So what will we do as the Bay Area's Episcopal Church for Pride in 2015?

This year you get to help decide what - if anything - Bay Area Episcopal Churches will do to celebrate Pride in 2015.

Many of the people who have led us in the past - like The Revs. Tommy Dillon and Dan Burner - have moved on to churches outside our area. Others, like The Rev. Diana Wheeler, are busy with a new assignment.

So this year it is up to us - together - to decide what to do for San Francisco's 2015 Pride Celebration.  Please take a minute and go to our online 2015 Pride Survey to share your thoughts on what we should do - and what you can do to help.

Let's be clear:  how - and whether - we celebrate Pride in 2015 is up to each of us. With your help we can revive old ways of celebrating - or find new ones.

Thanks for your consideration!

The Rev. Tom Jackson

Oasis President

How Irish gays became ‘normal’ – and why the Church was unable to do much about it

The author of a new book on how churches worldwide use moral authority to influence policy compares how Irish and US views on homosexuality and same-sex marriage have evolved. MORE

Denial of Baptism in the 21st century to a baby with two Dads? No, just a postponement .....

In last Sunday's sacred text, St. Peter asks: "Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" And the answer in one Florida cathedral seemed to be: "Yeah, we can imagine denying baptism to a beautiful baby boy just because he has two Dads." Then the Bishop stepped in and met with the Dads, after which it appears the baby will be baptized shortly. 

Just as the story started to die down, a canon at the now infamous cathedral preached: "the scandal is how the real story was highjacked by social media activists on the West Coast." As the President of Oasis California, I am please that my online work and letter to the bishop did not go unappreciated. Now I am working up to becoming recognized as an "outside agitator" for diversity.

Fr. Tom Jackson 

New Suicide Hotline Dedicated to Trans People Now Open for Calls

San Francisco-based Trans Lifeline has collected an all-trans staff of volunteers who aim to make the crisis hotline experience more comfortable and accessible for trans callers. More

Yes, There Are A Lot More Gay Christians Than You Probably Think

While the number of Christians in America has dropped substantially in just seven years, the number of gay Christians seems to have jumped dramatically. More

PEW CONFIRMS LGBT REJECTION OF RELIGION: WHY THAT’S A GOOD THING

"Pew researchers found that at least 41% could give a rip if the evangelical church welcomes them in their pews, because they’ve given up on religion anyway—at least that type of religion." More

Take a Selfie and Take a Stand

Eight out of 10 LGBT youth report being bullied, and you have an opportunity to support them. Download the Spirit Day app right now and take a selfie to take a stand!

The Spirit Day App, powered by Toyota Financial Services, provides you with anti-bullying resources, calls to action, and allows you take part in Spirit Day on October 16th, the largest and most visible anti-bullying campaign in the world in support of LGBT youth. The app is available now for Apple, Android, and Amazon devices.

DOWNLOAD NOW

This innovative and easy-to-use resource gives you the power to use your voice and help us show the world that bullying is something we just won't tolerate. And when you do, you'll join countless others who feel the same way.

       

Millions of Americans wear purple on Spirit Day as a sign of support for LGBT youth and to speak out against bullying. This app makes it easier to take part in Spirit Day, and to learn how you can support bullied youth. 

Queer God/Queer(ing) God at EYE14: “Boys are blue; girls are pink; no purpling!”

The No Purpling workshop

By Logan Rimel

 “Boys are blue; girls are pink; no purpling!”

This commonly used adage is heard by untold numbers of youth before church events and gatherings. The implications are clear: No sexual activity, but, you know, we don’t actually want to talk about that. At the Episcopal Youth Event 2014, three DioCal members presented a workshop entitled “No Purpling,” in order to offer youth the tools to examine both the assumptions underlying this cutesy expression, and the world around them more broadly. Along with my co-presenters Grace Aheron and Grace Wilkins, I was fortunate enough to engage with and be engaged by roughly 120 youth over the course of two 75-minute presentations. My presence at these workshops was only possible due to the generosity of Oasis, which invested in our work by sponsoring my ticket to Philadelphia.

To access the idea of normative perspectives, we began with the idea of lenses. You wouldn’t wear sunglasses in a dark room, right? Or your reading glasses to drive? Sometimes the lenses through which we see the world are only helpful in certain contexts, and sometimes they’re cracked and dirty and need to be updated. But we get used to the view lenses give us when we wear them on our faces all day. If we make a shift to the theoretical, lenses represent a set of assumptions, and we need a tool to help us pay attention to these assumptions. We introduced “queering” as this tool, and then invited the youth to engage with us in queering many of the stories and concepts we find around us.

When paying attention to our lenses, it quickly becomes clear that the phrase “no purpling” is built upon the assumptions of heterosexuality in a binary gender system. But because “queering” means to dissolve boundaries as well as to question assumptions, we took it a step further and made an outrageous claim: God is queer(ing), and is revealing this to us in Scripture and in our lived experiences. Dress-wearing Joseph of Egypt, God’s naming of Godself in Exodus, the destabilizing nature of the Trinity, and Jesus’ transgressive redefinition of the Sabbath all point us toward a God who firmly undoes our ideas of limitation and calls us into the fullness of our being.

Dean of Grace Cathedral to become Stanford's new dean for religious life

The Very Rev. Dr. Jane Shaw, dean of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, has been named dean for religious life at Stanford University, Provost John Etchemendy announced today. Shaw will also be joining the faculty in Stanford's Department of Religious Studies.

Shaw, a historian and theologian who is at present also a visiting scholar at Stanford's Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, has served as dean of the Episcopal Grace Cathedral since 2010. She previously taught at the University of Oxford.

Shaw, 51, will succeed the Rev. William "Scotty" McLennan Jr., who is stepping down after 14 years. She will assume her position as Stanford's spiritual leader this fall.

At Stanford, Shaw will provide spiritual, religious and ethical leadership to the university community, serve as minister of Memorial Church and also teach undergraduates and graduate students as a professor of religious studies.

"We are lucky to have found in Jane Shaw both a charismatic leader and an accomplished academic to lead our Office for Religious Life," said Etchemendy. "Dean Shaw is equally committed to the educational mission of the university and the ecumenical mission of Memorial Church."

"I am delighted to be joining Stanford as dean for religious life," Shaw said. "The opportunity to serve at this extraordinary university is a great privilege. It will be my pleasure to work with so many wonderful colleagues and students to relate religious and ethical questions to the cutting-edge work being done at Stanford University, and to provide spiritual leadership for this exceptional academic community. I am also thrilled to be joining the excellent Religious Studies Department as a professor."

FinallY: Archbishops recall commitment to pastoral care and friendship for all, regardless of sexual orientation

Wednesday 29th January 2014

The Archbishops of Canterbury and York have today written to all Primates of the Anglican Communion, and to the Presidents of Nigeria and Uganda, recalling the commitment made by the Primates of the Anglican Communion to the pastoral support and care of everyone worldwide, regardless of sexual orientation.

In their letter, the Archbishops recalled the words of the communiqué issued in 2005 after a meeting of Primates from across the Communion in Dromantine.

The text of the joint letter is as follows:

“Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ

In recent days, questions have been asked about the Church of England’s attitude to new legislation in several countries that penalises people with same-sex attraction. In answer to these questions, we have recalled the common mind of the Primates of the Anglican Communion, as expressed in the Dromantine Communiqué of 2005.

The Communiqué said;

‘….we wish to make it quite clear that in our discussion and assessment of moral appropriateness of specific human behaviours, we continue unreservedly to be committed to the pastoral support and care of homosexual people.

The victimisation or diminishment of human beings whose affections happen to be ordered towards people of the same sex is anathema to us. We assure homosexual people that they are children of God, loved and valued by Him and deserving the best we can give - pastoral care and friendship.’

We hope that the pastoral care and friendship that the Communiqué described is accepted and acted upon in the name of the Lord Jesus.

We call upon the leaders of churches in such places to demonstrate the love of Christ and the affirmation of which the Dromantine communiqué speaks."

Yours in Christ,

+Justin Cantuar +Sentamu Eboracensis

- See more at: http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/articles.php/5237/archbishops-recall-commitment-to-pastoral-care-and-friendship-for-all-regardless-of-sexual-orientati#sthash.Xkof6CxV.dpuf

Do Justice! Show Mercy! Sounds good - so why does the Anlgican church fail to stand up for LGBT people's basic human rights?

Next Sunday I get to preach on one of my favorite bits of scripture: Micah's dramatic call for us to "Do justice, show mercy."


Every time I hear that commandment I remember  London in the summer of 2008. I stood in the summer heat watching hundreds of  Anglican Bishops marching through town carrying signs like the one shown at left.


Each bishop was dressed in purple clerical garb, walking with their colleagues in a column lead by then Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. Without pausing, they walked past the solitary protester who
had been camped out for years to protest UK  involvement in the Iraq war. 

This was a march about ending world poverty through meeting the Millennium Development Goals: no other form of injustice need apply.

These were the same bishops who excluded Bishop Gene Robinson from the Lambeth Conference simply because he is gay.

These were the same bishops who largely opposed allowing LGBT people play any role in
their church were carrying singes that said: "Do Justice! Show Mercy."

These were the same bishops who excelled at vilifying those who support LGBT people
were carrying singes that said: "Do Justice! Show Mercy." 

These were the same bishops who were petty and cruel to those who support LGBT people
were carrying singes that said: "Do Justice! Show Mercy."

How could they walk through London and not see the hypocrisy  of behaving one way in church and another while marching through city streets? The answer stems in part from a fundamental difference between our two churches centered on the way we view baptism and govern our church. That is an expanation - not an excuse - for the Anglican Church's failure to stand up for even the basic human rights of LGBT people in Africa, Russia and many other countries.

The Church of England's continuing inability to even preach justice to power is reflected in the refusal of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York to speak out against the draconian new anti-gay legislation in Nigeria that has led to gay men being rounded up by the police. 


The new Nigerian laws include the following draconian provisions: 

• Up to 14 years in jail for people in same-sex relationships 
• Up to 10 years for anyone who ‘directly or indirectly’ shows same-sex affection in public. 
• Up to 10 years in jail for anyone who participates in an organisation which works to protect gay rights, including straight allies. 

Davis Mac-Iyalla

"This could criminalise human rights defenders and even two people just meeting for a coffee if they are known to be gay or bisexual," warns my colleague in the UK Davis Mac-Iyalla (at left).


"The situation is urgent. Sweeping arrests of gay people are already taking place in some parts of the country. A man in Bauchi has already endured 20 lashes, ordered by a court, for ‘homosexual offences’."


You can sign the online petition Davis has launched to call the Archbishops of Canterbury
and York to speak out against these unjust laws. 

A Very Real Matter: Same-Sex Attraction

"The purpose of this video and post is to invite families, and society in general, to reinvest in kindness. When we look around at the amount of judgment and hatred in the world, the honest response is that we all could do better. It is my belief that we, the human race, are to LOVE one another, SERVE one another and do our very best to HELP one another with the challenges and trials that come our way." More.

Service set for retired Diocese of Utah Bishop E. Otis Charles

The burial office for retired Diocese of Utah Bishop E. Otis Charles will held Jan. 11 at St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Francisco.  Charles, 87, died Dec. 26 at Coming Home Hospice in San Francisco. He had moved to the hospice in early December.

Charles ashes will be interred at a later date in the Diocese of Utah’s Cathedral Church of St. Mark in Salt Lake City.

The eighth bishop of Utah, Charles was the diocese’s first bishop after it transitioned from being a Missionary District in 1971. He served until 1986.

“With few resources, he led the diocese through a period of growth in southern Utah, the calling of priests from congregations, and the church’s opposition to the Vietnam War,” the diocese said in announcing Charles’ death.

Charles also served the church during a time of change, the diocese noted, citing the ordination of women and the adoption of a new Book of Common Prayer. Charles championed of the new prayer book, having served on the Standing Liturgical Commission, which authored it, the diocese said.

Current Utah Bishop Schott Hayashi called Charles a “friend, companion, guide and mentor.”

“He carried the diocese forward during a time of great challenge and few resources, Hayahsi said. “Where others might see scarcity, Bishop Charles saw an abundance of spiritual resources from God and in the hearts and wills of the people of the Diocese of Utah. Bishop Charles demonstrated fidelity to the vows of Baptism.  He steadfastly modeled, proclaimed by word and example, and strove always ‘for justice and peace among all people,’ and he ‘respected the dignity of every human being.’”

Hayashi reported that Charles was “especially joyful” when a federal judge struck down Utah’s ban on same-sex marriage just before Christmas.

“As a bishop, I have been privileged to be with Otis as a fellow bishop, colleague and friend,” Hayashi said. “My prayers are being offered for Otis and all his family and friends who, like me, will always be grateful for his life and witness, and who will miss him terribly.”

Born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, in 1926, Charles was ordained a priest in 1951 and served churches in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York prior to being called to Utah.

While serving in Utah, Charles helped organize opposition to the MX missile, cost-effective health care, the first Utah hospice, housing for elderly and handicapped citizens, and advocacy for minorities, women, the handicapped poor and unemployed.

Charles and his then-wife, Elvira, raised five children during his episcopate. He also served for two years as the bishop in charge of the Navajoland Area Mission during its inception.

After he left the Diocese of Utah, he was named dean of Episcopal Divinity School which he served until 1993.

“Otis’s 60 years of pastoral leadership — at EDS, in the Diocese of Utah, and at Oasis California— leave an indelible legacy. In every community he worked, in every life that he touched, Otis embodied this seminary’s ideal of working to advance God’s mission of justice, compassion, and reconciliation,” said the Very Rev. Katherine Hancock Ragsdale, EDS’s current president and dean.

Just after he retired from EDS, Charles sent a letter to his colleagues in the House of Bishopstelling them that he was gay. The bishops discussed his disclosure during their meeting in Panama in September 1993. He was the first Christian bishop of any denomination to come out as gay.

He married Felipe Sanchez-Paris in 2008 (who died in August 2013) and continued living in San Francisco, where he had moved in mid-1993. Charles remained in active parish ministry. He also continued regular attendance at the House of Bishops until this year.

Charles is survived by his former wife, Elvira Nelson of Salt Lake City, five children, 10 grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

Supreme Court of Virginia rules in favor of diocese, Episcopal Church

[Episcopal Diocese of Virginia] In a dispute over the ownership of The Falls Church, the Supreme Court of Virginia ruled today in favor of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia and the Episcopal Church. The decision affirms an earlier ruling returning Episcopalians to their church home at The Falls Church in Falls Church, Virginia. The Falls Church Anglican had sought to overturn the lower court’s ruling in favor of the diocese. The court also remanded a portion of the case back to the Fairfax Circuit Court for a decision to determine a minor fractional difference in funds owed to the Diocese of Virginia.

“We are grateful that the Supreme Court of Virginia has once again affirmed the right of Episcopalians to worship in their spiritual home at The Falls Church Episcopal,” said Bishop Shannon S. Johnston of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia. “This decision ensures that Episcopalians will have a home for years to come in Falls Church, and frees all of us, on both sides of this issue, to preach the Gospel and teach the faith unencumbered by this dispute.”

The court also held that the Diocese of Virginia and the Episcopal Church have a trust interest in the property, in addition to the contractual and proprietary interests already found by the lower court. This validates the “Dennis Canon” in Virginia, and thus provides greater certainty regarding church property ownership.

“The Falls Church Episcopal has continued to grow and thrive throughout this difficult time,” said Edward W. Jones, secretary of the diocese and chief of staff. “This ruling brings closure to a long but worthwhile struggle, and will allow the members of the Episcopal congregation to put the issue behind them and to focus their full energies on the ministries of the church. We hope that The Falls Church Anglican will join us in recognizing this decision as a final chapter in the property dispute.”

Johnston added, “We pray that all those who have found spiritual sustenance at The Falls Church Episcopal and our other churches will continue to move forward in a spirit of reconciliation and love.”

Nearly a year ago, the diocese settled the conflict over property with six other congregations. The Falls Church Episcopal and the other continuing and newly formed congregations — including Church of the Epiphany, Herndon; St. Margaret’s, Woodbridge; St. Paul’s, Haymarket; and St. Stephen’s, Heathsville — spent the past year growing their membership, supporting outreach and strengthening their church communities. Members of the diocese have joined them in these efforts through Dayspring, a diocesan-wide initiative that is bringing a spirit of vision and rebirth to our shared ministries as a church.

New Church of England Report is same old stuff: no marriage for same sex couples

The Church of England's view of the long-established meaning of marriage has been outlined in a new report - "Men and Women in Marriage" - published this week by the Church's Faith and Order Commission.

The publication (attached) includes a foreword from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York which commends the document for study. The report sets out the continued importance and rationale for the Church's understanding of marriage as reflected in the 1,000 marriage services conducted by the Church of England every week.

The document also seeks to provide "a more positive background on how Christians have understood and valued marriage" arguing that marriage "continues to provide the best context for the raising of children".

The report takes as its starting point the Church's basic premise that "marriage is a creation ordinance, a gift of God in creation and means of His grace".  The document also seeks to enlarge the understanding of marriage defined as "a faithful, committed, permanent and legally sanctioned relationship between a man and a woman, central to the stability and health of human society."

Recognising the ongoing debate around marriage in society the report acknowledges that marriage "like most important undertakings in life, can be lived more successfully or less successfully. Mistakes are made, by couples, by their friends and relatives, and sometime by pastors and institutions of the church… Lack of clear understanding of marriage can only multiply disappointments and frustrations. Public discussion at this juncture needs a clear view of why Christians believe and act in relation to marriage as they do and this document is offered as a resource for that."

The Bishop of Coventry Dr Christopher Cocksworth, Chair of the Commission said: "The Church has a long track record in conducting and supporting marriage, drawing from the deep wells of wisdom which inform centuries of shared religious and cultural understandings of marriage. There is a danger in the current debate of picking apart the institution of marriage which is part of the social fabric of human society.

"This report seeks to celebrate all that is good about marriage in its ability to bring together biological difference and the generative power of marriage to bring forth life. It also recognises that there are forms of human relationships which fall short of marriage in the form the God has given us.

"This report also underlines the role of the Church in seeking to provide care, prayer and compassion for those who for whatever reason are unable to receive the gift of marriage in the form that the Church has understood it and continues to uphold. Whilst it is right that priests and church communities continue to seek to provide and devise pastoral care accommodation for those in such situations, the document is clear that public forms of blessing belong to marriage alone."

ends

Notes
The Faith and Order Commission (FOAC) advises the House of Bishops, the General Synod and the Council for Christian Unity on ecclesiological and ecumenical matters and acts as a theological resource for the Church of England as a whole.  More information can be found at http://www.churchofengland.org/about-us/work-other-churches/ccu/faith-and-order-commission.aspx

Members of the Commission
Bishops
The Right Revd Dr Christopher Cocksworth, Bishop of Coventry (Chairman)
The Rt Revd Jonathan Baker, Bishop of Ebbsfleet
The Right Revd Dr Brian Castle, Bishop of Tonbridge
The Right Revd Dr Tim Dakin, Bishop of Winchester
The Right Revd Dr John Inge, Bishop of Worcester.

Clergy
The Revd Canon Professor Loveday Alexander
The Revd Dr Cally (Carolyn) Hammond
The Revd Dr David Hilborn
The Revd Canon Dr Charlotte Methuen
The Revd Dr Jeremy Morris
The Revd Dr John Muddiman
The Revd Professor Oliver O'Donovan
The Revd Thomas Seville CR

Laity
Dr Mike Higton
Dr Cathy Ross

Secretary of the CommissionDr Martin Davie

A draft report from the Commission was considered by the House of Bishops of the Church of England in December 2012 who authorised the Standing committee of the House to approve the final text and authorise publication. The Standing Committee approved the report in March 2013.

New study suggests that same-sex parents are judged more harshly than heterosexual parents

BINGHAMTON, N.Y.,---- Is there a double standard for gay parents? A new study published this month by a Binghamton University research team suggests that gay parents are being judged more harshly than straight parents.

Members of Binghamton University's Interdisciplinary Research Group for the Study of Sexuality and Gender conducted a study of people's reactions to the parenting behaviors of gay and straight parents. Their results showed a clear pattern of negative reactions from study participants towards a gay couple engaging in exactly the same negative parenting behaviors as a straight couple.

Research Associate Professor Sean Massey and Instructor Ann Merriwether of Binghamton, and Justin Garcia from The Kinsey Institute at Indiana University, published the results of their study earlier this month in the Journal of GLBT Family Studies.

"We noted that when parents displayed favorable parenting behaviors like comforting an upset child, gay and straight parents were judged in a similar, positive manner," said Massey.  "However, if parents got frustrated - raised their voice or slapped their child on the hand, the gay parents were judged more negatively than the straight parents."

Massey says this marked difference in the study groups' reactions is significant.  While no parent is perfect, the researchers believe that holding gay parents to a different standard adds additional stress to the already stressful job of parenthood. It can also negatively affect their chances of adopting or becoming foster parents.

"We feel that it is very important for social workers and adoption counselors to be made aware of the effects of modern anti-gay prejudices and they need to educate themselves and develop policies that help protect against these potential biases," said Massey.

There is a serious shortage of people stepping up to foster or adopt the hundreds of thousands of children who are in the system waiting to find a new foster family or adopted family.  The gay community is a resource for many of these children but this study indicates that if judged more harshly than their straight counterparts, gay parents are at a disadvantage.

"Raising awareness of these attitudes is a critical step in being able to utilize a potentially valuable pool of prospective adoptive and foster parents," said Massey, "but it is also vital to improving the day to day lives of our families and our children."

On Thursday, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a policy statement supporting same-sex marriage and reiterating its support for the adoption of children by gay families.  The researchers say that with strong support for gay marriage coming from the medical and psychological professional organizations, and with increasing support among the general public (58% of whom now support same-sex marriage), the next frontier for gay rights may be same-sex parenting.  Massey says although overt and hostile prejudice may indeed be diminishing, modern, subtle prejudice continues to affect the lives of lesbians, gay men, and their families.

"Prejudicial judgments, however subtle, that serve to limit access of these families to potential support and resources, ultimately harm today's youths," says Massey.

The researchers strongly encourage the continued exploration of the effect this subtle prejudice has on the wellbeing of same-sex families and how best to work toward its elimination.

The study was published in this month's issue of the Journal of GLBT Family Studies and can be viewed through the journal's website:www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1550428X.2013.765257.

Requiescat in Pace: The Right Rev. Coleman McGehee, Jr.

From the Walking With Integrity blog:

Integrity regrets to share news of the death of the Right Rev. H. Coleman McGehee,Jr., Eighth Bishop of Michigan, on March 14th. He was 89. Bishop McGehee was a very staunch supporter of Integrity's work beginning at a time when it was not politically expedient, but this was very much in keeping with a lifetime commitment to human rights.

"In 1973, when I with trepidation and hope approached the newly-installed Bishop McGehee about supporting the entire spectrum of sexual orientations, he immediately put me at ease by saying, 'Absolutely!' He spoke out passionately for all of us for 40 years, as a fearless advocate for justice and peace," said Jim Toy, Secretary of Integrity's Proud PartnerOASIS TBLG Outreach Ministry of the Diocese of Michigan.

Bishop McGehee served in the U.S. Army in World War II and then in the Army Corps of Engineers, achieving the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. He graduated from Virginia Tech in 1947 and then obtained a law degree from the University of Richmond, serving for a time as the Deputy Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Ministry called, however. In 1957, he graduated from Virginia Theological Seminary and took the rectorship of Immanuel-on-the-Hill in Alexandria, ministering to the late President & Betty Ford.

In May of 1973, McGehee was elected bishop in Michigan, assuming -- after two years as coadjuter -- the seat occupied by Rt. Rev. Richard S. Emrichsince 1948. His ministry was marked by a strong commitment to human rights. He ordained the diocese's first female priest in 1977 and lived up to his promise to the LGBT community. 

"He was a man of great courage and faith. He was among the first to ordain women as deacons and priests and he bravely ordained gay people to the priesthood when it was a highly controversial thing to do," the Rev. Rod Reinhart told PrideSource. "Bishop McGehee ordained me in 1984 and I was one of the very first openly gay people to be ordained in the Episcopal Church."

In 1980, Bishop McGehee, Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas Gumbletonand the late Rabbi Richard Hertz founded the Michigan Human Rights Coalition, a grassroots organization which brought a religious context to numerous social issues including apartheid. He also was an advid supporter of organized labor and held peace liturgies on Good Friday outside the gates of the Williams missile factory.

Jim Toy, who feels blessed to have served as crucifer at one of those services, points out that Bishop McGehee was not without humor:

"At Bishop McGehee's last diocesan convention before his retirement, he fervently and often exhorted the tellers to finish their ballot-counting speedily.

Finally one of the clergy requested 'a point of privilege.' 

'You may speak, Canon Chau!' 

'Bishop, is this really your last Convention as bishop?'

'Yes, I have said so!' 

'Then I would respectfully urge that at next year's Convention you serve as a teller!'

The ensuing merriment was general and vociferous--a wild gale of laughter. . . ."

Bishop McGehee participated in the life of church and social justice, long into his retirement.  Two years ago, he began experiencing symptoms of dementia and withdrew from public life, but remained physically active until he fell ill several months ago.  He was remembered at a Requiem Eucharist on Saturday, March 23rd at St. Paul's Cathedral in Detroit, and a memorialis available on the diocesan web site.

May our Brother Coleman's memory be blessed and may his family be supported in their grief with our prayers of thanksgiving for his life.

"Lead him onward, upward to the holy place,
where thy saints made perfect gaze upon thy face."

 - With special thanks to Jim Toy for contributing to this article. Jim is a stalwart in the LGBT movement in Michigan, having been instrumental in the founding and life of numerous social action, political advocacy and educational groups.  The Jim Toy Community Center in Ann Arbor is named for him. 

--
Posted By Christian Paolino to Walking With Integrity at 3/21/2013 11:58:00 PM 

FROM THE DRAGON'S MOUTH: Ten True Stories that Unveil the Real China

FROM THE DRAGON'S MOUTH: Ten True Stories that Unveil the Real China  is an exquisitely intimate look into theChina of the 21st century as seen through the eyes of its people. This is the first time that a book of this type combines the voices of everyday Chinese people from so many different layers of society, including:

• The indulgent world of Ferraris and night clubs of the fu er dai, the second generation of Chinese millionaires
• A peasant-turned-prostitute to pay for her son's upscale education
• A woman who married her gay friend to escape from social pressure, like an estimated 16 million other women, called tongqi ("wife of a homosexual")
• A venerable Kung Fu master unable to train outdoors because of the hazardous pollution
• The daughter of two Communist Party officials getting rich coaching Chinese entrepreneurs in the ways of Capitalism
• And more...

"It wasn't easy to gain their trust; some had never spoken to a foreigner before. The key was to interview them myself in Mandarin, because most refused to allow another Chinese person to hear their stories, either out of fear or embarrassment," says Fuentes. "After months of conversation, long walks, and one instance of police persecution, they all talked to me openly about their goals, dreams and frustrations."

China is a land many believe they know from movies portraying majestic shots of the countryside, news stories decrying Communist activities through the years, or glimpses of fans in the crowds of rare events like the Olympics. This book shatters those stereotypes.

"Ana interviewed hundreds of people from all rungs of the socioeconomic ladder, who gave her the keys to better understanding where China was coming from, and where it was heading," says Erik Riesenberg, Associate Publisher of C.A. Press. "She made some wonderful friendships, and witnessed some repulsive injustices."

C.A. Press/Penguin Group | 9780142427385 | $16.95 | Trade Paperback

WATCH: Alfredo's Fire Sheds Light on Sexuality, Scandal, and Suppression in the Vatican

A gay writer burns himself alive at the Vatican. He wanted his sacrifice to change the world. Can it make a difference?

Our project was recently featured in The Advocate & The Huffington Post! 

Per l'italiano vedi sotto. For Italian scroll below.

THEY NEED YOUR HELP: Pope Francis says equal rights for gays is "a destructive pretension against the plan of God...a machination of the Father of Lies that seeks to confuse and deceive the children of God."

REWARD UPDATE: All new $25+ backers will receive a copy of our award-winning film "Under Our Skin." Pledge now!

About the film

ALFREDO'S FIRE is a powerful and timely documentary that tells the untold story of Alfredo Ormando, a gay Italian writer who set himself on fire at the Vatican to protest the Church's condemnation of homosexuality. 

Shaped by Alfredo's own writings, as well as rich cinematography, and provocative interviews with his family, friends and intimate companions, the film reveals Alfredo's longing and struggle to reconcile his faith and sexuality.

More details: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/openeyepictures/alfredos-fire 

Teaching Tolerance Guide Provides Educators with Steps for Creating Welcoming Schools for LGBT Students

Guide Includes Advice for Combating Anti-LGBT Bullying

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Though lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students are harassed at twice the rate of other students, a few purposeful steps can help transform a school into a safer place for all students, according to a guide released today by the Southern Poverty Law Center's Teaching Tolerance project.

Best Practices: Creating an LGBT-inclusive School Climate offers advice ranging from ensuring that a school's anti-bullying policy explicitly prohibits anti-LGBT bullying to recognizing staff members who promote an inclusive school environment.

The guide – available at www.tolerance.org – also offers advice regarding dress codes, gay-straight alliances and ensuring that LGBT students are not excluded from school events.

"This best practices guide is about creating schools where all students feel safe and supported," Teaching Tolerance Director Maureen Costello said. "Every student has a right to attend school without harassment. This guide shows how a few steps can make all the difference."

Studies have shown that creating a supportive environment for LGBT students improves educational outcomes for all students. A recent Human Rights Campaign survey also underscored how the failure to create an inclusive environment harms LGBT students. These students reported being harassed at school – verbally and physically – at twice the rate of non-LGBT youth.

LGBT students also cited trouble at school/bullying as one of the most difficult problems they currently face, according to the survey. They reported hearing negative messages about being LGBT most often at school and from peers. LGBT students also were more likely to report that they do not have an adult they can talk to about personal problems.

The best practices guide is being released a year after the SPLC reached a settlement agreement to address rampant anti-LGBT bullying in Minnesota's largest school district, the Anoka-Hennepin School District. A key issue in the SPLC lawsuit was a district policy that required staff to be neutral on issues relating to sexual orientation – hampering effective responses to bullying. That policy is no longer in effect.

"As the Anoka-Hennepin case demonstrates, educators and school policies set the tone," said Sam Wolfe, an SPLC attorney representing the students in the case. "Through relatively simple measures, whether you're a superintendent, teacher or serve lunches, you can make a real difference toward a better school climate."

The Southern Poverty Law Center, based in Alabama with offices in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi, is a nonprofit civil rights organization dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry, and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of society. For more information, see www.splcenter.org.