New Hasidic Radicals Bellow Down Tel Aviv’s Streets

TEL AVIV — The monotonous din of traffic permeated the air on Tel Aviv’s Sheinkin Street on a recent Friday afternoon, when, suddenly, a large white cargo van whipped around the corner, blasting music from a pair of huge roof-mounted loudspeakers. A few people walking on the crowded sidewalks stopped to stare as five bearded young men wearing white-knit, tassel-topped yarmulkes leaped out, dancing to the thud of electronic bass beats. Some people smiled. Soldiers driving past waved out the windows and cheered. A cyclist cut through the group, her face set in a grimace. A man screamed above the din that his baby was sick.

It’s a scene increasingly common in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and other Israeli cities where the loud, brightly painted Ford cargo vans associated with Israel’s hottest new Hasidic sect have become a recognizable sight. The vans are plastered with large Hebrew letters and larger-than-life stick-on portraits of a laughing, bearded old man in a fur hat, his arms cast jubilantly skyward. Religious-themed Hebrew techno tunes blast from the rooftop speakers.

The Bohemian clothing of the dancing young men seems unusual for Hasidic Jews. So does their belief that screaming, singing, and bellowing joyous prayer are the best ways to connect with God.

They are known as the Na Nach — a recently emerged subgroup of the 200-year-old Breslover Hasidic sect. Like other Breslover Hasidim, they follow the teachings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, a kabbalist mystic who lived 200 years ago in what is today Ukraine. More established Breslov groups were once seen as an eccentric, vaguely countercultural element in the Orthodox world. But members of the Na Nach sect now stand out as the new radicals, as the older tradition of Nachman study assumes a newfound respectability within the ultra-Orthodox world.

Read more @ Jewish Daily Forward: http://forward.com/articles/138721/#ixzz1PmF1qf7I

Outcry in America as Pregnant Women Who Lose Babies Face Murder Charges

Rennie Gibbs is accused of murder, but the crime she is alleged to have committed does not sound like an ordinary killing. Yet she faces life in prison in Mississippi over the death of her unborn child.


Across the US, more and more prosecutions are being brought against women who lose their babies. (Photograph: Alamy)
Gibbs became pregnant aged 15, but lost the baby in December 2006 in a stillbirth when she was 36 weeks into the pregnancy. When prosecutors discovered that she had a cocaine habit – though there is no evidence that drug abuse had anything to do with the baby's death – they charged her with the "depraved-heart murder" of her child, which carries a mandatory life sentence.

Gibbs is the first woman in Mississippi to be charged with murder relating to the loss of her unborn baby. But her case is by no means isolated. Across the US more and more prosecutions are being brought that seek to turn pregnant women into criminals.

"Women are being stripped of their constitutional personhood and subjected to truly cruel laws," said Lynn Paltrow of the campaign National Advocates for Pregnant Women (NAPW). "It's turning pregnant women into a different class of person and removing them of their rights."
More.

Majority of New York bishops praise state passage of same-gender marriage

By Mary Frances Schjonberg, June 27, 2011
[Episcopal News Service] At least one Episcopal Church bishop in the state of New York has said that clergy in his diocese may solemnize same-gender marriages as soon as the state's recently passed Marriage Equality Act goes into effect.
"The Episcopal Diocese of Long Island will engage this new law with a generous and open response allowing, under the provision of our General Convention, the use of rites for same-gender marriage by priests of this diocese who believe they are called to preside at the exchange of vows, once the law has taken effect in 30 days," Bishop Lawrence Provenzano said in a June 25 statement.

Meanwhile, Bishop Prince Singh of Rochester said in a statement e-mailed to Episcopal News Service that he would soon set up a diocesan task force "to help us chart our course to engage this journey reverently, deliberately and in congruence with church law." Singh told ENS that he was "working on some more specific direction for the diocese." He had actively campaigned for at least two years for passage of the law.

Diocese of Western New York Bishop William Franklin said in a statement welcoming the law's passage that he will be holding meetings soon "for members of our diocese to listen to how Episcopal churches in Western New York might integrate this decision into our life."

Diocese of New York Bishop Mark Sisk said in a statement that "the legislation, as enacted, appears to be closely aligned with the long standing views of this diocese that the civil rights of all people should be respected equally before the law."

All four praised passage of the act. The bishops of Albany and Central New York did not respond to ENS requests for comment.

The New York State Senate voted 33-29 on June 24 to pass the bill making New York the largest state in the United States to allow same-gender couples to wed. Washington, D.C., Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont also allow such couples to marry. In New York, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed the measure at 11:55 p.m. on June 25 and the law will go into effect 30 days from that date, meaning that same-sex couples could begin marrying in New York by late July, the New York Times reported.

Specific language exempting religious organizations and their clergy -- and leaders of the Society for Ethical Culture in New York -- was inserted into the bill as part of complex negotiations led by Cuomo to get the bill passed. The law says that such organizations and people cannot be required to solemnize a same-gender marriage nor can they be sued or otherwise legally punished for refusing to do so.

Sisk noted in his statement that the new law "does not determine church teaching about the nature of sacraments."

"That is our continuing work," he said. "However, nothing in the unfinished nature of that work should cause us to hesitate to give our most profound thanks for the step that has been taken in affording equal civil rights for our brothers and sisters."

Sisk had written to the New York Times in May to note his and the diocese's long-standing support of allowing same-gender couples the right of civil marriage.

Sisk has not previously issued guidelines for blessing same-gender unions, instead saying that the clergy of the diocese could be "trusted to exercise good and attentive pastoral care to all."

"They don't need my permission to do that; that is their duty," he said in a 2010 letter to the Episcopal Church's Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music. "Exactly how they carry out that duty is their business. They need neither my permission nor keep their actions secret from me."

Provenzano's predecessor, Bishop Orris Walker, had earlier authorized a rite for blessing what he called "covenantal relationships," which he said could include "people who act as caregivers to each other" and elderly heterosexual couples who choose not to marry due to "the loss of certain financial benefits" as well as same-gender couples.

Passage of the New York law takes place for Episcopalians against the backdrop of General Convention 2009 Resolution C056, which says that bishops, "particularly those in dioceses within civil jurisdictions where same-gender marriage, civil unions, or domestic partnerships are legal, may provide generous pastoral response to meet the needs of members of this church."

The resolution directs the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music to work with the House of Bishops to collect and develop theological resources and liturgies for blessing same-gender relationships. The commission is to report to the 77th General Convention in 2012 in Indianapolis. A website here contains some of the materials gathered thus far. In March, the SCLM held a churchwide consultation on the issues surrounding C056. ENS coverage of that gathering is here and here.

-- The Rev. Mary Frances Schjonberg is an editor/writer of the Episcopal News Service.

Equality California Saddened by Death of LGBT Veteran Activist Jean Harris

San Francisco- Jean Harris, an ex-Deputy Mayor of San Francisco and the founder of California Alliance for Pride and Equality (CAPE), died on Saturday, June 25, 2011. CAPE later became Equality California.

Statement from Equality California Interim Executive Director Jim Carroll:

“Jean was a tireless advocate for the LGBT community, and she will be terribly missed. Her colorful and indomitable spirit inspired generations of LGBT activists throughout the state and nation.

“At a time when California had extremely limited rights and protections for LGBT people, she dreamed and fought for equality and for a better California. Her legislative advocacy, grassroots organizing, and coalition building became the bedrock for the modern LGBT justice movement in California.

As Executive Director of CAPE, Jean worked with then Assemblymember Carole Migden to introduce and pass AB 25, which granted registered domestic partners some of the most basic rights offered to married opposite-sex couples including:

 Make medical decisions in the hospital or act as a conservator.
 Inherit property without a will.
 Administer an estate.
 Seek compensation for the loss of economic or social support.
 Relocate with a domestic partner without losing unemployment benefits.
 Use sick leave to care for a family member or provide them with employer-based health coverage without additional taxation.
 File disability benefits on behalf of an incapacitated partner.
 Adopt a partner’s child using the stepparent adoption process.
 Continue health coverage for surviving domestic partners of retired government workers.

Equality California (EQCA) is the largest statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights advocacy organization in California. Over the past decade, Equality California has strategically moved California from a state with extremely limited legal protections for LGBT individuals to a state with some of the most comprehensive civil rights protections in the nation. Equality California has passed more than 70 pieces of legislation and continues to advance equality through legislative advocacy, electoral work, public education and community empowerment.www.eqca.org

The Secret Heterosexual Agenda

"Bristol’s indiscretion, and her proud, lascivious, tell-all book reminds me of Jim Burroway’s brilliant parody “The Heterosexual Agenda: Exposing the Myths.” Sure, heterosexuals say they’re for family values. They say marriage is most important. They crow about one man and one woman, creating forever homes in which they raise their morally incorruptible offspring. But Bristol’s new book belies the true agenda of the heterosexual, according to Burroway.

Heterosexuals say they are the true defenders of American values, but the truth is “heterosexual militants have embarked on a systematic assault on American values.” We see this in Bristol’s story as she systematically undermines the American values of sobriety, virginity, sex only within marriage, and not kissing (or anything else) and telling.

Another myth busted by Bristol is that heterosexuals don’t recruit; in fact “heterosexual activists plan on recruiting your children into their lifestyle.” How many children will read Bristol’s book and head to the convenience store to stock up on “girl-flavored wine coolers” before going hiking with their boyfriends? This is a blatant plan for recruitment into the loose, alcohol and Deep Woods Off-drenched world of heterosexual depravity.

Heterosexuals accuse gays and lesbians of undermining marriage, but, destroying that venerated institution is the true agenda of heterosexuals who constantly undermine marriage by having babies out of wedlock, then dissing their baby-daddy in a new book. Bristol is Exhibit A for the true heterosexual agenda to destroy traditional marriage."

More.


More @ http://www.religiondispatches.org/dispatches/candacechellew-hodge/4779/bristol_palin’s_new_book_reveals_heterosexual_agenda/">More

Rev. John Unni Defies Boston Archdiocese To Preach Gay Inclusion In St. Cecilia's Catholic Church

Last week brought news that the Boston Archdiocese had directed St. Cecilia's Catholic Church to cancel a specially scheduled liturgy called, "All Are Welcome".

The announcement of the special mass had led to outrage from more conservative church members and motivated the Archdiocese to intervene by issuing an official clarification on the matter. This past Sunday, St. Cecilia's priest, the Rev. John Unni, was instructed to reiterate the official announcement. Instead, Father Unni delivered a passionate and heartfelt sermon on the importance of love and inclusion, witnessed by HuffPost blogger Tom Matlack, and captured on video by the Boston Globe.

More & Watch @ Huff Post

Archbishop Of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, Blasts U.K. Government Cuts

Nearly a millennium ago, four unruly knights crossed the English Channel from France and confronted the archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket, over his feud with King Henry II.

Before the knights smashed the future saint's skull in front of monks at an altar inside Canterbury Cathedral, Henry is said to have wondered aloud, "Who shall rid me of this turbulent priest?"

These days, Prime Minister David Cameron might be wondering the same about the current archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams.

Williams sparked a political row by criticizing the government's austerity measures and budget cuts as the cause of "bafflement and indignation," saying they are nothing more than "radical, long-term policies for which no one voted."

More @ Huff Post

Jose Antonio Vargas’ Coming Out and the Power of Stories over Religious Remonstrances

If you haven't read it already, journalist Jose Antonio Vargas' extraordinary story of his life as an undocumented immigrant in the United States will move you to tears -- unless, that is, you have ice water running through your veins. You must read it; it's quite possibly the most important and telling thing you will read about what America is in a long time.

I just saw Vargas this past weekend at the Netroots Nation conference in Minneapolis. He moderated a panel, "Obama, the Tea Party and 2012: The Role of Race in Electoral Politics." It wasn't what you might expect from the title -- but more on that in a moment. I first want to highlight a couple of points in Vargas' story that relate to religious activism around immigration reform.

In his piece, Vargas discusses how his mother and grandparents, knowing that they got him into the United States without proper documentation, believed his undocumented status could eventually be rectified if he married an American citizen. But what they didn't know was that Vargas is gay. He therefore falls into a category of undocumented immigrants who, unlike straight people, have no marriage-related immigration rights. That is, the American citizen in LGBT binational couples, even if they are legally married in a state or country that permits it, cannot sponsor their undocumented spouse for citizenship. Over 30,000 families in the United States face possible deportation of one partner (many of whom are parents) because of this gap in the law. More @ Religion Dispatches.

Southern Baptists Embrace Minorities, but Not Gays

But, the shifting sands of opinion over the morality of homosexuality didn’t stop the convention’s members from passing a resolution today to affirm the Defense of Marriage Act and “again call on the United States Congress to pass and the states to ratify a constitutional amendment defining marriage as exclusively between one man and one woman.”

MORE

6 Time Management Tips from the Buddha

Lama Surya Das writes at Huff Post:

Among all the substances we misuse and abuse, the greatest is time. Time is life; we squander it at our peril. Killing time deadens ourselves.

Almost everyone I encounter complains that they don't have enough. But where did it all go? Why aren't our labor-saving devices and faster means of travel and communication liberating us? Or at the very least, providing us with more leisure to accomplish the things that we want and need to do, or letting us simply slow down and enjoy what we've worked so hard for?

Does anyone have time today? I do! During the 40 years I've spent studying and teaching Buddhism, and in the process of writing my new book, "Buddha Standard Time: Awakening to the Infinite Possibilities of Now," I've learned how to find, make, and keep time.

MORE

Assembly Education Committee Passes Landmark LGBT Education Bill

Legislation sponsored by Equality California and Gay-Straight Alliance Network aims to stop discriminatory education and promote school safety

Sacramento – Yesterday a bill that would require schools to fairly and accurately portray the historic contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in social science instruction passed the Assembly Education Committee in a 7-4 vote. The Fair, Accurate, Inclusive, and Respectful (FAIR) Education Act (SB 48), authored by Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), would also add sexual orientation and gender identity to the state’s existing anti-discrimination protections that prohibit bias in school activities, instruction and instructional materials.

Studies have shown that inclusion of LGBT people in instructional materials is linked to greater student safety and lower rates of bullying. The bill is co-sponsored by Equality California and Gay-Straight Alliance Network.

The FAIR Education Act would bring classroom instruction into alignment with existing non-discrimination laws in California and would add LGBT to the existing list of underrepresented cultural and ethnic groups, which are covered by current law related to inclusion in textbooks and other instructional materials in schools. By including fair and accurate information about LGBT people and history in instructional materials, SB 48 will improve student safety, reduce bullying, enrich the learning experiences of all students, and promote an atmosphere of safety and respect in California schools.

“We thank the members of the Education Committee for recognizing the need to educate students about the historic contributions of LGBT leaders to California and the struggle for LGBT equality,” said Jim Carroll, Interim Executive Director of Equality California. “This legislation will ensure all students understand the diversity of our state and its history, and it will foster greater awareness, respect and safer schools for all students.”

“We, and our LGBT youth members who lobbied and testified for this bill, are thrilled to see the Assembly Education Committee take this step towards a fair and accurate education for all of California’s students,” said Carolyn Laub, Executive Director of Gay-Straight Alliance Network. “By including LGBT Americans in instructional materials, the FAIR Education Act will reduce bullying, increase safety for all students, and teach students to respect each other's differences.”

“Most textbooks don’t include any information about LGBT historical figures or the LGBT civil rights movement, which has great significance to both California and U.S. history,” said Senator Leno (D-San Francisco). “This selective censorship sends the wrong message to all young people, and especially to those who do not identify as straight. We can’t tell our youth that it’s OK to be yourself and expect them to treat their peers with dignity and respect while we deny them accurate information about the historical contributions of Americans who happened to be LGBT.”

The bill now heads to the Assembly floor.

Equality California (EQCA) is the largest statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights advocacy organization in California. Over the past decade, Equality California has strategically moved California from a state with extremely limited legal protections for LGBT individuals to a state with some of the most comprehensive civil rights protections in the nation. Equality California has passed more than 70 pieces of legislation and continues to advance equality through legislative advocacy, electoral work, public education and community empowerment. www.eqca.org

Gay-Straight Alliance Network (GSA Network) is a national youth leadership organization that empowers youth activists to fight homophobia and transphobia in schools by training student leaders and supporting student-led Gay-Straight Alliance clubs throughout the country. In California alone, GSA Network has brought GSA clubs to 56% of public high schools, impacting more than 1.1 million students at 850 schools. GSA Network's youth advocates have played a key role in changing laws and policies that impact youth at the local and state level. GSA Network operates the National Association of GSA Networks, which unites more than 30 statewide networks of GSA clubs throughout the country. GSA Network is also the founder of the Make It Better Project, which aims to stop bullying and prevent suicide. www.gsanetwork.org

Immigration Equality Action Fund Praises Senate Introduction of LGBT-Inclusive Comprehensive Immigration Reform

WASHINGTON, DC -- Immigration Equality Action Fund, which advocates on Capitol Hill for equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and HIV-positive immigrants and their families, pledged support today for an LGBT-inclusive comprehensive immigration reform bill introduced by Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) with original co-sponsorship by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), as well as SenatorsRichard Durbin (D-IL), John Kerry (D-MA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Chuck Schumer (D-NY). Among the provisions included in the Senate proposal is the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA), a bill to end the discrimination LGBT couples face under current immigration law, which prohibits Americans with foreign-born partners or spouses from sponsoring them for residency in the United States.

"Immigration Equality Action Fund is ready, willing and able to rally the LGBT community, and our families and allies, in support of Senator Menendez's bill," said Rachel B. Tiven, the group's executive director. "Today's bill is supported by the top Democratic lawmakers in the Senate, including the Chairmen of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Immigration, Refugees and Border Security Sub-Committee. We stand with them, and our allies in the LGBT and immigrant communities, in supporting reform that honors all families and offers an inclusive vision of America."

The legislation also includes the DREAM Act, which would provide a path to citizenship for young people who enlist in the U.S. armed forces or receive a degree from a U.S.-based college or university. Many DREAM Act-eligible young people also identify as LGBT.

Tiven noted that Immigration Equality's legal team is currently working with couples across the country who are facing imminent separation. The organization has called on the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Justice, to halt the removal of LGBT spouses. To date, the Administration has declined to do so, and a New Jersey couple – Richard Dennis andJair Izquierdo – were recently separated when Izquierdo was deported to his native Peru. The couple, who have been together for six years, are now fighting to reunite in the United States.

"No one is served by tearing American citizens apart from their spouses," Tiven said. "The immigration system is decimating families, forcing American citizens into exile and draining the talent and resources available to American businesses and communities. Comprehensive reform is overdue and must be given priority in Congress now."

The group also reiterated its call for a halt to the separation of families until Congress acts.

"As Congress considers legislation to end the unconscionable separation of American citizens from their loved ones, the Administration must also commit to a moratorium on forcibly tearing apart families who would be eligible for relief under this and other bills."

Immigration Equality Action Fund advocates on Capitol Hill for equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and HIV-positive immigrants and their families. To end discrimination in U.S. immigration law, Immigration Equality Action Fund works to pass the Uniting American Families Act and LGBT-inclusive Comprehensive Immigration Reform. The Action Fund lobbies legislators and other policy makers, builds coalitions, and empowers LGBT immigrant families around the country to fight for change.

What To Do When Fred Phelps Arrives in Your Neighborhood

While I support free speech, the lunatic fringe of Fred Phelps and all too many mainstream believers whose idea of the Bible is limited to particular portions of Leviticus speak all too often. What should we do on this particular Saturday and in the future when Fred Phelps announces he will picket in our neighborhoods? Should we throw glitter on Fred Phelps? Should we stay home? Should we even write articles or comment on the six o’clock news?

What To Do When Fred Phelps Arrives in Your Neighborhood

Second Maori vote against the Anglican Covenant

• Manawa o Te Wheke rejects Anglican covenant.
• Maori momentum growing against Anglican Covenant.

The Erosion of the Holocaust

THE END OF THE HOLOCAUST
By Alvin H. Rosenfeld
Indiana University Press, 328 pages, $29.95

The impact of the Holocaust on contemporary culture has been enormous; less recognized has been the impact of contemporary culture on what we think of as “the Holocaust.” The main thrust of Alvin Rosenfeld’s “The End of the Holocaust” is to examine ways in which popular culture has influenced Holocaust awareness, shaping the content of historical memory and expanding its application to atrocities that had nothing to do with the murder of European Jewry. He balances his discussion of such deflective efforts with a sober analysis of how writers like Elie Wiesel, Jean Améry, Primo Levi and Imre Kertész focus our attention back onto the killing reality of the catastrophe, and its influence on what some of them somberly refer to as “life after Auschwitz.”

‘The End of the Holocaust’Rosenfeld’s new book.

“The End of the Holocaust” is a model of critical intelligence, restrained in its judgments, never shrill or accusatory in its disagreements, always illuminating in its insights into the motives and achievements of the major Holocaust writers Rosenfeld discusses. Some readers may be inclined to argue with the alarmed vision of its closing pages, which assemble evidence for the possible coming of a second Holocaust against Israel, but this does not diminish the impact of the preceding chapters.

Read more: http://forward.com/articles/138699/#ixzz1PmEcOSLY

Actually, that’s not in the Bible.

The Bible may be the most revered book in America, but it’s also one of the most misquoted. Politicians, motivational speakers, coaches - all types of people - quote passages that actually have no place in the Bible, religious scholars say.

See: Actually, that’s not in the Bible.

The Heresy of End Times Predictions

Here’s what we should be sure to notice: The would-be prophet of the end times is actually a world-weary denizen of the here and now. Such a prophet is also radically, and sometimes rabidly, anti-democratic. And for all of these reasons, such prophets stand much closer to heresy than they realize.

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Are Jews Warming to the Tea Party?

Tea Party activists like Michele Bachmann, above, and Glenn Beck are taking on Israel policy — and a new poll shows that Jews may be increasingly drawn to the tea party 'movement.' READ MORE

Same-sex marriage will lead to polygamy, says Jensen

ALLOWING same-sex couples to marry could lead to the acceptance of polygamy and incest, the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen, has warned.

Writing in the church's newspaper, Southern Cross, Dr Jensen said the push for same-sex unions to be enshrined in the Marriage Act was not a drive for the extension of rights but the redefinition of ''one of the indispensable foundations of community''.

Read more: Same-sex marriage will lead to polygamy, says Jensen,

Also: Jensen gay marriage comments alarmist: AME.

Is Coming Out Always a Good Thing?

Disclosing Sexual Orientation Makes People Even Happier Than Thought, But Mainly in Supportive Settings

Rochester, N.Y. -- Coming out as lesbian, gay, or bisexual increases emotional well-being even more than earlier research has indicated. But the psychological benefits of revealing one's sexual identity -- less anger, less depression, and higher self-esteem - are limited to supportive settings, shows a study published June 20 in Social Psychology and Personality Science.

The findings underscore the importance of creating workplaces and other social settings that are accepting of all people, but especially gay, lesbian or bisexual individuals, says coauthor Richard Ryan, professor of psychology at the University of Rochester.

"In general, research shows that coming out is a good thing," says Ryan. "Decades of studies have found that openness allows gay people to develop an authentic sense of themselves and to cultivate a positive minority sexual identity." By contrast, research has confirmed that being closeted poses serious psychological risks, including more troubled romantic relationships, more distress, and even increased suicidal tendencies, adds Ryan.

Despite the costs of staying in the closet and the benefits of coming out, earlier studies uncovered only slightly improved mental health from revealing a minority sexual identity. The problem, says Ryan, was that these studies lumped everyone together - people who came out in supportive settings as well as those who faced stigma and discrimination.

By teasing out the effects of different contexts, this study shows that "environment plays a huge role in determining when coming out actually makes you happier," says Nicole Legate, a doctoral student at theUniversity of Rochester, who led the study with Ryan and Netta Weinstein from the University of Essex in England. Among accepting groups, individuals experience significant psychological payback from being open about their sexual identity. But among hostile groups, the costs and stigma of identifying as lesbian, gay, or bisexual cancel out these benefits.

In judgmental contexts, "those who come out may actually feel no better than those who conceal," says Legate.

To measure these different effects, the researchers asked 161 lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals detailed questions about their experiences with five groups: friends, family, coworkers, school peers, and religious community. The participants were recruited from discussion boards, community and social networking web sites, and university LGB alliance listservs. They reported their answers anonymously online.

For each of the five contexts, participants indicated their level of outness, their sense of well-being, and their perceptions of acceptance or "autonomy support." For well-being, they rated the veracity of such statements as: "When I am with my family, I am lonely" or "When I am with my school peers I feel positive about myself." For autonomy support, they agreed or disagreed on a seven-point scale with assertions like: "My coworkers listen to my thoughts and ideas" or "My religious community provides me with choice and options."

Across all contexts, participants were more closeted in environments they rated as controlling and judgmental. They kept their sexual orientation hidden the most in their religious communities (69 percent), schools (50 percent), and at work (45 percent) and were somewhat more open with their families (36 percent). Friends by far represented the most accepting group for most lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals. All but 13 percent of participants had come out to their friends, and they reported feeling significantly less anger and greater self-esteem with friends than with any other group.

The study, which included participants from 18 to 65 years old, found that age made no difference in who comes out. Nor did gender or sexual orientation. Instead, the key determinant for revealing a minority sexual orientation was the supportiveness of the environment.

"The vast majority of gay people are not out in every setting," says Ryan. "People are reading their environment and determining whether it is safe or not."

Disclosing in some situations, but not in others, had no effect on mental health, suggesting that such selectivity may be neither helpful nor harmful, the authors concluded.

Other results from the study suggested that gay men experienced lower well-being across measures, while lesbians enjoyed the most autonomy support. Lesbians were the most out of the three groups, bisexuals the least.

About the University of Rochester

The University of Rochester (www.rochester.edu) is one of the nation's leading private universities. Located in Rochester, N.Y., the University gives students exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary study and close collaboration with faculty through its unique cluster-based curriculum. Its College, School of Arts and Sciences, and Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences are complemented by itsEastman School of Music, Simon School of Business, Warner School of Education, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, School of Medicine and Dentistry, School of Nursing, Eastman Institute for Oral Health, and the Memorial Art Gallery.

Opponents of Marriage Equality Confident of Defeating Last-Minute Push

Rumors leaking into the press today suggest victory may be within reach, though advocates won’t rest until the votes are in. Conservative religious groups, meanwhile, who’ve spent months imploring lawmakers not to capitulate in the face of mounting public pressure, are cautiously confident that their efforts have been successful.

See NY Opponents of Marriage Equality Confident of Defeating Last-Minute Push

March with Bishop Gene Robinson in San Francisco's June 26 Pride Parade & bring home a free Episcopal Flag

On Pride Sunday you can march with Bishop Gene Robinson in
the contingent of straight and LGBT Episcopalians that represents our Diocese in San Francisco's 2011 Pride Parade.

If you register, we'll send you an email with the exact location to gather and the time we will meet.

Be one of the first 100 to resister here and march, and we'll give you your own free personal Episcopal Flag (suitable for waving).

Register to march here to march with Bishop Gene and for your free Episcopal flag.

Registering also lets us know how many Contingent Monitors we'll need. We still need Contingent Monitors - sign up here to be one of our Contingent Monitors and we will give you a free Oasis California Pride t-shirt. If we don't have enough monitors to march safely, we won't march.

You can march with us without registering - just come on down to the gathering place which will be announced later this month at www.oasisca.org.

Get more information

Register Now to march with Bishop Gene!

Get more information

Register Now to march with Bishop Gene!

Please Join Us and Honor the Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson Friday, June 24, 2011

Please join us from 7:30 to 9 P.M. Friday June 24 for a gala reception honoring the Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson. Our celebration will be a special way to start San Francisco's Pride weekend.

We hope you will be able to join us as a Benefactors ($100). If you are notable to be with us, please consider making a donation do some our Oasis volunteers will be able to attend.

You can purchase your tickets online at brown paper tickets

or

reserve you your place by registering here and sending your check to:

Oasis California

Diocesan House

Episcopal Diocese of California

1055 Taylor Street San Francisco, CA 94108

Get more information

Reserve online and send a check! or Purchase tickets online!

Pick up an Oasis Pride t-shirt or mug at Pride!

Just in time for Pride 2011!

We'll have a limited supply of Oasis t-shirts and mugs for sale before the start of the 2011 SF Pride Parade at the Oasis cable car bus. You can reserve these items by placing an online order here. Proceeds from the sale of these items will help cover the cost our our participation in Pride 2011. We'll bring a few extra to the parade but we can't guarantee we'll have your size if you don't order. You can also order from our online store at www.cafepress.com/oasisca.

Oasis Pride t-shirt. Available in Small, Medium. Large, XLarge and XX Large for $17 at the parade. Order here for pickup at 2011 Parade. No shipping fee. Also available in other sizes and designs atwww.cafepress.com/oasisca.

Oasis Pride Mug One size fits all for $12 at the parade. No shipping fee.Order here for pickup at 2011 Parade. More stuff like this at www.cafepress.com/oasisca.

See more on t-shirt and mugs

Order for Parade Pick Up! Order from Cafe Press!

Gay pride flag raising at St. Paul's Episcopal Church

Gay pride flag raising at St. Paul's Episcopal Church

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/inoakland/detail?entry_id=90561#ixzz1Plb3cdfe

Episcopal parish in Maryland made headlines by converting en masse to Roman Catholicism. Does it matter?

• Opposition to the transition from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer to a much more thoroughly modernized 1979 revision was the warm-up fight for traditionalist Episcopalians who would later rail against the ordination of women, the full inclusion of lesbians and gays in the church and its ordained ministries, and the election of women and gay bishops. Which is to say that the line in the sands of time falls for Anglicans like those at the 100-member St. Luke’s parish just shy of a century ago, in the brief period of recovery after World War I and just before the Great Depression—perhaps the last era in which Episcopalians held great cultural and political sway over against evangelical revivalists and, well, Catholics.

  Quick! When was the last time an American president headlined the General Convention of the Episcopal Church? Look it up: 1928, Calvin Coolidge, Washington National Cathedral.

  Could it be that the congregational conversion of St. Luke’s and perhaps a handful of other Episcopal churches functions less to “bridge and heal a wound that has existed between Rome and Anglicanism for nearly five hundred years” than as a salve for the sting of change that continues apace in every religious institution—the Roman Catholic Church included? Is the fantasy at work in the Maryland congregation’s appeal to the magisterial authority of the Roman Church is that changing churches can somehow stop the church from changing?

• SEE: Mass Conversion: Changing Churches to Stop the Church From Changing
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Size Matters According to New Study

A new study concludes that the brains of born-again Christians are smaller than those of other affiliations or non-believers. Welcome back to the 19th century.

Size Matters According to New Study

Gay Fathers, Gay Sons

As we celebrate Father's Day, it's interesting to compare three new films in which the father-son relationship is challenged by the revelation that either the father or his son is gay. Nothing strikes at the heart of machismo quite like finding out that the apple of your eye, the fruit of your loins, ain't quite the manly man you had always imagined.

The bottom line, however, is crystal clear. It's all about unconditional love. While a man may father many sons, he only has one biological father. Honoring your father isn't always easy, but it's an integral part of the father-son relationship. MORE @ Huff Post

Grappling with patriarchal language: Father's Day edition

Grappling with patriarchal language: Father's Day edition

Episcopal Café.

Canadian Supreme Court Denies Leave to Appeal

Statement by the Bishop of New Westminster

Thursday, June 16, 2011 the Supreme Court of Canada released its Decision refusing Leave to Appeal from the November, 2010 decision of the BC Court of Appeal. At that time, the Court of Appeal upheld the Trial judgment which found that the four parish properties under dispute are to be held in trust by the Diocese of New Westminster for those who wish to worship in the Anglican Church of Canada. We are thankful that the litigation launched against the Diocese of New Westminster is now at an end.

The money, time, and energy taken up by this long and unnecessary conflict can now be directed back to the real work of the Church.

We are, and continue to be, respectful of genuine differences of conviction among faithful Christians. In a spirit of mutual respect, it is now time to move forward together.

No member of any congregation in this Diocese need leave the buildings in which they worship. However, the clergy who have left the Anglican Church of Canada must now leave their pulpits. I will work with these congregations to find suitable and mutually acceptable leaders, so that the mission of the Church may continue in these places.

I pray that in time these sad divisions may be healed.



The Right Reverend Michael Ingham
Bishop of New Westminster

JUDGMENTS of the Supreme Court of Canada

Click the link for a pdf of this STATEMENT

Also See:

• Canada’s top court denies appeal to dissident Vancouver churches
• Vancouver Sun Top court refuses to hear appeal over four parish properties
• National Post Breakaway Anglicans lose last legal avenue to claim ownership of church buildings, land

Checking in with a friend turned ex-gay

New York Times Magazine writer Benoit Denizet-Lewis profiles his friend, Michael Glatze, whom he once worked with at XY magazine -- a publication that aimed to send positive messages to gay youths. Glatze, now 36, rejects gay identity and is studying at a bible school in Wyoming. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (6/16)

U.S. Dept. of Ed Vows to Support GSAs; Support Well-Being of LGBTQ Youth

Today, Sec. Arne Duncan of the U.S. Department of Education reaffirmed the government's support of allowing Gay-Straight Alliances (GSA) to form under the Equal Access Act. The announcement was made at the Federal LGBT Youth Summit, and is the second broad-based federal announcement promoting the well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth. Yesterday's announcement came from the Centers for Disease Control. The Trevor Project affirms that the availability of a GSA at a school can greatly improve outcomes for LGBTQ youth in crisis, and the CDC data supports this need.

"Today's announcement from Sec. Duncan is a welcome step in supporting the psychological well-being of LGBTQ youth. Even though the formation of Gay-Straight Alliances has been protected under the Federal Equal Access Act since 1984, youth in many communities across the country have been barred by their school districts from forming these supportive safe spaces," said David McFarland, Interim Executive Director and CEO of The Trevor Project. "Today Secretary Duncan has taken a stand to ensure that youth in public schools no longer have to go to court to start a GSA in their school, a step which can help improve outcomes for LGBTQ youth in crisis."

Yesterday, the CDC released analysis of the Youth Risk Behavior Surveys (YRBS) that LGB youth are at a greater risk to attempt suicide than their straight peers. Data from The Trevor Project's crisis Lifeline for LGBTQ youth reflects the CDC findings.

McFarland stated, "To youth-serving organizations like The Trevor Project, the CDC results are not surprising. LGBTQ young people face prejudice, fear and hate, each of which harmfully affects the psychological well-being of these youth and increases the likelihood of a suicide attempt. The CDC report highlights the immediate need to address the environments that fuel the disproportionately high risk for suicide, and the Department of Education's support of GSAs across the U.S. is a healthy step in the right direction."

McFarland continued, "For the first time, the challenges faced by lesbian, gay and bisexual youth are no longer invisible to policy and lawmakers on the national, state and local levels. As a broad population study, the CDC report validates the argument for stronger protections for sexual minority youth, and makes clear that suicide prevention must be an imperative of our federally elected officials."

Seattle's Dan Savage, Starbucks Win "Make The Change" Digital Disruption Award

SEATTLE, WA -- The University of Washington's Master of Communication in Digital Media (MCDM) program has awarded two Seattle-based initiatives with its Anthony Giffard "Make The Change" Award for digital disruption in communication. The awardees are Dan Savage and Terry Miller for their "It Gets Better" campaign on YouTube, and the Starbucks Digital Network in partnership with Yahoo!

The Anthony Giffard "Make The Change" Award is given annually to a local individual or organization that disrupts traditional communication models with innovative digital solutions. The MCDM seeks to identify the seismic shifts occurring in media, and "Make The Change" Award signals where these types of shifts are having the most significant impact on society.

"Digital technology has dramatically leveled the playing field in communications, making it easier for change-making ideas to be recognized and shared with the world," said Hanson Hosein, Director of the University of Washington's Master of Communication in Digital Media program. "With their passion and innovative work this past year, Dan Savage and Terry Miller and Starbucks have shown just how powerful a great idea can be in today's digital society."

The Stranger editorial director and columnist Dan Savage and his partner Terry Miller merely wanted to provide a beacon of hope to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) teens when they created their own video, "It Gets Better." Within weeks, regular citizens, movie stars, musicians, mayors and heads of state were posting their own videos of support and sharing them on the YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/itgetsbetterproject). The campaign has produced more than 20,000 videos and substantive policy change. "It Gets Better" exemplifies the ability of anyone to effect seismic social change at a near instantaneous pace -- through the equalizing access of readily available digital platforms.

"I want to thank everyone for awarding us the Giffard 'Make the Change Award,'" said Dan Savage. "As Tony Giffard used media, words and stories to disrupt apartheid, everyone whose participated in the 'It Gets Better Project' is using social media and their stories to disrupt homophobia and self-hatred."