dialogue project sponsored by the American Jewish Committee. eighteen women of fa ith • Protestant , Catholic , Jewish, and Muslim - discuss the challenges that confront women in the respective communities of faith. 144 pgs, paperback. 19.95 Your MDMY or Your LIii by John Alexander. This is a witty and eloquent plea to Christians who are concerned both for themselves and the world to take Jesus seriously, love God whoJly, and live their faith passionately. 251 pages, hardbound . . • $14.45 lfDull Uk1 A IJJbl1 by Madelene L'Engle. Adventures in the life of Poly· O'Keafe on her way to a conference-in Cyprus. Polly realizes that it is alright to have contradictory feelings about somecne, and that on the other side of pain there is still love. 308 pages. hardbound . ..... $13.95 H1maa1ial1 Ind 1111 BIiio by Rev. Or. Nonnan Pittenger. An overall look at homosexuality and the Bible. Briefly approaches Scripture. 14 pages, pamphlet. .. . ... . ... $1.25 Qty -- ORDER FORM - S1nd order to: THE BOOK SERVICE P.O. Box 5760 Waa,fland P1r1', CO Bf!866 Sub Totat . . Colo. Res. add 3% tax .... ·- -Handling 12.50. ....... . .. 2.' 50 Shipping-Add SOC /item. Total . _ Visa _ Mastercard _ Discover Amer. Exp Exp.Date_ card No. _____ ___ _ __ _ Signature ___ _ _ _______ _ ___ _ Your can! will be ·billed through Pikes Peak Paradise, Woodland Park. C Name Address_----~--~---- --- -- City , State, Zip. _____________ _ November /December 1989 AIDS, tl1t Splrttllll Dlllm .. . by John E. Fortunato. This infonnative, sensitive book is exactly what's needed to answer the witches' brew ol ignorance, prejudice, half-truths, and whole lies evoked by the word AIDS. Fortooato is a therapist to gay and straight, to those dying of AIDS and those by the grace of God more fortunate. 156 pages,_ paper ... $7.95 Allf1, A Cl1hollc Cott for Comp1111Dn by Bleen P. Flynn. Reacting to AIDS with panic and hysteria is unchristian. This book points the way beyond f,. r. to reason and charitable concern . . 99 pages, paperback. . ........ 14.95 Bo!MlnTWll Sltdana , by James B. Nelson. A continuation of his earlier work. "Embodiment," Nelson explores human sexuality and the Christian . experience. He asks the question, "Whai does sexuality say about faith?" 193 pages. paperback . ............... H.95 llylnd 811 Rolla by Gilbert Bilezikian. A guide for the study of female roles in the Bible. This is a first-rate Biblical-theological study by a committed evangelical teacher that affinns full equality of the sexes in church and family. 300 pages, papert,ack. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. 19.95 But IJJnf T111y'11 Bay by Sylvia Pennington. The story of a journey for one non-gay . fervent, evangelical Christian woman with a mission to " Save .. and Change" the homosexual. The struggles of becoming accepting and supportive as God leads her along his path. 171 pages, papertiack . ......... .. .... 17.00 Chrl1t1anlty, s0,111 Tolonnco & Homoaxi.allty by Or. John Boswell. One of the most extensive treatments on. the subject. Challenges received opinions and preconceptions about the Church's past relationship to its gay members, among Yt'hom were priests, and even bishops and canonized saints. Well researched. 424 pages, papertiack . ..... SlZ.95 My Sao Erle by Mary V. · Borhek. The story of a mothers struggle of denial, realization, and acceptance of her gay son. In the process she discovers herself. 160 pages, papertiack. . . , ..... 17 .95 II Newsbriefs Telegram Hotline Establis·hed To Fight AIDS Discrimination WASHINGTON, D.C. - Americans who want to see the passage of the most · far reaching federal legislation to provide legal protection to people with AIDS or those with HIV infection now have a powerful lobbying mechanism through the use of the telephone. .. An ADA Hotline has been established by a coalition of Disability and AIDS activist groups to provide Congress with a flood of telegrams in support of the landmark Americans with · Disabilities Act of 1989. The CCD (Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities) is a coalition composed of several dozen national organizations providing services and advocacy for persons with physical and emotional disabilities. The CCD has been the leading group advocating for the ADA as it moves through Congress, As a partner with CCD, NORA (National Organizations Responding to AIDS) is an additional coalition organized by the AIDS Action Council that includes the National Gay and. Lesbian Task Force, the Human Rights Campaign Fund, The National AIDS Network, .The National Association of People with AIDS, The National Minority AIDS Council, The National AIDS Interfaith Network and over -100 other human service and professional national · associations . This strong civil rights bill will ensure civil liberties to all persons with physical as well as emotional disabilities and will also protect the estimated 1.5 millions Americans infected with HIV, the virus · associated with AIDS. ADA passed the Senate by a vote of 76 to 8 on September '7th. President Bush has publicly expressed his strohg support · for the passage of the bill into law and has confirmed his support for the HIV protections in the bill . The ADA Hotline is activated by an individual calling 1-800-257-4900 and requesting operator number -9565. Hearing impaired callers can use TTD number 1-800-541-1792. The operator will ask the caller for their name, address and phone number in order to bill the $7.50 charge and to assign the message · to that caller's congressional representative. The caller need not even know their own congressperson as the message will be sent automatically to Western Union. For the $7.50 charge, three different, pre-recorded messages will be sent to Congress on behalf of the caller. Due to daily changes in the status of the bill's progress through the Congress, messages are written by the Coalition to fit the changing status of the bill. Callers will see their charge A Presbyterian Promise "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 on their next phone bill and may requesta copy of the message from the Hotline operator. The Holtine lobbying technique has been used by many advocacy groups in Washington and has been shown over the years to be an effective tool in the effort to encourage members of Congress to support certain bills. Organizers hope to show Congress with the use of the ADA Hotline that there are fhousands of voters who enthusiastically support this effort and reall:i.e its historical importance. Priest Denies Sexual Allegations Renegade Catholic priest George Stallings, Jr. denied the allegations of an unidentified 28 year old man who told the Washingtqn Post that Stallings regularly had sex with him in 1977 in the church rectory. Stallings had previously been suspended for forming the Imani Temple in Washington, D.C. in protest against the church's lack of pastoral concern for blacks and in defiance of church hierarchy. Stallings said, "I believe that this charge is an accusation to divert attention from my- mission ... to drive racial insensitivity and racism out ·of the Catholic Church. Gay-Bashings Faked SAN FRANCISCO - Rev. Lynn Griffis, assistant pastor of a Metropolitan Community Church in San Francisco, resigned her position after is was discovered that she filed false reports of being a victim of gay -bashings in two separate incidents this past summer. The incidents received widespread media attention and prompted Mayor Art Agnos to offer a $10,000.00 reward for the attacker's arrest. At pre 9s time, Griffis had made no statement regarding the false reports. -Chicago OUTLINES ELCA Defers Gay Ordination Issue, Passes AIDS Policy Interim guidelines opposing ordination of non-celibate gays were referred to committee without discussion during the first convention of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and will therefore not be acted upon until the _next church-wide assembly. But the Rev. Jim Lokken, a spokesperson for pro-gay California congregations, says that his church, St. Francis Lutheran in San Francisco, will proceed with the THE SECOND STONE □ : ordination of Jeff Johnson. (TSS, Nov/Dec88) Lutherans Concerned was present at the ELCA convention, staffing a literature table . and confronting delegates with pro-gay bann~rs, badges, posters and slogans. In other action, the Assembly passed in a near unanimous vote a strong policy statement on the AIDS epidemic. The resolution committed the church to the inclusion of "all persons living with ·AIDS, their families, partners, and friends" in "the life and worship of the church" and dedicated the ELCA "to · , practical, pastoral, and emotional support services through its congrega lions, institutions and agencies." Bob Nelson, a delegate from. _the Sierra Pacific Synod (Northern <' California/ Northern Nevada) was one of the authors of the resolution. "I was amazed that no regional assembly had memorialized a resolution on AIDS to this one," he said, "In fact, the only time AIDS was to be discussed was at 6:30 a.m. at a breakfast meeting. We quickly got an ad-hoc group together and drafted a resolution with some teeth in it." -Baltimore Aliernative and other reports Leonard Graff, NGRA's Legal Director, Departs After Seven Years SAN FRANCISCO - Leonard Graff, National Gay Rights Advocates Legal ·rnrector since 1982, has announced that he will be leaving the civil rights law firm in December. NGRA's Executive Di,ector Jean O'Leary expressed her sadness at the announcement and commended Graffs long record of service and powerful influence on NGRA and the gay and lesbian community . Under Graff's leadership, the legal program of NGRA set a number of new benchmarks: a landmark $3:2 million settlement against Pacific Bell for employment discrimination against Gays and Lesbians, a California Court of Appeal precedent that make AIDS employment . discrimination illegal, and a United States Supreme Court victory establishing the First Amendment rights of teachers to discuss homosexuality, He has played an important role in defining a powerful agenda for gay civil rights in the United States. Newsbriefs Resources Available For Gay Couples Gay and lesbian couples looking for legal information, a couples support group, or a way to win domestic partnership benefits might start with a free list of resources available from "PAR1NERS: The Newsletter for Gay & Lesbian Couples ." The annotated directory, "Resources for Gay & Lesbian Couples," is available in a newlyexpanded edition that lists two dozen social, political and support groups , and more than 40 books, videotapes and films. To receive a copy send a self-addressed, stamped business size . · envelope to: P AR1NERS resource list, · Box 9685 , Seattle WA 98109. Audio Tape Provides Information On AIDS AIDS Audio Update provides monthly audio casssette tapes on issues important to all persons living with AIDS . and all others conc ~ d about the disease. '' Tapes are availabl e individually for $10 .00 or by annual subscription (12 tap e s) for $99.00 from AIDS _Audio Dpdate , P.O . Box 46 1370, Los Angeles , CA 90046 or toll-fr ee , 1-800-999-9559, -extension A. AIDS ' organiza t ions interested in receivin g AIDS Audio Update or participating in the production or di stributi on of the series may contact th e address list ed above or call (21 3 )65.6-0860. Gay Games Torch Passed To International Board SAN FRANCISCO - San Fr ancisco Arts and Athletics , ruling body of the Ga y Games since their inception in 1982, has passed the torch to its succeeding board which will be known as The Federation of Gay Games . The Federation's primary function will be "to foster and augment the self-respect of gay women and men throughout the world and to engender understanding from the non-gay world . through the medium of non competitivel y oriented cultural and athl e tic events promoted as 'The Gay Games."' Following the dream of the games ' founder, Tom Waddell, · the Federation will continue to emphasize inclusiv eness in all future Gay Games so that all participants may exercise their personal best, whether in sports or the arts. The new Federation's board is . - --- ··-- - - -- - --- - comprised of 40 Lesbians and Gays from regional, national, and international sporting, cultural and supportive organizations who are dedicated to ensuring the continued integrity of the Gay Games. While the _world anticipates GGIII hosted by Canada next year, this new council has already begun the task of determining the focatiori. for GG IV in 1994 . Organizations and individuals desiring mo.re information about the Federation should call (415)566-1015 or write 584 Castro St., Suite 343, San Francisco, CA 9411;1. New Public Information Director Named At NGLTF WASHINGTON, D.C. - Gay rights activist and lO-year communications professional Robert Bray has been named public information director at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force . Bray succe eds Urvashi Vaid , recently appointed NGLTF executive dir ector. Bray was communications director at the Human Rights Campaign Fund , where he h e lped increase public · awaren e ss of that organization ' s political programs and activities . Bray was instrumental in generating nation.al media atte!ltion around the Circle K conv eni~nce store company ' s d ecision last y ear to drop from its h ealth plan p e ople with AIDS who contracted th e disease from "personal life-style" decisioi:s, The resultin g e dito r ials , media debates and demonstrations helped pressure the company to reverse its · discriminatory policy. Lutheran AIDS Hearings Signal Greater Church Involvement OAKLAND, Cal. - Hearings have been held by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) at which people with AI0 Sr ·and AIDS experts were asked to assist in creating church policy . The results of these hearings will be used by ELCA Church and Socie ty Commission to formulate policy proposals that will be submitted for Church appro val. A hearing in San Francisco includ e d testimony from representative s of the Mayor's Task Forc e on AIDS', the school district, Bayview Hunter ' s Point Foundation, hospital chaplins, . and various groups involved in direct service to peopl ~ with AIDS. "We are simply continuing with the tradition, as old as the Church itself, of trying to respond with compassion to all those in need," explained Michael Pozar, Convenor of the Commission's AIDS Task Force. "This action is somewhat late in coming, but the need is clear and the Church leaders ar e very supportive ." . Bishop Lyle Miller, who was scheduled to be present for much of the hearings, said , "We want to hear from those who are personally engaged with this tragic illness and not make policy decisions i_n a vacuum." Light From A New Torch · BOSTON - In June of 1990 a dance tour called ""Light From A New Torch: Dancing to Vancouver" will begin its cross continent trip from Boston, Massachusetts to Vancouver, Br.ilish Columbia, the site of Celebration '90: Gay Games III and Cultural Festival, an. event expected to draw over 10,000 athletes and artists from ·around the globe during the week of August 4 -11 . The tour will be historic both in its format and in its assemblage of gay and le sbian dancers and choreographers □ from diverse demographic and artistic backgrounds · to share the cre o.' ive process. As the tour proceeds from Boston, dancers and choreography will be add ed through improvisation and collaboration to the tour's ''seed dari.ce" which will be performed in each · city . The "seed dance" will grow until it becomes an evening concert for preformances at the Cultural Festival in Vancouver . The theme of the "seed dance" is relationships .- between people, ideas, situations. "We, the choreographers and dancers, wiH be exploring th e communication, or lack there of, which takes place in our lives," states tour artistic director Jeffry Pike of Boston . "The speed of communication systems today brings about the potential to be overwhelmed by the information around us. People shut down and shut out. Through it all, the basic relationships between people must still exist and be nurtured . We will examine the need to not close off ourselves. " The tour is still searching for dancers, choreographers and presenters. Anyone interested in inform a tion about or being a part of Light From A New Torch can write or call Jeff Pike, P . O . Box 515 - Kenmor e Station, Boston, MA 02215 or call (617) 876-7612 . GAY GA1\1ES EDITION The Lesbian and Gay ALMANAC and EVENTS of Preserve the Past Prepare for the Future And Never Again Say ... ' If Only I'd Known .' Only$9.95 Available at local bookstores or send $9.95 plus $1.50 postage ($11.45) to: ENVOY ENTERPRISES 740 N. Rush St. Suite 609 Chicago IL 60611 "A Stunning Achievement" A 36-page Gay Games Section detailing the history of the Garnes and providing gold-winning scores of Gay Garnes I & TI, plus a preview of the 1990 Gay Games III The Gay/Lesbian Yea r in Review Arts & Entertainment. Books, Health Issues, Laws & Legislation, Organizations, Politics, Women's Issues.-Filled with graphs & charts! Event of' the Year Stonewall 20: A Generation of Pride, honors the 1989 Gay/Lesbian Pride Celebration and provides a host of facts and statistics about gays and lesbians, their lifestyles, and how attitudes have changed in the 20 years since the modern gay rights movement began. Events orl990 Almost 500 upcoming gay/lesbian events, including rodeos, concerts, cruises, conventions, sports events, religious gatherings, women's niusic festivals, tours and trips, conferences and meetings, social extravaganzas, plus much more. November/December 1989 a News briefs NGL TF Challenges Dannemeyer On Federal Youth Suicide Report WASHINGTON, D.C. - In a letter delivered to Preside _nl Bush, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force sharply challenged an attempt by Congressman William Dann emeyer (R-CA) to persuade the White House to repudiate sections of a Department of Health and Human Services report that addressed lesbian an d gay youth suicide issues. In a September 7 letter to President Bush regarding the Report of the Secretary's Task Force on Youth Sukide, Rep. Dannemeyei asked the President to "affirm traditional · family values by denouncing the portion of the report that deals with homosexuality." Dannemeyer stated in his letter to the President that he h ad previously asked . Dr. James Mason, Assistant Secretary of HHS, to denounce aspects of the report dealing with homosexuality. Wrote Dannemeyer, "I suggested to Dr. Mason th at he will need to decide whether he will side with . traditional family · values or the Na ti ona l Gay and Lesbian Task Force." Rep. Dannemeyer also sta ted that the HHS report and "pub lic school programs such as Project 10 in the Los Angeles Unified School District simp ly add legitim acy to the heretofore crime of child molestation." Responding to Dannemeyer's letter, NGL TF's Urvashi Vaid wrote to President Bush, urging him to place "moral leadership" over "prejudice and moral posturing," and to vigorously implement the recommendations of .the report. Sixth International Conference On AIDS Seeks Community Recommendations SAN FRANCISCO - Seeking to assure that community needs for in formation on the developing science of AIDS are (i "[IS articles are often compellingly wn·uen and thoughtprr;, vok ing . as a magll.zine handling difficult subj ect matter. Open Hands is to be co mmended for its results. ·• -judges' comments from Reconciling Ministries with Lesbians & Gay Men Associated Chureh Press 1988 Award of Merit Program Open Hands , the only national Christian magazine focussing on the concerns of lesbians and gay men, is now in .its fifth year of publication·. Each issue of Open Hands addresses a particular concern of gay/lesbian Christians with: • feature articles by national/local church leaders • ideas for congregational ministries • worship and spiritual growth resources • news from Reconciling Congregations and other ministries with lesbians and gay men. Annual subscription {four issues)-$16 BACK ISSUES AVAILABLE, "Be Yf. Reconc·iled" (Summer 19851 "A Matter or Justice"' (Winter 19861 "Our Families .. (Spring 19861 "Our Churches· Policies" /Summer 198(>1 "Images of Healing .. (Fall 19861 "Homophobia and the Church" (Winter 19811 ' "Minorities within a Minority'' (Spring 19811 "An Emerging Community" !Summer 1981) Single issue-$5 "Sexual Violence" !Fall 198i) "Sexualit y and Spirituality" !Winter 1988 1 "Building Reconciling Ministries·· (Spring 198.HJ "Living and Loving with AIDS" (Summer (9881 "Raising Reconciling Children" (Fall 1988) "Sexual Ethics" (Winter 1989) .. Called to Create .. !Spring 19891 __ Please send me a one-year subscription to Open Han.ds @ $16. __ Please send me a copy of each of the back issues marked above. 0 Enclosed is my payment oI $ __ _ . _ . D Please bill me. _. _ I ·.may want to receive Open Hands, please send me a sample issue. Name __ __ _ _ _ __ _ ____ ___ _ _ __ _ _ ~ -- - -- Address _____ ___ ____ _ __ _ ____ __ __ _ __ _ _ City _ _ __ _ __ _ __ _ __ _ _ St.ate __ _ _ __ Zip - - ~ - Open Hands • P.O. Box 23636 • Washington, O;C. 20026 PubUshed by Affirmation: United. Methodists for ~bian / Ga)' Conceflls met, and to assure express ion of a public policy agenda responsive to the needs of HIV infected people, the · Sixth International Confenence on AIDS has embarked on an unprecedented community outreach program. With this program, conference organizers hope to · include peop le with HlV infection, Lesbians and Gay men, women, people of color, people of the third world , AIDS service providers and activist organizations in the planning process of the meeting. The Conference, attended by over 12,000 AIDS researchers and service providers from · throughout the world , will be held in San Francisco from June 20 to 24, 1990. The th eme of the Sixth h:,ternational Conference on AIDS is "AIDS in the · Nineties: From Science to Public Policy." Conference .orga ni zers are working to design a program that emphasizes presentation of the highest . quality science on AIDS, considers the implications of scientific advances on AIDS for public policy, and closely examines the compl e x interface between science and political activism as they relate to AIDS. Recognizing the imp ortance of community input from throughout the world, th e Conference has mailed Community Outreach Surveys to 1,100 AIDS organizations internationally. □ A lr ead y, the Conference has played an important ro le working with scientists and activists to crea te a more en lightened public policy on AIDS. In April of this year, the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service enforced its restriction on ent ry by HIV infected travelers by detaining Hans Paul Verhoef, a Dutch citizen. Conference organizers and community groups joined in an effort to move the federal government to change this medically unjustified policy. The resulting campaign brought medical experts and the political community together to call on Washington for change, and led to a major shift in INS re gula tions. HIV infected travelers to the United States may now obtain 30 day waiyers to enter the United States for four purposes: visiting relatives, seeking medical treatment, conducting business, and attending conferences. The Sixth Internat ional has continued to press for a further broadening of this policy to include HIV infected tourists. It has protested .two incidents in which it appeared the new policy was not bein g properly carried out. And on August 1, a letter from the INS provided furth.ur assurances that the new regulations will be cons isten tly and, in some cases, flexibly administered. You spend only this much of your advertising dollar to reach a Second Stone reader! •Readers in every state across the USA ... and in many foreign countries '" . • An ad this size costs less than 2¢ per reader! •No charge for layout, composition, proofs •A unique opportunity to reach il precisely defined audience •State zoning available for pre-print inserts •Each edition circulated for up· to four months •Reach the NEW Gay & Lesbian market in the USA! · THE SECOND S10NE Box 8340 • New Orleans, LA 70182 II THE SECOND STONE . .,- ... Cover Story . · An Ex-Gay's Story "No Desire To By Robert Mcknight Contributing Writer Some ex-gays who say their sexual conversion is only one part of a broader religious conversion show a tendency to .witness that change similar to straight people who undergo a borncagain experience and turn evangelical. The following is one conversion account, tha.t of John Smid, a counselor at California-based Love in Action ex-gay ministry. Smid, once married and with two children, turned to gay life when he was 24. "I was ecstatic. I decided it was the missing piece t6 the puzzle of my life," Smid said . "I was in a place I could talk freely about my sexual desires. I found a group of men I could talk to about my feelings -- where men were open, caring and concerned." He left behind the wife and family he started five years before, at age 19. He said marriage was more than anything else a way to escape. He didn't do anything separate from his wife. He built his life COVER STORY From Pagel Penningion's latest book, Ex-Gays: There Are None, was published in August. Gays may spend years in counseling determined to slough off what they feel are unhealthy or immoral desires, Pennington said. They may force themselves to repress homosexual tendencies by selecting a career · not normally compatible with a ' gay lifestyle. They may choose heterosexual marriage, she said. No amount of counseling, or the change ministries, ultimately offer Gay men or Lesbians desired resu It, she entirely around her. "I was very hungry for friendship," he said. His upbringing was Nebraska mid-western, and that's where he continued to make his home. He eventually met a gay man and life started to change . . "I felt I could relate to him in many ways. I felt that was it, what I'd been looking for all my life;" Smid said -- even though his sexual experience with this man ended after their first encounter. But he met others. One was a 35-year-old who had been living gay for a number of years, Smid said. He told Smid that Gays just don't settle into spousal relationships with other men, so he might as · well not pursue the idea. Smid said he rebelled against that advice and began what he called a determined effort to start a monogamous relationship and make it work. He consistently failed. His partners couldn't adhere to that standard. Eventually, Smid said even he couldn't. said. "They're still as gay as ever. In truth', if a homosexual never again sleeps with another homosexual, they're still gay," Pennington said. Pennington was raised in the Assembly of God . and, as a change minister, counseled reluctant homosexuals from 1963 to 1968. After she left that vocation, Pennington says she took another 10 ye-ars to swing around to her current beliefs: that sexuality is not a. matter of choice and that Gays can be beloved of God as much as straights. And that people who think they can change .their sexuality are as doomed to disappointment as people who think they c~n change Go Back" "I rationalized that by saying that since this relationship isn't working, it's OK because I'm looking for someone to settle with. As long as I was looking for someone, it was OK," he said. One of his lovers had a sister whom Smid said was Christian. His first reaction was mocking. Later, he met another woman who was Christian. "I was very hungry for friendship." "She really believed in a God who wants us to enjoy our lives. I just hadn't iho ·ught that enjoyment could be God-ordained. Eventually, she invited me to her church. The people were joyful and really excited about being there," Smid said. • "Those feelings didn't quite go along with my lifestyle. I hadn't ever been the color of their eyes, .she said. Change Ministries Say It Is Possible The basic change ministry claim, on the other hand, is that sexual conversion can be genuine because people really do have a choice. The belief is based on church notions of free will and selfdetermination. The Spring, 1989 issue of The Exodus Standard includes an article by Jack Hickey on Tony Campolo and Campolo's book, 20 Hot Potatoes Christians Are Afraid To Touch. The Standard is published by Exodu ·s International, an umbrella group for convertold that homosexuality was wrong. I just had a feeling that things weren't mixing right ." Then came a crucial time, a moment of realization Smid said reminds him of the Biblic~l episode when the enlightened Adam and Eve first realize their nakedness. "I went to revival with my lover's sister. By this time I'd had several relationships that were really painful. I had a sense the Lord said, 'Then you just don 't have to feel like .that anymore.' "I know it changed my heart. I was never embarrassed about my gay experience'. Everyone close to . me knew I was . homosexual. For the first time the next day I felt an embarrassment. "All of a sudden I was aware of my sin," Smid · said. From that point on, there was a constant awareness that homosexuality alienated Smid in subtle and sometimes blatant ways · from other important facets of his life. Y ~t he was not sion ministries. In his chapter on homosexuality, Campolo writes, "More and more research suggests that in a great number of cases, if not in an overwhelming majority, homosexual orientation is inborn." Hickey's change ministry response is simple. "His (Campolo's) chapter on homosexuality has sent shock waves through ex-gay ministries across the country. How could this man, who many of tis respect as a Christian leader, come to this conclusion?" Hickey asks. Hickey later remarks that Campcilo's assertion gave him "deep concern." The free choice was available to him, said November /December 1989 □ ready to give it up. "For the next two years, my relational struggles just got worse and worse and worse. I met one guy, and from the moment we met we really took to one another. He was a Christian, raised · · in a pastor's house. I thought the answer was to have a Christian lover." That didn't work. Neither did an alternative he tried pursuing at the same time. "About two years later I said do not want this anymore. It's just been a disaster . I'm just sick of it. I left my last lover. I joined my church's single group," Smid said . · Members did not know he was gay, since he had started hiding that two years before, when homosexuality had started being an embarrassment. "The men in the group were emotionally · charged and interested. , They hugged, they prayed. All that I had really looked for, 1 could have without sex. I · didn't have any desire to go back," Smid said. Kevin Oshiro, a convert of the Love in Action ministry in San Rafael, Calif., and now himself a counselor for the ministry. "I've come out of the lifestyle myself. You have · to believe that · Jesus can change you and wants to change you, if you submit yourself to his Lordship," said Oshiro. Similar testimonials are easy to find. The ministry answered a request for more information with several items titled "Testimony of the Month," where converts recount their change experiences. "My parents warned my younger sister and I (sic) about the dangers of men, SEE COVER STORY, Page 11 a -------.,----.,...,..,.,..,~::--~;:,,--,:-----------------~-------~.,--.,----------- -, Celebrating the lives of our friends and their accomplishments is a way of . paying reverence to their memories, and it was such devotion that led Mark Barker into my life. By an almost uncanny set of circumstances we first came to know each other through our correspondence; he had written to _ me many times with unbridled enthusiasm about a legacy of unusual art he had inherited from his friend Robert Leone. IT WASON A WARM.HUMID evening last June that Mark and I first met face-to-face, and we both looked forward to sharing some time to discuss Mark's plan for celebrating the life of his friend . The balcony doors to his hotel room were thrown open, letting damp breezes rustle the curtains. Beautiful bird song was our background "music" as a .flood of memories returned to Mark . "Theirs was a friendship that had developed and grown during the wild, restless days of the 1970s, when we all innocently could never have imagined that one day a disease would be devastating our community ... taking so many people we love. Prior to this, Robert Leone had grown . up in a traditional Catholic family, typically serving as an altar boy, and attending parochial schools. His early years were emeshed in his faith, and this spiritual aspect of his life carried over into his later years, finding expression in a number of ways, most notably his art. At times I could read .the emotion in Mark's eyes as he discussed their years of deep friendship, and their years of work to establish a health club in Los Angeles. Both were proud of their eventual _success, much of it -due to Robert's magnetic personality. Even though Robert became a successful businessman, he still consid- From A Sincere Eye Art Inspired By The Light Within BY MICHAEL BLANKENSHIP ARTIST ROBERT LEONE'S "INFINITE ACQUAINTANCE" (Original in color; copyright 1988 by · The Paintings' Co .) ered himself foremost to be an artist. He thought of his art, which had come naturally to him, as a Godgiven talent, and just as God gives new spiritual birth to believers so that we may be called "God's Ghildren", so also Robert considered his paintings to be his "children," having given birth to them from his own soul and imagination. His commitment to his talent never ceased, and each finished work was a cherished possession , a gift from God. I HAD ANXIOUSLY AWAITED seeing examples of Robert's work ; and when Mark brought out the photographs I knew instantly that the art work was a reflection of Robert's own personality, both magnetic and spiritual. It has a mysterious ethereal qua]ity, and reGurring symbols of his faith are present in many works. There is no set way of defining Robert's works. I'm sure twenty people would have twenty different interpretations, and all the perceptions would be accurate, but I know that all would find universal spiritual qualities. The art truly has unlimited appeal. Most of his figures are androgynous beings which of course is a spiritual way of viewing people in general (''There is neither male nor female, for we are all one in Chirst." Gal. 3:28.) As I looked at the colorful works certain things stood out in my mind. In one,God is depicted as a supernatural being larger than the planets and yet blending with the universe (''The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows God's handywork " Ps. 19:1.) A halo encompasses the head, and the eyes are stem yet understanding. In THE SECOND STONE another work a partial face is disolving into a halo, perhaps illustrating Robert's own blending with the spiritual world. In several of the works rays of lights, like lazers , are projecting from the eyes of the portraits ("The light of the body is the eye, if therefor e your eye is sincere, your whole body shall be full of light." Matt . 6:22.) In another a golden lily is growing within the head (mind?) of the figure, and a cross is seen in the background. Several times a trinity - is portrayed, once with hearts on · either side, in another entitled The Realization of Harmony the haloed trinity is emerging from a beautiful · blue (lotus?) blossum. Below, single female and male figures , perhaps angelic beings in ancient apparel, are represented supporting these symbols of holiness and purity. In another of these fascinating pieces a large cross with the head of Christ at it's center is part of a seemingly transparent head, while irridescent teardrops fall into a cloudy landscape where planets grow and bloom on stalks with leaves. UNDENIABLY THE MOST impressive work, at least from the Christian perspective, is the beautiful face of Christ entitled Infinite Acquaintance. As in all of Robert's portraits, the eyes are the central focus of the art. In this instance, the eyes at first glance appear to be angry ; a feeling enhanced by the red aura around the figure, but closer examination reveals a look of total compassion .. Christ looking with love and authority on his people. The royal purple background only enhances the beauty of this piece, and amazingly the combination of red and purple fit together perfectly. Michael Blankenship is a freelance writer from Roanoke, Virginia. His work has recently appeared in The Advocate. For information on prints of Robert Leone's art write to The Paintings Co., 2519 Griffith Park Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90039. - ~esbian & Gay Male Couples Meet Differently Lesbian couples are likely ·to meet tinder different circumstances than those common for gay-male couples, ,ccording to preliminary results from 1 survey of same-sex couples. Lesbian :ouples most often met through friends or at work, while male :ouples met at bars more often than my other way. selected preliminary results based on 812 respondents , representing 390 lesbian couples and 273 gay male couples . The su rvey drew about 1600 · responses in all. introduc tion s, were responsible for the meetings of 28 percent of the · lesbian couples and 19 percent of the men. l /2 years or less; half the men had been together 5 years or less. More than one in five of th e le sbian couples met at work, but fewer th an five percent of the men did. - The survey is directed by Stevie Bryant and Demian, who hope to publish the results . The "how they met" question was 1mong more than a hundred put to ;ame-sex couples in a national study ~ndertaken last year by Partners: The \Jewsletter for · Gay and Lesbian :ouples. The publication has issued While 24 percent of the men met in a bar, the venue is becoming less prominent as a meeting spot. The new er the relationship, the more likely the couple had met at a social event instead. Friends, an encluring source of Despite the youth of the respondents - averaging 35 years for women, 37 years for men - Lesbians had been together an average of 5 1 / 4 years and Gay men averaged 7 1/2 years . Whi le. several couples had been together longer than 40 years, many of the relationships were only recently started. Half .of all the women surveyed had been together 3 "When data entry is complete, we will be able to draw an up-to-date picture of the families being created by gay and lesbian couples," says Demian. To receive a summary of final results, when available, send a stamped, self-addressed business envelope to PartI)ers Survey Resuits, Box 9685, Seattle, .WA 98109. COVER StORY, From Page 9 especially strangers. The message I heard was, 'Don't trust men. You'll only get hurt,"' writes a woman who says she grew b eyo nd lesbianism. After a period of desper ation, then religious conversion, th e woman writes, "I knew I couldn't go back to my lover. My lesbianism just didn't fit in with my new relationship with God,:' she writes. How They Change About 25 percent of the gay Christian population at any one time is so vexed by what has become for them a painful sexual dilemma that they seek help from a change ministry, Penningto ·n said : Many are associated with Exodus International. As of July 1989, Exodus claimed 40 "referral agencies." These agen ci es, Exodus claims among other things, have existed for at least two years, have a board or governing body · which can change · the group's le;,dership, and have directors who have not engaged in homosexual behavior for at least two years. They have names like Exile Ministries, Hyperniken Ministries (hyperniken is Greek for 'conquer') -and Freedom at Last. In addition, Exodus counts 22 "affiliate agencies," which meet less stringent standards than the referral agencies. Though groups work differently, the basic program puts an individual within a support network of others trying to escape homosexuality and of counselors. Most don't charge anything, though they suppport themselves partly with sales of books and cassette tapes , Pennin gto n said. Members spend about 10 hours a week going to church services and counseling, but much more of their time is spent reassuring one another. "Mainly it's a program of prayer. They don't do anything reall y different. They study the issues all people do. There is a healthy aspect to it ," Pennington said. Counselors know some gay Christians resent ·their ministries, said John Smid, director of Love in Action's · house ministries program. Those who demand the freedom to live gay should grant the freedom not to, he said. "! know from the Bible that homosexuality is not the best that God has to offer . But so many Gays are willing to say, 'This is the best I can have. This is the best I can do.' Are we willing to say, 'Whatever · it takes, Lord, I want your best?' "Are we willing to give up halfway through the race? I believe anyone can leave homosexuality behind if they want to . • Are there some who can't change? No. But there are many who won't. Not everybody's going to want to change," Smid said. A Therapist's Opinion Sex therapist Dr. Mark Schwartz said some are willing to change and some have, though he doesn't make it his business to direct change. "When someone comes in unhappy with homose xuality, they could · become happy with it, or b ecome more .-at. ease with heter .osexuali ty. "In truth, if a homosexual never aga~n with sleeps anothe r homosexua C they're still gay." "I don 't feel any need or prejudice to help you become heterosexual. If people (originally discontent with homosexuality) later find themselves con tent with homosexuality , I would not term that a failure. "I try to show there are many alternatives and choices," Dr . Schwartz said. He said he had little knowledge of church affiliated change ministries, though some of his clients were vetemns of those programs. Nor was he particularly critical of their apptoach. "Psychotherapy and r eligion are not that far apart . They're both ways of changing people's behavior," he said. · But dysfunctional behavior is almost always rooted in the same causes, whether the person is · straight or . gay, Dr. Schwartz said. "If you have a problem wit h intimacy, you'll have it with a man or a woman. P eo ple tend to blame the problem on thei r object choice. They think the issue -is homosexuality and the issue is really intimacy and commitment," he said. Smid said he learned to set aside homosexuality when he learned how to have good same-sex friendships. ·· He said he learned to acknowledge the need for good male friends. At the same time, he learned he · could do that without having sex. . And as for sex: "I know it's there and available . But relational addiction was my biggest weakness," Smid said . He said he doesn't stiffer from that anymore. Change -- Where The Heart Js? The change, Smid said, is not simply or even mainly a change in the way he responds to men and women. It involves a total change in the self and its response to God. Conversion goes b~yond sexual conversion - it's a total conversion of the November /December 1989 heart, the same as any born-again experience. · The born -again conversion experience is key and also helps explain why change ministries are almost spley the province of fundamental is{, born-again churches, Pennington said. She said she is not aware of any serious . effort by the Catholic Church to develop any change programs. The possibility for change is not fully acknowledged by Ca tholics," writes Dr. Joseph Nicolosi in The Exodus Standard. Nicolosi is director of the Thomas Aquinas Psychological Institute in Encino, Calif. "! don't know of any ex -g ay ministries that aren't supported by fundamentalists, " Pennington said . And the emphasis 6n conversion gives the newer change ministries a positive aspect, Pennington said. "They're talking much more about the redemptive aspect," she said, rather than talking just about sexuality. Conver .ts attest that their new .sexuality is just one part of a new identity Jesus gives them . But, she said, they still haven 't gotten past a notion that sexuality is a make-or-break .factor when the issue is salvation. "Their theology is screwed up because they say sexuality is what saves you or condemns you. Only the blood of Jesus Christ can qo that," she said. m Church & Organization News · Church Celebrates 18th Anniversary River City MCC of Sacramento, California; pastored by Rev. ·Elder Freda Smith, has . celebrated its 18th anniversary with a week long schedule of worship and festivities .- Rev. Troy Perry, Moderator _for the Board of Elders of the UFMCC was scheduled to attend . "This is a momentous and historical occasion for our church, " said Rev . Elder Smith . -The Latest Issue Financial Crisis At MCC/Los Angeles LOS ANGELES - The Metropolitan Community Church of Los Angeles is reportedly facing a financial crisis which could end its service for babies A friend for the journey. Subscribe today to THE SECOND STONE. YES, I want to receive The Second Stone, the national newspaper for Gay and Lesbian Christians ... send me: [ ] One year (6 issues) for $12.60 [ ] Two years (12 issues) for $23:00 [ ] Three years (18 issues) for $32.00 Name ......................................................................... . Address ...................................................................... . City, State & Zip ..................................................... . . Check here if you prefer plafn envelope for mailing: I ] Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery of your first issue. Add $8.00 per year for postage in Canada and all other foreign countries. U.S. currency only: Box 8340, New Orleans, LA 70182 with AIDS and also i-esult'in a loss of facilities for Samaritan College. Rev. Elder Nancy Wilson, pastor of the church and member of the Board of Elders of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, is leading a drive to raise $400,000.00 for the Los Angeles church, which is the birthplace of the lJFMCC. Contact MCC/LA, 5879 West Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232. Dignity/USA Has New President Pat Roche of Dignity /Seattle has been elected to succeed Jim Bussen as president of Dignity/USA. The group celebrated its 20th anniversary over the Labor Day weekend during its national convention in San Francisco. Over 600 people attended. The convention made progress in the area of removing ambiguity from Dignity's statement of position and purpose concerning se xual relations and approved a sexual ethics document which local chapters had been working on for more than two years. · Mennonite And Brethren Lesbians Meet For Historic Retreat Fifty Brethren and Mennonite lesbian, • bisexual and supportive women recently gathered for a historic retreat . . It was the first time that Brethren and Mennonite Lesbians had ever rriet formally as their own group for support and discussion. Women of diverse ages, races, sexual preferences and experiences enjoyed formal and informal times of sharing. The highlight of the retreat was the sense of community and belonging that grew out of being with Lesbians from the same religious tradition. Many women felt that sexuality and spirituality, two integral aspects of their Jives, have been polarized. Th ey have not experienced the church as a hospitable place but do not generally find support and com,monality in the secular lesbian community either. Participants affirmed the need -to unite the different pieces of their lives and found that being with other Mennonite and Brethren Lesbians was a powerful and meaningful way to make the connection . A common comment throughout the weekend was, "This retreat is like church to me ." Discussion also focused · on how Mennonite and Brethren Lesbians want to relate to the larger church. Some thought it important to com1I1unicate their concerns to the broader Mennonite m THE SECOND STONE □ and Brethren communities. Others were not interested in formal dialogue with the church but did want to maintain ties with other women from their faith heritage. For information on future activities write to the Brethren/Mennonite ' Council for Lesbian and Gay Concerns, Box 65724, Washington, D.C. 20035. · Five Dignity Chapters· Affected By Action Of California Bishops Archbishop Roger M. Mahony of Los Angeles and twelve bishops of dioceses in Southern Ca'lifornia have prohibited priests from celebrating Masses sponsored . by Dignity chapters · in the Province of Los Angeles. The provincial area is larger than the Los Angeles Archdiocese and also includes the diocei1E!S of Orange, Sa n Bernardino, San Diego, Fresno and Monterrey. · The decision affects five chapters in Dignity Region IX: Los Angeles/ Westside, Long Beach; San bi ego, and San Gabriel Valley. The statement initiated by Mahony said their action stemmed from Dignity's repudiation of the Church's "clear and con.slant moral teaching" against homos exua l acts, according to a story appearing in the Los Angeles Times. · The recent dir ecth,e follows Mahony's earlier edict not to allow Masses to be held · on property owned by the archdiocese,. an action also .taken by ' other U.S. bishops. In his letter to the diocesan and religious order priests of the dioceses included in the Los Angeles Provinciafate, he advised them of the ban and stressed that the bishops "had no other choice" but to institute the order against celebration of Masses fo;, the organization in any setting or for any reason. What made his move all the more unexpected, at least at this time, is that members of Dignity chapters in the Los Angeles archdiocese and other . diocesan officials had been meeting recently in ongoing q.ialogue . The archbishop 'had assured them that he would try to take no action until after 1 the groups national convention in San , Francisco since he was aware that the Los Angeles chapters were dialoging with other chapters in Region IX. . All area chapters continue to sponsor . regular functions. Jack Stafford, president . of Dignity /Los Angeles reported that he was even greatly encouraged when another chapter member noted that the action of the , archbishop has liberated the group and they no longer have to live with false , hopes and expectations. -Dignity/USA Newslette~ Calendar ,The following announcements have been submitted by sponsoring or affiliated groups. NAEYC Annual Meeting NOVEMBER 2, The Gay and Lesbian caucus of the National Association for the Education of Young Children will hold its annual meeting . The Westin ·Peachtree Plaza in Atlanta, Georgia is the setting. For the past five years the cauc us has served as a networking forum for lesbian and gay members of NAEYC and their friends . In 1988 the N AEYC addecj "sexual orientation" to its previou sly establish ed nondiscrimination policy after the 1987 caucus urged the govern ing board to consider such a m6ve. Steve Shuman of Boston, Mass ., is 1989 caucus chair. Persons wishing more information or who may be interested in contributing to the agenda may contact him at 520 Commonwealth Ave., #416, Boston, MA 02215, (617)266-7439, or may check with him at the hotel during the conference . The me e ting begins at 7:00 p.m . The caucus is open to anyone. "Revival" Musical Ministry NOVEMBER 5, Christ Chapel of Long Beach ,NOVEMBER 10-12, Christ Chapel of the Desert, Palm Springs, and NOVEMBER 17-19, Living ·communion , Portland: After two and a half years at Community Gospel Church in Houston, "Revival " is gearing up for a full time mini stry. Settlement Ends AIDS Bias Case SAN ' FRANCISCO - National Gay Rights Advocates has won a settlement in the · amount of $62,746.38 against Raytheon Company for ' AIDS discrimination . The settlement follows a landmark ruling on July 7 by the California Court of Appeal making employment discrimination against people with AIDS ill ega l in California. Ignoring the ad vice of its own doctors, Raytheon refus ed to allow John Ch adbourne, a quality control an alys t, to return to work after lea rning he had AIDS in 1983. Chadbourne died of AIDS-related complications in 1985. "Revival " is a unique ministry team including a trio specializing in "South ern Gospel" music. They have prod¼lced two tapes and will soon start on a third to~ released in January. For informa tion on this musical group , . their appearances or ·tapes, write to Revival, P.O . Box 7357, Houston, TX 77248-7357. NGLTF Creating Change NOVEMBER 9-12, Th e National Gay & Lesbian Task Force's Creating Change conference for grassroots activists and gay and lesbian organizations w ill feature keynote addr esses by Perry Watkins, Vito Russo and Suzanne Pharr. Activities include a demonstration calling for an end to discrimination against Gay men and Lesbians in th e m ilitary and a day-long in stit ut e on fund raising. Over 400 activists from all over the country are expec ted to attend . The Holiday Inn, Bethesda , is the location. Workshops will b e int erpreted for the hearing impaired and the facility is wheelchair accessible. Fees for the Fundraising Institute range from $75.00 - $125.00 and for the conference itself, $50.00- $125.00. Contact NGLTF Creating _Change, 1517 U Street NW, · Washington, DC 20009. Ministering To The Lesbian and Gay Community NOVEMBER 10, The Hawaii Council of Churches offers a worksho p for cle rgy only. Forum leader will be Chris Glaser, author of Unc ommit\g Calling, A Gay Man's Strugg le to Serve the Church. For information write to Hawaii Council of Churche s, 1300 Kailua Road, Room B-1, Kailua, HI 96734. · Casa de Cristo Weekend Seminars· NOVEMBER 17 & 18, "How To Give Away Your Faith" JANUARY 26 & 27, "Christian Relationship Encounter" · and MARCH 30 & 31, "Women and St. Paul." This dynamic church in Phoenix, Arizona offers weekend education and inspira tion opportuniti ,es. For information contact Casa de .Cristo Evangelical Church, 1029 East Tumey , Phoenix, AZ 85014 or call (602)265-2831. Damien· Ministries PWA Retreats NOVEMBER 13-16, Chicago, II., DECEMBER 11-14, Annapolis, Md., Damien Ministries, a community of Catholic men and women, both lay and religious, sponsors·retreats for People With AIDS . Each retreat is free •to · PW As, their care partners, significant others, families and friends. PW As who apply early are eligible to have their travel expe nses paid in ful l.· Contatt Damien Ministries, P.O. Box 10202, Washington, D.C. 20018 or call (202)387-2926. The Book and Beyond ... John McNeil! DECEMBER 10-11, The Stony Point Center hosts the author of Taking a Chance on God. "The Book and Beyond" is an opportunity for readers to meet authors in a conversational setting. For information contact Tylka Vetula, Stony Point Center, Stony Point, NY 10980 or call (914) 786-5674. A Nite To Unite For The 90's FEBRUARY 20, 1990, The Delaware Lesbian and Ga y Health Advocates AIDS Committe presents :B,oberta Flack in concert at the Grand Op era House, 8:00 p.rn. Also featured will be The Nylons and D_.C.'s rock-acappella group, Betty, in this concert to benefit AIDS programs. Ticket information is available through the Grand Opera House Box Office, (302)652-5577 or by calling DLGHA, (302)652-6776. Women's Thanksgiving Cruise □ NOVEMBER 17-24, l22!l, Robin Tyler Productions presents a seven night women's Thanksgiving cruise to the Mexican Riviera on the SS Bermuda Star , a magnificent lu xury vessel that has all the spaciousness and ambiance of the classic era cruise ships. Join ov.er 800 ot,her women from all over the world on the high seas on a cruise from San Diego .to Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan. For furthur information, write to Robin Tyler Productions, 15842 Chase St., Sepulveda, CA 91343 or call 1-818-893-4075. Robin Tyler is now producing two of · the major women's music and comedy festivals (7th Annual Southern and 11th Annual West Coast) as well as this cruise, ~ereby producing the high es t number of national women 's .events. SEND EVENT NOTICES TO: CALENDAR, THE SECOND STONE, P.O. BOX 8340; NEW ORLEANS, LA 70182 STONY POINT CENTER The Book and Beyond ... JOHN McNEILL December 10-11 Taking a Chance On God Book 11.nd Beyond ... provides an enviro nment where an author can be in conv ersation with his/her readers. llte authors are seic<:ted upon their lite!'ary contribution as it addresses contemporary issues of justice and peace . lt"is hoped that the read ers will have read Taking a Chance on God so that 1he time together may be direc~ to expanding upon the ideas presented in the book . M~ lnformatio!'ICl0ftlad'fylka\'ctul■ Stony Point Center . Stony Point, NY 10980 (914) 786-5674 ROBIN TYLER PRODUCTIONS presents LUXURY, ELEGANCE & ROMANCE ON 11IB HIGH SEAS! 11IB FIRST 7-NIGHT WOMEN'S THANKSGIVING CRUISE TO 11IB MEXICAN RIVIERA! Saturday, November 17th to Saturday, November 2~th, 1990 from $795.00 to $1595.00 • $250 deposit will hold your place (Check or M.O.- MasterCard or Visa accepted for balance after deposit) Call or Write NOW! Space is Limited FROM SAN DIEGO, CA to CABO SAN LUCAS0PIJERTO VALLARTA & MAZATtAN Join 800 woman from all over tha world on a beautiful first class ship sailing toward exotic destinations. SPECIAL DISCOUNT AIRFARES AVAJIABLE • PRE & POST CRUISE DISCOUNT HOTEL RATES For rese,vations or additional information or to receive COLOR BROCHURE write ROBIN TYLER PROC>UCTIONS, 15842 Chase St., Sepulveda, CA 91343 or call 1-818-893-4075 9am-5pm (Pacific Ti_me) Mon.-F.ri. or Fax: 1-818-893-1593. No .vember/December 1989 DJ Closer Look Prayer Is The Strategy For 'Spiritual Warfare' By Rev. Samuel Kade& . Contributing Writer For centuries, Gay -men and Lesbians have been denied access to the good .news of the gospel. Yet in our generation, God has raised up a faithful few who have diligently studied the scriptures to both show themselves approved unto God, and who searched the scriptures daily . to see whether these things were so. Over the last few decades, the Gay and Lesbian community has come to a new understanding of what it is to be gay and Christian; two very compatible states. We nave been led by the Spirit of God _to a revelation of what it means to be a eunuch, a foreigner, a strang~r to the established faith community as recorded in Isaiah 56. Those eunuchs (those whose sexuality or orientation was outside the heterosexual family model) are not cut off from God. But to those who · will take hold of God's covenant, God will give a name to them that is better than that of sons and daughters (the traditional heterosexual faith community). (see Is. 56:4-5) To have a name better than that of sons and daughters d_oes not give us license to be boastful , proud or arrogant. Instead it calls us to even Did you receiv~ copy of TSS through a city promotion? :~~~~"o~t;ri~;,i :rc~inon you may have received through special one•time-only promotions in your area. Subscribe NOW to continue receiving THE SECOND STONE. We'fl keep you up to date on· important news and issues ... and we'll · keep you thinking and exploring through our features and columns. Fill out and mail the subscriber form in this issue! ts This Your Last Issue? Renew NOW ii lhe expiration date on . your address lallet is 1"2/89 Ill greater responsibility. Philippians 3:2 in the KJV says "Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of concision ." The word concision in Greekis katatome. It means .false circumcision as opposed to true circumcision. It means mutilators, and a cutting away ._ Concision is where we get the word concise: to shorten, or cut away whaf is percieved to be extraneous. There are people within Christendom who are of the concision, They will accept us as Christians under the conditions which cut away our core personality. We've met these mutilators, we've debated these mutilators. Sometimes we've even lived with these ·mutilators. Scripture says to beware of them. But if we've been given a name better than that, better things are expected of us. We are not called to fight fire with fire. We are called to get wisdom, and in our getting to get understanding. Many times, those of the concision are well meaning but misinformed. It is by lack of knowledg~ that people are destroyed. They perpetuate their perceptions of Scripture as truth, and no one is set free. More are brought under the bondage of guilt and self hatred. The Christian Gay and Lesbian community finds itself having to tear down years of damage before a new foundation can be laid and a bridge built between the Savior and the lost. In order to witness to the love of God toward us as sinners, to our sisters and brothers, we have . . to do spiritual warfare on their behalf. Otherwise they hear but do not understand; they see but do not perceive . What do we do to win the lost for Jesus Christ? What is our responsibility as servants of the Most High God? A major step in getting wisdom is _to understand Ephesians 6:12. We must realize we are not fighting flesh and blood. We are not doing battle for Gay /Lesbian lives by fighting other people. Those of the concision are people who .pre misguided. They've been brought into subjection by a lie , perpetuated by the originator of the lie, Satan himself. We do not war against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the (spiritual) darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Our responsibility begins in prayer. We do battle through prayer. What do we pray? The question was once asked Jesus by His disciples. The GENERAL ASSEMBLY, From Page 1 buttons. The buttons feature the group's logo which is the Church's symbol superimposed over a pink triangle. Adjacent to the Alliance's booth was a booth sponsored by Open and Affirming Congregations of the denomination. These congre gations have publicly declared their acceptance of Gays anq Lesbians as · full participating members of the Church. Other activities of the Alliance which were sanctioned and scheduled by the General Office of the Church included an Interact Group on Open and Affirming Congregations and an Aftersession which celebrated the . founding of the Alliance. Alliance members conducted an AIDS Prayer and Memorial Service in the General Assembly Chapel. In addition, an Ad Hoc Choir of the Alliance members and th~ir friends sang in the lobby of the Convention Center at the close of afternoon business sessions and members carried a pink triangle banner in an Assembly parade through downtown Indianapolis. Another banner which was loaned to the Alliance by the United Church Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Concerns and declaring "The body of Christ is living with AIDS" was also displayed during the parade. The ·group also hosted a hospitality suite at a nearby hotel and sponsored THE SECOND STONE answer was "Let God ' s kingdom corne, and God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven." We pray therefo 1:,e, that God's will, the same will being done in heaven, become manifest in the Gay /Lesbian community. That the kingdom of God) which is in yo u, come in the Ii ves of others, as they recieve Jesus personally themselves. We pray that God's kingdom . come in them, in their . hearts, and that blinders to that good news be .removed. We pray also whatMatthew 9:38 states. Asking that God will send forth labor ers, including me, into the Gay/Lesbian community. · Send forth laborers, including me, for how can they believe if they 've never heard. How can they hear unless someone tells them the good news of Jesus, and how can someone . tell, unless they are sent? Send ' forth, Lord! Pray Colossians 4:3; that God . would open doors to the ministry of the Word. Pray also for the church at large. Pray that the ey es of the church will be opened to the truth of the Word. (Ephesians 1:17-23) Because Jesus uses the Word of God to wash His church, to cleanse it and make it a bride without spot or wrinkle. an informal dinner at a ·1ocal gay restaurant. Delegates to the General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution committing the Church and its members to treat persons with AIDS and ·ARC as the children of God and to "act as instrumen .ts of God 's compassionate love and tender care where the seeds of fear, prejudice and alienation have been sown." The delegates also. approved by a lesser margin a resolution calling for an ecumenical partnership with the United Church of Christ · which ordains openly lesbian and gay clergy. During debate on the resolution, ·some delegatesvoiced opposition to the [J Currently, the rift between churches · of traditional mores, and those who have been given a better name, is a very large . wrinkle indeed! This is not acceptable. But the wrinkle will not disappear by badgering traditional churches . Strife breeds more strife. It will be removed by prayer, fasting and showing love . Pray for the church at large, and show forth love, but do battle with the real enemy on the spiritual front. Jesus has given to us the ministry of reconciliation, and a name better than that of sons and daughters. By God's grace and powel" let's run the race . set before us. Victory is assured ·in the end. God bless you! . Rev. Samuel Kader is cppastor and co-founder of Commu11.ity Gospel Church in Dayton, Ohio. He is also on the governing Board of Elders of Community Gospel Fellowship. Rev. Kader also has pastored Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) Melbourne, Australia; MCC Dayt on Parish, Dayton, Ohio; and was the founding pastor of Reconciliation MCC in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Ple has been active in Gay rights , and a spokesperson for the Gay/Lesbian community since 1975. resolution because of the United Church's ordination policy. With headfiuarters . in Indianapolis, tne Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has over one million members in approximately 4200 congregations throughout the United States and Canada. Over 8700 voting and hon-voting delegates participated in · the General Assembly. The 1990 retreat of GLAD Alliance will be in Kansas City from October 5 through October 8. · Persons interested in more information about the organization may wrti~ · to P.O . Box 19223, Indianapolis, IN 46219-0223. Families The Fine Line Between Faith And Presumption ·,was A Promise From · God Broken? ~By Rev. Sylvia Pennini:ton i Colum7:isl_ , Lilia and her brother Ray were always very close, although as , adults she lived in Oregon and he lived in Texas. They were also both i gay, and both Christians. Only two ' years ~eparated them in age. · · In July, 1987, Ray called Lilia to tell her -what family and friends of Gay f men most dread to hear - he had '.AIDS. She tried to be strong and r reassuring to him on the phone and as '.,~oon as she hung up, she let all of her I emotions, shock, disbelief, fear, pain, 1 and grief surface. . As Lilia puts it, pme "fell apart" and was unable to f work the rest of the day and the next. Twenty-two months later, Ray died. · You niay not like or agree with my , Christian perspectives at this time, 1 but _ I think the things we say to PWA family-members needs to be thought ! through and handled carefully. • No one going through the death and i dying of a beloved friend or · relative ; has an easy time, but, as so often f happens, situations involving horriolsexuals have added stress and ' heartaches, . Lilia had a prayerful day after IR.ay's phone call. She turned to the ' Holy Spirit -as her comforter and teacher. She searched Scripture for a f word from God. In the third chapter ,of Acts Lilia read about the man, '.crippled from birth, who sat at the gate beautiful at Solomon's Temple, ' begging alms. Two of the disciples : reached out to him and the -crippled -man rose up and walked. As Lilia 1 read about this she began to wonder if (the scripture was a promise to her that God would heal her brother. ISoon she began to think it was and 1held fast to ''God's promise." I During the long months that 1followed, Lilia's heart broke time ;a11d again as she shared her brother's ;stress. Shortly after Ray's diagnosis i his lover of several years left. He ,couldn't deal with the AIDS r situation. Ray seriously contem: plated suicide. With his lover gone, Lilia became Ray's confidant. Lilia's . treks to Texas began. . Ray worked at the Post Office and · due to losing some sick time, he told his supervisor that he had AIDS. The pressure was on. Despite some r who were sympathetic, most of his : fellow workers did not like being around an AIDS person. Their mistreatment became so bad that Ray : finally relented and agreed to go for medical retirement, although : premature . In August of 1987, Ray applied for disability and was denied. The reason given was that he could still do ·some kind of work. In between bouts of illness, he started to pick up dishwashing jobs. His savings dwindled away and Lilia helped whenever she could . She sensed a grov.ring anger over the injustices he suffered. His illness progressed , but the disability he was denied in August, 1987 was not granted to him until April of this year - six weeks before he died. There were no family support groups in Ray's area and Lilia had no one to talk to or with whom she could work through her raging emotions. Ray 's hospital times were among Lilia's hardest spots. Some of the staff were distant and obviously upset about handling an AIDS person. They double-gloved, masked, and touched him hesitantly as though he was poisonous, a modem untouchable. Lilia would get very angry and sometimes felt as though she wanted to smash the nurses. In March; 1989, Lilia and a very emaciated Ray att.ended a three day Christian retreat in Oregon. There was a great moving of the · Holy Spirit as the people gathered together in prayer, praise and worship. Ray became a central focus of prayer. Among the retreat group, most believed in faith-healing. Ray was anointed with oil and prayed for with the laying on of hands. There was a great deal of reassurance lo Lilia to accept Ray's healing by faith. At the close of the retreat, a tearful, joyful Lilia "testified" to Ray's healing. God had done it. Her brother would live. Everyone seemed to rejoice with her. I sat and cringed. I don't doubt that God can and does miraculously heal some people, but in my own earlier Christian years with the Assembly of God and Foursquare Churches, I went through a great deal of searching on the healing issue, for, if I was to be.honest, I saw very few miracles of physical healing during a fifteen year period of seeing so many prayers and so many promises of God's healing . - and seeing also that most people still died of their ailments. I just wanted to know the truth. My love for the Lord was not based on miracles, healing or prosperity. I can 't say that I have a real understanding of illness, pain or suffering in our world. ·r just know they exist and my God is sovereign . It is still God's world. I know our God never leaves ·.or forsakes us, and is with us in every circumstance and situation; always there to comfort and assure us. Through modern science and technology many more people are healed today than ever before in history. Through our medical progress, whole illnesses can · be healed, as in plagues, smallpox, diptheria and someday soon, we hope, AIDS. Meanwhile we can depend on emotional and spiritual healing, just as Ray was definitely touched during our retreat. I, for one, . have learned to seek God's will for a person's life . Unless we believe that the Lord has revealed a miracle to us, we must be careful not to hold forth positive words of God's healing for an individual. After the retreat, Ray's condition became worse. He was paralyzed, but Lilia still held on the the certainty of Ray's healing . It was shocking to her when an Episcopal priest visited Ray in the hospital and Ray, seeming quite at peace , told the priest what order of service he wanted at his funeral. Lilia's grief at Ray's death was greatly compounded as she not only suffered her ioss of Ray - she also · suffered the temporary loss of God as she felt God had not kept His promise to her, and she turned away. Her loss in the months to come was Ex-Gays? There Are None Lambda Christian Fellowship is pleased to announce a new book . by Rev. Sylvia Pennington - an examination of ex-gay ministries - what they do - what they don't do. You'll meet people who, only through God's grace, have survived and stopped trying to be ex-gays, because, in truth, there is no such thing as an ex-gay ,:erson. Now Available From Lambda Christian Fellowship .r. 0, Box 1967 Hawthorne, CA 90250 $15.00 plus $1.50 for postage and handling. California residents add 6% sales lax: November /December 1989 □ unbearable. Thankfully, Lilia has been able to sort out her confusion. There is a very fine line between faith and presumption . In our community today we're faced with, on one hand, offering hope and assurance to AIDS people and, on the other hand, helping people deal with the reality of death and dying . There are no pat answers, just a hope · that each of us will prayerfully and carefully interact with the families of AIDS people. ARE YOU MOVING? The Post Office will not forward The Second Stone. You must notify us for uninterrupted service if you move. Please notify us_ four weeks in advanc_e for uninterrupted delivery. Send both old and new addresses. If possible attach mailing label in space provided. PRINT NEW ADDRESS N u 0 ~ . Send completed form to· THE SECOND STONE Box8340 New Orleans, LA 70182 II AT LAST. ·A MONTHLY.TRAVEL MAGAZINE THAT TELLS YOU ABOUTRAVEL Discover .... OUR WORLD Gay Travel Magazine MEMBER [G]I\ 1 Year Subscription __ _ ....... . TIU,~.Miccu.- , only$44 We've finally come out! We're the Monthly International Gay Travel Magazine. Month by month, we invite you to visit with us and discover an exciting world available to gay men and lesbian travelers. Enjoy color photos of a romantic hotel in Spain, a rustic resort in California, a trendy hotel on the English Riviera, an elegant Victorian mansion in San Francisco, a magnificent French chateau, and more! Investigate gourmet restaurants, intimate bars and glittering nightspots. Acquire first hand knowledge, travel tips, and up to date information from gay travel agents, and tour operators . .You get all this at the special subscriber rate of only $44 for one lull year (12 issues). That's a saving of 25% off the newsstand price. Act now! Discover OUR WORLD today! MAIL TO: OUR WORLD PUBLISHING, 1104 North Nova Road, Suite 251 Daytona Beach, Florida 32117 USA (904) 441-5367 0 Yes! Please start my subscription for 1 year (12 issues}. i have enclosed my check or money order for $44. (U.S.A.) Sample copy $4.95. Canada, Mexico, Overseas (surtace) • US $52 Europe (airmail) • US $70 Pacific (airmail) US $80 . First issue mails in 4-6 weeks in plain sealed envelope. Our subscnber list is kept confidential. (please print) Name ______________ ~--. c-:---- - - -,-- - Address, __________________ - ____ _ _ -------------------,-cc ·-' Code ______ _ Country ________________ ~--------- Travel □ "Gay Twenties" Mighty Wurlitzer Finds New Home At B & B One of the Mighty Wurlitzer Organs of the 1920's, constructed for the movie palaces arid · the world of silent movi es, has found a new home at a popular Bed & Breakfast. The one -of -a-kin d organ console in the 'Italian Renaissa nce' · sty le, (out of about 4000 built by the Wurlitzer company) was con stru cted for the Wurlitzer promotional material s and was orig inally insta lled in 1928 in the Portland Para mount Theatre in Portland, Oregon. In 1978, the organ was fully restored, combined and enlarged with additional pipes from the Liberty Theatre organ in Portland, and . install e d in a res taurant in Denver, Colorado. At that time ; the organ was the largest theatre organ in the world, boasting 3000 pipes as well as many drums, harps marimbas and even a piano. In 1988, Pikes Peak Paradise Bed & Breakfast , owned by Martin Meier and Tim Stoddard, purchased the instrument ·and have proceeded with plans to install the organ in their Bed &· Breakfast home, located near Pikes Peak in the Rockies west of Colorado . Springs . They are a Christian couple who also own and operate a national mailorder .book service which specializes in materials for Gay Christian people. Pikes Peak Paradise welcomes Gay and Lesbian · guests . Furthur information can be obtained by calling 1-800c 728-8282. CLASSIFIED First Ten Words FREE! I - Business or personal - The Second Stone classifieds really work! Please see the order form on the classified page. Each additional word, 35¢. 20 word minimum. Offer expires 12/1/89. THE SECOND STONE Travel New York City Pilgrimage By Cynthia A. Marquard ind Danni Munson :ontributing Writers The Big Apple is an exciting place to . •isit at any time, but it is doubly so now ts the year of the 20th anniversary of the ,tonewall R iots winds down. The Actual Place, like so many other >laces of momentous historical sig tificance, is not nearly as grand as some >f us may have conjured it to be in our maginations. Christopher St. at the site >f the former Stonewall Inn runs along a iny wedge of · tree-filled park called ,heridan Square, where - one can stand tuietly and contemplate the events of that atefu] night in June I 969 that sparked the nodem Gay/LeSbian rights movement. It vas here that the Gays gathered and began o fight back after the police raided the bar. The city has just renamed that block of :hristopher St. "Stonewall Place" in tonor of the event. Outside the actual site ,angs a ·1arge black sign with the word Stonewall" in white vertical letters. But he building · now houses a Chinese estaurant. We . could not help thinking ,ow appropriate it. might be for the ,uilding to someday house a gay/lesbian nuseum. ·, A new museum did, in fact, open ece1'iiiy in New York City, and laid claim ~ being the first museum in the United :tates devoted to gay/lesbian history. It ontaiils books, periodicals, and memoabilia, and is housed in the Lesbian and ,ay Community Center at 208 W . 13th :t. The Center itself is a major focal point or New York's gay/lesbian culture. It . osted an impressive ·art show in elebration of Stonewall 20. It's worth - 1hile stopping in to see what's going on. Another place worth stopping in is, of ourse, the Metropolitan Museum of Art -rr Fifth Ave . Plan to spend the better -art of a day browsing through its ollections, representing art froin 5,000 ears ago to the present, displayed in an rea equivalent to four city blocks. The rnseum store also has posters and other terns that make great souvenirs of your ·isit. .. Afterward, if the weather is good, take a troll through the adjoining Cel)tral Park, , huge area oftree-li _ned paths, grassy open reas, and a Jake in the heart of Manhattan. le aware that the paths twist and wind hrough the park, and it's fairly easy to ose your way . Also, after dark, the park s not particularly safe for anyone--gay or . traight. If you are into -modem art, New York :ity has some of the best collections in he world housed in the Museum of .fodem Art on west 53rd St, the Whitney ,rr Madison Ave ., and the Guggenheim on ~ifth Ave. . New York Cit/has rich offerings of To Stonewall music, from the New York Philharmonic · and the Metropolitan Opera, to the excellent Gay Men's Chorus. The-chorus performs during Gay/Lesbian Pride week and at several other times during the year . Theater, however, is what many people go to New York for . Broadway plays are often the main attraction. Seats are pricey, though, so if you don't have a burning interest in a particular play or musical, try standing in line at Hot Tix. Here you can get substantial discounts on performances that have seats available for that night. There is quite a bit of gay/lesbian theater -in New York, also. WOW Cafe features lesbian skits. For a listing of plays with gay or lesbian themes, pick up copies of New York's gay/lesbian news publications . Unlike papers in other cities, they are not · free. You may purchase the New York Native for $2.00 or the new weekly magazine Out Week, for $1.50, at A Different Light bookstore on Hudson St. in Greenwich Village. New York offers a well rounded menu of community activities, including religious services. There are two chapters of Dignity . Dignity/Big Apple has services at the Lesbian & Gay Community Center on Saturday nights; Dignity/New York, at St. John's in the Village on Sunday night . The Metropolitan Community Chur f ~ _meets at 7:00 p.m. Sunday evening, and the Jewish Congregation Beth Simchat Torah at 8:30 p.m . Friday nights. If you'd like more information about community events going on during your visit, call The Center at 212-620-7310. To get your bearings in this big city, we recommend a guided sightseeing tour . An _organized bus tour is good for giving first-time visitors a quick overview of New York. There are also harbor tours that take you around the Hudson and East rivers. Or , you can take a ferry over to Sta ten Island on your own. Don't .forget to pay the recently renovated Statue of Liberty a visit, and take time to see the Immigration Museum on Ellis Island. If you like to shop, New York is the place. All the fabulous and fabled designers are on sale here at the legendary stores. Drop by Bloomingdale's, Bergdorf Goodman, and take a tum around the shops in Trump Tower. The center of New York City's gay/lesbian scene is in two neighborhoods, Chelsea and Greenwich Village . Most of the city's gay restaurants and nightspots are located here . . There are many cozy restaurants down in the village--little places where you can stop in and be surprised-sand delighted--by the excellent food. Almost any restaurant in the _ are.a . is a place where Gays and Lesbians can feel comfortable. But there are some particular favorites among those that cater mainly to a non-straight crowd. A Stray Cafe in the Village is a romantic, intimate place to take a special someone or to celebrate an anniversary. One of the livliest restaurants is Claire, between 19th and 20th on 7th Ave. This place is best described as very "Key West," with conch shells in the window, a green and salmon-pink decor, and baskets of fresh flowers everywhere . The menu features at lea~ half a dozen fresh fish entrees. Another, more casual spot, is the Paris Commune, which one wag describes as being done up in early Marxist decor: bare · brick walls and hanging lights with green metal shades. The food and service, however, is anything but proletarian. Dinner is -served beginn~ng at six. Like. much of the city's gay/lesbian life; New York's four gay guesthouses are clustered in the Chelsea-Village area. All are convenient to nightspots and restaurants and all cater to both men and women. At the northern edge of Chelsea is Colonial House, 318 W. 22nd St. It is a 19th century row house on a qμiet treelined street. Most of the rooms are small and share a bath. With rates beginning at $50 as of mid-1989, it represents a real accommodations bargain for New York City. Chelsea Pines at 317 W. 14th St. is located in a busier area, but is · very convenient to public transportation . Most rooms have shared bath and some have airconditioning. Like Colonial House, it is clean and simply furnished and will appeal to budget -minded travelers . Chelsea Muse, the newest guesthouse, is an 1840s townhouse still under renovation, Antiques and period furn iture give this guesthouse a feeling of Old New York. The most upscale of the guesthouses is Incentra Village House at 32 8th Ave., right in the heart of the Village. First built in 1841, it has been lovin~ly EL MIRASOL VILLAS A Prfrate Resort Jlotel Discover !!!!I magic ... ••• 14·hy so many of our guf'sts uturn yrn r ofter Jeor. , ·.,.uo r "'Tlte forour-.pech•I -.:i-.:cullon pm .. ·ka~t- 1800 } ~\2 7-2 98 5 525 Wann Sands Drive Palm Springs, CA 92264 (619) 327-5913 In CA (Color Bro<luu-r ,.po,. nquul ) N ove-mber / :December . 1989 □ restored by the present owner. The sitting room has a grand piano, the guest rooms all have private bath, air conditioning, and all but one has a working fireplace. Rates are in the $100.00 per night range. Women who want a safe arid homey room can find one at a bed and breakfast apartment in the East Village . A room for single or double rental is available in a sunny book-lined and plant-filled apartment. Call: 212-598-4174 . Of course, there are many fine hotels on the· upper East side near Central Park. One of the newest and finest is The Peninsula, a completely redone old hotel. Rates begin at about $250 per night. The opportunity for adventure and enjoyment are only limited by the imagination. New York City is just as mythical and alluring for Gays and Lesbians as it is for any other segment of the population. Cynthia A. Marquard is the owner/ manager of Envoy Travel, Inc., in Chicago and vice-president of the International Gay Travel Assn. Danni Munso_n is the editor of Gay/Lesbian Events of 1989. J.:i,;, ·, ~·-i··, !~;~,.:~~ '\7'- ~;:-~-~~) .. ·-{J ' ', ~ ;, . ·nJand§ C/nn . A Gay Country Inn .. , On lOObeautifullCrCSwith DOOi, hex tub, skiing and more. Innkeepers Judilh Hall and Grace Newman iuvitc you to write or call for a ~hurc . P. 0. Box 118 SL . Bethlehem, NH 03574 (603)" 869-3978 "the "other" place under the . sun ... :t~~ft ::.~~~ ~JC~:ch •Pool & cozy Jacu:ul •Fr« continenta l b r eakrast Write or call for brochure. 120 E. Atol St., P. 0. Box 2326 South Padre Island, Texas 78597 . (512)761-LYLE Air connections via American Continental- Soutbwe.st II Videos · Ill Emmy Awarded To Independent Film About AIDS Living With AIDS, a film documenting a community's compassionate support for a 22 year-old man before his AIDS related death, was awarded an Emmy for Outstanding News and Documentary - Program Achievement by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Produced and directed by Tina DeFeiician 'tohio, the film made its broadcast premiere last summer on "P.O.V.", the acclaimed series of non-fiction independent films on public television. his lover and others close to Todd reveal emotional and practical implications of a man's final weeks of life. As the film concludes with a moving candlelight memorial for the thousands of people who have died oLAIDS we hear .Todd's words, "Just don't tum away from us." "P.O.V ." executive producer Marc N. Weiss applauded the TV Academy's recognition of Living With AIDS. "This award under , scores our belief that the media musi vigilantly keep the AIDS crisis in the public eye," he said, "whether it's a report on the need for decent health care and human services or a personal story of courage and struggle. · Living With AIDS is a shining example of one filmmaker's effort to fulfill that critical responsibility. We're very proud that we were able 'to premiere the film on 'P.O.V ."' Living With AIDS tells the story of Todd Coleman, a young San Francisco resident afflicted with Karposi's Sarcoma . As his illness progresses, a team of committed individuals come to his aid. _An experienced . nurse supervises his home .care program. A lawyer/volunteer does his wash and household chores. A masseur offers his expertise and declares that this experience has taught him about unconditional love. Interviews .with TELEVISION TRIBUTE - LiviNG WITH AIDS, a moving film about a community that cares for a gay man dying of AIDS, was awarded a National Emmy for Program OiFelicianto11io made the film while still a student at Stanford University. It wort both the Student Oscar and the Student Emmy and has been praised widely by film critics and AIDS experts alike. Living With AIDS is available for rental or purchase from Carle Medical Communications, 110 . West Main Street, Urbana, IL 61801, (217)384-4838. Achievement. · WHAT'S THE BEST Men's magazine the one that deals most honestly with how men relate -to each other, to women, and to kids; the one that's gay-affirmative and opposes sex-role · stereotypes, ... the one that movingly explores men's hurts and joys ... . ON: 1 If you change your mind, just write us I We'll refund the subscription price 1 -- Enclosed:_ S16 I -- - -- - - - -- - - I I ______ __ ____ _ State _ Zip _ _ I l Moll 10: Chan in Men 306 N . Brooks 305A Madison WI 5 7 I --------~--------------- United Church Coalition _Has National Gathering The ninth National Gathering of the United Church Coalition for Lesbian/Gay Concerns (UCCL/GC) was held in Fort Worth, Texas, on the · campus of Texas Christian University. The UCCL/GC has been an officially recognized special interest group of the 1.7 .million member United Church of Christ (UCC) since 1973. It was founded in 1972 by the Rev. Dr. Bill Johnson . Approximately 55 participants attended the Texas gathering. Activities included worship/Bible study on themes of vulnerability, fear, anger, and affirmation, small group discussions, business sessions, social time, and strategizing for General Synod. General Synod, the UCC's representative, deliberative body, meets biennially . · UCCL/GC members worked at General Synod to press the larger church toward full human rights for gay, lesbian and bisexual persons. UCCL/GC was part of a public witness against Texas sodomy laws. Outgoing UCC president Dr. Avery Post was a' speaker at the protest along with Rev. Dr. Yvonne Delk of the Office for Church in Society, Charlotte Taft of the Texas Human Rights Foundation, John Towery, moderator, , South Central Conference, UCC, Frank Deitz of the Texas Conference . of Churches, and Sam Loliger, ,on e of UCCL/GC's two national coordinators. Rev. Jan Griesinger, the other UCCL/GC national coordinator led those gathered in singing Holly Near's "We Are Gentle, Angry People." UCCL/GC members were also ,;J.ctive in urging the UCC to maintain or increase funding for AIDS ministries, displaying _ a large banner in the arena where worship services were held which read "The Body of Christ is_ Living with AIDS." Rev . Dr . Eleanor Morrison was th e keynote speaker at the UCCL/GC banquet, which was attended by 175 people. Certificates were given to new Open and Affirm ing churches, . arid it was announced that the goal of 30 Open and Affirming churches by General Synod 17 had been surpassed. Open and ' Affirming churches are those UCC congregations which welcome gay, lesbian and bisexual people into full life leadership, and employment. · P lans for the tenth National Gathering in the surr1mer of 1990 are underway. For information, write to Rev. Griesinger at the UCCL/GC national office, 18 N. College St., Athens, OH 45701 or call (716)836-7503. II THE SECOND STONE Making Other Plans The Class On · Human Sexuality By David Doorley Columnist That night the class in human sexuality had one addition: Kurt the token Gay man. He had agreed to sp .eak at a university's training program for counselors . on how Gay peop le adjust to society's oppression. He had rehearsed his speech and expected an intellectual discussion afterwa rd with 30 graduate students who were (or who intend to become) counse lors and th erapists. Before his talk, while the class watched an educational film on a gay relationship, Kurt read last week's homework assignment, the students' attitudes .on homosexuality. Here are some of their responses: ·· "I generally view hom osexua lity as something ·n ega tive. I really do not believe it is just another · choice, but an aberration of nature." "Ho mo sexuality is an alternative lifestyle that I do no.t condone. I can accept it, but I do not like it . I do not think this is a practice that is morally right." . "I beli eve it is somebody's own personal sexual _ choice, and I respect that choice. What I d,,o not like are the people who flaunt their homosexuali ty in public . · For examp le, when their mannerism or speaking are exaggerated or when they discuss their sex - lives. This type of beh avior completely turns me o'ff." "I would be disappointed if one of my childt'.en were gay. I view homosexuality as an affliction, rather like alcoholism:" what context it's in if there's a sentence that says , 'I think homosexuality is sick."' Kurt is a nuclear engine er and a friend of mine. I have never seen him lose his temper or even get irritated. Usually he deliberates before he speaks. That night, visib ly shaken, he began to shout. How could they presum e to couns el a gay client? The _ cla ss counterattacked. Why was he angry, defensive, threatened, uncomfortable, "prejud ic ed against heterosexuals? " If any students agreed with Kurt, they rem<!ined s ilent . Many were frowning: The consensus seemed to be: we don't care what you do, just don't expect us to condone it . "Here I am just trying to l ive my life," Kurt says. "I go · in front of this class, and I feel I'm trying to justi fy my exis ten ce. I expec ted therapists to be open-minded . Inst ea d I have to convince them it's okay for me to be alive because I'm gay." · Later, many students said Kurt's anger got in the way of his presentation. Perhaps. The planned exchange of ideas was detonated by his onslaught of pent-up frustration. Kurt now admits that anger doesn't really teach ·anyone anything . . Besides, how much can be accomplished in a two hour class? "They understood whe re -my anger was coming from, but I don't think that anger will help any of them change," Kurt says. Maybe the one who learned the most that evening was Kurt. And the next time he speaks to a class o n human sexua lity -- and there will be a next time -- he will not be so naive to think that counsel ors and therapists are more en light ened . t~an , the rest of the population . The next time Kurt speaks to them, he wants more than tolerance, more than shall ow understandfng and glib responses, mor e than th e silent accep tance of the few . He will ask for more. To achieve that, he will struggle to maintain his c_omposure, believing that more students will u_nderstahd him when they are not forced to defend themselves. The nest time Kurt speaks to a class on human sexuality, he will talk to them personally. He will tell them about the gay bashings he and his friends have endured, about ho w it Classifieds Notice: Prison Correspondence READERS ARE CAUTIONED to follow these guidelines in corresponding with inmates: Do . not send checks or money orders through the mail to inmates. -Do not cash checks. or money orders from inmates. Persons cashi_ng altered money orders are personally responsible for the · difference between the issue amount and the altered amount. Do not reveal personal or confidential information that would be harmful . to you if passed along to your employer, family, etc., or may otherwise be used in ~xtortion. Books & Publications 20% OFF All BOOKS!!! No matter where you find them lfsted or catalogued, we offer 20% DISCOUNT on all Gay/Lesbian titles and authors when you order by mail from LAMBDA_ PASSAGES BOOKSTORE, 7545 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, FL 33138 (305)754-6900. Please add $2.00 S/H first book, and 50 cents each additional. Florida residents please include 6% sales tax to total order. For complete catalogue, please send $2.00 12/89 Join the nation's ONLY Lesbian and Gay BOOK CLUB. No membership fees. No m_inimum purchases. Send for FREE catalog: □ fe~ls not to be able to show affection for his lover in public, a·bout hidin g his sexuality for fear of losing his job, about his family's negative reactions when he came out. Maybe the class will understand. One therapist wrote this in the following week's assignment: ''Having Kurt speak in class was interesting; however, it struck me as being societally unfair tha t we have to have homosexuals speak about their particular lifestyle. We never invite heterosexuals to specifically speak about their sexual preference." Somebody has to talk to the class on human sexuality. □ LIBERATION BOOK CLUB, P.O. Box 453, Dept 2, South Norwalk, CT .06\356 2/91 CHRISTIAN'NEW AGE QUARTERL y explores the issues arising between Christians and New Agers with authentic information, forthright honesty and, yes, real appreciation for both sides. Penetrating, yet fun, our features . and columns forge a bridge for genuine dialogue. Subs: $9.50/yr. Sample; $2.50. CHRISTIAN'NEW AGE QUAR· TERLY, P. 0. Box 276, Clifton, NJ 07011-0276. TF . Friends/Relationships LONELY 27 yr. old GBM, believer in God, seeks friends for inspirational purposes. A very rare prisoner, confinecj to a cell 23 hours daily, with limited outside communications. Eric. White #93484, La. State Prison, Camp J, Angola, LA 70712 12/89 . General Interest PLEASE, CHRISTIAN Graduate Student needs financial help. Thanks for any help. A. Shirley, Rt. 2, Box 177, Terry MS 39170. 12/89 . Kurt was stu nned , and he was even more disturbed by the comments after the film. Most of the graduate students claim ed to have a liberal atti tude. "I basically don't have any trouble with homosexuality," .the majo rity of them sa id. Classified Order Form Please pla ce my ad in these issues: [] Jan/Feb [] Mar/Apr [] May/Jun [] Jul/Aug [ ] Sept/Oct [ ] Nov/Dec Something in Kurt snapped . Here was a group of professionals trained f6 help others. They said th ey had a positive attitude toward homosexua ls, but what .they wro te seemed to Kurt be lie myths, stereotypes, and hatred. · · Out o f the ,_;ind ow went the prepared philosophical discussion, followed by Kurt's calm demeanor. As . h_e began to re ad aloud the excerpts from th eir papers, the color in his face mounted and his vo ice gi;rew louder. The class became def ens ive. He had taken their comments out of context, tl1ey insisted. He wasn't being fair. He snapped, "It doesn't matter FOR ONLY 35 CENTS PER WORD, your ad can appear in the next edition of THE SECOND STONE. Take advantage of our low cost (bu t high profile) classified section by placing your advertising order today! Mail To: THE SECOND STONE P. O.Box 8340 New Orleans, IA 70182 Name ___________ __ ___________ _ Address __________ _ City/St./Zip ________ _ AD COPY ____ ____ _ -------------------- __ words _X .35= $ __ ~-- 20 word minimum. NI classifieds must be pre-paid . Deadline one mon th prior to cover date. We will mail you a copy of the edition(s) in which your ad appears November/December 1989 CLASSIFICATIONS [ J Books & . Publications [ l Business Opportunities [ ] Employment [ l Friends/Relationships [ l General Interest [ l Mail Order [] Merc h andise [ l Organizations [ l Professional Services [ l Real Estate [] Retreats [ ] Roommates [ ]Travel Parting Thought . , □ Pool Party By Dr. Martin Fowler Contributing Writer what was really nee9ed. When people get walked on and taken for granted, we call them doormats. We criticize people for treating others that way, but we also criticize "doormats" for lacking self-respect. Thus ; as Gay men and Lesbians, we're both ·resentful and a bit ashamed of being trested as though we don't exist. It seems we're acknowledged ·only when someone is trying to step on us . We ar~ then told that we should "tun~ the other cheek", but does Jesus rtaily expect us to submit to abuse and indignities without protest? Jesus asked the invalid with his mat, who had been waiting 38 years for a miracle . cure from the pool of Bethesda, whether he wanted to get well.(!) In n;sponse, the man protested about the abuses he had endured: "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. Whil e I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me." (John 5:Z) Jesus told him to rise, pick up his mat, and walk. Cured in that moment, the man did walk and told others about it. The gay Christian handicapped by years of oppression, like the invalid living for that magic dip in the pool, supposes tha ·t when he or she can finally splash in full acceptance, opression will be cured (the "ex-gay" pool being no real option) ... if only those bigots would get out of the way! It is as, though Dignity, Integri ty, Affirmation and the other gay religious organizations were planning one perfectly acceptable pool party for completely accepting and totally accepted Gays . Yet begging for acceptanc e still sounds pathetic . Offering acceptanc e sounds .presumptious and patronizing. Church people earnestly determined to · accepi or to be accepted try to do what's right, . but wind up like disappointed siblings on Christmas morning . No one has given or gotten But while we wait -in need for that miracle dip, Jesus offers us the right gift with a question: "Do you want to get well?", meaning not "Do you want to be straight?", or "Do you want to be ac.:epted?", but rather, "Do you want to be restored to what you were meant to be. befor e you suffered abuse and indignities?" Some of us can't even imagine what that would .be. Yet we must find enoughJaith to say "Yes!" - and then tell others about it. Martin Fowler is a member of the Dallas-Ft. Worth Chapter of Evarig elicals Concerned, He earned his doctorate in philosophy· at the State University of New York. CONFERENCE,From Page 1 planners expect more than 5000 Lesbians to converge ol} that southeastern metropolis for workshops and plenary sessions as well as other related events which may occur concurrently, such as a business and trad e exposition or a national lesbian softbail tournament. The meeting in Portland was the s e cond · such s trategy session, follo w ing a first national meeting which w as held in Durham, North Carolina on the campus of Duke Uni versit y last spring. The Durham gathering resulted from nearl y a year o f smaller regional meetings where Lesbians concerned about th e lack of a . focused national agenda initiated the conc e pt· of a national conference. A third meeting will converte in Kansas City, Missouri from April 27 to 29, 1990, exactly one year before the conference itself . The dat e of the conference is set in 1991 in order to allow for ma ximum accessibility for all Lesbians. Modifications to sit ~s in Atlanta to create _equal access for Lesbians with disabiliti es will require time to work out. Fund r aising activities by both the national planning body and b)' regional organ izations need time to ·effectively ensure that geographical distance will not be an excluding factor. Conference planne r s also have express e d a commitment to make 'this conference a ccessible in all ways to Lesbian s who have previously been under-represented at such event s. The . steering ' committee structure appro ve d by the Portland planning group is reflected in the composition of the interim task comm i ttee, which includes 50% Lesbians of color , 20% Lesbians with disabilities, older Lesbians , young Lesbians, deaf Lesbians, and Jewish Lesbians as well a s representatives from the N ational Office, Atlanta, and the west coast. · Each task committee member . is also exp e cted to work on one of th e nine committees that are working to make the conference a reality: Program , Nurturance, .. Mobilization and Networking, Fundraising, Disabil _ity anci Access, On-Site Planning, Media, Logistics, and Clearinghouse and Educational Action N etwork. In addition to constitu ency and committee representatives, seats on the larger st e ering committee have also been · re served for both representativ es from national organizations and the ten r e gions . into which the country has been div ided. The interim task committee was chosen in Portland with deliberat .e attention to these constituency criteria as well as regional and task -oriented considerations. The members of the interim task committee are Chrystos and Ja·net Spotted Eagle, Joyce Hunter and Carol Cohen, Michelle Crone and Susan Fuchs , Barb Bechdol and Mary Fr a nces Platt, Ka y Ostberg, Man yd Carter, · Sadiqua Bey, Ayofemi Folayan, Julie N e lson, M.P . Schildmeyer, and Stpehanie Jo Kent (paired nam es will share one committee position .) An interim office is locat ed in Albany, New York, where interested Lesbians may write ·to the NLC (at ·P.O . Box 3 057, Alb any , N Y 12203 or call (518)463-1051) fo r information about th e confer ence and .regional or constituenc:y contacts. Pleas e include a stamped, s e lf addressed env elope fo r information. Plans are underway top relocate .the nation al office to Atlanta in the Spri i'i.g of 1990. Search Open For NG RALegal D irec t or National Gay Rights · Advocates, the nation's leading gay civil right s law firm, has begun a nation-wide search for a Legal Director. Founded in 1978, NGRA directs precedent-setting Jaw suits to win co.mprehensi v e civil rights for all Lesbians and gay men. Over 100 attorneys · throughout · the country have supported NGRA's legal program on a pro-bono basis. Richard Rouilard , NGRA's co-founder a nd acting Chair of the Board of Directors expects the or ga nization to recru it an individual with the leadership, energ y and v ision to build upon th e historic achievements of the law firm . Working with N GRA's staff attorneys, the Legal Director coordinates the cooperating attorney program which involves nationally recognized attorneys in the firm ' s litiga~ _ion efforts. Some of the nation's foremo st attorneys have participate d in NGRA's legal efforts, most notably H a r v ard la w prof essor Laurenc e Tribe In terested applican ts should send, by N ovember 15, a resume, writin g sample, a nd cover lett er to: Search Committee , National Gay Rights Advocates, 890i Melrose Ave., West Holl y-_ wood, CA 90069. Women and persons of · color ar e encouraged to apply. Arlene Kochman Appointed SAGE Acting Executive Director Adrian Mayer, Presid ent of SAGE: Senior Action in a Gay Environm ent, announced that the Board of Directors has appointed Arlene Kochman, SAGE's Associate Director for Services as Acting Executive Director . Kochman has a Masters of Social Work, is a Certified Social Worker in the State of November/December 1989 New York, and is currently wor ·k i :,g on a · Doctorat e of Social Work a t Fordham University . She has been a staff member of the organization for o ver 4 years . Other SAGE staff, Michael Rohrer, Cynthia Kessler, Phillip Piro .and Bill Smith; along with a corps of 300 volunteers will continue providing services, advocacy and education . Founded in 1977, SAGE is an advocacy and social servic e agency providing care fo r older gay men, Lesbians an d seniors with AIDS. SAG E also provides education an d advocacy around the issues o f gay aging on a national and international level. · Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Second Stone #7 - Nov/Dec 1989 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/d121cb1dc564676a50f988126c950bf1.pdf bf106cd89b1ace17114ef19feabf0908 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Second Stone Description An account of the resource Issues of the Second Stone publication. Issue An issue of a recurring publication. Issue Number The number of the issue (within a volume) 9 Publication Year The year the issue was published 1990 Publication Date The date the issue was published Mar/Apr 1990 Text Any textual data included in the document THE NATIONAL NEWSPAPER FOR GAV AND LESBIAN CHRISTIANS $2.25 · ··· Many Gays & Lesbians 'Unreachable' · By Churches' Best Efforts By Jim Bailey Editor Even with the extensive media coverage of recent ordinations of gay and lesbian clergy, many a conservative church-goer would still express surprise that the words "gay" or "lesbian" and "Christian" could be spoken together. What is unsettling is the number of Gays and Lesbians who express a similar surprise, apparently completely unaware of resources that support Gays and Lesbians of Christian faith. Although twenty years have passed since the founding of major Gay and Lesbian ministries, churches and religious groups in many areas are still struggling to find their place in the community. SEE COVER STORY, Page 9 ·11 The 1990 Census: Im Transformation: Tell The Census Bureau The Gay Community Learns To Love Who You Really Are I Commentary by Ivy Young By Bill Urban - I Fr. Joseph Leo Killian, Jr. AIDS Claims First President Of Dignity/USA Father Joseph Leo Killian, Jr. died in late December at the Veteran's Hospital in Westwood , California. In 1969, he was secretary, treasurer and membership director of the committee that was to form the first Dignity group . Two years later, Killian embarked on an outreach program, getting Dignity to participate in the · Cay and Lesbian Pride Parade, arran - ging a retreat at the remote St. Andrews Benedictine Prio r y, and combing the country in search of similar groups. To permit a branch .of the organization to open in Kentucky he created the chapter program still in use, making Dignity a national organization. When . officers were elected for Dignity/ National in 1972, Killian became the group's first elected president. At the end of 1971, there were nearly 200 members. Today there are about 7,000 members in 110 chapters, as well as affiliated groups around the world. Honored at Dignity's 20th anniversary banquet last year, he challenged members to be open to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in the face of official opposition and reminded them that Dignity 's original Declaration states, "We believe that gay and lesbian Catholics are members of Christ's mystical body, numbered among the SEE KILLIAN, Page 20 Coalition for Traditional Values Gays Rally .Against Conservative Hate Group WASHINGTON, D.C. - Gay and lesbian and . other civil rights groups held a press conference, rally and march . in the nation's capital to confront the prejudice espoused by the Coalition for Traditional Values (CTV) at a CTV symposium entitled, "The National Task Force for the Preservation of the Heterosexual Ethic." Between 500 and 750 Gays and Lesbians rallied against CTV and its leader, the Rev. Louis Sheldon, at a demonstration against homophobia in Washington's Dupont Circle . The demonstration was sponsored by a coalition of D.C.-based gay and lesbian groups, including the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. SEE COALIDON, Page 20 SUBSCRIBE TODAY! ONE YEAR ONLY $12.60! BOX 8340 • NEW ORLEANS, LA 70182 P.O. Box 83~0 N!lw OrlNns LA 70182 - - In Our Next Issue: P-FLAG Mother's and Father's Day stories from parents whose love overcame their fears - and the group who helped them do it - Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PA ID NEW ORLEANS, LA PERMIT No. 511 From The Editor "To Champion The Cause Of Homosexuality" AFA Doesn't Want Gays and Lesbians On The Tube There is a continuing perception among many Gays and Lesbians that, for them, being a Christian is impossible. Nowhere is this perneption perpetuated any stronger than through the work of conservative Christian groups as they continue their hate-filled campaigns against gay rights, or anything gay. They say they "love the homosexual, but hate the sin of homosexuality;" but their lie becomes obvious when they find themselves unable to point to a single aspect of their work designed to draw Gays _and Lesbians into the Christian community. - Donald E. Wildmon, Executive Director of the American Family Association said in a recent editorial that his group is doing "what every person in a free democratic society has the right to do, trying to influence our society toward the direction we feel is best." His publication, The AFA Journal, started in 1977 as a one page newsletter with 150 readers . The AF A claims its most recent issue was the first to reach one million readers. revenues of other stores continuing to sell them. The AF A also does not like programs that "champion the cause of homosexuality." Any positive portrayal of a gay or lesbian person or couple or situation is likely to trigger a campaign against advertisers. The AFA wants homosexuality portrayed on television as an immoral life, full of despair. In the February issue, The Journal informed its readers that 43% of homosexuals have 500 or more different partners in their lifetime and that they meet their partners in a city park (77%) or public restroom (31%.) any other image. They're comfortable with miserable .. people meeting anonymous sexual partners in a bathroom or city park once a month or so and troubled by Gays and Lesbians being seen as happy, well-adjusted, successful and committed in relationship. What an odd twist for someone promoting family living! The lesson of Christ was to lead people fr~m despair. The right wing's solution to homosexuality is for it to disappear. It's the only answer they have. They dispute the estimate ·that 10 percent of the population of the United States is gay or lesbian. Okay - let's say that it's In This Issue FEATURES COVER STORY A TRANSFORMATION five percent - or even one percent. That's still a couple of million people. And ex-gay ministries can't change them. Certainly there is no answer for these people in the hate that the AFA displays towards Gays, Lesbians, non-Christians and others. Finally, in an editorial about the December protests at New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral The Journal says, "Our enemies are out of the closet; they are all in the open now." While it sounds like the AFA would like to line up Gays and Lesbians and shoot them, God's call is for love, compassion and reconciliation. For the AF A, this is going to be a tough one. □ The AFA crusades against sex, Page9 violence and anti-Christian bigotry in the media. Their letter campaigns to adverti sers hit television executives where it hurts - iri the pocketbook. Their boycotts against 'retailers of pornographic magazines have been effective in getting magazines out of some stores and hurting the The same -issue also attacked ABC's movie about Rock Hudson saying that the movie "evidences · the suffering that comes with AIDS, yet never indicts the homosexual lifestyle that has made AIDS epidemic." And concerning an episode of Doctor, Doctor, the Journal says that in a "blatant insult to viewers' intelligence" the show spouted the "ludicrous falsehood, 'AIDS doesn 't discriminate' ... No rational mind can truly believe that, yet - the networks continue their campaign to push that lie in family time 'entertainment-' programming." IN TIIE GAY COMMUNITY Page 10._ Letters Granville, North Dakota Masthead Still Not Inclusive Dear Second Stone, Thank you for a newspaper which is always very informative. It is very helpful to my ministry for me to have a news.paper such as yours so that I can find out about news 'The AFA, like so many other right wing groups, is comfortable with homosexuality being dismissed as a life of despair, and very troubled by □ speaking to me, although the masfhad doesn't indicate it . Yours Truly, Rev. Grant Speece Denver, Colorado Reader Corrects Our Mistake affect ing Lesbians and Gays. I do, Dear Second Stone, however, have one small suggestion. In your masthead, could you _ This letter is intended to correct an somehow indicate that your error made recently in your newspaper ·is also for Christians who, newspaper. The Reverend Julian while not lesbian or gay themselves, Rush is not the Senior Pastor of are concerned about the Christian Metropolitan Community Church of lesbian and gay community because of the Rockies . For the past sixteen their friendships with . and ministries years the Reverend Elder Dr. Charles to the lesbian and gay .commu p,ity? l , R. i>,Ar,ehart has ',,been our Senior am a heterosexual, but my ministry is . Pastor and we are very proud of that with people of all sexual preferences . fact. Within the UFMCC, Reverend My friendships with some very A,rehart has .the second longest compassionate Lesbians rtho I first pastorate, second only to the met in seminary has allowed me to Reverend Elder Freda Smith. have a special c9cncern for the civil Thank you for ·your attention to rights of Lesbians and Gays. These this .matter. friendships have also allowed me to In the Service of Christ, discard any theological baggage I once had with regard to Lesbians and Gays. Because of this, I find your news paper Dan Mahoney Assistant Minister COLUMNS FROM THE EDITOR COMMENTARY CLOSER LOOK FAMILIES TRAVEL PARTING THOUGHT DEPARTMENTS LETTERS NEWS BRIEFS - ORGANIZATION NEWS CALENDAR BOOK REVIEW CLASSIFIED fJ THE SECOND STONE Page 2 Page 3 Page 14 Page 15 Page 17 Page 19 Page 2 Page4 _.'q Page 12 Page 13 Page 16 · Page 19 Commentary · · , · □ Tell The Census Who You . Really Are By IzyYoung Director, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's Families Project As you can see, 1990 ends in a zero. That means it's time for the decennial count, by the Census Bureau, of the entire U.S. population. Ordinarily, the Census Bureau ritual would be of little or no consequence to the lesbian and gay community. But this year things are slightly different. Unlike past national counts, the 1990 census could have a direct impact on some of the issues affecting Lesbians and gay men. For the first time ever, the Census Bureau has added the category . "unmarried partner" to the relationship section of the questionnaire. Expanding the selection choice beyond "ro.ommate/partner" or "roomer/boarder," the new category is, according to some sources, the Bureau's attempt to get an accurate count of the number of heterosexual couples living together without "benefit of marriage." By simple deduction, however, Census officials will also be able to determine the number of same-sex couples living together in committed relationships. That same-sex cou. pies information will be published along · with the statistics on heterosexual unmarried partners. For those of us working in the lesbian and gay families arena, that information could prove vital to the success of our efforts in the future. The Census Bureau has been round I y criticized · for its failure to THE SECOND STONE Newspaper is published every other month by Bailey Communications, P. 0. Box 8340, New Orleans, LA 70182. Copyright1990 by The Second Stone, a registered trademark. ISSN No. 1047-3971 SUBSCRIPTIONS, U.S.A. $12.60 per year, six issues. Foreign subscribers add $8.00 for postage. All payments U.S. currency only. ADVERTISING, Display advertising one time rates: Full Page, $595.00; Half Page, $304.00; Quarter Page, $155.00; Eighth Page, $81,00; Sixteenth Page, $42.00. Send inquiries to: Box 8340, New Orteans, LA 70182. Classified advertising is 35 eents per word. EDITORIAL, send letters, calendar announcements, and church/organization news to (Department title) The Second Stone, P. 0. Box 8340, New Orleans, LA 70182. Manuscripts to be returned should be accompanied by a stamped, self addressed envelope. · THE SECOND STONE, an ecumenical newspaper committed to expanding Christian ministry in the Gay community · and to the spiritual growth and development of Gay persons, their families and friends · PUBLISHER/EDITOR: Jim Bailey alert affected groups that the question even exists, or, for that matter, what "unmarried partner" actually means. There has been no outreach effort, no community education, no discussion with lesbian and gay activists in particular, about how best to ensure that the question is understood and answered accurately. The Census Bureau does n(jt perceive, or more likely, does not care that for lesbian and gay couples answering the survey hqnestly involves more than a simple check off. The issue of government intrusion and privacy is a crucial one for many Lesbians and gay men; yet, census officials have ·made no effort to counter the fear and apprehension that could lead to a serious undercount of same-sex couples. · Some .lesbians and gay activists have predicted that as few as ten percent of . those couples affected by the "unmarried partner" question will respond honestly. But, a recent poll conducted by the Washington Blade found that of the couples responding, seventy-five percent said they would answer the question truthfully. Granted, the Blade survey was conducted in a major metropolitan area with a history of gay visibility. Similar results may not emerge from some small town or hamlet. Then again; they might. Our responsibility now is to provide for our community what Census Bureau officials did not - information and education. Our community must be persuaded to put aside the fear of being exposed and answer the Census · honestly. We have nothing to lose by being truthful. The struggle to have our relationships and our families recognized and protected will assume much greater urgency in the decade to come. Accurate statistics gathered from the 1990 Census .could provide us with a small, but important, weapon to help wage that ,struggle. New Report Highlights Homophobic Violence ATLANTA - A new report from the Center for Democratic Renewal ties the rising tide of violence against Gays . and Lesbians to far right and white supremacist organizations that are using anti-gay bigotry to attract new recruits. The report is entitled Quarantines and Death : The Far Right 's Homophobic Agenda. "Gay people have increasingly become the target of bigoted violence," explained Daniel Levitas, executive director of the Atlanta -based CDR. "This report describes the theoretical framework of the far right's homophobic agenda and outlines the basic steps needed to confront anti-gay bigotry." The 40-page monograph was written be CDK research director Leonard Zeskind and Mab Segrest, a long-time hum .an rights activist, who is currently director of research and . publications for North Carolinians Against Racist and Religious Violence, based in Durham. "Homophobic violence challenges all citizens who wish to preserve the fabric of democracy to act," says · Segrest, who serves on the board of directors of the CDR. The Center for Democratic Renewal, formerly known as the National Anti-Klan Network, was founded 10 years ago as the ·nation's principal clearinghouse for information on community-based responses to hate group activity and bigoted violence. Quarantines and Death examines such issues as why gay men and Lesbians have been targeted by far right groups, t.he nature of homophobic violence, and the ideology of the new right and the far right regarding homosexuality, AIDS and civil rights. According to Zeskind, white supremacists believe that AIDS is a "racial disease" carried by Jews and Blacks. "The Christian new right ·maintains it is a punishment sent by God for the sin of homosexuality," adds Zeskind. "Whatever the perception, a steady stream of murders and assaults has been the result." The Center for Democratic Renewal is a non-profit organization with offices in Kansas City, Missouri, Seattle, Washington, and Atlanta, Georgia. The CDR implements programs of research, training, public education, community organizing and technical assistance to counter w.hite supremacy, religious intolerance and homophobic violence. Quarantines and Death is available for $5.00 (including postage and handling) from the Center for Democratic Renewal, P. 0. Box 50469, Atlanta, GA 30302. OPEN and AFFIRMING REGIONAL CONFERENCES 1990 CONGREGATIONS "ONA" Open and Affirming (ONA) congregations in the United Church of Christ · WELCOME gay, lesbian and bisexual people into the church's life and ministry. There are now more th~n 35 ONA churches nationwide. WHAT DO THEY SAY ABOUT BECOMING "ONA?" . ", .. one of the most interesting and worthwhile things we ever did." • "It was the most spirit-filled experience our church has ever been through." COME AND FIND OUT MORE. JOIN IN .EXPLORING and PROCLAIMING GOD'S INCLUSIVE LOVE! For information I registration in your area: ONA '90 - EAST: June 1 - 3 (Worcester, MA) (Write: P.O. Box 403, Holden.MA 01520) ONA '90 - MIDWEST: May 4 - 6 (Chicago, IL) (Write: 1630 West Pierce, Chicago, IL 60622) ONA '90 - WEST: April 29 ° May 2 (Burlingame, CA) (Write: 751 Alameda de las Pulgas, Belmont, .CA 94002) ONA '90 ~resented by the United Church Coalition for LesbiaiVGay Concerns, (UCCUGC) March/ April 1990 ... , • Newsbriefs Vatican Will Let Women Perform Weddings The Vatican has granted the far-flung Roman Catholic archdiocese of Alaska permission for six female parish administrators to officiate at weddings when priests or deacons are not available. The National Conference of Catholic Bishops had asked for such permission at its November meeting, responding to a request from Archbishop Francis Hurley of Anchorage . The Catholic Church "has a history of adjusting to extraordinary situations," Hurley was quoted as saying in a church newspaper. -Associated Press Conservatives Declare "Spiritual Warfare" · On Gay Games VANCOUVER , B.C. - Full page advertisements calling for "spiritual warfare" and attacking the 1990 Gay Games III ran in the Vancouver Sun and Province, identifying those behind the anti-gay ads only as "Christian leaders who live in Gre ater Vancouver." The ads, billed to Robert Birch, pastor of the Burnaby Christian Fellowship in Vancouver , were denounced by mainstream church leaders as well as some fu ndamentalists who are also pro t esting the 1990 Vancouver Gay Games . . Asked about the charges of cowardice in not clearly identifying those respons ible for the ads, a spokesperson said the people who placed the ad "might show their courage in another way in the future ." -Pittsburgh 's Out Lesbian Conference Committee Meets ATLANTA - The National Lesbian Conference interim task committee met here to further define the membership of the steering committee that will guide the planning proce ss for the conference, which is scheduled for April 24 -28, 1991 in Atlanta. Regional planners will be chosen at meeting s which are being organized before the next large national planning meeting. The first steering committee session is scheduled to be I am with You Fear Not! (A Corrective Look at the Lesbian and Gay Clobber Passages) Professionally produced Video-tape Audia.tape & Workbook A new book by the Rev. Brnce Roller Pastor of Reconciliation MCC Grand Rapids, Ml - ~ ' • c.p .n.1 )-I/ZIii THE MESSAGE OF #-1 V V"' U RECONCILIATION VHS Video (90 min.l $24 .95 Al.dio Tape $5.00 • Wondx:d( $5.00 Loving OJrselves $6.95 Add 25% for 5h!pping & harxjlng. Faithful Publications P.O . Box 3701 Grand Rapids, Ml 49501 held in Kansas City, Mo., on Friday , April 27. . The third national planning meeting, to which Lesbians from around the country are invited , will be held in Kansas City the same weekend, April 28 and 29. For information about the conference or to get involved, contact Michelle Crone at (518) 463-1051. HUD Chiefs Shun Family Leave Provision WASHINGTON, D.C. - The two top officials of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently denounced a labor contract that would extend domestic partnership benefits to the federal agency's gay and lesbian employees. Jack Kemp, Secretary of HUD, alo11g with Under Secretary Alfred A. DelliBovi, claimed the contract with the HUD employee union illegally "redefines the family ." The controversy was sparked by a clause in the contract of the American Federation of Government Employees . AFGE's proposed definition of "family" would provide lesbian and gay employees with familial leave benefits identical to the privileges already offered heterosexual workers. The AFGE contract is currently under legal review. According to Barbara · Davidson, AFGE union representative, the portion of the contract allowing employees in non-traditional relationships to receive equal familial leave benefits should stand up to legal scrutiny . NGLTF encourages Lesbia ns and Gays to write HUD and urge the department to include Gays and Lesbians in its familial leave policy. Write to The Honorable Alfred A. DelliBovf, Under Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Washington, DC 20410 . New Legal Director Takes Reins At NGRA SAN FRANCISCO- David A. Bryan, former executive and legal director of the Texas Human Rights Foundation, moved into the top legal position as Legal Director of Nationa l Gay Rights Advocates. Bryan helped prosecute the Texas Human Rights Foundation's disciplinary complaint against Judge Jack Hampton of Dallas, who was publicly censured last Novemb e r for anti-gay bias . Founded in 1977 in San Francisco, N atio nal Gay Rights Advocates fights for the r ig hts of gay men, Lesbians and , through the AIDS Civil Rights Project , persons with HIV disease . NGRA aggressively pursues impact litigation in employment and .11 THE SECOND STONE □ housing discrimination, family partnerships, reform of sodomy laws, anti-gay violence, and first amendment rights. Imani Temple Will Ordain Women The Rev. George Stallings, a Ca tholic priest who last summer broke with the Roman Catholic Church and formed his own congregation said his church will encourage the ord ination of women and allow birth control and abortion. He also said the lmani Temple will permit optional celibacy , which means priests will be able to decide whether or not they want to marry . Stallings defended his church's stance on birth control and abortion, saying, "The Bible has nothing to say about abortion or birth control. The positions we are taking are not counter-Biblical; they are allowed within the expression of faith." -Associated Press Fathers' Stories Sought Tw o women are collecting short stories written by fathers of gay or lesbian children . The collection of writings will be used to help other families understand and accept a gay son or da1,1ghter. , Thoughts from a . variety of ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds are being sought. Writers may contribute anonymously under a pseudonym . For information contact Ann Davidson, P.O. Box 8265, Sanford, CA 94305 (415)857-1058. Lutheran Churches Face Disciplinary Action SAN FRANCISCO - Bishop Lyle Miller of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Sierra Pacific Synod has filed disciplinary charges against two congregations that ordained gay and lesbian pastors in spite of a church policy against calling "practicing homosexuals." First United Lutheran Church and St. Francis Lutheran Church were charged with "willfully disregarding and violating a criterion for recognition" as a congregation of the ELCA The recently ordained pastors, Ruth Frost, Phyllis Zillhart, and Jeff Johnson, had at one time been found qualified for the ministry by Lutheran Church authorities, but newly developed guid ,. foes by the ELCA require homose xual clergy to abstain from sexual activity . As a result, the local Bishop of the ELCA had refused to ordain the candidates or to recommend them for pastoral positions. -The Lutheran and other reports Newsbriefs , · □ ·Gay Ordination A Top News Story for Lutherans The challenging by two San Francisco Lutheran Churches of a churchwide policy barring practicing Gays and Lesbians from ordained ministry was the number . two denominational news story of the past year according to The Lutheran, the magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The denomination's $15 _million deficit was the . number one story. World's Only Gay and Lesbian Arab Group Seeks Members WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Gay and Lesbian Arabic Society (GLAS) of the U.S., the first such group in the world, including the Middle East, is looking for members and other people interested in Gay Arab issues. GLAS, formed in the nation's capital a year ago, currently has dozens of members around the country. The group is open to Gays and Lesbians of Arabic orgin or descent, and their supporters. To accommodate increasing West Coast interest, GLAS has recently opened a San Francisco chapter. · For more information on GLAS or to become a · member, write to The Arabic Society, P.O. Box 4971, Washington, D.C. 20008. In San Francisco, contact Huda Jadallah at (415) 864-3112: . Farmers Insurance ' Company Faces Gay Discrimination Suit SAN FRANCISCO - A Sacramento Superior Court judge has turned down a request by Farmers Insurance Company to dismiss a lawsuit alleging discrimination against a gay couple. The couple, Boyce Hinman and Larry Beaty, filed the suit after Farmers refused to sell them a joint "umbrella" liability policy. Farmers has taken the position that they will only issue Hinman and Beaty separate policies - at twice the cost - because they are not married. In the suit, the National Gay Rights Advocates contends that Farmers has violated both the Unruh Civil Rights Act and the anti-discrimination provisions of the insurance code. "Boyce Hinman and Larry Beaty have lived together for eighteen years," commented NGRA Executive Director Leonard Graff. 'They own a home, two cars, and all of their furniture together; they share the . common necessities of life and are each others' primary beneficiaries in their wills and insurance policies. Farmers has already issued them joint homeowners and automobile insurance policies. Making them buy two separate umbrella policies, at twice the cost, is, quite plainly, arbitrary discrimination." Robinson New Dean of Samaritan LOS ANGELES - The Rev. Sandra Robinson, Executive Director of the Department of People of Color, Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, has been named Dean of Samaritan College. New Program Targets Young Activists A new education and training program for young lesbian and gay activists has been launched by the California-based Critical Literacy Institu .te in the first national effort to locate and encourage the next generation of gay and lesbian leaders. The New Pacific Academy for Lesbian and Gay Community Service and Activism will open in June, 1990, with a one month intensive training . program at the ·• University of California campus in Berkeley, California. The 1990 "Basic Training" will be offered to 200 young people, 18 to 30 · years old, with demonstrated commitment to social service or political activism benefiting the gay and lesbian community. While no tuition is. required of participants, New Pacific is soliciting donations to . help defray travel costs. For information on attending, presenting a workshop, volunteering in support work, or making a donation, contact Donna Ozawa at New Pacific Academy, 2338 Market St., San Francisco, CA 94114, (415)252-1690. Bon Jovi Sorry For Calling N.Y.Giants 'Faggots' A row over anti-gay comments ·made in Dublin, Ireland, by the heavy metal band Bon Jovi ended when their lead singer apologized to the gay community in · Ireland for his remarks. Ireland's National Gay Federation had asked police · to investigate reports of the remarks, saying they appeared to be a violation of anti-hate legislation passed last year. The comments were made by group member Jon Bon Jovi at a concert in Dublin before a crowd of some 8000 people. The remarks were reported in the national media to have included reference to the National Football League's New York Giants as being "a bunch of... faggots" among other insults. Under the Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act 1988, which came into effect at the end of December, it is an offense to make public comments which are threatening, abusive or insulting and which also are likely to incite hatred of certain groups, including Gays. Following extensive media coverage of the NGFs anger, Jon Bon Jovi issued a statement two days after the concert, saying he felt he owed the NGF an apology. He said he had never intended to arouse any hatred or animosity toward the community and explained that his remarks had been in the context of hearing of his favorite football team, the New York Giants, losing to the Los Angeles Rams. Health Institute Has Toll Free Number The National Institutes of Health has instituted an 800 number - 1-800-AIDS-NIH (1-800-243~7644) in order to make information about studies more readily available to "An indispensable handbook" health care providers and prospective patients. A staff member will be available to answer questions for callers Monday through Friday, from noon to 3:00 p.m. Eastern time. If a patient is accepted for a protocol and enrolls in the study, all· subsequent travel expenses are paid by NIH. In addition, all medical care provided at NIH is free. The National Institutes of Health has provided national and international leadership in the fight against AIDS. Right Wing Produces Slick, Anti-gay Video Jeremiah Films, a right-wing fundamentalist film and video production company has produced an anti-gay video featuring misleading information about AIDS. The company managed to gain access to gay and lesbian organizations by · adopting the phony gay lookalike name of Pink Triangle Liberation . Productions. The video,AIDS: What You Haven't Been Told, contains interviews with leaders of the National March on Washington and · extensive footage of the protest and people with AIDS. -Pittsburgh •s Out AIDS: SHARING THE PAIN A Gulde for Caregivers Bill Kirkpatrick Practical and sensitive guidel.ines for the care of those infected by human immuno-deficiency virus-HIV. "An indispensable handbook ... positive, practical, compassionate, pastorally sensitive and Christian:· -WILLIAM D. HORTON in Franciscan $8.95 paper "Extrem useful" AIS ISSUES Conlrondng tbe Challenge edited by David G. Hallman Drawn from the historic ecumenical consultation on AIDS which included theologians, social ethicists, persons with AIDS; health care professionals, community service representatives and church denominational members, AIDS Issues argues for the churches to take progressive steps and assist the reader to confront the challenge of AIDS with intelligence and compassion. "This book is extremely useful in helping people to identify and become ilWOlved:'-DR. JONATHAN MANN, Director, Global Program on AIDS, World Health Organization $12.95 paper i, fol bool<Slores a d•oct~ from •The Pilgrim Press C 475 Riverside Dr.-10lh floor, New York, NY 10115 March/ April 1 .990 AT LAST. A MONTHLY TRAVEL MAGAZINE _THATELLS YOU:ABOUT TRAVEL Discover OUR WORLD Gay Travel Magazine MEMBER [Gui\ ___ ....... ---- We've finally come out! We're the Monthly International Gay Travel Magazine. Month by month, we invite you to visit with.us and discover an exctti~g world available _to gay men and lesbian travelers. Enjoy color photos of a ro_mantic hotel in Spa_1n, a rustic resort 1n California, a trendy hotel on the English Riviera, an elegant Victorian mansion 1n San Fraoc1sco, a magnificent French chateau, and more! • h nd Investigate gourmet restaurants, intimate bars and glittering nightspots. Acquire first a knowledge, travel tips, and up to date information from gay travel agents, and tour operators. . , You get all this at the special subscriber rate of only $44 for one full year (12 issues). Thats a saving of 25% off the newsstand price. Act now! Discover OUR WORLD today! MAIL TO: OUR WORLD PUBLISHING, 1104 North Nova Road, Suite 251 Daytona Beach, Florida 32117 USA (904) 441-5367 0 Yes! Please start my subscription for 1 year (12 issues). I have enclosed my .check or money order for $44. (U.S.A.) Sample copy $4.95. Canada, Mexico, Overseas (surface) - US $52 Europe (airmail) - US $70 Pacific (airmail) US $80 First issue mails in 4-6 weeks in plain sealed envelope. Our subscriber list is kept confidential. (please print) Name, _ _____ _ ___ _ _______ _ _ -:- ___ _ Address __ _ __ _ __ _ ___ _ ________ __ _ _ _ __ _ ___ __ __ __ __ _ _ _ Code _____ _ Country, __ __ -,---:-:--------------,-------== News briefs Activists Aim For Passage of Federal Gay Rights Bill in 1990's WASHINGTON, D.C. - The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force will celebrate on March 25-27 the 15th Anniversary of the introduction of the Federal Lesbian and Gay Civil · Rights Bill with a series of commemorative events designed to increase momentum and awareness of the anti-discrimination legislation. Among other things, NGLTF will launch a massive gay and lesbian constituent post card campaign to increase support for the bill in the U.S. Congress. The objective of the Task Force is to pass the bill during this decade. The bill, officially known as The Civil Rights Amendments Act of · 1990, was introduced into the 94th Congress in 1975 by thenRepresentative BeUa Abzug, the bill's first sponsor . Support for the bill has grown steadily over the years. The act would prohibit discrimination on the basis of affectional or sexual orientation in the areas of housing, employment, credit, public · accomodations and federally assisted progr<1rns. As part of its commemorative post card campaign, NGLTF will distribute thousands of cards to gay and lesbian organizations nationwide. Constituents are asked to complete the cards and forward them to their lawmakers, urging them to cosponsor the bill. · For . more information and to obtain lobbying kits and post cards, contact NGLTF at 1517 U St. NW, Washingotn, D.C., 20009, Attention: 15th Anniversary, or call (202)332-6483. Gays Protest at California Churches Greater Religious . Responsibility, a group of gay activis _ts in the Los Angeles area, claimed responsibility for splattering red paint and posting anti-church posters on church buildings in California. Safe sex posters and red handprints were found on the exterior ·of the Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco building. -The Latest Issue Exhibit Features Lesbian Art NEW YORK - The Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center National Museum of Lesbian and Gay History is currently exhibiting "Works By Lesbian Artists" curated by LAV A (Lesbians About Visual Art). II THE SECOND STONE The exhibit, a national juried show which includes paintings, drawings, photographs, ceramic and mixed media works created by approximately twenty lesbian artists from across the country, runs through March 22nd. For furthur information about LAV A contact Kathryn Kirk at (718) 963-4712: Survey Seeks Info From Black Gay & Bisexual Men LOS ANGELES - AIDS in the United States is disproportionately affecting the Black community, particularly Black gay men, according to the Black C.A.R.E (Community AIDS Research and Edu cation) Project, which is . committed to the fight against AIDS in the Black community . The group is gathering information directly from the community through a national, anonymous survey, the Black Men's Health Survey , of Black gay an9- bisexual men. To parti"cipate in the survey, write to Dr . Vickie M. Mayes, Black C.A.R.E Project, 1283 Franz, Los Angeles, CA 90024-1563 or call (213) 206-5162. . Florida County Extends Housing Protection To Gay Men and Lesbians . Palm Beach County became the first county in Florida to prohibit discrimination in housing, the financing of housing, and public accomodations when the county commission amended its fair housing laws on January 16, 1990. "For the first time since the anti-gay Anita Bryant crusade in 1977, some gay men and lesbian Floridians are able to enjoy equal protection under the law ," said Rand Hoch, attorney for the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council. The Council, along with the gay oriented Atlantic Coast Democratic Club, were the two organizations instrumental in lobbying for tl}e changes in the !aw. A hearing related to the ordmance on January 16 lasted almost four hours . Thirty people spoke in favor of the ordinance, while only 17 opposed it. Speakers from both sides quoted the Bible. Only one member of the clergy spoke against the ordinance, while two rabbis, a Presbyterian minister, an Episcopalian Bishop, and a minister from the Metropolitan Community Church called for adoption of the ordinance. A law prohibiting discrimination against gay men · and Lesbians was approved in 1977 in Dade County, Florida, but it was repealed at a referendum later that year after a bitter campaign mounted by singer Anita Bryant. Newsbriefs ABA To Add Discrimination Protections WASHINGTON , D.C. - Successful lobbying by the National Lesbian and Gay Law Association (NLGLA) caused the American Bar Association to include a ban against discrimination based on sexual orientation in its draft Model Code of Judicial Conduct. Specific protection in the code means that Lesbians and gay men can expect and demand fair treatment in . the judical system. The code applies to judges throughout the country and subjects them to discipline if they violate its ethical canons. It is hoped that this action will send an explicit message to judges that they will be held personally accountable if they discriminate against gay people. Suzanne Bryant, one of Washington's two regional board members for NLGLA said that, "Because Lesbians and gay men have received unfair treatment in the . court system, many have not availed themselves of existing legal protections. Finally, we can expect and demand equal treatment under the law." For more information about the Code changes or the NLGLA write to 14 Beacon St., Suite 720, Boston, MA 02108. Texas Bishop Opposes Ordination Of Woman, Gays Episcopal Bishop Clarence C. Pope of Fort Worth has formed a new synod in the church because he opposes changes such as the ordination of woman and gay people. "We believe our seminaries, bishops and standing committees have not been overly scrupulous ... in screening out some of those whom are inappropriate for holy orders," he said . - Montrose Voice Gay Activist's Home Torched After weeks of vocal opposition from anti-gay Christians, the efforts of gay activists, led by Brad Evans , were successful in allowing the gay play , The Normal Heart, to be presented at the Southwest Missouri State University. As the curtain went up, Brad Evan's home burnt down. Investigators found evidence that a flammable liquid had been poured throughout the house. Evans lost all of his possessions, including his two cats. Some 1,200 people showed up at the college in support of a protest called by the fundamentalist, antipornography group, Citizens Demanding Standards, to denounce the play as "obscene." State Representati ye Jean Dixon protested the work saying its purpose is "to promote the homosexual lifestyle as a viable, legitimate lifestyle." -Latest Issue National Gay Family Registry WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Human Rights Campaign Fund has decided to develop a nationwide family registry program to build grass roots support for the concept of lesbian and gay families. The national group hopes the Registry will play an important role in building national support for domestic partnership laws and changes in federal law to end discrimination against lesbian and gay relationships . "Many · Lesbians and Gays have created true families, with strong . bonds of love and commitment that withstand society's pressure to destroy them, " said Tim Mcfeeley, executive director of the Human Rights Campaign Fund. "While we fight to broaden society's definiton of the family to encompass lesbian and gay relationships, we must provide support and validation to our own community," he said . Lesbians and Gays who would like to participate should contact Kathleen Stoll at HRC in Washington, (202)628-4160. Senate Passes Hate Crimes Act WASHINGTON, D .C. - The U.S. Senate voted 92 to 4 to pass the Federal Hate Crime Statistics Act. Before voting for passage, senate law makers rejected, by 77 to 19, a move by Senator Jesse Helms (R-NC) to attach a four-part anti-gay amendment to the bill. The landslide vote marks the first time in the history of the Senate that the pervasive problem of anti-gay and lesbian violence has been .addressed, the first time gay-positive legislation has passed the Senate, and the first time the gay and lesbian community has defeated Helms on a gay-related issue. The bill requires the U.S. Department of Justice to "acquire data about certain crimes which manifest evidence of prejudice based on race, religion, sexual orientation, or ethnicity." Repeal Effort Fails In Georgia ATLANTA, Ga. - The Georgia House of Representatives rejected a move to repeal the state's "ancient statute" that outlaws sodomy . Before the vote, House Speaker · Tom Murphy told the Atlanta Constitution/Journal he didn't "know enough about sodomy to talk about. Believe me, I don't know about it." In response to an Atlanta gay and lesbian demonstration against sodomy laws, Murphy said, "Those gay people, I didn't go around them. I didn 't want to get too close." In its post -vote editorial, The Atlanta Constitution said of speaker Tom Murphy, "Ignorance is a fully plausible explanation for [the sodomy] vote, though it is rio comfort to be confronted so brazenly by a legislator boasting of his stupidity ." Toy's Aren't Us The Vice President of Advertising and Marketing for Toys R Us has apologized to a viewer who complained that the company had sponsored an episode of Thirty Something in which two gay men were shown in bed. Ernest V. Speranza wrote, ''Needless to say, we were very disappointed with the content of the episode in question." Toys R Us, whose Chairman is Charles Lazarus, (461 Fram Road, Paramus, NJ 07652, (210)599-6954) has cancelled future •adverstising on Thirty Something . The American Family Association · has called on its members to complain to other sponsors of the show, American Home Products, (Anacin, Dimetapp) and Beatrice Companies, Inc ., (Hunt, LaChoy, Orville Redenbacher, Wesson.) Toys R Us President Robert Nakasone said the company had nothing against gay and lesbian people and denied that the decision to stop advertising on Thirty Something was connected .to the letters from APA members. ACT UP Protests At St. Patrick's NEW YORK - Some 2000 demonstrators gathered at St. Patrick's Cathedral . to protest . pronouncements by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Vatican that condoms should not be used as protection <1-gainst AIDS. -Baltimore Alternative Andy Rooney Reinstated NEW YORK - CBS News reinstated · Andy Rooney three weeks into a three month susp ension without pay for .aHeg e.dly making anti-gay remarks . Rooney denied making the comments, which were reported in a national gay magazine . Letters to 60 Minutes had been running in favor of Rooney. You spend only · this much of your advertising dollar to reach a Second Stone reader! • Readers in every state across the USA and in many foreign countries • An ad this size costs less than 2¢ per reader! · • No charge for layout, composition, proof s • A unique opportunity to reach a precisely defined audience •State zoning a\lllilable for pre-print in se rts • Each edition circulated for up to four months • Reach the NEW Gay & Lesbian market in the USA! THE SECOND S10NE Box 8340 • New Orleans, LA 70182 March/ April 1990 a Gay Couple Serve As Godparents Walter Baker and Gerald Bowman, a gay couple who marked their 10th anniversary last fall, served as Godparents at the Baptism of Margaret Catherine Twigs Sevco at Christ Episcopal Church in Coudersport, Pennsylvania, population 3000, in the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania. Baker, a member of Integrity, was - :(,'-' elected for a three year term on the Vestry of Christ Church last year in an open election with. six candidates running for four open positions. A year ago, the Vestry elected him to be one of the two delegates to the Diocesan Convention. He was also nominated to the Standing Committee and, although not elected this first time around, continues to Margaret Catherine Twigs Sevco with (left to right) parents Thomas and Margaret Sevco, Godparents Walter Baker and Gerald Bowman, and the · Vicar of Christ Church, The Rev. Herbert Geer McCarriar, Jr. WHAT·'s THE BEST Men's magazine - . the one that deals most honestly with how men . relate to each other. to women. and to kids; the one that's gay-affirmative and opposes sex-role stereotypes .... the one that movingly explores men's hurts and joys . . . ~-- --- --------~ 1, OrQr at no obligation . If you change your mind. jusR~: us I We'll ref und the subscription price I I : Name -- · Enclosed:_ S16 : I Address ____________________ I I City _____________ State_ Zip __ I I Moll to: Chon in Men 306 N. Brooks 305A Madison WI 5 '!,_ .J ---------------------- be active in parish life, serving as usher and lector in tum with others. Bowman, who is also active at Christ Church, was confirmed this past September. He is Vice President of the Coudersport Fine Arts Council. The two are co-owners of the Hotel Crittenden in Coudersport , Both have found satisfaction in the Episcopal Church, through the supportive outreach and welcome by the Vicar; The Rev . Herbert G. McCarriar, Jr., who has for three years presented more people for confirmation/reception than any other priest in the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania. The parents of the baby have been active at Christ Church for more than a year, and were confirmed/received this past September. Thomas Sevco is a hairdresser and Margaret is an English teacher at Coudersport Ar.ea High School. Made "Dumb" Comments, Bishop Says Newly Ordained Priest Fired At the request of the board of Oasis, a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese . of Newark with the lesbian and gay community, the Rev. J. Robert Williams has resigned as its Executive Director. He has also been suspended from performing all priestly functions by his bishop. Williams addressed a conference in Detroit in mid-January sponsored by Integrity/Detroit and a local parish. During his remarks , Williams expressed the view that celibacy was only rarely a positive option, and that virtually all persons' lives would be improved by sexual relationships. He also said that, "Monogamy is as unnatural as celibacy. If peole want to try, OK. But the fact is, people are not monogamous. It is crazy to hold this ideal and pretend · it's what we're doing and we're n bt." Williams was ordained on December 16, 1989 by the bishop of Newark, the Rt. Rev. John S. Spong in a highly publicized service. The intense media attention was based on the mistaken notion that Fr. Williams' ordination was the first of an openly non-celibate gay man in · the Episcopal Church. It was, in fact, merely the first such ordination in the Diocese of Newark. The widespread reporting of Williams' remarks at the conference led Bishop Spong to admonish Williams, calling his remarks "dumb." Williams refused to retract his remarks. He said, "I'm not making a decision to leave the [Episcopal] church unless they force me to leave." But he added, "Before I .., ~ Evangelicals .. 'I(/ loge/her Inc. SUPPORT COMMUNITY & SERVICE FOR Gay & Lesbian Christians In Southern Califomia ... since 1979 Sult., 109-Box.16 79B5 Santa Monica Boulevard West Hollywood, CA 90046 213/656-.8570 ~ got ordained, I was thinking of starting my own church, and that may be something I'll have to do after all, in order to tell the truth." Various bishops have been calling for a church trial for Bishop Spong . Williams has accused Spong of _ "looking for someone to sacrifice to take some of the heat off of him." On January 29, a group of anti-gay bishops met with the Primate of the Episcopal Church, the Most Rev. Edmond Browning. In a release at the end of the meeting, Bishop Browning expressed his "deep regret and sorrow" over what he called "the intemperate and tasteless comments of Robert Williams." However, he also said that "the issues for us as a church are deeper" than the ordination of Robert Williams or "his demeanor, regardless of how very sad that has been." Among the deeper issues he cited were the church's pastoral response to homosexuals and the appropriateness of ordaining them. The board of Integrity, Inc., the nationwide lesbian and gay ministry of the Episcopal Church, issued a unanimous resolution stating its agony over the division among Williams, a long-time Intergrity member and founder of Integrity /Dalla s; Spong, one of Integrity's principal supporters in the House of Bishops; and the board of Oasis, which includes several Integrity members, most notably Integrity's founder, Dr. Louie Crew. Kirn Byham, Integrity's president, said, "The media created Robert Williams and it destroyed him. He was certainly not the 'first openly gay non-celibate male to be ordained in the Episcopal Church.' The other bishops became upset only because there was so much publicity about the ordination. Bishop Spong became upset only because there was so much publicity about Robert's remarks," Business or Personal ... Try a Second Stone dassified Ad II THE SECOND STONE Cover Story Let Your Light Shine How To Get Mo·re Recognition For Your Church Or Group By Jim Bailey Editor The good work your church or group does to impact your neighborhood and entire · community is newsworthy and deserves recognition. Food drives for the hungry, emergency housing you provide for the homeless, disaster relief programs, and important guest speakers or · musical groups are examples of things you do that would interest people beyond your immediate church membership. and information, regular readers may already know about the church or group. Here are some suggestions for reaching new prospects. · The Daily Newspaper group and your activity' in the community. You may be invited to discuss any number of topics including the homeless, AIDS projects, abortion, etc., depending on your ministy. Don't limit your interest to discussions on religion/ homosexuality. (And watch out for "shock" radio and TV shows. Hosts who specialize in confrontation have their minds m;ide up - and so do their listeners/ viewers!) Mosf radio and television stations accept and a,r free of charge Public Service Announcements, PSAs, from non-profit organizations. If sponsoring an event to benefit some community project, you may want to investigate having a PSA produced and aired . Plan well in advance. church councils provides a valuable interface with other clergy and . congregations and displays your willingness to work together for the good of the entire community. Your involvement . in softball leagues, bowling tournaments, etc. keeps the name of your church or group before the community. It gives -others an . opportunity to see that gay and lesbian ministries are just like their own . The Yellow Pages Make sure your church or group is listed in the Yellow Pages. Insist on a heading identifying your special gay and lesbian outreach. Some directories already have such a heading. If your directory doesn't, you may have ask - and you may Leaders of local churches and organizations with special ministries for Gays and Lesbians too often limit exposure of their hard work to the media they are most comfortable With: the local gay newspaper. While this is an important outlet for news Have you met the editor .or religion writer of your daily newspaper? While some writers may not be, receptive to your gay and lesbian focus, most will be very interested in meeting you and learning of your work. Cultivate a good working relationship with the religion writer. Keep him or her informed of your church or group's impact on the community. (But don't bother him/her with in-house news such as council elections, etc.) If your newspaper has a religion page and you can afford a small ad, it may attract new members. Insist on including copy on your special gay and lesbian outreach in the ad. Radio and Television Make local radio and television talk show hosts aware of your church or Some tal e nted individual in your group may want to consider putting together a special program or regular program based in your ministry for community access TV. Community .Events . Participation in area wide organizations such as interfaith • have a battle on your hands. If so, you should consult with a group like the National Gay Rights Advocates or the American -Civil Liberties Union . COVER STORY From Pagel Church and organization leaders may claim that receptivity is a problem, although a bigger problem may be the ineffectiveness of these ministries in making the community aware of their presence and activities. Christian outreach to Gays and Lesbians is all too often targeted toward those who are already aware of resources available to them: uncloseted Gays and Lesbians who take an active part - socially, politically, and otherwise- in the established gay community. But what about the majority of Gays and Lesbians - those who remain closeted to some degree; those who are reluctant to stop at . a bookstore or bar even for the few moments it would take to pick up a copy of the local gay periodical? Ranging in age from high school and college students to people well into careers (which may be jeopardized by their "coming out"), they represent the silent majority of Gays and Lesbians, often scorned by , their uncloseted counterparts. They also represent the gay and lesbian community's greatest potential for development, and for Christian outreach, a particularly difficult challenge. ' Although outreach in the strictest sense - discovery of and contact with a person who is in need of a fellowship of care, support and spiritual growth - is perhaps most effectively done on a personal level by leaders and members of local churches and group chapters, an important task of national church and religious organization execus tives is to bring wide recognition to their ministry on a national level; to stimulate inquiry by Gays and Lesbians who have not seen a community churches' classified ad in the back of the local gay newspaper. Efforts to do this on the · national levei" have ranged from stellar to lackluster. A major outreach effort was scheduled to be launched by The Evangelical Network at its annual gathering in March. According to TEN's chairperson, Rev. Fred Pattison, Senior Pastor of Casa de Cristo Church in Phoenix, Arizona, TAG 2000 (Tell All Gays by the year 2000) will be a bold effort during the decade of the '90s to witness to the gay · and lesbian community across the nation. "The church is foreign to alot of people," Patti~on said. "A goal of TAG 2000 is to challenge people to evangelize within their own communities . We're developing teams to provide workshops to help local groups with their outreach," he said. · TAG 2000 was developed after the larger plan by Evangelicals to "reach the unreachable people of th'e world by the year 2000" left Gays and Lesbians out. TEN's plan now is to bind local churches together in a solid push to witness to the gay and lesbian community . To be successful, however, TEN will have to concentrate now on funding their effort and making TAG 2000 known across the nation . Dignity /USA was successful in running a full page ad in a major circulation national newsmagazine and , making the most of adversity, has drawn media attention to the banishment of the group from Catholic church- owned property across the country. Not March/ April 1990 only has Dignity been successful in mal-:ing their ministry known to the wider public, they have also seen anger over church actions jar formerly complacent gay and lesbian clergy firmly into their comer. Lutherans Concerned of North America will no doubt benefit greatly from their involvement in and support of January's ordinations of a gay man and lesbian couple in San Francisco . The ordinations . received much media attention, including an inordinately long piece on the CBS Evening News. Although the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has resisted the ordinations, the message to gay and lesbian Lutherans is .that they are not alone in the church; that there arli! those willing to push for fairness and inclusivity. As with Dignity, Lutherans Concerned is now is a powerful position to push gay and lesbian clergy and church members from straddling the fence into concerned work. Integrity , Inc. has an active and effective media office. With an increasing number of events occurring in the Episcopal Church signifying a more meaningful place for women, Gays and Lesbians, Integrity is also in a position to garner coverage of their ministry. The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches is largely overlooked by the mainstream media. Though many wo ·uld blame homophobic writers and reporters, the fault may lie with the UFMCC itself which, like their local churches, tends to restrict coverage of their ministry to the gay and lesbian press. News of. last summer's General Conference went only to members of the Gay and Lesbian Press Association, not the nation's 500 plus religion writers and reporters. The conference was . held in a hotel adjoined, by only a few yards of walkway, by St. Paul's d aily newspaper, The Pioneer · Dispatch, yet the conference received no coverage even locally. The UFMCC has depend ed almost exclusivel y on local churches for outreach activity. And local churches have depended on adve r tising and stories in the gay and lesbian press to attract members - a practice which explains, in SEE COVER STORY, Page 11 No Cowardly Spirit A Transformation In Th:_e Gay Community How long, 0 Lord? I cry for help but you do not Jisten! I cry out to you •."violence!" but you do not .intervene. Why do you let me see ruin: Why must I · look at misery? -Habakkuk THE MORE THINGS CHANGE, · the more they remain the same. The world of Habakkuk and the world.we live in today are not -that much different from one another. Just as Habakkuk, we live in a world of wars and pestilence caused by the .social and moral corruption of a society out of control. But a world that allows that same society political control. Habakkuk dares to take issue with God. If God is so -almighty and good, .then why does he aliow eVJi to exist .and the righteous to die.. . I was thrust foto the world of AIDS, unexpectedly in 1982 when a dear ·friend was stricken by a'then -"unknown" and "untreatable" disease. I vividly remember walking into the funeral home to find a closed ·casket placed strategically in an ·archway between two rooms. One ·room was assigned to family -members, the other to his friends. I was very hurt. My friend's death ·should have served as a catalyst to ·bring us together. Instead it was used as a weapon to separate us. There we were - divided by disease and death. His family was shamed by his death. Embarrassed by his ·homosexuality. , On that day it became my mission to .fight - unashamed - the social and political mores of a society so blinded by fear and prejudice that it would refuse to bury its own. Here we are seven years and 60,000 deaths later. It has not been an easy struggle, but like Habakkuk, "I look over the nations and I see and am .utterly amazed." I cast my eye about and see the goodness of God at work. I see a once narcissistic and self-indulgent community transformed. A hedonistic society whose values - once based upon :avarice and greed, changed into a WI BY BILL URBAN community committed to the love and care of their brothers. I see a community renewed in - and strengthened by - its faith. Most importantly, I see how their love and religious spirit has slowly modified the masses. Politicians and religious leaders who at one time were afraid to even say the "A" word, are now openly supporting our fundraisers and assisting us in our causes. Someone once gave me a button that read: "Being gay is not for sissies!" I certainly can vouch for that . Second Timothy reveals to us that, "The spirit God has given us is no cowardly spirit, rather one that makes us strong, loving and wise ." I LIKE TO TELL the story of when my parents arrived at Johns Hopkins and the doctors were explaining my diagnosis to them. I lay severely ill in the Intensiv.e Care Unit and was not expected to live through the weekend. Upon hearing this, my mother exclaimed, "He will not only survive this pneumonia, but AIDS as well!" The doctor, not wanting her to be disillusioned, persisted, "I know your son to be a strong-willed individual, but he has never come up against anything like AIDS before. My mom, fully composed, looked that doctor right in the eye and said, "Well, AIDS has never come up against anything like. my son before." I did make it through that weekend. For weeks thereafter, I laid in my hospital room, frightened . and depressed . Thinking how unfair all this was. I was just getting my life turned around, I had my own newspaper and the life partner I had always dreamed of. It just wasn't fair. I contemplated my next maneuver with a great deal of consideration and discretion. When I became ambulatory, I took a walk to the top to the Hopkins parking garage. Eight stories high . I stared down at the ground for what seemed like .hours waiting for and desperately wanting one reason not to jump , When I had my left leg over the side, the Holy Spirit manifested itself to me. How long, 0 Lord, must I be beat back by political zealots, and you do not listen! I cry out to-you "Discrimination!" but you do not intervene. Why must I look at sickness and death? The Holy Spirit answered me with, "As long as man allows the physical and spiritual devastation of his fellow man." It is for mortals to resolve mortal problems. Allow me to be so bold as to make a comparison from a verse in Timothy which says, "I have been appointed preacher and apostle and teacher, and for its sake I undergo present hardships. But I am not ashamed." The same firery Spirit which came upon me that dismal day in-June of 1987 is with me today. THE NAMES PROJECT QUILT now covers 14 acres and represents the lives of 15,000 men, women and children. One of those quilts, · personally stitched by me, represents the life of a man I once loved. A kind and-decent human , being who never hurt a soul in his entire life, and who died, tragically and painfully, in my arms. I pray for a miracle, but instead I receive smaller blessings one at a time. In 1983 there wasn't much hope for people with PCP, (Pneumocystis Carinii Pneumonia.) I watched as my once strong and virile partner wasted away to a mere 58 pounds. I sat by his side reciting the rosary, and reading prayers because the machines attached to him did not allow the benefit of speech. I called his family upon his death and was told by his father, "He's your problem now, you handle it."• This man's death was not without merit. For four years following his death I fought for a little known treatm ent known as Areosolized Pentemidine which prevents the onslaught of PCP. Finally, in 1987, Baltimore Medical Institutions reluctantly began prescribing this treatment. Today it is customary practice. Deaths due to PCP are down THE SECOND STONE dramatically. I pray for a miracle, but instead I receive smaller blessings one at a time. I have fought and prayed hard for FDA approval of undergound drugs. Even if combined with other drugs they would at least prolong life. GREAT STRIDES HAVE . BEEN made in science and medicine since 1983, but the political, social and religious fronts still have a long way to go. In his day, Habakkuk faced the Chaldeans. The Chaldeans were a powerful, vicious, cruel and ruthless people. There are no Chaldeans today. We have the Jerry Falwells, theJimmy Swaggerts, the Jesse Helmses, and their supporters. The ignorant and frightened need to see for themselves that people like me are intrinsically good and our mission is simply to spread God's love · -not AIDS. When Iwas growing up and things didn't seem to work out right; I would · complain to my dad that life wasn't fair. He'd say to me, "No son, life isn't always fair. But if you feel that God has given you lemons, well then, make lemonade. You have to do the best you can with what you got where you are." The Holy Spirit l:)as helped me realize that God has spared my life for a reason. I understand that my personal lemon is AIDS and I have to make lemonade. Enough for all to drink. I make lemonade by my public speaking. Speaking serves to educate and sensitize people. It changes public opinion. It allows conservatives, evangelicals and their fundamentalist counterparts to see for themselves, the Holy Spirit that dwells within me . That Spirit of Strength - that Spirit of Love - that Spirit of Wisdom! That same spirit within each and every one of us. Each one of us has been touched by AIDS. Each of us has their own personal lemon to deal with. Look deep into your hearts. You will find a way to make lemonade . Then, when AIDS is eradicated from society as we know it today, we can all say with great pride and Christian love, "We have done no more than our duty," "In Every Classroom" Rutgers Report Examines Lesbian and Gay University Life NEW BRUNS\NICK, - N.J. - A comprehensive study of the lesbian and gay community at Rutgers, released by the Pres.ident' .s. Select Committee for Lesbian and Gay Concerns, places Rutgers on "the cutting edge of universities addressing these issues nationwide," according to James D. Anderson, committee chairman. The committee, which · included Rutgers faculty, staff, students and alumni, studied the entire university, Anderson said. "In Every Classroom: The Report of the President's Select Committee for Lesbian and Gay Concerns, Rutgers University;" includes the -results of a survey of all university employees on various issues impacting the lesbian and gay community . The faculty. and staff survey asked about such issues as harassment and discrimination in the work place and the classroom, as wen · as integration of the .lesbian and gay experience in the academic life of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey . "That's a first," said Anderson. "We don't know of any other institution that has surveyed every single employee," Anderson is associat~ dean and professor with the School of Communication, Information and Library Studies . Kevin Berrill, director of the Campus and Anti-Violence Project' of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, called the document "one of the most comprehensive studies to date of lesbian and gay life on college campuses" and predicted it will serve as a model for other universities throughout the country. The report is among the first to link student life, student policy, employee benefits, curriculum , career counseling, residence life and other universitywide concerns in a broad COVER STORY, From Page,) study of issues impacting the gay and lesbian community, according to Ron Nieberding, committee member, editor of the report, and a university student. The university must ensure an environment in which all members of the community, including lesbian and gay people, can participate and develop intellectually and emotionally, free from fear, violence or harassment, the report said. It also includes a survey of similar efforts under way throughout the country. Offices and programs for lesbian and gay concerns already exist at the University of Massachusetts-Amhe 1st, at the University of Pennsylvania and at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Nieberding said. The report, the result of more than 18 months of work by the committee, recommends that the university develop a similar office, with a least one full-time staff person, to focus on the concerns of the lesbian and gay community and to coordinate efforts already underway at each of _the university's schools .. Other key recommendations include: Developing incentives for scholars to pursue research:on the contributions of lesbian and gay people to science, history, literature and the arts; Integrating the experience of lesbian · and gay people into all relevant areas of undergraduate and graduate curricula; Fighting homophoia with sensitivity workshops aimed at incomipg students, fraternities, sororities, faculty, staff and administration; Creating safe space , not exclusive space but an area where Lesbians, gay men and bisexuals may int e ract without harassment and the threat of hostility; and providing the same personnel benefits and services to domestic partners of lesbian and gay employees as are offered to the spouses of other employees. "No one - whatever their race, sex, .religion, ·color, national origin, ancestry, age, disability or sexual orientation - should be subject to ... treatment that deprives them of their dignity or humanity," the report stated . "It is psychologically healthier for everyone not to hate," said committee member Catharine R. Stimpson, vice provost for graduate -education and dean of the Graduate School -in New Brunswick. "The hater gets hurt by hating ." The report - now goes to Rutgers President Edward J. Bloustein for review. Bloustein, in a letter to Anderson, praised the - "comprehensive scope and high quality" of the committee's work. "The report will be received gratefully and will get the careful and deliberate study it deserves," Bloustein said . The material wili be sent to campus provosts, deans, directors, student leaders and governing bodies throughout the university for furthur study prior to any decision on the best approach to implementing i t s recommendations, Bloustein said . The select committee was appointed by Bloustein in the spring of 1988. He directed the group to study the needs of the gay and lesbian community and to advise the administration on the full implementation of the university's 1981 policy that bans discrimination based on sexual orientation. The - group and its various subcommittees have met more than 70 times since then, Anderson said. The committee's work is part of a larger effort, the Program to Advance Our Common Purposes, begun in 1987 at Rutgers to fight bigotry and intolerance and to encourage a respect for diversity at the university. The lesbian and gay community has been organized at Rutgers since 1969, when a student organization formed shortly after the Stonewall riots in New York City. Today, the Rutgers University Lesbian/Gay Alliance, a student organization, is the second-oldest active lesbian and gay organization affiliated with an American universtiy, Anderson said . The full text of the report is available for $10.00 from the Rutgers University Office of Student Life Policy and Services, va ·n · Nest Hall, Room 301, College A venue, New Brunswick, NJ 08903. Home For Clergy and Religious With AIDS To Open Soon A consortium of religious communities, including the . Redemptorist Fathers and Brothers, the Missionary Brothers of Charity, the Franciscan Friars, and the S,isters of Mercy, are joining the Diocese of Oakland in establishing an innovative national center for clergy and religious with AIDS/ ARC in Oakland, California. · Former Maryknoll Brother Jim Mansmann has been charged with getting the project off the ground . The center will be called Bethany and will house up to three priests/brothers from anywhere in the United States who have been diagnosed in the early stages of the HIV disease. For further information about Bethany, contact Jim Mansmann, P.O. Box 5215, Oakland, CA 94605, (415) 635-6341. -Communication Newsletter part, MCC's dominance in the "openly" gay and lesbian community. It also explains why many closeted Gays and Lesbians are unaware of MCC. For mainstream Christians, evangelizing is a difficult task; in the gay and lesbian community it is doubly so. Substantial emotional barriers have appear ed ov er the past years betwe en those who witness the gospel and those are in need . Most Christians today can hardly make sense of the hateful antics of the Traditional Values Coalition, the oppression of the American Family Association, the rise and fall of Jim and Tammy and the sins of Jimmy Swaggart . Non-Christians , both gay and straight, see these examples as "religion": as what it means to be a Christian . Add to that the fact tha t the church - the oppressor of Gays and Lesbians for centuries - is only now, reluctantly, beginning to address the issue, it is easily seen why non-Christians in general, and Gays and Lesbians in particular,.are not beating a path to th e church doors. Revealing to others that these groups and individuals are not t ruly representative of Christ's teachings is now a necessary par t of outreach . Also, according to Rev. Pattison , outr ea ch in the gay and lesbian community suff e rs - because those not involved in a worship experience perceive those who are as no different from themselves. This "inconsistency in living" is an issue that church leaders are reluctant to address but one that they must face if their ministry is to be seen as credible by the community. It is ultimately an outreach of deed, not word , that will guide a prospect beyond all of the emotional barriers and obstacles that they may see in religion . It is in having some ne ed met, a friendly contact, or warm support in a time of crisis that outreach can make a lasting impression. And that connnection can't be made if national and local church and group leaders fail to ke ep their ministries in a highly visible position. March/April 1990 m Church & Organization News _ Darlene Garner , New Pastor of .. MCC Baltimore Rev. Darlene Garner has been installed as the new pastor of MCC Baltimore. Rev: Elder Nancy Wilson presided over the special ceremony held at St: John's United Methodist Church . Rev. Garner attended Samaritan College in Los Angeles and is currently working on her Master of Divinity at Lancaster Theologcial Seminary in Lancaster, Penn. , : ·. -Baltimore Alternative Southern California Lesbian Catholic Group Meets Lesbian Catholics Together has begun its fourth year as a group and continues to offer monthly home liturgies and paraliturgies in and A friend for the · journey. Subscribe today to THE SECOND STONE. YES, I want to receive The Second Stone, the national newspaper for Gay and Lesbian Christians ... send me: [ ] One year (6 issues) for $12.60 [ ] Two years (12 issues) for $23.00 [ ] Three years (18 issues) for $32.00 Name ......................................................................... . Address ........... '. .......................................................... . City, State & Zip ...................................................... .. Check here if you prefer plain envelope for mailing: [ ] Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery of your first issue. Add $8.00 per year for postage in Canadand all other foreign countries. U.S. currency only. Box 8340, New Orleans, LA 70182 ._ ______________________ ___ around the greater Los Angeles area. The primary focus remains that of providing spiritual support and growth opportunties not currently offered within traditional Catholic ministries. The group is especially sensative to the issues of woman and homosexuality as they relate to Roman Catholicism. In ad.dition to liturgies and potlucks, LCT also sponsors an on-going support group with an open format and an annual weekend retreat. All women, including current religious, are welcome. For more information and a calender of 1990 .liturgies write to LCT, 19942 Acre Street, Northridge, CA 91324'. Reconciliation MCC , Donates $iOOO GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Four AIDS support organizations have benefited from a $1000.00 donation from Reconciliation MCC. Recipients were People With People With AIDS, the Grand Rapids Minority AIDS Project, the AIDS Foundation of Kent County, and the UFMCC AIDS Ministry. MCC Pittsburgh Celebrates 15th MCC Pittsburgh has been active for 15 years. Mid-Atlantic District Coordinator R. Adam DeBaugh granted charter church status to MCC Pittsburgh in recognition of 15 years of growth and commitment. -Pittsburgh's Out Lutherans Concerned Affirms Support for Bay Area Lesbian and Gay Ministry SAN FRANCISCO - The Board of Directors of Lutherans Concerned/ North America adopted an affirmation of support for the Lutheran Lesbian and Gay Ministry, a newly organized cooperative ministry supported by several Bay Area Lutheran congregations and many individuals through the United States and Canada. The Board also sent letters of commendation to two San Francisco congregations which have encountered disciplinary action by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America by ordaining lesbian and gay pastors without requiring a promise of sexual abstinence, as required by current ELCA clergy guidelines. "Members of our Board were moved to . learn of your support for LLGM and its work," wrote the Board. "Even more, we rejoice in your clear and unequivocal commitment to m THE SECOND STONE justice for gay and lesbian people ." Language of the Lutherans Concerned Board's affirmation of support is identical to the LLGM "Covenant of Support" which has been signed by more than 300 clergy and lay people, except that the paragraph endorsing the ordination of Jeff Johnson has been broadened: "Upon the issue of a call by a congregation of the ELCA or ELCIC, we commit ourselves to suppqrt and participate in the ordination of gay men and lesbian women who are called to and qualified for the ministry of word and sacrament. We further support as appropriate and ilS a gift their lives as celibate individuals or lives in relationship while serving as ordained clergy." New Charismatic Church For Portland Crown Of Praise, a charismatic church with an outreach to the entire community, has opened in Portland, Oregon. Pastor Judy Allen feels that "full gospel" is an appropr'iate description for the beliefs of Crown of Praise and Pastor Juanita Gates said the church is not a "gay" church, that "God calls peop!e to be spiritual beings, not sexual beings." The church is located at 2300 NW 30th Ave, (206) 892-6861 -Just Out · Oregon Church Joins Reconciling Congregations The 60 member Estacada United Methodist Church in Oregon has become the first reconciling congregation in the Oregon-Idaho Conference of the United Methodist Church. Pastor B. David Williams said, "This is God's good news to Lesbians and gay men. Fear and hatred do not reflect intent for his commuity of faith." -Just Out Use Of MCC/ Pittsburgh's Food Bank Doubles MCC/Pittsburgh estimated use of its food bank would double in frequency over the preceding year. Chairperson Rick Varner said, "Through increased publicity, the food bank became better known in the community. More people realized we were available to help and started to call on us." Of the exceptionally supportive community, Pastor Roberta Dunn said, "We are indeed very appreciative of this support be.cause that's what keeps the food bank operating." -Pittsburgh's Out Calendar The following announcements have been submitted by sponsoring or affiliated groups. Southeastern Conference for Lesbians and Gay Men MARCH 22-25, "Working Together to Strengthen Our Southeastern · ·Communities" is the theme of the 15th annual SECLGM gathering to be held at the Raleigh (North Carolina) Civic Convention Center. A wide variety of entertainment events, major speakers, exhibits and workshops will be offered . A large portion of the Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt will be displayed. Registration cost for the four day conference is $80.00 if paid before March 20; $100.00 if paid at the conference . A brochure detailing complete information about the conference is available from SECLGM, Inc. '90, P.O.Box 28863, Raleigh, NC 2761H8636r (919) 833-1209. · Palm Sunday Weekend for Gay and Lesbian Christians APRIL 6-8, Virginia Ramey Mollenkott and John McNeil together lead a weekend retreat. Fellowship, bjble study, worship, reflection and healing. Cost including accomodations and meals is$165.00 Contact Beaver Conference Farm, Underhill Ave., Yorktown Hts ., NY 10598 or call (914)962s6033. Conference with John McNeil APRIL 20 & 21, Dignity /Westside in · Los Angeles sponsors a conference for the gay and lesbian community on the topic of discerning God ' s presence in life. The main facilitator will be John McNeil, author of Taking a Chance on God. The purpose of the conference is to provide an opportunity for Dignity members and for Gays and Lesbians outside of Dignity to come together and explore ways to discern God's presence in life. For information, call Dignity/Westside, (213) 871-6930. ... , • More Light Churches Conference APRIL 27-29, Central Presbyterian Church, Louisville, Ky., is the host of this conference, themed "Integrating Sexuality and Spirituality: A Call To The Churches ." Six workshops will be offered. For information call Jim Oxyer, (502) 897-5719 / (502) 569-5005 or Nick Wilkerson, (502) 635-7003/ (502) 568-7590. Changing Church Attitudes? APRIL 27-29, A weekend residential conference in Dunblane, Scotland featuring four noted speakers, Mary Hunt, Norman Shanks, Clare Sealy and Harvey Gillman . The conference will examine the churches' collusion with all that causes discrimniation against lesbian and gay people . A reconvening of a pioneering ecumenical conference held ten years ago in Pitlochry, Perthshire. One hundred participants spent a memorable weekend meeting in Scotland to discuss this important subject. Who would have known the sweeping changes that were to reshape the lesbian and gay community in the decade of the 80s? Open to people of all sexualities and Christian backgrounds. Contact The Secretary, CCA 1990 Conference, 58a Broughton St., Edinburgh EHl 3SA England. Open and Affirming Conferences APRIL 29 - MAY 2, The United Church Coalition for Lesbian/Gay Concerns sponsors a. conference to increase awareness bf the Open and Affirming movement within the United Church of Christ. There are 36 Open and Affirming congregations presently in th 1.7 million member UCC. For information on the Western regional conference to be held at Mercy Center, Burlingame, Cal., contact Rev. Wendy Taylor, 751 Alameda .de las Pulgas, Belmont, CA 94002. Also, MAY 4-6, at St. Paul's Church, Chicago, II. Contact Rev. Talka Kreiensieck, 1630 W . Pierce, Chicago, IL 60622, and JUNE 1-3, at United Congregational Church, Worcester, Mass . Corttact Rev. Ann B. Day, P.O . Box 403, Holden, MA 01520. UCCL/GC welcomes participants from other denominations, as well as UCC pastors, lay people, and conference personnel. For more .information, contact UCCL/GC's national office, 18 N. College, Athens, OH 45701 or call (614)593-7301. ' Sixth Annual Desert and Mountain States Lesbian and Gay Conference MAY 11-13, A six-state Lesbian and Gay conference themed "Growing Together as Lesbians and Gays" will be held at the El Rancho Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Kay Weaver, a major new talent in the gay and lesbian entertainment industry, will be featured in a major concert on the second night of the conference. Steven Tierney, PhD, an activist from Boston, Mass., and Urvashi Vaid, Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, will be the featured keynote speakers. Workshops include Health and Wellness, Politics and the Environment ;: Spritt.tality and Humanism and Racism, Oppression and Privilege. Early registration is $55; $65 at the conference. Contact DMSLGC, P.O. Box 19360, Las Vegas, NV 89132c..()360, (702)791-0083 or (702)737-7780. Conference for Catholic Lesbians MAY 25-28, The Conference for Catholic Lesbians, a national organiz;ition for women of Catholic heritage, sponsors Conference '90, "Power & Empowerment" to be held in Estes Park, Colorado, featuring workshops, liturgies, and entertainment. Contact CCL Conference '90, P. 0. Box 436, Planetarium Station, New York, NY 10024, (212) 562-8922 Men and Masculinity 15th Annual Conference · · · MAY 31- JUNE 3, "Ending Men's Violence: Pathways to a Gender-Just World" is the theme of this conference of the National Organization for Changing Men to be held at Oglethorpe University, Atlanta, Ga . For information , write to: Men Stopping Violence, 1020 DeKalb Ave., #25, Atlanta, GA 30307 or phone (404)688-1376. CMl's 1990 Retreats JUNE 3-6, Co-dependency retreat in Palm Springs, Cal., JUNE 11-14, Embodied Spirituality and Sexuality retreat for men and women at St. Joseph's Retreat House, San Antonio, Texas, AUGUST 17-19, Codependency and Spiritual Wholeness retreat at Weber House, Baltimore, Maryland. For information on Communication Ministries' retreats, write to CMI Retreats, P.O. Box 60125, Chicago, IL 60660c..()125. American Baptist's National Retreat JUNE 25 -27, American Baptists Concerned, a national organization of gay and lesbian Baptists, their families and friends, will hold its second national retreat in the San Francisco Bay Area. The focus of the retreat will be community building among gay and lesbian Baptists. The March/ April 1990 □ retreat facilitator will be the Rev. Dr. Jane Spahr, a nationally known resource person on issues related to the gay and lesbian community. An ordained Presbyterian minister, Rev. Spahr is the founder of the Ministry of Light, a ministry to gay men, Lesbians and their familes in San Anselmo, Calif. The retreat site is Westerbeke Ranch, located north of San Francisco. The retreat will be proceeded -by San Francisco's annual Gay and Lesbian Freedom Day Parade. ABConcerned/SFBA will help with transportation to and from the retreat. Cost is $100.00, which includes two nights lodging and six meals . For information write to ABConcemed National Retreat, 686 Waller St., San Francisco, CA 94117. Thornfield Workshop on Sexuality JULY 9-15, The .highly acclaimed annual training workshop on sexuality at the Thornfield Conference Center in Cazenovia, NY will focus on gender, orientation and lifestyle and their relationship to sexism, heterosexism and homophobia . Designed as an advanced course for both individual and professional growth, the workshop sttracts teachers, students, counselors, clel"gy, hea:ltlfpersonnel and others. Among the noted ·staff are Mary Lee Tatum, nationally-recognized family life educator, lecturer and consultant from Falls Church, Va.; Brian McNaught, consultant and author of the book and video, On Being Gay: and the Rev. Bill Stayton, author, theologian and sex therapist . Registration is limited to 60 persons. For further information, contact Alison Deming, P.O.Box 447, Fayetteville, NY 13066, or call (315) 637-8990. Lutherans Concerned Assembly '90 JULY 19-22, Lutherans Concerned/ North America hosts the largest group of gay and lesbian Lutherans ever assembled. The setting is the campus of University of Illinois at Chicago. "I Ain In Your Midst" is the theme . Assembly '90 marks LC/NA's sixteenth year of working for lesbian and gay understanding within the church.The design and intent of the assembly is to create an atmosphere where people can experience a familiar yet fresh approach to spirituality and community. Facilitator is Rev. Linda Strohrnier. A variety of workshops will be offered. Forinformation write to: Assembly '90, P.O . Box 10197, Fort Dearborn Station, Chicago, IL 60610. . IE Closer Look Whither Thou Goest: A Lesbian Love Story? By Rev, Bruce Roller Contributing Writer In its introduction to the book of Ruth, the PTL Partner's Edition Counselor Bible (King James Version), states, "When Naomi turns again homeward to Bethlehem, bereft of all she brought to Moab, Ruth refuses to foresake her; and, in her determination to stay with Naomi, Ruth . spoke the immortal words which have echoed across the centuries at marriage altars: 'Whither thou goest I will go .. .' Such · an insight into the life of an ordinary family of that ancient day is a' priceless gift." By this statement the ultra-conservative writer has inadvertantly introduced an interesting, and often invisible, highlight to the story of Naomi and Ruth. It is not my intention in any of these articles to be controversial for the sake of controversy so I will be stating again and again that when I speak of lesbian and gay love, sensuality, and sexuality in relation to the people . whose stories are recorded in the bible, I am not saying implicitly that these people engaged in physical sexual expression with each other. (Though I will st~te that explicitly about some of those of whom I write this year.) That the physical expression of sexuality is what makes an individual or relationship homosexual is one of the myths of heterosexism and homophobia. The Reverend Sylvia Pennington has made the truer statement that homosexuality is much more concerned about "with whom one chooses to nest." Notice the special courage of For Work With Gay and Lesbian Youth Leo Treadway Receives Human Services Award Leo Treadway, Ministry Associate of St. Paul-Reformation Lutheran ·church, St. Paul, Minnesota, and past Co -chair of Lutherans Concerned/ North America received a $5000.00 McKnight Foundation Award in Human Services. He was one of ten Minnesotans selected from nearly 200 candidates. Ex-Gays? There Are None Lambda Christian Fellowship is pleased to announce a new book by Rev. Sylvia Pennington - an examination of ex-gay ministries - what they do - what they don't do. You'll meet people who, only through God's grace, have survived and stopped trying to be ex-gays, because, in truth, there is no such thing as an ex-gay rx,rson. Now Available From Lambda Christian Fellowship P . 0 . Box 1967 Hawthorne, CA 90250 $15.00 plus $1.50 for postage and handling. California residents add 6% sales tax. In the award citation, the McKnight Foundation recognized Treadway "for his courage and commitment to improving the lives of gay and lesbian youth who are at risk of exploitation and suicide. Treadway and a number of social service colleagues have established gathering places for lesbian and gay youth between ages 15 and 21 in both St. Paul and Minneapolis. These groups, which meet weekly, provide a supportive atmosphere for youth who identify themselves as gay or lesbian to discuss being "out" in school, relating to_ their parents, how to know if you are lesbian or gay, and how to deal with homophobia, as well as issues of AIDS education. , · The McKnight Foundation Human Serv'ice Awards have been given annually since 1985. They are given, acctjrding to the Foundation, to individuals in Minnesota "who are mak jng significant contributions to the : human services by directly assi*ing others to become productive and I participating members of the com~unities in wh ich they reside. · PATLAR VOICE OF GAV AMERICA MONTHLY NEWSMAGAZINE FREE AT OUR DISTRIBUTION POINTS SUBSCRIPTIONS $35 ANNUALLY SAMPLE(t4Jp<?u~~ 18tr¼Tt~ usA $4 FOR INFO ON ADVERTISING CALL (916) 391-9755 OR 452-0769 PO BOX 22402 SACRAMENTO CA 95822 Naomi, who, rather than staying in Moab to which her late husband had brought her, decided (very independent ly for a woman of that day) to go back to the land of her birth. Both daughters-in-law had apparently become close to their mother-in-law Naomi; · both wept, but it was fairly easy to convince Orpah to go back and try in her own land to find another husband . Her alliance with her mother- in-law was important, but her apparent connection with her family and friends in Moab was more comfortable . Not so with Ruth. It was after Orpah's departure, after much urging from Naomi to do the "sensible" thing and remain in Moab with her family, friends, and familiar customs, that Ruth spoke the words that couples all over the world speak to one another in weddings and other commitment ceremonies, "Entreat me . not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee : for whither 'thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God : Where thou diest, will I . die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so · to me, and more also if aught but death part thee and me, (Ruth 1:16-17) ." Lovers the woi-id over, committing themselves to one another as a result of romantic love, are correctly assessing these words, I think, as the passionate response of a person committing herself for life to another person . The sentiments . need not lose their romantic flavor because they are spoken by one strong woman to another. Of course , because of the economic, political, and religious system in place in Israel at the time reflected in . the book of Ruth, both women seem particularly interested in Ruth's gaining the favor of a powerful man. There are, however, some interesting gleanings even in this. For instance, Boaz (the man Ruth eventually marries) remarks to Ruth how all the people of the city "know thou art a virtuous woman, (3:11) ." (As a teenager reading this passage, I was struck with the 'resemblance to myself. In a , very conservative church I had a very strong reputation for being "a perfect gentleman" on dates with girls!) He further commends · her for not running after the young men, but choosing the older, richer and more powerful Boaz. Ruth "followedst not young men, whether poor or rich, (3:10).'' Earlier when Boaz asked about Ruth "Whose damsel is this?" the servant's reply was essentially, "Naomi 's, (2:5-6)." Certainly in what could only be interpreted as a very sexual situation with Boaz (lying at his feet all night until morning), m THE SECOND STONE Ruth's virtue remains intact; and the reward of the evening is offered to Naomi. "These six measures of barley gave he un to me; for he said to me, Go not empty unto thy mother-in-law, (3:17)," Ruth tells Naomi. The result of sexual intercourse between Ruth and Boaz was the birth of a, baby boy Obed who is listed in 4:22 as the grandfather of King David. Notice, however, that the recognition , particularly of the women of the city, was an understanding that Ruth loved Naomi. Hear the · song of the women: "There is a son born [not to Boaz, but] to Naomi, (4:17) ." What have our observations and speculations in this -article shown? Certainly there is no conclusive proof that Naomi and Ruth had a lesbian relationship. In fact, there is no conclusive proof that Naomi and - Ruth were actual people. Some scholars believe that the little story of Ruth was written after the return from Exile to counter some of the harshness of Ezra/Nehemiah's inter-marriage reforms. Some things we have seen, however, that may be of particular interest to lesbian women: 1.) The Hebrew Scriptures include a: wonderful story of loving commitment between two strong, courageous, and independent women. 2.) Ruth is · portrayed as having littl~ romantic or erotic interest in men, and as being deeply identified with and committed to · Naomi . 3.) An overwhelming insight for this ancient book is the realization of the women of the city that Ruth's child is truly Naomi's and Ruth's (excluding the name of Boaz from any of the birth celebration.) The writer of this little book; under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, certainly makes a strong case for the deep, loving, life-long commitment of one strong woman to another. Permit me a question for your meditation. If , after the birth of Obed, Ru th had had to choose between Boaz and Naomi, would she have repeated her statement to Naomi: "Whither thou goest, I will go ... "?? · The Reverend Bruce Roller is pastor of Reconciliation MCC in Grand Rapids, MI . He has prepared a workbook on 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 that is available for $3.50 plus 25% handling and . shipping. This book allows the student to draw conclusions themselves from the Word of God, and has helped many people over the ir fear of condemnation from this passage of Scripture. The workbook is available from Faithful Publications, P.O . Box 3701, Grand Rapids, MI 49501. Families. Holy Unions A Special Start For Gay/Lesbian Couples By Rev. !eylvia Pennington Columnist I remember the first Holy Union which I attended about thirteen years ago. It was a ceremony for two elderly white -haired gentlemen who were celebrating the 37th Anniversary of a union which had started when Cardinal SpeHman secretly married them in his private chambers . At last, that which had been done secretly, could be done openly. As people, most of us have a basic need to "get married." Of course, in the gay community, marriage isn't a -contract between two people and the state in which they live . That doesn't make it any less a commitment to a covenant relationship a relationship, when inviting the Lord to enter into, is called a Holy Union. (A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.) In my early years of public ministry with MCC, I always felt that we never experienced God's presence in our midst as much as we did during a Holy Union ceremony . One of the more joyful aspects oci:ur when parents and family members participate. I remember one dad who stood up and said, "I never thought I could be so happy being the father of the grooms!" Yet this family matter is often the saddest aspect too . I found - it was often impossible to start our services on time, as one member of the couple pleaded for us to wait just a little longer - "My mom said she'd try to come." We'd wait - although I knew it was probably futile . If they weren 't part of the planning, or there early, most likely they wouldn't come. Lack of family participation was so frequently the dark cloud hanging over us amidst the love and joy we · celebrated. This didn't mean that the . non-attending family members had rejected their kids. Often, the family had worked through their initial negative responses and were trying to be as loving and supportive as possible. They'd come a long way - but not to the point where they could handle something as potentially life-time lasting as a "marriage" inferred to them. Balancing that were the people who were there - often making a commitment to be the couple's family in their Jove and support. As I travel most of the tlme now , . the Holy Unions I'm part of are oft~n held in homes in areas where there 1s not a church available, although some wedding chapels are rented. Usually no one is quite sure what to expect. I always include traditional vows so that the whole sense of it being a real wedding in manifested, but as often happens in today's marriages, couples also say their personal vows. It's very important to me that in the gay community our Holy Unions are beautiful, inspiring and done in the best taste we know how to present. The occasion is real - it is a celebration ,' it is a joy - not only to us, but also I believe, to God and the whole Heavenly Host. If there are children, they actively participate in the service - excited little gremlins usually , delighting in their families and the special occasion. Each Hol y Union is as individual as are the people joining their lives together, as each love story is special and the participants "uncloned" but we all have our favorite stories and I'd like to close by sharing the tale of two of _the most unique Lesbians I've met . Last year I received a Christmas card from two women who live in a very small town in Arkansas. They used considerable space trying to remind me who they were . I read their message tearfully - could they possibly believe I'd forget them? From the time of our first phone enco unter, they were "unique ." My sister Jean answered the ir original phone call, then called me to say I needed to hear their story personally, so I called them right away . They'd me t ,-when they were eleven and twelve years old . The eleven year old's dad was the Assembly of God pastor when the twelve year old and her mother began to attend their church. I heard from them 27 years later . Two little Christian girls who were "different." God had done something special with them because they always loved each other rather than boys and men. They'd questioned homosexuality just once and knew that wasn 't them because homosexuals were just sex people but they deeply loved one another. How shocking it was for them, in their late thirties, to meet two other women who also loved each other and considered themselves Lesbians. The Le sbians went _ to work enlightening the tw o unique oneseven to the point of telling them that there were churches where gay people worshipped together, and right there in Arkansas too! Shocking! The almost enlightened unique women made an appointment to see the MCC pastor in Little Rock. I'd been to their church a week before ·and when the Pastor couldn't convince the women, he gave them my first book to read. They read the book and called. They were still shocked to learn that they were Lesbians and not just unique. What's mo re, it had to be wrong because they weren't married. I exp lained Holy Unions to them, told them to pray about it and if they wanted, I'd marry them on my return to California a few months later. One month later, they set the date. I'd be stopping in St. Louis, Mo. the day before the wedding and would have a comfortable day's drive to easily be in Arkansas for a 7:00 p.m. wedding. · Enroute to this unusual Holy Union the car broke down, I kept calling the women as the repairs took much longer than originally stated. Finally, we were enroute, but we'd be a few hours late. We hit torrential rains for hours which slowed us drastically, as we drove slowly with almost zero visibility , We finally found their little town ·and house. It was 4:00 a.m.! The wedding party had sat patiently waiting in their beautifully wedding decorated house. Everything was wonderfully planned . Despite the hour and our tiredness, it was one of the most glorious Holy Unions I'd .experienced. After we ate the wedding cake, we sat and talked until 8:00 a.m. as they still had many questions. Forget them! How could I possibly? A 4:00 a.m. wedding! God did a very lovely thing for two beautiful Christian women . Isn't is always a wonder how much our God does for us! For God's special gay kids, a Holy Union is a very wond erful gift, as two . "unique" wome·n in Arkansas can testify . Rev. Sylvia Pennington is the author of But Lord, They 're Gay, Good News For Modern Gays and Ex-Gays: There Are None. Rev . Pennington's · books ar e available at most gay bookstores or can be ordered from Lambda Christian Fellowship, PO Box 1967 , Hawthorne, CA 90250. Catholic Lesbians To Gather Lesbians from all over the country will gather in Estes Park, Colorado on May 25th to celebrate the 5th national biannual conference sponsored by the Conference for Catholic Lesbians. CCL is a natipnal orgahization _of women who acknowledge the importance ' of the Catholic tradition in shaping their lives, and who seek to develop and nurture a spiritual life that enhances and affirms their identity as Lesbians. The organization wa s formed in 1983 as a result of the historic first conference, which was -held in Kirkridge in Bangor, Pennsylvania in the fall of !he THE previous year . Feminist liturg i es created by members of CCL will be celebrated each day of the conference . Ample free time will be alloted during the course o·f the conference for participants to enjoy the available recreational facilities as well as the - chance to network with Catholic Lesbians from around the country . For further information, write to Conference Coordinator, · CCL, Inc., P.O.Box 436 Planetarium Station, New York, NY 10024 or call Erna at (212) 562-8922. BOOK SERVICE Your Source for Gay/Lesbian Christian Materials Welconie to the expanding world of quality Christian materials for gay/lesbian people and those who car e about them. At THE BOOK SERVICE , we specialize in fast, friendly services and provide materials usually unavailable through other sources. Since the start of this service our distribution has quickly grown to 50,000 plus catalogs. Our primary goals are to provide a source of quality materials to Christian people, support the growth of spirituality in the gay/l e sbian community, support the integration of gay/le sbian people within the traditional Christian community. TO RECEIVE YOUR FREE CATALOG CALL }-800-728-0038 March/ April 1990 Book Review A Shallow Pool . Of Time Fran Peavey, author; Introduction by . Joanna Macy. Santa Cruz, Cal.: New Society Publishers, 1990. 150 p. $11.95, paper; $34 .95, cloth. ISBN 0-86571-166-6. In 1984, AIDS was seen as a "gay cancer" quickly spreading through the homosexual community of San Francisco . Little was widely known about the AIDS virus at the time, and false information and misconceptions spr e ad faster that the disease itself . Social change activist and worldtravelled comedian Fran Peav ey began to keep a journal on the epidemic, explaining to her friends , "It will be interesting to keep track of over time, and interesting to people in the future - just as it would be for us to have a journal of an ordinary person who lived through the Plague ." Four years later, and still working on her journal, Peavey was diagnosed as HIV positive, probably having contracted the virus six years earlier from a contamina .ted blood transfusion. Her journal became intensely personal as she continued to document the epi<;lemic, but now with a new understanding of the disease · and those who ·have it. "I am embarassed by my P!''ejudice, .especially toward gay men.,:: and by my uncaring attitudes '· toward friends who suffered in the early history of the disease," writes Peavey. "It is both tragic and terribly wrong that people already marginalized and oppressed by society are not seen as victims , No one deliberately brought this suffering ori him or herself;'' Her captivating, · sometimes funny and often moving reflections pull us through the denial, anger, fear and deep sense of injustice she has experienced. A Shallow Pool of Time is made up of Fran Peavey's journal through early 1989, together with essays focusing on the social aspects of AIDS as reflected through personal experience. Peavey shares many of her most intimate moments in her ongoing struggle to cope with the fears, questions, lessons and emotional swings that have come ·A Presbyterian Promise "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 ~8, New Brunswick, NJ 08903-0038, 201/846-1510 with the knowledge that she is HIV+. Her captivating , sometimes funny and often moving reflections pull us through the denial, anger, fear and deep sense of injustice she has experienced . Reading A Shallow Pool of Time we share Peavey's s truggles with and insights into issues such as telling friends, family, co-workers and others; asking for and giving support; deciding what and whom to believe, and where and how · to find informat ion; facing ·both the possibility of death and the disheartening popular equation of HIV+ with AIDS with death ; exploring the dimensions of safe sex; reassessing personal and social responsibility; and discovering both the types and potential limits to socia l hysteria . It is an important book because it allows us to gain an inside awareness and understanding of the experiences of individuals who ?.re HIV+, while at the same time dealing with the iinpact of AIDS and AIDS hysteria on society as a whole . Many readers will remember Peavey's humorous and .insightful first book Heart Politics . Known worldwide as the "Atomic Comic," Fran Peavey has long been involved in grassroots politics as a comedian, teacher and activist . Catherine Maier, Coordinator of the Women 's Services Program, San Francisco AIDS Foundation, notes that "Building on her losses, Fran chooses to look to the future with hope and to live with lov e and understanding for others and for herself. A Shallow Pool of Time will touch everyone who rea:ls it." Susan Griffin calls A Shallow Pool of Time "a de e ply moving soul-journey rich with insight, complexity, and courage ." · Faith, Love, AIDS, and the Catholic Church An Angry Young Poet's Discourse With God Thomas O'Neil, author. Illustrations by Ty Wilson. New, York, NY: Indulgence Press, 1989. 107 p. $5.95, paper. ISBN 0-9622398-0-1. · Sex With God is an odyssey through gay New York of the 1980s, a quest through its "stand a:nd stare" bars and other pickup spots until the poet ultimately finds his future lover . En route, Thornas O'Neil puts the story in a religious perspective: the love he seeks is condemned by the church he loves. As a result , he rages against it and calls God directly into account. The title comes from the book's opening poem, which . ends: "There is nothing in the world/ like talking/ sex with God ." In one of the book's most angry outbursts, O'Neil takes o.n Card inal John J. O'Connor for closing . down , masses organized and attended by gay men in New York City. In "Mass Confusion," he writes : "Seems the man who wears/ the most expensive gowns in town/ wants to fortify the gates of Heaven/ against thos e femmes who ·exchange th .e sign of peace on 13th Street./ Mass may now be . offered/ again in cata combs, they say ... " It's the closed church doors that .seem to trouble O'Neil the most, particularly in the age of AIDS. In "Open the Door: An Anthem," the re ader joins AIDS sufferers in front of ·a church : Open the door God Here on these steps to an elusive Heaven Your altar boys are now grown up and, felled by the Love Disease, have come home to die ... Open the door God Surely You remember what death was like, the seering flesh, Your cry to Heaven: Why have Ypu forsaken us? Thomas O'Neil Most shocking is O'Neil's subsequent description of the end of the world, followed by two outrageous post scripts that close the book. H e then graciou s ly gives God the last word - and in the literal sense of ''The Word" - but the ' biblical quote, lineated in the form of a poem, is stinging and pointed. Cl e arl y, O'Neil's grudge is not ex clusively with the Catholic Church, but with Scripture, too. With God. THE SECOND STONE Travel Where To Stay In L.A. By Cynthia A. Marquard and Danni Munson Contributing Writers Los Angeles is everywhere and yet nowhere. By that we mean it is a sprawling metropolitan area with no real downtown. But there are so many famous attractions sc~tter~d over this part of southern Cahforn1a that a visitor could stay anywhere in the Los Angeles area and be close to something they want to see, yet 50 or more miles from something else. So the big question is, where to make "home base ." The answer for Gay/Lesbian travelers could very well be WEST HOLLYWOOD. Incorporated only five years ago, this new city is one of the gayest spots on earth. We did an in-depth exploration of West Hollywood on a recent trip to Los Angeles . Similar in size _ to Chicago's Newtown area it covers 1.9 square miles. Restaurants here are considered "food boutiques" where each must offer very unique menus. Shaped like a revolver lying on its side, this area is bounded by Hollywood on the East and Beverly Hills on the West. Its often called "Creative City". The fomous Pacific Design Center, where -many design professionals have offices and where it is said "creativity gets down to business," is in the center of the city. Where To Stay We stayed at the new Ramada West Hollywood, the area's hottest new and very gay-friendly property, with 177 upscale rooms. The hotel is all done in black and white with · vivid primary colors for accent .. If you want to impress your travelmg · companion, order one of the loft . suites. They contain on the first floor, full living rooms with wet bar/bath and pull out sofa. In addition you climb to the loft where there is a king bed and remote control TV. Those with contacts in Hollywood will like the fact there is a telephone in all bathrooms and call waiting on every phone. Room rates start at $69 dollars per night, with the loft suites going for $159 per night. The hotel also provides complimentary membership to the largest health club in Los Angeles which happens to be across the street. ... If you like nothing but upscale hotels, try the L'Ermitage chain. ~e have seven hotels in this 1.9 mile area. These are all totally renovated condo buildings. All have a private pool and jaccuzzi on t~e roof. Y_ou receive a key to the private parkmg lot undernea th the building when you check in. You can enter the_lot and go into the elevator anytime without going . through the lobby I I The movie stars love it ... you might too. If gay/lesbian bed and breakfasts catch your _ fancy we recomme~d Whittier House. Located m Whittier, Calif., it is a stone's throw from West Hollywood by the freeways but has a ~onderf':11 spacious and relaxed settmg. It 1s owned by two lesbians, Laurie and Diane, and both men and women are welcome. Whittier House has a great video library, including the March on Washington tape. The rates are reasonable. They also give one night free for every six booked. Places To Eat All up and down Santa Monica Blvd. are great California eating places . We dined at La Fabula, a Gay owned Mexican restaurant in the 7900 block of Santa Monica. The place was filled with gay and lesbians, and excellent food was served at reasonable prices. The menu was simple--5 entrees--but everyone agreed all were excellent. Next door is the French Market, a great "food to stick to your ribs" place--also gay owned. Roast beef and roast pork dinners were both under 8 dollars, and the waiter brought so much food that is was impossible to join the clean plate club. A romantic stop if you are on a holiday with a lover would be the Rose Tatto on Robertson in West Hollywood. This restaurant and bar acquired this past year by three women is very upscale. One of the owners is Ginny Foat, part owner of _ the Langtry, the world's finest women's guest house in San Francisco. She has taken her experience with the guest house and applied it to the restaurant and bar at Rose Tattoo. The main room of the restaurant is done in rose, beige and black and kept softly lit. the "other" place under the sun ... :i~:~r.:~ts~' M; ~x~:=cb • Pool & ·cozy Jacuz::r:I •Frc-c contlnental bnakfast Write or call for brochure. 120 E. Atol St., P. 0. Box 2326 South Padre Island, Texas 78597 (512)761-L YLE Air connections via American Continental Southwest Things To Do West Hollywood also has many events geared to gays during the year. The most famous is the fabulous Gay /Lesbian Pride parade the last Sunday of June. Halloween is also an occasion for a big celebration . Santa Monica Boulevard is shut down as more than 40,000 people stroll the avenue, most of them in outrageous costumes. From January 1990 though March, the West Hollywood City Hall will feature an exhibit of 20 women artists, culminating in a grand Women's History Month Celebration. You can request a calendar of events from the very gayfriendly City Hall, 8611 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood CA 90069- 4109. All in all we found WEST HOLLYWOOD a great place to get a taste of Los Angeles. And by the way, their favorite saying is: "No one walks in Los Angeles; everyone walks in West Hollywood." So take your best sneakers and have a look around. 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 publisher of The Lesbian and Gay Almanac and Events of 1990. March/April 1990 P. 0. Box 118 SL Bethlehem, NH 03574 (603) 869-3978 □ Lesbian and Gay -Chdstian Movement U.K. Group Target of Church Harassment In November, 1987, at a General Synod meeting of the Church of England, an Evangelical priest, Tony Higton, put · forward a resolution asking the Church to declare that "homosexual acts are sinful in all circumstances" and that clergy must adhere to this belief as a condition of remaining in the ministry. This action over two years ago was the first salvo in a debate and controversy that continues to rage in the United Kingdom and the Church of England. A 1978 Report of the Lambeth Conference of Anglican Bishops had given hope to Gays and Lesbians in the Church, stating "Today we do not expect everyone to conform to a norm - a sort of _average humanness - but rather to rejoice in variety; so the status and rights of homosexuals are being reconsidered." On August 4, 1988, the Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops meeting at Canterbury reaffirmed this position and called for "each Province to reassess .. .its care for and attitudes towards persons of homosexual orientation ." In practice, - however, Gays and Lesbians in the Anglican Church were heading for some setbacks. Although Higton's resolution w11sn't _ adopted, a motion that said "homosexual genital acts" fall short of the ideal of sex "within a permanent married relationship" did pass and a resolution supporting all committed relationships, without specifically mentioning homosexuality, was overwhelmingly defeated. The General Synod debate unleashed a torrent of tabloid homophobia. Although only four percent of Britons attend church, the press assumes that people are still interested in whether the vicar is gay. As a result, and on their own inijjgl_tives, various bishops began "gay hunts" to root out offending clergy, to the humiliation of many who had sacrificially served the Church for, in some cases, 30 years and more. England 's Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement was founded (as the Gay Christian Movement) in 1976. It had two parents, a nebulous liberal grouping called Reach and people in the (radical) Student Christian Movement grouped around a . book and a conference called Towards a Theology of Gay Liberation. Soon after it was founded the Vicar of St. Botolph's Church, Aldgate, Christian Study Group Formed An initiative from leading figures in Church life to create an organization for promoting understanding of sexuality and its theological meaning has been launched in England. Over 60 supporters have begun The Institute for the Study of Christianity and Sexuality. The Institute has no official connection with the Church of England. · It brings together an umbrella group of noted Roman Catholics, Methodists, and Anglicans . The Institute sees itself as being the focus for debate around the complex and divisive issues of how the churches should respond to changing expectations in regard to gender roles, a Christian ethic for both opposite and same-sex relationships, Christianity and the ·future of the nuclear and .extended family, sexuality and the- experience of power and the power, potential and symbolism of sex. At a time of unprecedented controversy in the churches, ·with confusing if-not contradictory teachings on many sex-related matters coming from different sections of the Christian community the ISCS is clearly destined to have a crucial responsibility to help heal divisions, engage in research, provide educational .material, and help people become wholly self-accepting while ·remaining God-loving. Canon Rowan Williams, Professor of Divinity at Oxford University and a trustee and founder of the Institute said, "Christian ·churches of all traditions have been very slow in developing any full~scale reflection on how our sexual nature as human beings relates to the whole business of growing as a man or woman and growing in fellowship with God - everything that the word 'spirituality' normally sums up. •:we have had a lot of thinking aboμt the rights and wrongs of sexual behavior; but this has often relied eithbr on a somewhat legalistic use of collf!ctions of biblical texts ·or else on appjeals to 'natural law.' In either case, there has not been .much attempt to connect what has been said with the central affir mations of Christian faith ... " Noted theologian and author Janet Morley, also a trustee, added; "For many years now, Christian feminist women have been exploring a range of issues to do with women's sexuality Rev. Malcolm Johnson, was brave . enough to offer the new Movement a vacant room up a tortuous spiral staircase in the tower of his church for use as an office. It was the kind of space not many would want, despite its location in the heart of London. (Reportedly their literature table was quite visible when the Queen made a visit to St. Botolph's a few years ago.) For 11 years the office operated well. For nearly ten out of those years Rev. Richard Kirker had operated there as General Secretary of the Movement - trying to ensure that most church. leaders and Jots of worried Christians knew where to turn to, and trying to make sure the lesbian and gay communities knew of the Movement's existence. Beyond the homophobia sweeping the Church of England, Britons began hearing of the now notorious Clause 28. Conservatives saw Britian's excellent, widely distributed and often graphic AIDS education materials as "promoting" homosexuality and a measure banning all lo.cal spending for anything supporting gay or lesbian concerns soon gained the support of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and the Conservative Party. and the Christian faith - and this is because our sexuality has historically been used by the church as a reason for excluding us: at times from studying theology, still now often from preaching in church or from leadership positions, or from ordination, and certainly from being present in-any language we use about God. So women can hardly avoid contemplating the connections between our faith and our sexuality, because the latter has so often been presented to us as a handicap. In ISCS we shall want to challenge this perception ." Trustee -Canon Douglas Rhymes said, "A major task of lSCS will be to bring a realistic approach to pastoral issues and counselling. We shall aim for an affirmative and positive view · of sexuality based up.on the needs of the person for stable and loving . relationship, whether opposite or same sex, as the only true basis of a Christian ethic." For information on the Institute for the Study of Christianity and Sexuality, wrjte to ISCS, Oxford House, Derbyshire St., London E2 6HG, England. Im THE SECOND STONE The Bishop of London, Graham Leonard appointed as his Archdeacon a hardline Ulsterman, George - Cassidy. He was given lots of encouragement and a free hand to clean up the Church, starting with the Gays and Lesbians in St. Botolph's . A long-ignored piece of church law was unearthed. Apparently a formal permission (a faculty) had to be granted to allow any part of a church building to be used for anything other than things like worship. The Bishop's lawyers presented the matter to LGCM and to St. Botolph's as being a formality, so an application was made for a 'faculty.' LGCM then discovered that the Archdeacon, urged on by the Bishop, had made a formal objection to the application. The Movement could not find the enormous sum of money required to fight the case. It was unwinable. The judge's view of homosexuality was made clear in private hearings. So in September, 1988,LGCM vacated its home in St. Botolph's with an emotional liturgy of Exodus . At the same time LGCM was gainjng support among City clergy who· had n0t previously realised , how despicable the Church could be in the way it treats Lesbians and Gays . There was, however, one more 11ssault on LGCM. A motion was put before the General Synod that the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement be removed from the Church of England Year Book. Muriel Curtis, who proposed the motion told The Observer. "For me this is a symbolic gesture. I feel we must distan .ce ourselves from people who are promoting homosexuality in schools." With a victory now Jong overdue, LGCM won the right to· keep its name in the Year· Book after a vote by the General Synod. The long conflict within the Church of England has provided no answers. An article in The Times by Cliff Longley summed it up this . way: "If the Church of England had approached the matter in the logical order, it would first have -sought a theology of sexuality which would have answered these objections (to homosexuality) by finding alternative Christian criteria for the moral judgement .of sexual acts . Instead it proceeded as if the problem did not even exist. And so at the end of it no-one is any the wiser ... and some people got hurt.'' -From reports by Kim Byham, Malcolm McCourt , and others. Parting Thought □ Butterflies By Dr. Martin Fowler Contributing Writer In the hymn, "It Is Well With My Soul," one awkwardly constructed verse has us singing, "My sin, 0, the bliss of this glorious thought..." But thinking about sin is no bliss for gay Christians. Because we've been unjustly condemned as "sinners" for so long, thinking about sin only makes us angry. As a result, we're sick of hearing about sins. We want reasons to celebrate life. Several years ago, some talented MCC members made beautiful Easter banners graced with butterflies and balloons. The congregation liked the banners so much that no one wanted to take them down. After several months, the pastor declared that the banners had been on display long enough. The church, she said, couldn't keep celebrating Easter forever. ARE YOU MOVING? The Post Office will not forward The Second Stone. You must notify us for uninterrupted service if you · move. Please notify us four weeks in advance for uninterrupted delivery. Send both old and new addresses . 11 possible attach mailing label in space provided PRINT NEW ADDRESS - ~ Q ~- f (b '< ~ w N ;;· 0 0 0. "' Send co.rnpleled form to: THE SECOND.STONE .Box 8340 New Orleans, LA 70182 and B-ailoons However, sin keeps us from celebrating Easter at all. We're so preoccupied with · the fake · "sin" of being gay that we forget to deal with our real sins. We still lie about who we are arid disqualify ourselves from too many of the joys and responsibilities of life. We complain that living like this is unfair and that it makes us feel lonely and ashamed. But regardless of who's to blame, lying and hiding is not just a miserable way to live. It is literally a sinful way of life because it is dishonest and unloving. And that, strangely enough, truly is a glorious thought. Because Christ can handle real sins. When we repent of lying, Jesus gives us a new courage to be truthful about ourselves. When we repent of hiding, Jesus helps to makes us furious, but facing up to change our fear of responsibility and real sins liberates us to celebrate commitment into real love and care Easter with all the butterflies and for others. Being accused of false sins balloons - forever. Classifieds Books & Publications CHRIST'iAN'NEW AGE c:iUARTERL Y explores the issues arising between Christians and New Agers with authentic information, forthright honesty and, yes, real appreciation for both sides. Penetrating, yet fun, our □ · · features and columns forge a bridge for genuine dialogue. Subs: $9.50/yr. Sample: $2.50. CHRISTIAWNEW AGE QUARTERLY, P. 0. Box 276, Clifton, NJ 07011-0276. TF '90 • 'Power & Empowerment', Memorial Day Weekend, May 25-28, 1990; Estes Park, Colorado. Workshops, liturgies, entertainment. For information please contact CCL-Conference '90, P.O. Box 436, Planetarium Station, New York, NY 10024, (212)562-8922. The Conference for Catholic Lesbians (CCL) is a national organization for women of Catholic heritage. 6190 Cartoon _Show At Community Center NEW YORK - The Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center National Museum of Lesbian and Gay History has announced an exhibition of cartoon art called The Cartoon Show. The exhibit will open on April 12 and will run through May 25 at the Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center, 208W. 13th Street in New York City. The Cartoon Show is the most comprehensive exhibition in the U.S. to date of cartoon art drawn from lesbian and gay life. For information about the exhibit contact Mark Johnson at (212) 953-9002. o©Tti SIDES N@W t.ocal, national, & internatiaial news & events, AIDS informatioo, b:::ok reviews & rrore in Maui 's rrai.thly gay/bi/lesbian l'le'«Sletter $10/ year (sant,le issue S1) to BSN SubscriptiCXlS, ro Box 5042, Kahului, Maui HI 96732. ,-A /)c~ j( .,..~ • / EMERGE! A healing journal of EMERGENCE International: Christian Scientists Supporting Lesbians and Gay Men. For information and subscriptions write P.O. Box 581, Kentfield, CA 94914, or call (415) 485-1881. 2/91 Efll>loymert FULL TIME MINISTER with seminary degree, sought for small independent, interdenominational, congregational church with gay/lesbian population. Send letter of application and resume to Pastor Search Committee, P.O. Box 781252, Wichita, Kansas 67278-1252. 4/90 Friends/Relationships GAY MEN OR WOMEN who desire to live the teaching of the Church in a loving way and who are interested in forming a support group for mutual caring and sharing in Sacramento, California area. Write: C. Raphael, P.O.Box &,8, Rough and Ready, CA 95975 4/90 GWM, 5'10", 146, 40s, caring, masculine, tender, desires to network with similar men. Box 18669, Denver, CO 80218 4/90 Organizations THE CO~FERENCE FOR CATHOLIC LESBIANS (CCL) invites you to Conference ~etreats VIRGINIA RAMEY MOLLENKOTT & JOHN McNEIL together lead a weekend retreat 'PALM SUNDAY WEEKEND FOR GAY & · LESBIAN CHRISTIANS' on April 6-8, 1990. If you tend to stay away from the holy celebrations because of their exclusivity, then treat yourself to a Palm Sunday weekend celebration that won1 shut its doors on you. Fellowship, bible study, worship, reflection, healing. Room, Board, and Registration, $165.00. Register by March 20th. Inquire at: Beaver Conference Farm, Underhill Avenue, Yorktown Hts., NY 10598; 914/962-6033 4/90 Situations Wanted 1990 M. DIV. SEMINARY GRAD, evangelical Reformed theology, progressive social vision, parish ministry orientation. Educated m both evangelical (Trinity, Deerfield) and liberal (Iliff, Denver) seminaries. 30 ylo, single,.healthy, will relocate. Seeks parish situation, either staff or sole. Mark Lee, 2466 S. York, Denver, co 80210. 6190 Business or Personal... Try a Second Stone dassified Ad Classified Order Form Please place my ad in these issues: [] Jan/Feb [] Mar/Apr [] May/Jun [ l Jul/Aug [] Sept/Oct [] Nov/Dec FOR ONLY 35 CEN'fS PER WORD, your ad can appear in the next edition of THE SECOND STONE. Take advantage of our low cost (but high profile) classified section by placing your advertising order . today! Mail To: THE SECOND STONE P.O . Box&'340 New Orleans, IA 70182 Name ___ _ --------- Address __________ _ City/St./Zip ________ _ AD COPY ________ _ ----------------------- --- . -------- __ words X .35= $ ____ _ .20 word minimum . All classifi eds m.ust be pre-paid. Deadline one month prior to cover date . We will mail you a copy of the edition(s) in which your ad appears March/April 1990 CLASSIFICATIONS [ J Books & Publications [ J Business Opportunities [ ] Employment [ l Friends/Relationships [ ] General Interest [ ] Mail Order .· [] Merchandise [] Organizations [ ] Professional Services [ l Real Estate [ l Retreats [ ] Roommates [ ]Travel Threat To 0 T~aditional Families'' . Comes ,Fr'om Within By Ivy Young Director, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's Family Project The "traditional family'': father - breadwinner; mother - ·homemaker; and the children. That construct of the nuclear family defines approximately ten percent of American families today. Ninety percent of us, then, live outside Rev. Lou Sheldon's view of how the world should be. So how do Americans define family? According to a 1989 poll conducted by the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, the majority of those surveyed (74%) defined family, not in a legalistic sense, but by function, as a group of people who love and care for one another. For Lesbians arid gay men that definition is no different. For us, family is a social institution of inclusion, not exclusion. The families we create are not, as Representative William Dannemeyer would have . you believe, " ... filled with despair," On the contrary, in our families there is a keen sense of joy and celebration. Because despite the revages of hatred, ·and in the face of virulent homophobia, we create and sustain gentle and nurturing unions. As for our children, there are thousands and thousands of them in this country who are part of lesbian and gay families: We hope we are teaching our children · the values of love and compassion, not bigotry and hatefulness. We hope we are teaching . our children not just to tolerate, but tq respect. and celebrate tl,,.e diversity of life on this planet. What is happening in many of Mr. Sheldon's "traditional families" in America today? Fifty percent of American marriages e.nd in divorce. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, three to four million women a year are abused by their · husbands . or boyfriends; every 18 seconds a woman is battered by her spouse; thirty percent · of female · homicide victims die at the hands of their husbands or boyfriends. That's four women a day who die as a result of domestic violence. Spousal abuse, according to the U.S. Surgeon General, is the number one cause of injury to women in the U.S. KILLIAN, FromPagel I won't burden you with all the current statistics on child abuse and sexual assault. Here are just a few: according . to a survey conducted by Richard Gelles .and Murray Strauss, more than ten . parents per one thousand said they · beat their child at least once a year. And, ~very year, orie child in one thousand faces a parent with a . wei;ipon. According to the National Coalition Against Sexual Assault, the typical incestuous family tends to be that family which rigidly adheres to traditional family roles and gender stereotypes. And the upstanding, church-going, traditional family man is the person most likely to be a wife and child abuser. · Unfortunately, the statistics I've cited are the reality of what is happening in thousands of homes across the nation. These are not the family values Lesbians and gay men wish to perpetuate. Here are some of the efforts the Coalition for Traditional Values has made in its attempt to "strengthen and support" the family. In California, CTV has urged its followers to oppose a state child care bill similar to the federal measure that garnered overwhelming support in Congress. Does that stance by CTV aid the thousands of working parents in California who struggle daily to find adequate, affordable daycare for their children? Does it strengthen those families? Again in California, the Coalition for Traditional Values vehemently opposes a bill that would recognize Vesper marriages. The idea of Vesper marriage had been put forward as a way to resolve some of the problems faced by, many of our senior citizens. Widows and widowers who find companions to share . the autumn of their lives are threatened with the loss of pensions and other entitlements if they remarry. Vesper · marriage would recognize · the relationships those elders create, while not jeopardizing the benefits they so desperately need. But, CTV says absolutely no. Mr. Sheldon . says he speaks for compassion and righteousness. Where is the compassion in that opposition? Needless to say, CTV cohorts in San Francisco led the charge against the Domestic Partnership Ordinance that was unanimm1sly passed by that city's Board of Supervisors. (The law was repealed by a mere 1700 votes.) What was the danger as perceived by the Coalition for Traditional . Values? The ordinance provided only that unmarried couples, heterosexual and homosexual, could register as a couple and declare their commitment. It also provided bereavement leave and hospital visitation rights to those same committed couples. Is that such an enormous threat? Is Mr. Sheldon's "traditional family" so fragile that it could not survive the mere thought of an unmarried partner visiting his or her lover in a hospital? Finally, I would ask you to think back to other times when the call to defend traditional values filled the air : "Kinder, Kirke, Kuche" (Children, Church and Kitchen) was the cry of fascists in Europe as they exterminated all those who were different . Much closer to home, and unfortunately, not too long ago men like Bull Connor, Ross Barnett, George Wallace and Lester Maddox also urged their followers ,to uphold the traditional values that ·allowed racism and bigotry to flourish in this country. Threats to the American family do not c.ome from the desire of Lesbians and gay ·men to create loving relationships. No, the threat to the family is poverty and economic injustice, ignorance and inadequate education, homelessness and hunger. Let Mr. Sheldon and the Coalition for Traditional Values put what energy and resources they have into combatting these scourages of American family life. We would all ·benefit from that agenda . U.S. Civil Rights .. Chairman In Anti-Gay Symppsium . WASHINGTON, D.C. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force strongly condemned the appearance of U.S. Civil Rights Commission Chairman William Allen at an anti-gay and lesbian symposium, saying Allen's participation is "sad and appalling','' and deeply antithetical to principles of equality and fairness." Allen's pres ·entation, entitled "Blacks? Animals? Homosexuals? What Is A Minority?," was made at the "West Coast Symposium on Homosexuality and Public Policy Implications" in Anaheim, California . The conference was sponsored by the California Coalition for Traditional Values, led by Rev .. Louis Sheldon, a strident fo~ of gay and lesbian civil rights . Sheldon is a proponent of the belief .that homosexuality is an "illness" that should be "prevented and cured ." In the . past, Allen · and the Commission have been strongly reprehended by the civil rights community - in particular the lesbian and gay movement - for their controversia:l stands on various issues. Most recently, Allen was quoted as saying that "the issue of civil rights for homosexuals is open to criminal and psychiatric debate" (MG W Newspaper). . Allen's recent appearance at the symposium sparked a fresh firestorm of ·criticism in ·the national press and on Capitol Hill. Rep. Don Edwards (D-Calif./10), who chairs the Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights, stated in a letter to Allen that his participation in the anti-gay conference "appear$ to· be outside the scope of · the Commission's jurisdiction, and is an inappropriate use of limited Commission resources." Many of Allen',s own colleagues on the Commission rebuked the chairman for appearing at the conference · and called the title of his speech "thoughtless, disgusting · and unnecessarily inflammatory." More than 150 Gays, Lesbians and their supporters demonstrated outside the Pan Pacific Hotel, site of the c'onference, reported the L () s Angeles Times . · people of God." At the interment service at the Wadsworth veteran's cemetary in Westwood, his friend, Fr. Ed Barrett, Jr. of the Veteran's Administration commended Killian's devotion to service, which he called "the essence of Christian life" and called him '"a fine Christian gentleman," one who "rose above the scandal of the organized church" and its exclusion of Gays and Lesbians. COALITION, FromPagel The rally was followed by a march up Connect\cut Avenue to the SheratonWashington Hotel, site of the CTV symposium. the domestic partnership referendum in San Francisco, which lost last November, and the repeal of the Irvine, Calif., gay and lesbian civil rights ordinance. CTV, based in Orange County, Calif., has been the subject of recent articles in the Los Angeles Times and Los Angeles magazine, which called Sheldon the "Son of Falwell." Gay and lesbian activists view the Washington symposium as CTV's bid for national Killian was born April 11, 1940 and is survived by his four sisters and two brothers. CTV has been involved in recent gay and lesbian political fights, in par~cular March / A'.p r ii 1 9 9 0 attention. . · Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Second Stone #9 - Mar/Apr 1990 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/87a7603eba4493fc0d81353e3eb16370.jpg 6d90fa094fe71ca68e8bf73736861097 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Historical Development of BIPOC Trans-spiritual Leadership Website A resource comprising of a web page or web pages and all related assets ( such as images, sound and video files, etc. ). URL https://www.lionsroar.com/see-us-clearly-a-buddhists-view-of-transgender-visibility/ Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource See Us Clearly: A Buddhist’s View of Transgender Visibility Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived See Us Clearly: A Buddhist’s View of Transgender Visibility, by Ray Bruckner. Lion's Roar, July 27, 2017. https://www.lionsroar.com/see-us-clearly-a-buddhists-view-of-transgender-visibility/ Photo courtesy of the author. https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/14d4f55bb563f2246b9075088ddd58f0.jpg cc078eced74c68ef1091a95e4ac73e56 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/83697748e1fe74417335c33887b1361d.jpg 7cbeb8251d645cc77bc66b5d9667ccd8 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Shower of Stoles Description An account of the resource Items (stoles) for the Shower of Stoles exhibit Stole A stole in the Shower of Stoles exhibit Honoree The person honored by the creation of thestole. Seminarians who must remain closeted Stole Text <p><strong>FEAR = SILENCE = DEATH</strong></p> <p>A PRAYER FOR ALL SEMINARIANS WHO FEEL THEY MUST REMAIN CLOSETED IN ORDER TO BRING THEIR GIFTS TO THE CHURCH.</p> Denomination Presbyterian Church (USA) Contribution Date 1995 Contribution Story <p></p> <p style="margin:0in 0in .0001pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;">This stole was one of the original 80 stoles that were on display on Sept. 16, 1995 when I set aside my ordination before Heartland Presbytery (see stole #1 for details).</span></p> <p></p> <p style="margin:0in 0in .0001pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p> <p></p> <p style="margin:0in 0in .0001pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;">Katie Morrison made this stole when she, herself, was a seminarian at San Francisco Theological Seminary.</span></p> <p></p> <p style="margin:0in 0in .0001pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p> <p></p> <p style="margin:0in 0in .0001pt;"><strong><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;">Martha Juillerat</span></strong><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;"></span></p> <p></p> <p style="margin:0in 0in .0001pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;">Founder, Shower of Stoles Project</span></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p class="editor" style="margin:0in 0in .0001pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;">2006</span></p> <p></p> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 44 Title A name given to the resource Seminarians who must remain closeted Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant San Francisco, California (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Katie Morrison California Morrison, Katie Presbyterian Presbyterian Church (USA) San Francisco https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/a5d308f5b1d97a2001fa3ff9a8295fe5.jpg 870ecfc998ce5641e6b81c24f6b10752 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Historical Development of BIPOC Trans-spiritual Leadership YouTube Video A video hosted on YouTube. YouTube ID Eleven-character ID assigned by YouTube iKLPUjmt5ao Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Seneca (or Senegal) Village was built in a rural area outside the city proper beyond a palisade or wall. Subject The topic of the resource Two-thirds of the homeowners and residents were black middle-class people. The land was purchased by the African Methodist Church which sold plots to blacks. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKLPUjmt5ao Description An account of the resource The movements of its free and enslaved residents, even when and where they could bury their dead, was highly regulated in an attempt to preclude insurrections. This community existed in an area gutted by immanent domain when the city took the land for a nominal fee to create Central Park. https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/a8d51347201956eda09c32981b8a2013.jpg 57aad9ec0dcc3522a435ca16248bc635 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Historical Development of BIPOC Trans-spiritual Leadership Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Text Any textual data included in the document Sephardic Jews Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sephardic Jews in Spain Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived https://www.africanexponent.com/bpost/4517-the-history-of-sephardic-jews Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Historical Development of BIPOC Trans-spiritual Leadership Website A resource comprising of a web page or web pages and all related assets ( such as images, sound and video files, etc. ). URL https://www.nps.gov/articles/series.htm?id=4DFF8155-1DD8-B71B-0B4C2713F34EA25C Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Series: LGBTQ America: A Theme Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer History Subject The topic of the resource Featuring 32 essays on LGBTQ history related to the National Park Service. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived National Park Service https://www.nps.gov/articles/series.htm?id=4DFF8155-1DD8-B71B-0B4C2713F34EA25C https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/c50e668bd324af6aae151a747db7a64b.pdf cac25dfb0d2a1363862ee938996b8637 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document Sermon of the Month First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles Stephen H. Fritchman, Minister The Quakers Break the Taboo on Sex A Book Review Sermon of TOWARD A QUAKER VIEW OF SEX Edited by Alastair Heron Delivered September 29, 1963 by Stephen H. Fritchman Dr. Spock has an article in this month's REDBOOK Magazine on "How My Thinking Has Changed". Anyone hearing my first sermons in the year 1920 in Craryville, New York and now listening to what I shall say this morning might suggest that I too write an article on "How My Thinking Has Changed." One footnote to this sermon is in order. There is nothing original in today's address, however startling some of the content may be. I have been reading and thinking about the Sexual Revolution of the Twentieth Century for many years, and have discussed various aspects of it in addresses on marriage, the family, and our inter-personal relations, although I did not always label the contents with the three letter word. I am told that a few years ago, when I used the word "sex" in a morning sermon, one woman rose up and departed, and has only now, many years later, started to resume attendance at services. I trust her thinking has changed along with Dr. Spock's, since I intend to use the word sex fairly often again this morning, and if this fact disturbs anyone, this might be a good time for him or her to go over to Channing Hall for a premature cup of coffee. Let me also, at this moment, offer my thanks and give the proper credits to the Rev. John Morgan, our Minister in Toronto; to the editors of LOOK Magazine for their September 24th issue which is mentioned in today's Order of Service, and to the British Quakers for their recent booklets, Toward a Quaker View of Sex. Several copies of this hard-to-get book are now on our book table, but probably will not be by one o'clock today. This excellent publication is indeed the Quaker view of sex expressed by an esteemed group of British Quakers--anthropologists, social workers, psychiatrists, and teachers, but it is not the view of sex of the Quaker girls I dated in greater Philadelphia in the early nineteen-twenties, not of their fathers, nor of their grandfathers. All of which is to say that the Twentieth Century has seen many revolutions: political and economic in Russia, China and Cuba; racial, as in the United States and Africa today, and sexual as everyone I know about--Asia, Africa, Europe, South American, and most familiarly, the United States and Canada. Since I have found sex to be far more controversial than politics in this church over the years, allow me to say to first-time visitors that in a Unitarian church the views of the pulpit are not necessarily those of the congregation, nor are all of the views quoted necessarily shared by the speaker as his own. This ought to be obvious, but I find it needs to be said fairly often, since I sometimes learn that I have been quoted as supporting a large number of things that I don't support, such as taking LSD for kicks, or simultaneous polygamy, or playing the slot machines at Las Vegas or believing that the Los Angeles Dodgers have a supernatural guarantee of winning the World Series. There have been quite a number of Unitarian sermons around the continent in recent months on the subject of the Twentieth Century sexual revolution, some of them extremely well done. The reason is clear. The long, long silence about matters dealing with relations between the sexes has been broken, even in church. The price of silence during a revolutionary period has been found too high, in terms of human welfare. The Rev. John Mordan, one of the most unequivocating ministers in our denomination, said it well, "A careful silence about 'sex' is still maintained between many adults and teen-agers. Those adults who publicly break the silence with unconventional opinions, whether teachers or commentators, risk attracting the wrath of the especially fearful. But surely teen-agers deserve better from adults than private panic and censorship." A brilliant writer for MacLean's Magazine in Canada, Pierre Breton, whose column I quoted to our College Center group of this church last June as expressing the moral issues of the changing sex ethic, was dropped from the magazine's staff because of reader protest. He had been neither flippant nor sensational, simply honest and outspoken. The pinched nerve of conscience created a loud explosion, and MacLean's let him go. Silence again took over. The subject of sexual mores simply cannot be discussed in a vacuum, separate from other human problems. Let me, therefore, call your attention for a moment to the special issue of LOOK magazine for September 24, on "Morality USA" by Robert Moskin, LOOK's senior editor. Allow me to quote several sentences of this essay by Mr. Moskin: "Each of us must make difficult moral decisions. We are witnessing the end of the old morality. In our world of jet travel, nuclear power and fragmented families, conditions are changing so fast that the established moral guide-lines have been yanked from our hands. No single authority rules our conduct. No church lays down the moral law for all. No tribal customs or taboos define the limits of our immoralities. We are free to be prejudiced or promiscuous, to cheat or to chisel. We are left floundering in a money-motivated, sex-obsessed, big-city dominated society. We must figure out for ourselves how to apply the traditional moral principles to the problems of our time." "Out of today's moral confusion will come either a society of license and brutality, or, if we are wise and lucky, a new moral code based on the realities of a new world." Two examples amongst many in Mr. Moskin's articles illustrates for me the reality of the new moral challenge. He quotes Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer's phrasing of the dilemma "Thou shalt not kill, but a general says we can kill 400 million people." His second illustration refers to the space marathon to the moon. He asks, "Should we race the Russians to the moon, or spend the same talent and money fighting cancer and mental illness? The space race compares less to Columbus' voyages than to the vainglorious building of the pyramids. To race the Russians to the moon and to let our old people live on almost nothing is immoral. The astronauts become the new gladiators." (I might way that President Kennedy's proposal at the United Nations to have the Russians and Americans pool their efforts in this lunar space venture does not necessarily alter the immorality of the enterprise, as sick and hungry Americans and sick and hungry Russians would probably agree." It is, however, on the subject of the sexual revolution that I found Mr. Moskin especially cogent. Listen to his opening words on this subject," American society no longer is accepting the Christian morality of sexual life--that sex should not be outside of marriage. Divorce is completely accepted; freedom of sexual intercourse between young men and women is fully accepted." Professor Lester Kirkendall of Oregon State College is quoted by Mr. Moskin, "There is much more youthful discussion of sex because the young people are trying to work out for themselves a new sexual code. There is much more pre-marital sexual experience, but our young people are not sex-obsessed. Our culture is." I certainly would agreed with Dr. Kirkendall from my talks with students at Grinnell College, at Reed College, and from our own Los Angeles schools and colleges. Many of them come from liberal homes where, they tell me, silence on sex ethics is monumental, and they do not exempt the churches from this blackout of helpful guidance and discussion. They are more serious than many of their elders about sexual matters, far more honest about their practices, and very eager to create a self-imposed discipline of ethos of sex that will produce a durable as well as a happy marriage. One divorce out of every four marriages does not assure these young people that all wisdom lies with the older generation. "The greatest change in sexual morality," Dr. Kirkendall points out, "is with young women. Many parents who do not always seem to know it are pushing their daughters into earlier sexual activity. Then they are appalled when those daughters get into difficulties. It is a distorted society morally that gives sixteen-year-olds automobiles to drive, provides them with opportunities to go out with the opposite sex, but does not teach them anything about sex or contraception. By the time they are in their teens they move very close to a full physical relationship. Many a girl feels extremely pressured to demonstrate that she has the kind of attractiveness that is going to satisfy a boy. Mrs. Katherine Oettinger, Chief of the U.S. Children's Bureau, says, "We are often too lax about situations where experimentation goes on--the business of early dating, allowing youngsters so much freedom, sometimes promoting a boyfriend at all costs. The youngsters who are unsophisticated have babies and are punished. The number of illegitimate births has tripled since 1940." Dr. Milten Senn at Yale's Child Study Center reports that gifts of twelve and thirteen, from all kinds of families, are dropping out of school because of pregnancies. Premarital pregnancy is now involved in 85% of all marriages in which the partners are high school students. As Dr. Kirkendall has noted, "Parents go along with Twentieth Century attitudes until the girl gets pregnant, then Nineteenth Century morality comes into play," and he then states, regarding college students, "A college should not make a rule that chastity should be the rule, because then you have to think if an act has or has not been performed, in order to determine whether a student is virtuous or not. Rather than being concerned whether an act has been performed, I should like to be concerned that we use all our powers and capacities with responsible concern for others." It is this last phrase of Dr. Kirkendall which I should like to stress. "This," he emphasizes, "is not permissiveness, because relationships have rules." He then states, "I'm more fearful about our inability to handle our aggressive and hostile impulses that our sexual impulses. You can use sex i n a hostile way just as you use a bludgeon." He adds, with telling force, "Our moral confusion over sex is not limited to the young. As long as the adults focus on the youth they don't have to look at themselves. Sex is essentially an adult problem. When a person uses sex in marriage to punish, control or manipulate, this becomes immorality too." I agree fully with the marriage experts who find that the crux of the sex problems in marriage is one of communication, or its absence. Sex all to often is used in exploitation of the partner. Partly as a result of this adult failure in sexual communication our last census reports almost two million divorced women in this country and thirteen million children who belong to broken homes. We certainly shall not achieve a satisfying sexual morality in our new age of science and the growing equality of men and women until we face directly the need for true communication between men and women, and face the costliness of sexual exploitation. We certainly will not find a mature sexual morality through silence between partners, or between parents and the children. Meeting the sadness, frustration and anger of many children of miserable inadequate marriages is about the hardest experience I have to accept in my ministry. Little wonder these children grow up resolved to find another pattern than the one they have seen or heard at firsthand. There is a prevailing ignorance about sex needs, habits and practices in our present-day world, in spite of a multi-million-dollar exploitation of sex by commercial advertising, and an enormous amount of conversation on the subject, with knowing references to Ovid, Rabelais, and Dr. Kinsey. My colleagues, Rev. A. Phillip Hewett of Vancouver, British Columbia, recently preached a sermon, Sexual Conduct: A Quaker Assessment in which he declared: "A member of this congregation made headlines a few days ago by pointing out that in spite of our obsession with sex there is an appalling degree of ignorance on this subject. That too is part of our inheritance in this particular culture. So also are the veiled allusions and misunderstanding which deny any attempt to cope intelligently with these matters. You will have read in the newspapers a report, no doubt grossly distorted as newspaper reports usually area, of what Dean McCrae is alleged to have said about the preoccupation of the girl students at the University of British Columbia. From the comments on this statement it is quite obvious that in the minds of some people a preoccupation with sex means a continuous orgy of sexual promiscuity. Such confusions have their comic side, like that of the man who was filling our a form with name, address, age, etc., and when he came to 'sex' he wrote 'occasionally.'" One of the most unexpected sources of insight, in my studies, was a little book issued recently by the British Quakers, entitled "Toward a Quaker View of Sex. I wish to say only enough today to read it in its entirety. The Unitarians and Universalists would do well to prepare as frank and as realistic a publication themselves. The origins of the Quaker study were the problems raised by young Quaker students faced with homosexual difficulties, who came to older Quakers for help and guidance. It was soon apparent that the Society of Friends, the actual name of the religious movement, had very little to say to people in sexual difficulties--homosexual or heterosexual. A group of Quakers from their own schools, some in social work, some in psychiatry, some in marriage and parent organizations, decided to make study in order to know what could effectively say, especially to homosexuals, who found society condemned their feelings and who also found themselves victimized, blackmailed, and sometimes imprisoned. But the advising group soon found that the study of homosexuality and its moral problems could not be divorced from a survey of the whole field of sexual activity. Hence the final character of the book. As the introduction states, "We realized there was much needless suffering and human failure which we would like to relieve, and that in subscribing to a moral code, some of which we no longer accept, society merits the charge of hypocrisy, and its authority is thereby weakened. The insincerity of the sexual moral code may well be a cause of the widespread contempt of the younger generation for society's rules and prohibitions generally." The editors then tell us, in this same British understatement and unimpassioned prose (which has great merit in discussing often-avoided problems) that these appear to be the developments we are faced with today, "1. A great increase in adolescent sexual intimacy. 2. An increase in transient pre-marital intimacies generally. It is fairly common in both young men and women, with high standards of general conduct and integrity, to have one or two love affairs, involving intercourse, before they find he person they will ultimately marry." (I would insert here that there is not a Unitarian minister in this country who does not know this to be true.) The Quaker study continues, "3. It is even more common for those who intend to marry to have sexual intercourse before the ceremony. This is true, probably, of the majority of young people in all classes of society, including those who often have a deep sense of responsibility. 4. The incidence of extra-marital intercourse is great, but it is not possible to estimate whether there is an increase. There are many instances which do not lead to divorce or obvious harm, and which are kept secret." The editors then add, "The central concept of sexual morality in Christian countries in the integrity of the family. Most people, religious or otherwise, in our own or other countries, would agree that the family as a social unit should be safeguarded, and sexual practices that threaten its stability be vigorously discouraged." Immediately after setting this Christian Quaker goal the writers of the pamphlet state what I have seen in no church publication during my entire ministry, and the honest and humility of the Quakers once again impress me. They say, "Over long periods of history, illegitimate children in Christian countries have been shockingly treated compared with their counterparts in a polygamous African community. A Christian pattern has evolved which is most cruel to those outside its pattern. Christian parents have subjected their children to barbarous punishments and created conditions which were defensive, restricted and inhibited, and not in any way a source for 'the abundant life.' Sexual problems are infinitely more common than is realized, and the isolation of the individual, arising from society's repressive outlook toward the sexually troubled, is more apparent than real. This still repressive and inhibited outlook towards sex, whether heterosexual or homosexual, has brought serious difficulties to students of human behavior." The editors then points out what you and I in this country also know to be true, that "a repressive outlook has invested a normal function of men with guilt, mystery and ignorance. It has devalued the sexual currency to the level of sensationalism and pornography. When one considers the universality of the sexual drive, it is appalling how little understand there is of its origins, manifestations and possibilities for human happiness. Sexual behavior and moral outlook have much more to do with upbringing and prevailing cultural beliefs than most people realize. Only now are adults, as well as students in our schools, learning about other human communities of the past and present." The sacrosanct character of our professed sexual mores is now being weighed by thoughtful people who have studies some anthropology and literature previously hidden or unknown. Western man in the Twentieth Century has a great deal to learn from other cultures about challenging and employing the sexual drives of human nature. It took me at least thirty years to identify the astigmatisms of St. Paul and St. Augustine on the sex e3thic, to say nothing of the rigidity and intolerance of the ancient Hebrews. The fact that the Jews were often advanced in their ethical insights does not mean that they always were. Our Quaker friends then say what some Unitarians are now saying, "Marriage is to be taken seriously, but not always in grim earnest; its problems take perspective from fun, adventure and fulfillment, and joy and sorrow are mingled together. For some there is a monogamy so entire that no other love ever touches it; but others fall in love time and again, and most learn to make rickes of their affections without destroying their marriages or their friends. Let us thank God for what we share, which enables us to understand, and for the infinite variety in which each marriage stands alone." The above statement has disturbed some Quakers, and others, but it has the virtue of candor and of facing the facts that exist, and it is an effort to stress communication between the sexes without harsh moral judgements which end all understanding. The Quakers, in this book of theirs and in much general practice, show little enthusiasm for the ancient Christian habit of laying down strict rules of moral conduct and then being unhumanly intolerant of all who break those rules. Those who wrote this book go further. They say that sexuality looked at dispassionately is neither good not edit; it is a fact of nature. They emphasize that we need to avoid the judgemental attitude so common this area of sex, and to do a little more understanding. The Quakers seek to explore the true meaning of having a loving relationship, in or out of wedlock. They stress the need for warmth and intimacy, for open-heartedness and overwhelming generosity of hand and spirit. Loving involves a commitment to the other person, involving that person's life. We must go beyond the sociability of modern life to commitment and concern. We need to understand human energy, creative powers, and the need for sharing. Such attitudes will project young and old from crass exploitation and what I would call "Profumism", or the marketing impulse in sexual relations--whether or not money changes hands. If some would say that the Quakers are simply blessing "free love" and promiscuity, they know the human psyche very little. I might say here what my colleague, Rev. John Morgan of Toronto, said in his recent sermon, "I have long since concluded that in our society there is probably very little free love. It is a very hard thing for people to love freely in this culture--there is always a price, psychological and social." The Rev. Morgan's development of his ideas proved enlightening to me and I hope you will find them so. "We are not in the Garden of Eden. We are a complex race of people with the imprint of a long history in our spirits. Sexual actions stir us far below the level of consciousness, and may do more than we know to shape our future. There is an almost overwhelming urge throughout society towards the trivializing of sexual actions and the separating of them from the rest of life. A young doctor whose whole working life is given to a preparation for the most responsible of careers may think it all right to propose 'going to bed' to a nurse he has only just met and whose surname is unknown to him. We think it probable that to use one's capacity for loving in a relationship that is personally so tenuous is to reduce ultimately one's capacity for any depth of feeling or commitment, for in many such liaisons there is a deliberate intention to steer clear of being involved, to have fun without commitment. "We have been unable to avoid the continued challenge of this question: 'When is it right to have sexual intercourse, if it is not to be wholly confined to marriage?' Every counsellor will have to face it. He may himself believe that it should be confined to marriage; if so, he must say so quietly and humbly while entering with understanding into the problem of his questioner who is less sure that one rule meets all cases. Counsellors--and parents--do well to hesitate before passing judgement... "When as a group we face the question as to when it is right for intercourse to take place, we find it easier to feel sure when it should not take place. First we feel impelled to say something like this: that it should not happen until the partners have come to know each other so well that the sexual contact becomes a consummation, a deeply meaningful total expression of a friendship in which each has accepted the other's reality and shared the other's interests. Could we may also that at least in spirit each should be committed to the other--should be open to the other in heart and mind? This would mean that each cared deeply about what might happen to the other and would do everything possible to meet the other's needs and lessen any suffering that had to be faced. It would mean a willingness to accept responsibility and some fore-knowledge of what responsibility implied." The Quaker develop the limitations of any religion or church that casts people out for their failure to meet the requirements of the moral code, or who are deviants from norms in things sexual. It is the lack of love in early years in the family and beyond it that mutilates and destroys so many lives. We know that this lack if mentally destructive as well. Many of the aberrations we deplore in other people's sexual behavior are of our making, and we never know it! The Quaker booklet goes on to discuss at some length the meaning of normal sexual development, the realities of adolescence, the phenomenon of masturbation, the very problems of the single man and woman, the sexual difficulties and opportunities of married life in later years, and the particular issues confronting the homosexual. The information about homosexuality in other cultures, past and present, learned from the anthopologist, is present without special pleading but with genuine sympathy. The sexual needs of children are discussed with a simplicity I have not encountered outside of technical studies and textbooks. The Oedipus and the Electra situations are defined in a way that the average reader can understand without a course in Greek literature or through advanced psychoanalysis. Let this suffice for a brief sermon review. What are we to conclude? Permit me to say, as we come to the end of our discussion, that there is need for far more discussion of these problems in our own churches than has been realized. Parents, teachers, ministers, doctors, young people as well as older members and friends, have contributed to the atmosphere of silence, and to the false assumption that we already possess an agreed-upon sexual morality in our country, or even in the liberal church. It is not so! And by our failure to discuss these matters we have failed to help parents and their children. We have failed to help young men and women who are having real problems in their marriages. One reason why our trustees set up our Counseling Service last year was a recognition of this fact. And the Service is being used. I strongly suspect that none of us has a perfect score in our handling of sexual ethics. If this is so, we should not expect a perfect score from our teen-agers or our college youth. We are fallibly human beings trying, I hope, to do our best in a revolutionary situation; trying to retain the best of the past, and to shape a morality that does justice to human nature and to our capacities to achieve the good life. It surely not come by silence, or by ignoring difficult issues. We need courage, not hospitality. We need wisdom which comes through listening to shoe we respect, and above all we must learn that there is never just one right answer. From that knowledge we can hope for some progress--in our own lives and those of our children. (Copies of Towards a Quaker View of Sex are available from the First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles, 2936 West Eighth Street, Los Angeles 5, California @ $.85.) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sermon at First Unitarian Los Angeles Description An account of the resource Stephen Fritchman, minister at First Unitarian Church Los Angeles, presented this sermon review on September 29, 1963. Fritchman focused on the sexual practice and morality concerns and said little about homosexuality. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived clipping in Keith Wedmore Papers https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/4ad14d041479282eae8b1de06ae67183.pdf b68e70d145475ef6d77569a0cbe5beba Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sermon from Anne Bennett https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/e8b9ac6666a496b731756f8a8e74933e.jpg 0d0069de5fabe55f254bd15219dfeab1 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Text Any textual data included in the document A CELEBRATION OF LOVING DEDICATION Charlie and Steve October 8, 1977 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Service booklet for early commitment ceremony at CBST Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived CBST Archives https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/2209ce7f796f31e262895ec3b09bd6e0.jpg a4b4f324621dc1c34385649f001e055c Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Service in the Early 1990s Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived CBST Archives https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/62ea9b1d2ef5ded6b21bfd2ea34dff5b.pdf 8182250a3e4bbc1c004eca238d9d5324 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Service Program https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/d93d275c5280dffd79e39f2c76f906e8.png f4148d35a0d531b0a8ba97ee7f463997 YouTube Video A video hosted on YouTube. Embed Code The html embed codes for this object. <iframe width="600" height="337" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LiuHh8Gocwo" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Session 1: Welcome Justin Tanis Pamela Lightsey RTSA Session 1 RTSA Welcome https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/4417008c9ebd7729df8cb573d303a588.png 9ad092ec05ba49dafae127272f9bb36f YouTube Video A video hosted on YouTube. Embed Code The html embed codes for this object. <iframe width="600" height="337" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j0wOBmDclfo" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Session 2: Ritual of Remembrance Jimmy Creech Ritual of Remembrance RTSA Session 2 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/d97899b79b4a6016ece4596a8b7820cc.png 1e1a42cd8d7bcc6a54b6708d3341ce72 YouTube Video A video hosted on YouTube. Embed Code The html embed codes for this object. <iframe width="600" height="337" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fo_6RRMsad8" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound Some of the earliest activists in the LGBTQIA Christian movement discuss what it was like to organize LGBT spiritual community even before Stonewall. Much of it originated in California in the 1960s and two strategies soon emerged: establishing separate communities or trying to change existing denominations from within. Historian Dr. Heather White and Rev. Jim Mitulski interviews leaders from the Council on Religion and the Homosexual, Dignity for Lesbian and Gay Catholics, the Metropolitan Community Churches and the United Church of Christ about their experiences, starting separate churches, engaging both sympathetic and hostile religious and political leaders inside and outside the movement, why they chose the strategies they chose, the tensions between women and men, what sustained them, how their visions have changed over the years, and their hopes for the future. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Session 3: Before Stonewall ... 1960s and 1970s Before Stonewall RTSA Session 3 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/3f93e93eff9eb1d6cae152f13430c7fe.png 06a04a28d354a66a08601e878a0ff2ec YouTube Video A video hosted on YouTube. Embed Code The html embed codes for this object. <iframe width="600" height="337" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iD9ePPee0d8" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><br /><br /><em>with <a href="http://exhibits.lgbtran.org/exhibits/show/rolling-the-stone-away/item/1398">Rev. Allen V. Harris</a>, <a href="http://exhibits.lgbtran.org/exhibits/show/rolling-the-stone-away/item/1434">Leo Treadway</a>, <a href="http://exhibits.lgbtran.org/exhibits/show/rolling-the-stone-away/item/1400">Ann Thomson Cook</a>, <a href="http://exhibits.lgbtran.org/exhibits/show/rolling-the-stone-away/item/1388">Obie Holmen</a>, <a href="http://exhibits.lgbtran.org/exhibits/show/rolling-the-stone-away/item/1451">Peggy Campolo</a>, Casey Lopata, rev. rosi Olmsted</em> <br /><br />Starting in the 1970’s, advocates started to challenge denominations to declare explicitly that they welcomed LGBT folks. In 1980’s, advocates worked with churches to be open to LGBT folks. This session examines how churches were nurtured by Welcoming Program leaders, parents and other allies emerged, grew and became a vital movement. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Session 4A: Welcoming Congregations: The Journey to Safer Spaces Allen V. Harris Ann Thomson-Cook Casey Lopata Leo Treadway Obie Holmen Peggy Campolo rosi Olmsted RTSA Session 4A Welcoming Congregations: The Journey to Safer Spaces https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/d9b91a37085c26e7f2bc733108b9e11a.png 2bd386253a828347ee36f5c7e99dc01a YouTube Video A video hosted on YouTube. Embed Code The html embed codes for this object. <iframe width="600" height="337" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MesMiH2_-VE" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><br /> <p><em>with <a href="http://exhibits.lgbtran.org/exhibits/show/rolling-the-stone-away/item/1344">Rev. Jim Mitulski</a>, <a href="http://exhibits.lgbtran.org/exhibits/show/rolling-the-stone-away/item/1431">Rev. Karen Ziegler</a>, <a href="http://exhibits.lgbtran.org/exhibits/show/rolling-the-stone-away/item/1402">Barbara Satin</a>, <a href="http://exhibits.lgbtran.org/exhibits/show/rolling-the-stone-away/item/1458">Bishop Zachary Jones</a>, <a href="http://exhibits.lgbtran.org/exhibits/show/rolling-the-stone-away/item/1353">Rev. Dr. Rick Mixon</a>, <a href="http://exhibits.lgbtran.org/exhibits/show/rolling-the-stone-away/item/1403">Rev. William R. Johnson</a></em></p> <p>Together we consider the ways that the AIDS epidemic shaped and continues to shape our analysis of how race, class, gender, and religion form and deform our lives and the social fabric. We consider how our feelings and experiences of AIDS help us to discern what is going on now, and how to move forward in our spiritual lives and our activism. What does/did AIDS teach us about how to do an analysis of current events and how to shape our lives and activism today? How does AIDS puts us in the heart of intersectionality?<br /><br />Gabrielle Garcia, 2021 summer intern who transcribed this session, wrote this <a href="https://lgbtqreligiousarchives.org/media/page/get-involved/Connection,%20Reflection, and Anger Our Lives Were Forever Changed By AIDS.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reflection on hearing the stories</a> told in this session.</p> Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound Rolling the Stone Away Conference: Session 4B Our Lives Were Forever Changed by AIDS with Rev. Jim Mitulski, Rev. Karen Ziegler, Barbara Satin, Bishop Zachary Jones, Rev. Dr. Rick Mixon, Rev. William R. Johnson Wednesday, November 1, 2017 Video link: https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/exhibits/show/rolling-the-stone-away/item/1367 Together we consider the ways that the AIDS epidemic shaped and continues to shape our analysis of how race, class, gender, and religion form and deform our lives and the social fabric. We consider how our feelings and experiences of AIDS help us to discern what is going on now, and how to move forward in our spiritual lives and our activism. What does/did AIDS teach us about how to do an analysis of current events and how to shape our lives and activism today? How does AIDS put us in the heart of intersectionality? Transcribed by: Gabrielle Garcia Summer 2021 Rev. Jim Mitulski: Our lives were changed forever by AIDS. Together we will consider the ways that the AIDS epidemic shaped and continue to shape our analysis of how race, class, gender, and ability form and de-form our lives and the social family. We will consider how our feelings and experiences of AIDS help us to discern what is going on now and how to move forward in our spiritual lives or activism, what does it [AIDS] teach us about how to do an analysis of current events, and how to shape our lives and activism today, how does AIDS put us in the heart of intersectionality. We appreciate that you’ve given enough time in the course of this conference to be here. We know that it was essentially, initially a conference about LGBTQ issues with sexuality and religion, a history conference. And yet I'm sure none of us are all flawless. HIV/AIDS is an interrelated topic. So we look at this past 50 year period. So we wanted to be sure that it was included and for those of us who are the panelists it served as part of our AIDS experience and we also know that there is significant experience represented in the room. And that’s why this is called a conversation. We are part of a planned conversation. We also of course want you all doing this piece as well. So we have some prepared questions that we’ll respond to and then we want to involve you in it. And for us it is about our pasts and as you’ll hear it’s also very much about the present. We’ve come a ways to make that point clear. First, our group chant. Act up. Fight back. Fight AIDS. [x2] But wait there’s more. Act up. Fight back. End AIDS. [x3] And then perhaps you saw in the news in the last just a couple of weeks something that brought a number of us back 30 years. What brought us back to the 30 years was that if you were working in AIDS politics in the 1980s, you might recall in California there was a state count, a state ballot proposition called proposition 64 that was sponsored by a politician named Lyndon LaRouche. Rev. Karen Ziegler: You know, I’m afraid we’re gonna lose this if we don’t turn it off because I keep losing this– Rev. Jim Mitulski: All right, which was about 14 people with HIV. So two weeks ago that failed. Numbers really don’t matter. Two weeks ago Benny Price, state legislator from Georgia had this to share, “...of partners tracking contacts, that sort of thing. What are we legally able to do and I want to say the quarantine word, but I guess I just said it. Is there an ability since I would guess that full public tax dollars are expended heavily in prophylaxis and treatment of this condition. And so we have a public interest in curtailing the spread. What would you advise or– are there any methods legally that you could do that would curtail the spread? Seems to me it’s almost a frightening number of people living there potentially carriers– potential to spread whereas over the past they died more readily. And then at that point they weren’t posing a risk, so you got a huge population of those at risk, then they’re not—” Rev. Karen Ziegler: Well you take away their health insurance so then they won’t be able to pay for their treatment. Rev. Jim Mitulski: You can find this online. It’s a livestream from a hearing before the state legislature in Georgia. Benny Price is a medical doctor. Audience member: You’re kidding me. Rev. Jim Mitulski: We hate to do this, but she is the wife of Thomas Price of Health and Human Services, who just got moved or resigned one step ahead being removed from the Trump administration cabinet for his misuse of air. Private jets. So the fact that this discourse two weeks ago by a medical doctor in the state legislature for whatever reason is being used again or being tested out again or being used again and not being challenged in any significant way. May us all in our planning group realize oh this is not just a history piece this is happening here now again. So we didn't need that, but we just thought to get your blood boiling before we started, raising the temperature of the room. So I'm gonna ask each of us in one sentence—and I’m going to take a risk—to say in one sentence before our panelists do their introductions, in a sentence your name and why you came to this workshop. Okay alright because we're a small group. This might not go around all the way. Is there plenty of cord? And then when we get to the panelists, when it hits them, we’re going to ask them to do their longer first go around, which was your name, your context, your first AIDS story alright. Lynn Gerber: Alright my name is Lynn Gerber. I'm here because I'm writing a history of MCC San Francisco and AIDS and I'm here in part because I really want history, our present, and future to be in conversation with each other and I'm trying to learn how to do that with everyone here. Nancy Wilson: I'm Nancy Wilson, Metropolitan Community Churches. This is a 12-step group for people who are survivors around HIV and AIDS and Jim Mikulski once told me that someday maybe we'd have 15 minutes to process what happened so I'm here for that. Bobby Raymer: I'm Bobby Raymer and I'm a 27-year survivor. I have had zero viral load for well over 20 years and just here to be part of things and to talk about the past maybe and to kind of catch up on what's going on, I moved to Ogden, Utah in 2009 so I feel I'm kind of in a backwater. Aubrey Thonvald: My name is Aubrey Thonvald and I came because my hope is that, one to learn and to listen, to learn through this need, and then just to think about what I can bring forward through my organization for World AIDS Day. Jeanette Mott Oxford: Jeanette Mott Oxford and Empower Missouri is staffing the effort to reform Missouri's HIV specific criminal codes so I'm here to be inspired about that current work. Heather White: Heather White. I'm here because you all are amazing. Brian McKnight: Brian McKnight. When I was the mayor of Boston’s liason to the gay community in 1982, I started the first Task Force on AIDS in the United States at a city level. And there were only three cases in Massachusetts and people were saying you're overreacting and we did some pretty amazing work, including write the blood donation code at the time. Kevin Pilot: I'm Kevin Pilot, a 31 year survivor and just here to learn and to share. Micah Horton: I'm Micah Horton and I came into Metropolitan Community Church in 1984 so I was actually starting to begin ministry right in the AIDS crisis in the Metropolitan Community Church and I wondered where were all the Christians that were helping us, that were supposed to help us in this time and all I knew is at that point I was Gina and not Micah and we were the ones that stood up to take care of our brothers and sisters that were dying. And my first hands on was Darrell Stephens. He was the partner of a district coordinator, Bob Arthur and he had the AIDS virus had gotten to his head. And so I called him and said do you want to come to Montana and be in my home, and Irene Anaria[?] and I’ll take care of you. And so he came to my house on the 26th of May and he had died by June 12th, but I did all the care of myself. The church let me have the time off and they preached his sermons and I did full care totally crossed over, met his parents over the phone, and then got the arrangements made for him to be shipped back to Los Angeles where he didn't want to go because they put his brother in a nursing home. So that was my first hands-on with loving someone as they cross over and it's been a series of that since. Dwayne Davis: I'm Dwayne Davis and I'm here because you know well when I came of age, I came from age and was coming out the cocktail just changed that it was like I didn't really have to experience what so many people gone through. But when I became a pastor and really became a pastor to African-American gay, bi, MSMs [men who have sex with men], and the spread of HIV I just am in this place of frustration and trying to want to know everything that you all did and how you face this challenge because we have a challenge right now that I'm on the ground for in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and in St. Paul and it just it's very frustrating to see that kind of ignorance and I see it every day you know just in working with people in organizations and government. So I just want to know as much, learn as much so that we can do that work and make some change the way the earlier generation did. Justin Tanis: My name is Justin Tanis and I'm here because I know I continue to be impacted by the trauma and the grief that I experienced in the 80s and 90s in ministry. I know that continues to impact me in both positive and difficult ways and because I still have loved ones who are living with HIV who I love very much. Alex McNeal: Hey everybody I'm Alex McNeal and I serve as executive director of More Light Presbyterians and I think part of my role as a younger person working with people across decades is to be a story sharer and collect as many stories and experiences as I can to reflect those back to churches that are trying to figure out how to welcome people, are trying to figure out how to be their best selves. And I often reflect about how much the experience of AIDS in the 80s has impacted our movement and I want to do everything I can to keep learning about that. Lina Lassroom: Hi, I'm Lina Lassroom. First, I second everything you just said as the younger person in the movement I think it’s important to remember the the trauma and also how we can continue to heal the generational trauma that's in our movement and to keep telling the stories of those who are no longer with us so that's why I'm here. John D’Amelio: Hi, I am John D'Amelio. You know AIDS is the most important thing in our history of the last hundred years and more than twice as many people in the US. died of AIDS then US [soldiers] who died fighting in Vietnam in the 60s and early 70s. You can teach the 60s and you always teach about Vietnam. You teach the 80s and it doesn't even appear in books about the Reagan years. It's insane. Steve Fourtner: I'm Steve Fourtner. I was Dignity MCC, now back Dignity again, living beyond AIDS and moving past all of that and saying let's look at the future. We look at AIDS and get stuck in it. We don't look at living beyond that part of AIDS. AIDS holds us. I want to look at further down the road. Rev. Jim Mitulski: Here beginneth our panel. Rev. Karen Ziegler: You beginneth. So that means— Rick is gonna go. Hey don’t whine. [inaudible] Rev. Jim Mitulski: So I’m gonna ask you to change modes slightly: name, context, as we did in our Zoom conferences, what was your AIDS story? It doesn’t have to be comprehensive, just representative. Rev. Dr. Rick Mixon: Oh come on I wanna be comprehensive. I'm Rick Mixon, he/him/his. What do I say? I'm the pastor of First Baptist Church of Palo Alto California currently. But for about 10-12 years I did AIDS work in Berkeley in San Francisco. I was— I did a PhD in Religion and Personality [inaudible] Counseling at GTU (Georgetown University) and my dissertation title which is “Learning the Language of Lament: On Suffering and Human Hold Us” deals with how gay and bisexual men responded to the HIV crisis in particular and what we learned from suffering and the capacity to— for the necessity of learning how to lament, to cry out, to name our suffering so that we could move on. And the story I wanted to tell— [inaudible] told us briefly— it’s in my dissertation, but it's just a story that came to me and stuck with me somewhere in the early mid 80s. I was trained in the Shanti program in San Francisco, which was kind of the premier training program for people who are going to do AIDS support work. Kind of a new agey, kind of spiritual training. And it was a tense weekend of learning how to sit with people at the very deepest level of their pain and their spiritual expression and just the deepest kind of religious, spiritual living that you can— living and dying that you can imagine. And so I was working at the Pacific's— I was a volunteer at the Pacific Center in Berkeley, the LGBTQIA mental health and support agency in Berkeley and I was one of the first group of people trained in Shanti. And I was sent out to see the first AIDS patient from Pacific Center in 1980, whatever it was, and so I went. I got all dressed up and went to Highland Hospital, the county hospital, to see this AIDS patient and of course in those days you’d mask and you’d gown’d and he was isolated in a room by himself. And I went in prepared to have this conversation of great depth and meaning. And he didn’t want to talk about that stuff at all. He had very practically served as a very practical down-to-earth kind of guy about what was going to happen to his apartment, what's gonna happen to his stuff and it was a huge lesson for me and learning to be with people where they are and not come with my set of assumptions, which I think we often tend to do. And it went into my dissertation in the sense of learning something about accompaniment, being willing to be with people where they are, to walk with people where they need to go. It's part of learning as [inaudible] Sutherland said back in the day, “The church has AIDS,” and for people who are willing to be open and to learn something about this, it did have a huge impact on those churches that were open to it and it did help to shape the nature of ministry and helped us redefine what it meant to do ministry in the church. Accompaniment was a huge thing. Rev. William “Bill” R. Johnson: [inaudible] I'm Bill Johnson. Was I supposed to say something else? Rev. Jim Mitulski: A little bit about your context. Rev. William “Bill” R. Johnson: I’m his. Rev. Jim Mitulski: Pronouns, context, tell a story. [inaudible] Rev. Jim Mitulski: Tell a story that’s the most important part. Rev. William “Bill” R. Johnson: It was July 1981 and in New York we opened the New York Times and read about this new disease and 42 men out in California and New York had been diagnosed with illnesses that were not normally seen. Not long after that my very good friend and a friend to several people in this room, Reverend Michael Collins was diagnosed with the strange new disease that had no name. And I became part of his support circle. One day I walked— he was in the hospital— I went to see him and I walked into his room and he was lying in his own excrement. There was a food tray out by the door. He was crying and very distraught and the nurses were not responding to his calls. And that is the day that I became that angry AIDS activist. Up until that time I wasn't quite sure how all this was going to dovetail with all of the LGBT work we were doing in the church. And you know there was part of me though that was sort of happy that this epidemic emerged. Don't over-do that when you hear it and that at least the AIDS epidemic gave us an opportunity to talk about sex in the church in a way that the LGBT conversation never had really gotten to. Now sex was really in people's— well people were thinking a lot more about sex because they were thinking about safe sex and what does that mean. And the church had to start thinking about if we're gonna protect the lives of people or help people protect themselves, we have to teach them more about sex and safe sex and all of that. And eventually I developed a course on safe, safer, and safest sex, which I gave to young people, to teenagers who lapped it up. No pun intended. But the thing about the epidemic from my perspective is you know there were not only colleagues and friends, there are relatives of mine who died of HIV. You know one day when the first person that I knew died I wrote his name on a piece of paper and I added— I created— I began a list. And by the time I left New York in 1990 there were 383 names on that list of friends and neighbors and acquaintances and loved ones that literally died. So the other thing I want to say before I pass the microphone is, and our group has talked about this, I came up— I described it yesterday as post traumatic grief syndrome. I've never, I've never gotten over the grief and I don't know but I ever will get over the grief that I experienced in my life and I suspect that that's a huge part of the ministry that has to be done today with literally hundreds of thousands of people and I'm not sure we're doing it. Bishop Zachary Jones: Thank you. Good morning, I’m Bishop Zachary Jones of Community Fellowship Church Movement. My pronouns are he, his, him, miss thing, girl please, or any of the other— No, not honey girl have you lost your mind. I actually had thought that I could avoid this conversation ever again in my life because I came to this work in 1987 when I buried my lover and common-law husband at that time. But I came to it because I came to the conference as a stand-in for Carl B and when I did finally arrive Mark had already assigned me to be— to this particular panel so it doesn't look like we can get away from it even when we want to because I am still healing. I asked that question in the earlier session this morning because to even dream or imagine a world, our lives, without HIV and AIDS must be just that the dream for some of us, but certainly to touch those who lived pre-AIDS, one can only imagine what that must of been like even with all of the challenges that they had. I guess I could write my story in my introduction and I'll say more as we move forward, but yes. Barbara Satin: Good morning I'm Barbara Satin with the National LGBTQ Task Force. I do the faith work for the task force. My involvement started way before I came out. I was on the board of the Regional Blood Center for the Red Cross and the Upper Midwest and was offended and traumatized by the way in which the Red Cross was handling its notification of people who came— were diagnosed and basically they had no understanding of the impact that that diagnosis was going to have on people. So they would send letters or they would make phone calls and just leave a voicemail saying by the way you know you have been diagnosed with HIV not realizing that you know in many cases people were living at home with families or they with people that didn't want to know this. So we started an AIDS Oversight Committee to try and work throughout the Red Cross to try and help them understand the impact that this was going to have. That was the beginning of my involvement. When I came out I have had the honor of being on the board of number of organizations including Serving with Duane and Minneapolis Nuclear Housing, doing work with the Aliveness Project, and I do a lot of work around aging issues. And I've been struck by the fact that one of the major tragedies is the fact that there are— people don't understand the fact that there are many people who have— who are now living with AIDS and living as old people. There's nothing wrong with the word old. Anybody from Moloch would tell you that. I was struck by an article in the San Francisco Chronicle about a person saying I'm the unluckiest lucky person in the world because I'm living with AIDS, but I didn't expect to and it's a challenge for them because they've lost support systems, they've lost financials, their financial resources. They just didn't expect to be old. And so that's a current focus of the work that I’m trying to do. Rev. Karen Ziegler: I'm Karen Ziegler, she/hers. I was pastor of MCC New York most of the 80s and what I feel that we witnessed during that time was really genocide because people started to die and die at accelerating rates and nothing was being done and we were just watching with horror. You know Michael Collins was also a friend of mine and we couldn't believe it. We couldn't believe it. A few years before I had lived in Philadelphia during the Legionnaires disease when a few white businessmen died and it was on the front page every single day. And that contrast did not escape me as hundreds and then thousands of men died and walked through Greenwich Village with their Hickman catheter. But the story that I want to tell is not one of the many many many stories of being in dingy Chelsea apartments with friends with uncontrollable diarrhea or the funerals or the suffering or the anger. What I want to tell about was one time when I was with a young man, David DeLuca, who was a cabaret singer. Gorgeous man, bright blue eyes, curly dark hair, and he was covered, his face and his entire body covered with Kaposi’s. And what I saw in him was— what I saw many many many times and it's really my dominant memory of AIDS, which was a luminous quality of his face. He just shone and my experience was that those young men who weren't afraid of going to hell— and there were a lot of young men afraid of going to hell whose parents had sent them tracks that said you are going to hell and you deserve this, but the young men who got through that we're not afraid. They were not afraid on the whole. They were amazing people who taught me such profound lessons of what it really means to be a human being. And on that day he looked at me and he said you know, I think I volunteered for this. He said, “I have the sense that this epidemic and our suffering and our death is going to change human beings and will create compassion.” And for that moment I just believed him because he spoke with such conviction. And just one other little story about him was he called me up and he was in the hospital and I knew he was very close to death and I said how are you and he said I'm excited. And I thought I misunderstood him because he was really close to death and I said what, but he said I'm excited I'm going to see him. And in that moment of that conversation on the phone the veil completely lifted for me because it had completely lifted for him. And it was as though we were peering together. And for me I think the reason why... why I don't cry very much it's because I think, I think that what was happening in those years that he showed me, and that other young men showed me, and then I learned about what death is and what human life really is became the dominant memory for me. And I just want to say one thing about trauma and I'm so glad that this young woman mentioned trauma because I've been thinking a lot about intergenerational trauma and about how young gay people are traumatized by us in the same way as children of Holocaust survivors who are traumatized by their parents experiences. And there are people writing about this now and I've been thinking a lot about post traumatic slave trauma and the trauma of people of color, and especially Black people in this country, in relation to that. And what I realize is that Black people in this country did survive so much trauma, but also lived because of that same luminous survivor spiritual strength. And that is our legacy to our young people as well as the violence and the genocide and the death and the suffering. Audience member: I’m still thinking. I’m feeling [inaudible] Rev. Karen Ziegler: So I also really want to say that we are revisiting a time of genocide. It is completely clear to me that— and William Barber says you know the reason why they want to cut off people's life insurance— I mean health insurance is because the people who will die as a result of this are not Republican voters. And that is not a cynical statement. That is a statement of historical fact. This is what happened to health plans for people who had been slaves and they were discontinued when those people started voting and when people lose their health insurance they die. So I feel like that spirit of activism that was in ACT UP and that many of us participated in. Audience member: We don’t want people to hear what we were saying. Audience member: Were we being too loud? Rev. Karen Ziegler: The spirit of activism— I’m sorry. [...] Rev. Karen Ziegler: But that spirit of activism the people with AIDS, the people in ACT UP, the people fighting for their lives we have to fight for the people's lives who, look now there's a huge train called genocide heading down and you know we're on the tracks but so we're a whole lot of other people. Rev. Jim Mitulski: So my name is Jim Mitulski, and I was the pastor out of the MCC Church in San Francisco in the 80s and 90s for 15 years. So principally eight years I've done other AIDS things, but that probably has shaped my life more than anything. [begins to cry] Sorry. It started back then [points to another speaker] and it’s just been [gestures by moving arm in a wave-like fashion]. I hate this. So I cry all the time. I know, but I do I cry all the time. Three times a day at least. I haven’t yet today. So it was this morning’s now. And I didn't before AIDS so maybe I should’ve. So an AIDS story, I have to say it’s also shaped not only my life, but my spiritual life. This is not what I had to say, but I do think it has shaped my spiritual life being with so many people on a journey of living from the time I was in my 20s. Probably when maybe we were too young or who knows if you’re too young or too old, but certainly just affecting— I think twisted me in some ways, but I was not prepared in my 20s to accompany so many people, to do hundreds of funerals, which I literally did do. Saturday was funeral day. Sunday was Church day right. And the people that I was doing funerals for in the 80s were my age you know. Where does that— and also it kicked up a need in me for constant prayer. You know I went to a very liberal seminary, as they say a silver spoon of religion, and what characterized us as MCC students was we were— that we were churchgoers unlike our fellow students. That we went to church. How weird was that, you know, in the 80s that was weird you know. And I still— I go to Mass every day. How weird is that, you know, I'm not a Catholic anymore, but maybe once a Catholic, always a Catholic. Yeah because— I go and I sit in the back. I don’t take communion. I cry. I sit there and I cry because it's like it's high peace and I order my day and I feel close to my— to my Saints and I don't mean like the alabaster ones. And I know that comes from my AIDS experience. It's like this is the only way I find peace in it, when I pray the rosary. You know down at the hour of our death, that little phrase that you learn as a child, it was like a seed planted that came back to comfort me being at the death of so many people, you know, and not lose your mind right. Okay so there's one AIDS story. It’s a funeral story I told before, but you know you do all these funerals and what I love about MCC is we did not have a prayer book. We had the freedom to show Al Parker clips at Al Parker’s funeral. I did Al Parker’s funeral and darned if we didn’t show Al Parker clips at it, you know because he wanted to be remembered in his vigor, you know. And I did not learn how to do that funeral at PSR, I’ll tell you that. The funeral I remember— I did this couple’s wedding because we did a lot of deathbed weddings right, before they were legal. And it wasn't quite deathbed, but one— the first guy lived about three weeks and at his funeral, the first guy’s funeral, everyone got an orchid and because you want people to have something lovely when they left, something beautiful because it was not pretty. And at the door his lover, as he agreed to hold the door afterwards, his lover said, “Orchids, just like him, high maintenance,” and I just burst out laughing you know. And I remember Jerry, it was affectionate, but it was funny I mean it's pretty funny. Hey, your lover’s funeral, you know. And I remember the importance of laughter even in the midst of very deep sadness. And a couple months later, we had his funeral, and he had provided for this, and he swore me to secrecy, his lifelong collection of Fiestaware in the sanctuary. And you know only gay men have the cult of Fiestaware. They don't just like it okay, they worship it. It was all there and you know at gay funerals we did— we had stuff, you know like a leather jacket on a chair, you know the memorabilia. All kinds of them were doing it. So the queens came in and were like maybe I'll get some afterwards because that was what they thought. Of course they missed their friend, but it's nice to get a little bonus at the memorial. And at the end—he had instructed me to do this—I picked up a piece, so this is— you don't know much he loved this, and I broke it. The gasp. The Fiestaware. Then I broke another piece and I said let's all do this because—Jerry Robinson was his name—he said he wanted us to get angry. He wanted us to feel our anger, nothing pretty. Like we did— I can’t remember [inaudible] at his lover’s funeral, you know but he wanted us to get angry and feel our anger. And so there we were breaking dishes at the funeral in the sanctuary. And that anger— also I felt it again this morning when Chuck Lewis talked about smashing the light bulbs. Oh I just felt so alive. Did you feel it for a second? So unassuming should the anger and I thought oh this is why we did this panel, so that we can see that and feel it. And that's kind of when you asked Dwane about, you know, how do you do this. Anger is an important part of it. Find your anger. I know that's probably dysfunctional, but I swear to god that is how I got through it— that and you know [inaudible] but I think my anger has kept me alive as much as medical science you know. Brian McKnight: I was trained as a buddy. I think probably a lot of us in this room were trained as hospice workers, as best could be done. And one of the men that I took under wing and brought to my home and spent time with, without me knowing it, asked his parents about if I would be the one who led his funeral, you know. So there are— and it was not unusual for people who were not clergy to be asked to be the person who spoke for them. And for those of you who don't know the time, what happened at the time his parents said to me that please do not say that he was gay or how he died. My first buddy that we buried, we had the same instructions: do not say that he was gay and do not say how he died. And one can get self-righteous in those situations and defy the will of the parents or you can figure out a way to do what needs to be done without anybody getting upset. So the second guy that I spoke for was a florist and his gay friends were back of the room and his great-aunts were in front of the room. And I talked about his uniqueness as a flower and how in bouquets you know we all come in different shapes and colors and sizes and the gay men were nodding their heads in the back of the room, the aunts we're thinking that this was quite colorful, how sweet. But it wasn't a time in which— in San Francisco was different than Boston, New York was different than Boston, and Boston was different than Cleveland, and you did what you could do and needed to do where you were with the needs of the people that you said you were there to help. So I didn't get angry. It's not my style, it's just never been. I do go underwater and scream. That's my scream room: water. But going to the question the man in the back asked about how do you handle the situation. We didn't have ACT UP in Boston because we kept the community informed from day one. I wrote a weekly column. I started a column to the gay community of Boston telling them what was— we knew— what we knew you know. What was the name, why was it called this, you know, what did— what do we think is going on, so that people didn't live in a vacuum of no information. And so the dynamics of a community, I think, create how you respond. But it's important to know that at that time, you just didn't talk about it without knowing or feeling that the needs of the parents and the needs of the family had to be taken into consideration. [Our sincere apologies due to technical difficulties the remainder of this session was not recorded.] Executive Producer: Mark Bowman Director & Editor: AhSa-Ti Tyehimba-Form Videographer: John Peckham Copyright 2017 LGBT Religious Archives Network at Pacific School of Religion. All rights reserved. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Session 4B: Our Lives Were Forever Changed by AIDS Barbara Satin Bill Johnson Jim Mitulski Karen Ziegler Our Lives Were Forever Changed by AIDS Rick Mixon RTSA Session 4B William R. Johnson Zachary Jones https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/fa3207dcb56f3515db63b48639139037.png 2130a427b072c9fdb72514012fc36fb1 YouTube Video A video hosted on YouTube. Embed Code The html embed codes for this object. <iframe width="600" height="337" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Hg1B6eQOBcg" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><br /><br /> <p><em>with <a href="http://exhibits.lgbtran.org/exhibits/show/rolling-the-stone-away/item/1428">Jimmy Creech</a>, <a href="http://exhibits.lgbtran.org/exhibits/show/rolling-the-stone-away/item/1351">Marianne Duddy-Burke</a>, <a href="http://exhibits.lgbtran.org/exhibits/show/rolling-the-stone-away/item/1426">Jeannine Gramick</a>, <a href="http://exhibits.lgbtran.org/exhibits/show/rolling-the-stone-away/item/1454">Rick Huskey</a>, <a href="http://exhibits.lgbtran.org/exhibits/show/rolling-the-stone-away/item/1427">Rev. Jeff Johnson</a>, <a href="http://exhibits.lgbtran.org/exhibits/show/rolling-the-stone-away/item/1425">Rev. Dr. Janie Spahr</a></em></p> <p>Faith leaders share their stories and interact with each other about the persecution or sanctions they faced at the hands of religious authorities. Participants reflect on their own experiences of oppression from their religious institutions and if, or how, they felt God’s grace helping them rise from the opposition they faced.</p> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Session 4C: From Trials and Tribulations to Trail Blazing From Trials and Tribulations to Trail Blazing Janie Spahr Jeannine Gramick Jeff Johnson Jimmy Creech Marianne Duddy-Burke Rick Huskey RTSA Session 4C Trials and Tribulations to Trail Blazing https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/dbfb0a79563c0e896726afde3869cadf.png 926f1a1196ebfce9325ae44d91a6d3dd YouTube Video A video hosted on YouTube. Embed Code The html embed codes for this object. <iframe width="600" height="337" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aCA9ohkXBNs" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><br /><br /> <p><em>with <a href="http://exhibits.lgbtran.org/exhibits/show/rolling-the-stone-away/item/1419">Rev. Freda Smith</a>, <a href="http://exhibits.lgbtran.org/exhibits/show/rolling-the-stone-away/item/1424">Jan Griesinger</a>, <a href="http://exhibits.lgbtran.org/exhibits/show/rolling-the-stone-away/item/1406">Rev. Dr. Carter Heyward</a>, <a href="http://exhibits.lgbtran.org/exhibits/show/rolling-the-stone-away/item/1418">Rev. Dr. Erin Swenson</a>, <a href="http://exhibits.lgbtran.org/exhibits/show/rolling-the-stone-away/item/1412">Rev. Elder Darlene Garner</a>, <a href="http://exhibits.lgbtran.org/exhibits/show/rolling-the-stone-away/item/1415">Rev. Debra Peevey</a></em></p> <p>Our lives and loves, our faith and work, have been shaped by ongoing struggles against white supremacist patriarchal misogyny, racism, and homophobia. Where did our journeys begin? What were the conditions of the world/church at the time? What have been some lessons from the past? Why must a passion for justice for all women be kept central to our communities? What can we learn from some historic tensions between lesbian feminist and transgender movements that can help us cultivate community? What resources can help us keep our courage? This panel includes brief presentations from each of us, some time for exchange among us, and an opportunity for questions and reflections from the audience.</p> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Session 4D: Keeping Our Courage: Lesbian Feminism and Trans Women Carter Heyward Darlene Garner Debra Peevey Erin Swenson Freda Smith Jan Griesinger Keeping Our Courage: Lesbian Feminism and Trans Women RTSA Session 4D