A series of articles by Robert Buchanan, D.Min., on gay prejudice and
Christianity in order to challenge the church and help provide for the
spiritual needs of sexual minorities
Please bookmark this page and come back.
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A series of articles by Robert Buchanan, D.Min., on gay prejudice and
Christianity in order to challenge the church and help provide for the
spiritual needs of sexual minorities
Please bookmark this page and come back.
|
|
|
Let Wisdom PrevailThe battle for equality is moving so fast that it can be difficult to stay current with the latest news. On Thursday February 12, the first legal marriages between members of the same sex took place in San Francisco, California. Mayor Gavin Newsome decided to enforce the California Constitution's ban against discrimination and order the issuance of marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Phyllis Lyon, 83, and Del Martin, 79, were married shortly after 11 a.m. PST. The lesbian activists have been a couple for 51 years, and their union is finally recognized. Nearly 100 licenses were issued the first day, and a court-battle is pending. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, there are 8,902 same-sex couples living in the same household in San Francisco .On the other side of the country, the Massachusetts Legislature was battling over how to compromise on a state constitutional amendment to ban gay marriages. One option is to pave the way for civil unions, another is to ban both marriage and civil unions, and still another would ban same-sex marriage yet say nothing about civil unions. All of this is the result of the earlier decision of the Massachusetts Supreme Court that nothing less than full marriage meets the state's requirement of non-discrimination. By the time any state constitutional amendment passes, thousands of same sex couples will likely be legally married which creates an entirely new legal quagmire. The State granting of civil unions or marriages does nothing to change the federal laws that grant benefits to heterosexual married couples. The vast majority of benefits would come from a change in the federal law. Conservatives and fundamentalist Christians are fighting for an amendment to the Constitution of the United States which would ban same-sex marriages or giving any of the privileges of marriage to same-sex couples. The same day as the San Francisco marriages Reverend Jerry Falwell appeared on CBS's "The Early Show" to speak against gay marriages. Falwell was unable to answer Harry Smith's question about how homosexual marriages harm heterosexual marriages. Smith had to ask the question twice and still received no response except that we must protect the children from immorality. Falwell made no explanation of how the two issues are connected. The same week, in London, a group of primates of the Anglican Church met to discuss the potential split in the United States over the Episcopal Church's decision to consecrate an openly gay man, V. Gene Robinson, as Bishop. This has so outraged fundamentalists that they are threatening a split which will likely mean lengthy court battles. Some of the primates in London issued a press statement supporting the conservatives uniting to form a separate Anglican body in the United States. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force will honor V. Gene Robinson, at the organization's 15th Annual Leadership Awards event on March 15, 2004 in New York City. This week, the American Civil Liberties Union announced the Tennessee Supreme Court has agreed to reconsider its decision last month against Joe Hogue. He told his son he is gay and spent two days in jail as a result. The court ordered Hogue not to introduce his partner to his son. This is not an uncommon battle for gay dads whose previous spouses attempt to keep them from seeing their children or expose them to the fact that they are gay. The Tennessee court could help bring families together by taking away this cruel restriction against gay fathers. Hogue said, "It's hard to teach your child how to be honest and stand up for what's right if you aren't even allowed to be truthful about who you are."
One truly wise man and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, put the struggle for gay equality in perspective when he said that discrimination against homosexuals is as "totally unacceptable and unjust" as racial apartheid. In the battle for equality for sexual minorities such wisdom must prevail for victory over injustice to be defeated.
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Robert Buchanan is a minister of the Ecumenical Catholic Church and a psychotherapist who lives with his partner of many years in Durham North Carolina. He is the author of Love, Honor & Respect: How to Confront Homosexual Bias in Christian Culture and serves as director of the Institute for Inclusive Christianity. a training program for ministers and clergy who do not discriminate against gays, lesbians, bisexuals, or because of financial, familial or social status. Additional resources for inclusive Christians can be found at our Resources page.
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