Jul

Mormons, Episcopals and Gays OH MY!!

St Johns Episcapal Church Hartford, CT; Mormon Temple UT; Episcapal Church Sheild;

Enter Matt Aune, 28, and his partner Derek Jones, 25, who made the national scene just a few days ago after innocently walking home from a concert. The Couple were walking across the Main Street Plaza, an easement that connects the Mormon Temple to other church sites that belong to the church. The men say they were told to leave after they shared an innocent hug and kiss. Mormon Church officials state the the men were given a warning for their “behavior” and then detained for trespassing after refusing to leave.

The issue, missed here is if the men were on their way home, while cutting through on a short cut; were they not leaving already? Did they really need to be stopped? (thus keeping them on the property longer.) Was it neccisary to ask men who were already LEAVING to leave a property? Questions for another day I assume.

Now flash forward to this week, where on the very same easement hundreds of couples joined in a “Kiss Off” to show their disdain for the actions of the Mormon church’s. The couples who joined in the protest by kissing on the same property were not only GLBT but also Heteroflexable. (straight but not narrow minded.) Now I am unsure if the “Kiss Off” did any good with the Mormon church, but since this has all transpired, we as GLBT people have made great gains with the Episcopal church. Not that one incident had anything to do with the other, but what a great segway!

The Episcopal church in a loving move toward gay couples according to the associated press started drafting an official prayer to bless same sex couples.(AP) ;

“By The Associated Press (Anaheim, Calif.) Episcopal bishops authorized the church Wednesday to start drafting an official prayer for same-sex couples, another step toward acceptance of gay relationships that will deepen the rift between the denomination and its fellow Anglicans overseas.

The bishops voted 104-30 at the Episcopal General Convention to “collect and develop theological resources and liturgies” for blessing same-gender relationships, which would be considered at the next national meeting in 2012.The resolution notes the growing number of states that allow gay marriage, civil unions and domestic partnerships, and gave bishops in those regions discretion to provide a “generous pastoral response” to couples in local parishes.

Many Episcopal dioceses already allow clergy to bless same-sex couples but there is no official liturgy for the ceremonies in the denomination’s Book of Prayer. The measure still needs the approval of the lay people and priest delegates at the assembly, which ends Friday.

“We certainly feel a deep need to be able to proclaim the love of God in the midst of a changing reality,” said Suffragan Bishop James Curry of the Diocese of Connecticut, one of six states that are legalizing same-gender marriage.”

So now one church shows what Christian love truly is and the other shows its judgmental dark side. While discussing this issue with someone recently, the analogy of a liquor store adjacent to a church came up. Then came the question of who would have to leave, the church or the liquor store? Our conversation ended with us agreeing that if a church is truly doing “Gods Work” and teaching love, respect and grace, then neither has to leave. Reasoning being; that the people of the church may not like seeing the liquor store business, this fact is quite alright. So the church folks don’t patronize the store, again quite alright!. What is not O.K., is running a potentially “family owned” business out that puts food on a child’s plate, by being hateful. It would be much more “Christian” of the church folks to let their “light” shine, show people how loving God is and eventually, maybe, that liquor store owner will start selling bibles… O.K. a stretch, but entertaining thought just the same.

Same could be said about GLBT people and these “right wing, church going zealots” who keep saying that because “they” do not believe in what we do behind closed doors, in our own homes, then we are unnatural and going to hell. Well last I checked, the bible also says those who have NO, ZERO, ZILCH sin cast the first stone, or that it is Gods place to judge that is not for man. HMMM Wonder if all the Christians were absent from Sunday school that day? Because the first thing they do is toss their bible in the air and call us sinners. Well isn’t that the Crown Vic calling the Mustang a Ford?

Ok off track but wanted to get my 2 cents in, and that is probably what it is worth.

The point of all that was to say that there are churches who “get” that we are not the evil spawn of Satan just because we are born GLBT. They also get that we are all born the same way (from our mothers womb) and when born a baby is not a gay baby or a straight baby they are just a BABY who is beautiful and a miracle that encompasses life. We as gay Americans should support the churches and organizations who “get it” and support our normal. There is so much that goes on within this world that is so much more important ever day than a kiss on an easement that happens to belong to a church. Have we all forgotten that we are still in the midst of a military conflict in Iraq? Have we forgotten that children are going hungry every night in America because so many mommies, daddies or guardians have lost work? Have we forgotten that thousands of families both gay and straight will loose their homes every day in this great nation because of the state of the economy?

Life is not easy these days! Many GLBT families with and without children are suffering because both partners pay taxes at a higher single status rather than the status of “married filing jointly”. Many cannot get health benefits for their spouse and children because their medical plan does not cover domestic partners, so both partners pay higher insurance rates as well. Then we have to take into account, lawyers are getting rich off of the papers we have to file just to be able to be intertwined financially. For those of you who say we choose to be GLBT; (Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgendered.) WHY WOULD WE? It is EXPENSIVE, We worry every day that we will be fired, beat up, harassed, homeless, persecuted or worse just for being born who we are.

So to all those naysayers out there, who say that we don’t need civil marriage equality, remember that love has no gender, God said do not judge, least ye be judged, and my civil union turned marriage has no bearing on your marriage because you do not know me! Civil marriage is not a threat to the institution of marriage! Straight divorce is to blame for the downfall of the institution of marriage.

Don’t forget the Marriage Equality Tour that is happening across this great nation!

Check out the details here with an interactive map and video!

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