A Gay Family of Faith Speaks Out on Bullying

The Rev. Dr. Cindi Love writes at the Huff Post:

Last weekend, I served as one of the conveners of the 2010 Soulforce Symposium in Philadelphia entitled "The Truth About Faith, Science, Love & Reparative Therapy."

For me, the most exciting part of the gathering was the compelling presence and energy of so many young adults from diverse communities, several of whom were Soulforce Equality Riders over the last five years.

These young people are brilliant and articulate and well-prepared. They were spot on with their requirements for those of us in leadership:

• They will not tolerate another generation of citizenship in their country where so many people are treated as "less than" if they are gender non-conforming.
• They will not barter peace of mind or their lives in any way that perpetuates gender profiling and bias.
• They "just say no" to discrimination regarding their employment, military service, rights of covenant relationship or safety.
• They will not accept or condone bullying, spiritual violence or religious abuse. MORE

Focus on the Family Cashes in on Anti-Gay “Day of Truth”

Religious Dispatches reports:

When suicides by teenagers bullied for being gay, or perceived as being gay, reached a relative peak a couple of months ago, leading “ex-gay” organization Exodus International dropped its sponsorship of the annual “Day of Truth” designed to counter the “Day of Silence” observed by gay kids and their allies at schools around the country.

At the time, Exodus cited the “Day of Truth” activities as too divisive in an atmosphere where kids were being bullied to death for their sexual orientation. Have no fear, though, because the Focus on the Family has stepped in to save the “Day of Truth”—complete with a new name for the same old idea. ... More importantly, it’s not as profitable for Focus on the Family—and Focus’ true concern is always about that bottom line. MORE

Homosexual Thoughts and Feelings Not a Sin, Says New LDS Handbook

Religious Dispatches reports:

Changes to LDS Church policy on homosexuality will be presented to LDS lay clerical leaders worldwide this Saturday, November 13.

The changes are being introduced through a global leadership training satellite broadcast for the release of the newly revised Church Handbook of Instructions (CHI), a 400-page lay priesthood manual reserved for use by LDS Church members in local and regional lay leadership positions.

Multiple advance copies of the CHI leaked on the internet reveal significant changes to Church policy on homosexuality.

Websites are reporting changes (in CHI Book 2) as follows, with deletions marked in strikeouts and additions in italics here.

Top Episcopal bishop sees less conflict over gay issues

The number of Episcopalians leaving the church over same-sex unions and gay clergy has dropped, according to the faith’s presiding bishop.

“There were very, very few in the past year,” the Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori said during a visit to Salt Lake City last weekend for the consecration of Utah’s 11th Episcopal bishop, the Rev. Scott Hayashi.

In an interview, she expressed confidence that the Episcopal Church will grow by attracting those drawn by its “transcendent worship,” sense of social justice and diversity.

Research indicates that women in transition and Latinas are two groups especially attracted to the Episcopal Church, Schori said. “They find us appealing because we invite people to ask questions. We don’t just provide answers.”

The Episcopal Church, like other mainline Protestant churches, has lost members in recent decades. It now has 2.2 million members, though it is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion with 77 million. In Utah, the number of Episcopalians has dropped from 6,000 in the mid-1990s to about 5,200. MORE

Wedding Announcement Gets Lesbian Fired From Illinois Catholic University

Benedictine University doesn't mind you being gay. Really. As long as you don't tell anyone.

Administrator Laine Tadlock, who was director of the education program at Benedictine, was forced from her job from the Catholic university in Springfield, Illinois after a local paper, The State Journal-Register, published her wedding announcement to her partner Kae Helstrom in Iowa. The university knew she was gay and about her out-of-state wedding. But apparently took issue with the announcement mentioning she worked at the university. MORE

Experts Fear Copycat Suicides After Bullying Cases

PHILADELPHIA — The experts call it "contagion" when a suicide or rash of suicides inspires others to follow in an attempt at martyrdom or solidarity in death.

Most people would call them copycat suicides. Whatever the name, it appears to have been at play in at least one suicide since Rutgers University freshman Tyler Clementi's highly publicized jump off the George Washington Bridge. And experts fear that other recent suicides might fit the mold or that more are ahead.

That creates a conundrum for advocates who want to stop teenage bullying and their related suicides, as well as for the media outlets that cover them: how to spread the word without romanticizing the problem or unwittingly encouraging vulnerable teenagers to choose death. More @ Huff Post

The Democrats, The Gays, And The Evangelicals

BY SARAH POSNER reports @ Religious Dispaytch:

The Democrats don't plan to try to repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell legislatively during the lame duck session of Congress, giving the term new meaning -- perhaps a different sort of fowl.

There's no reason why the Democrats should be afraid of repealing this policy that even the gay Republicans have sought to overturn in court. As I've written before, "The only group that has more opponents of open service than supporters is white evangelicals." Even Republicans support it by 47-43% margin, according to a recent Pew poll.


One of the head-scratchers of last Tuesday's exit polls was how the Republicans increased their share of the gay vote from 19% in 2008 to 31% this year.

On LGBT issues, there can be only two factors worrying the White House: religion and religion, or the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the evangelicals. The Democrats lost ground both with Catholics and evangelicals from 2008 to 2010: 42% of Catholics voted Republican in 2008, and 54% in 2010. They lost ground with evangelicals, a group with which they made modest gains in 2008. But they also lost ground with the unaffiliated, with Republicans picking up ten percentage points in this group since 2006. And, of course, this cycle the LGBT vote -- unenthused, apparently, with the tepid Democratic support for their basic rights -- bizarrely migrated toward to party that actively caters to the most virulently anti-gay elements of American religious life.

It's exactly that element, it seems, that the White House is fearful of inciting. It's a loud element, a shrinking minority that the GOP seeks out, even as younger evangelicals drift away from caring about gay marriage. It keeps certain foot soldiers out and marching -- to the polls, to fundraisers, to rallies. But that didn't stop a third of gay voters from pulling the lever for the GOP.

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