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View Article  Why John McIntire matters for gay people

Last night, KDKA talk show host John McIntire interviewed a local presbyterian minister under investigation for joining two women in marriage.  Reverend Janet Edwards is facing disciplinary action for officiating at the June 2005 wedding of two lesbians.  A wedding your lesbian correspondent attended. 

John and Janet discussed the issue for nearly 45 minutes and took an array of telephone calls.  Some were typically homophobic, even hostile.  Janet responded with aplomb and compassionate rationality. 

But toward the end of the segment, a male caller asked why churches are regressive rather than progressive.  Janet gave a wonderful answer about history, values and classical tradition.  The caller listened attentively and then quietly told her that this was the first time he has ever heard a member of the clergy affirm homosexuality on the radio.  He thanked her and hung up.

Now both John and Lynn Cullen speak often and loudly in support of the gay community and gay issues.  And while we appreciate their love and their words, its even more powerful that they create a forum mfor the world to hear OUR voices.  As the caller implied, hearing it from a member of clergy MATTERED to him. 

So thank you to John and Lynn for creating that connection.  You both rock!

View Article  Gay Rights Rally Tuesday March 14 in Harrisburg

From the Center for Lesbian & Gay Civil Rights

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Value All Families Coalition is sponsoring buses from Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and the Lehigh Valley for the March 14th Anti-Amendment rally in Harrisburg. If you are interested in taking a bus from: Philadelphia contact the Center at 215-731-1447 ext. 10 or c4crinfo@center4civilrights.org; Pittsburgh contact Dana at 412-858-3057 or equalitynow@msn.com; or the Lehigh Valley contact PA-GALA at 610-863-4961 or smblack@epix.net. The following organizations are sponsoring the buses: Human Rights Campaign, Center for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights, Philadelphia Family Pride, Mountain Meadow, PA-GALA, GLOW at PP&L, MCC of the Lehigh Valley and Lehigh Valley PFLAG, among others.

The Center for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights is coordinating the rally opposing the anti-family state constitutional amendments. The rally will occur in the Capitol Rotunda at 2:00. Lobby training will be held a block away from the Capitol building at 11:00 at St. Michael Lutheran Church,118 State St., Harrisburg. The coalition encourages people to visit legislators that day in Harrisburg from 12:00 to 1:45.

View Article  Tribune Review article on local Prebyterian Minister

Fom Monday's Tribune Review.


"Marriage is a sacred union of two people who are committed to each other, without regard to gender," Janet Edwards said. "I do not feel I have done anything wrong. On the contrary, I felt I was holding up the vows of my ordination."

This is an excellent article about a local Presbyterian minister facing scrutiny for performing a wedding for two women. 

I was honored to be a guest at this wedding.  Perhaps it is the latent Catholic in me, but the wedding was sacramental and reverential and real.  It was important to me in at least a million ways.  Again, I am not particularly artful today.  I hope you'll read the article in the Trib and tune in to John McIntire's upcoming interview with Janet Edwards on KDKA. 

Sue

View Article  Lesbian Pastor Not Guilty in Same Sex Marriage Trial

From www.365gay.com comes this great news ...


(Santa Rosa, California) A longtime Presbyterian minister who was the first of her faith to be tried for officiating at the unions of gay couples was acquitted Friday of violating her denomination's position on same-sex marriage.

A regional judicial commission of the Presbyterian Church (USA) ruled 6-1 that the Rev. Jane Spahr of San Rafael acted within her rights as an ordained minister when she married two lesbian couples in 2004 and 2005.

Because the section of the faith's constitution that reserves marriage for a man and a woman "is a definition, not a directive," Spahr was "acting within her right of conscience in performing marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples," the tribunal said in a written ruling.



The tribunal stated that Reverend Spahr acted within the "normative standards" of her region. The ruling may mean that all ordained clergy are permitted to preside at same-sex weddings. Read the full story at http://www.365gay.com/Newscon06/03/030306pastor.htm

Spahr was charged with using the term 'wedding' not for actually performing the ceremony. Click here for the backstory
http://www.pghlesbian.com/blog/_archives/2006/3/3/1794706.html


A tearful Spahr, 63, a longtime activist who could have faced sanctions ranging from a rebuke to removal from the ministry, rejoiced at the verdict. Flanked by her lawyers and the two couples she married, Spahr said she would continue performing same-sex weddings.

"The church said God loved everyone, and for years I believed it," she said. "Today, for just one moment, to hear this is remarkable."


 

View Article  Pgh Native Presbyterian Minister on trial for gay weddings

In another example of homopersecution, the Presbyterian Church is at it again.  This time, the Reverend Jane Spahr is facing a trial for conducting wedding for same sex couples in 2004 and 2005.  Spahr is a native of Pittsburgh's Northside.

Spahr choose to use the term wedding at the couples' request in order to honor their union and avoid deeming it second class.  The Presbyterian church is arguing that this is not a larger debate over the status of gay weddings but merely a determination of whether Spahr violated the Church constitution. 

Spahr's attorney disagrees, likening the issue to the ordination of women for which there is a need for larger dialogue.


The Presbyterian Church (USA) is among several Protestant denominations embroiled in a bitter debate between liberals and conservatives over what role gays should have in their churches. Under a ruling by the national church's highest court in 2000, Presbyterian churches may bless same-sex unions as long as they do not equate the relationships with marriage.

Ms. Spahr is one of a half-dozen Presbyterian ministers across the nation facing disciplinary action for marrying same-sex couples, although her case is the first to come to trial, Mr. Cahn said. The others include the Rev. Janet Edwards in Pittsburgh.


Click here for the details on situation facing Pittsburgh's Janet Edwards. 

It appears that our community must gird for continuous battle on every front in order to secure our civil rights.  Gay Christians in particular are under siege and hurrah for heroes like Janet and Jane for standing up on behalf of us all. 

I've been noticing more and more references to second class citizenship around gay civil rights issues. The wingnut have done an incredibly good job of setting gay marriage up to foil heterosexual marriage.  But when I  describe the consequences of second class citizenship, I notice a profound difference in the tenor of the conversation.  Separate but equal is not good enough.  We've been down that path and continue to experience the fallout even today. 

I pray for the members of the Presbyterian church as they struggle through this moral dilemna. 

 

View Article  Gay Marriage is Good Mental Health

Another story from today's Post-Gazette  According to a policy paper from the National Sexuality Resource Center at San Francisco State University,denying us marraige can lead to mental health problems. 

Well, duh!

The stress of being a second class citizen will do that you.  Having to rush to your partner's hospital bedside while realizing you left the power of attorney documents at home and hoping you can get in to see her?  Stressful.  Worrying about dividing up property after one partner dies?  Stressful. 

Being gay is not stressful.  Being in an intimate committed relationship is no more stressful than for heterosexuals.  Being in a committed gay relationship in a society which deems you second class, which denies your most basic civil rights ... now that's stressful.


The authors state that the potential harm to gay men and lesbians and their communities is significant enough to call for laws and policies that allow for same-sex marriage in the United States.

 

 

 

 

View Article  Local Law Firm Specializes in Gay Services

Monday's Post-Gazette featured Buchanan Ingersoll PC's Nontraditional Couples and Families practice group which specializes in LGBT legal work. 


[Maureen] Cohon, the wife of Carnegie Mellon University President Jared Cohon, said her firm's nontraditional couples practice began quietly when a friend in a gay relationship asked her about guardianship for a child and drafting a will.

After eight months of talking to people in the gay and lesbian community to make sure there was a demand for such services, Buchanan Ingersoll launched the practice in 2002.

There were just four clients that first year. Two years later, there were about 40, "and it just goes up every year," Mrs. Cohon said.


According to the article, the U.S. Census counted 594,391 same-sex couples nationwide in 2000, including 3,693 in the six-county Pittsburgh region. 

3, 693 in this region!  That's a lot of queer families and kudos to Buchanon Ingersoll for recognizing an important legal service area. 

Without the protection of marriage, it is critical that LGBT couples seek as much protection under law as possible.  It is also expensive and not perfect which is why the struggle for true equality under the law must continue. 

 

View Article  PG Letters to Editor on Gay Issues

A quick round of the PG's latest gay coverage ....

First, the ugly.  From Jennifer Freker  of Bethel Park a letter to the PG editor ....


God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve!


You tell 'em Jennifer.  Make sure we know all about the abnormalities of a Godless society and how much friggin' bravery it takes to calls gays "sick and perverted." 

Listen up you homohater... before you continue spewing about the Pledge of Allegiance being ripped out of the schools, you should take a look at how YOU have excluded God from your personal beliefs.  Remember the parts about loving your neighbor?  The things Jesus said.  People like you give Christianity a bad name.

Now the good, a letter from Devin Browne of the Hill District pointed out that while homos are good enough to teach in the Pittsburgh Public Schools, our families aren't deserving of equal health insurance coverage ... he correctly writes:


This restriction is something most conservative megacorporations gave up years ago.

And, last, a blurb from The Morning File ... the evangels are up in arms over Starbucks.


Grande latte, hold the gay


Lesbians drink mochas anyway.  Next.

 

 

View Article  PA Rep Mike Diven: Homohater AND Illiterate?

Michael  Diven
					 (Republican)
					
				It seemed like such a simple request.  She wrote to The Honorable Mike Diven, Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.  Her mission?  To ascertain how Diven would vote on the proposed anti-gay marriage amendment to the Pennsylvania Constitution.

What Diven offered in response is a testament to why the Democrats should be able to recapture this seat. 

 

So we are not in agreement on which issue?  Gay marriage?  Amending the constitution?  Ignoring tax reform, health care and the economy to focus on this issue?   Which issue, Mike?

It is obvious he means gay marriage because he spends two whole pages outlining current law on gay marriage.  Illustrating that he did not read the original letter for content, but just KEY WORDS. 

Clearly, someone on his staff knows how to do a legislative search and has a partial understanding of the difference between state and federal matters.  What remains unclear is if that same person is able to read for content.

Hmmm ... now that's a useful suggestion.  I'll write to Mike Doyle to ask how he plans to vote on amending the Pennsylvania constitution.

In the end, Mikey does not tell us how he intends to vote.  Is he being politically coy or just stupid?

Hmmmm .....

View Article  PG Condemns Anti-Gay Amendment


This commonwealth doesn't need to write bigotry into its constitution in the name of misplaced morality.

This morning the Post-Gazette editors condemn the bill introduced in the PA House of Representatives that would amend the constitution to "protect marriage." 

The PG notes that the amendment's impace reaches far beyond the queer community, threatening unmarried heterosexual families including adoptive parents and senior citizens. 

They rightly criticize the homo-haters who have signed on to co-sponsor this piece of legislation:


The constitutional amendment is being offered as House Bill 2381 and, to their shame, 89 co-sponsors have signed on for a chance to do something negative at the expense of gay people, as always a safe group to pick on.

Shame is right!  Every single one of these co-sponsors has taken time away from meeting their constituents real needs in order to propagate a hate-laced agenda.  There's no justification for co-sponsoring this bill.   Especially the Democrats!  This is pure and simple pandering to the right wing base and it is going to come back to haunt them. 

They give a shout out to our friend and champion Dan Frankel for using his time constructively to address family issues. 

Two Pennsylvania residents weigh in on the the vicious discrimination underlying this legislation. 

Disgusting!

Sue

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