Towards a Welcoming and Inclusive Church
IWR News
July 4, 2010
- 1) Leviticus Loses: The Inevitability of Equal Rights for Homosexuals
- 2) British soap opera to include transgender character
- 3) New Teaching Tolerance Film to Address Anti-Gay Bullying in Schools
- 4) 'Don't ask, don't tell' affects women, minorities more
- 5) QueerShidduch: A Matchmaking Service for Religious LGBT Jews
- 6) 'Hell Freezes Over' at Westboro Protest
- 7) Understanding the 'Reason' Why Fundamentalists Must Exclude Gays (and Other 'Sinners')
- 8) Lesbian pastor for Sydney church
- 9) Balancing on the Mechitzah: Transgender in Jewish Community
- 10) Court: Christian group can't bar gays, get funding
- 11) Links to more news from Welcoming Church Programs
1) Leviticus Loses: The Inevitability of Equal Rights for Homosexuals
Huffington Post, April 30, 2010
It strikes me that the way human rights issues have played out since the beginning of modernity -- which, not surprisingly, coincides with the separation of church and state -- should give us all reason to take a deep breath. There is a sort of humbling inevitability to the process of inclusion and to where we place ourselves along the continuum of human rights debate. One of the many ways to characterize the modern experience is the ongoing expansion of human rights and the increasing inclusion of marginal populations.
2) British soap opera to include transgender character
U.K., 365Gay.com, July 3, 2010
Hollyoaks, a British soap opera about a group of students at the fictional Hollyoaks Community College, is planning on transitioning the character Jasmine Costello to become Jason Costello throughout the show.
3) New Teaching Tolerance Film to Address Anti-Gay Bullying in Schools
Southern Poverty Law Center, May 21, 2010
Jamie Nabozny carefully planned his every move at school. . . . Nabozny's story will be the subject of the Southern Poverty Law Center's eighth Teaching Tolerance documentary film and teaching kit - a project aimed at ending anti-gay bullying in schools. The film, titled "Bullied: A Student, a School and a Case that Made History," will show how Nabozny stood up to his tormentors and filed a federal lawsuit against the school. His suit led to a landmark court decision that a public school could be held accountable for not stopping anti-gay abuse. The SPLC expects to begin distributing 25,000 teaching kits to educators in the fall. . . . Become a film sponsor. Add your name to the credits and help us send Bullied to 25,000 schools
click here.
4) 'Don't ask, don't tell' affects women, minorities more
Washington, USA Today, May 28, 2010
. . . Sohn, who is of Korean descent, was one of 209 women and 279 minorities among the 619 troops discharged in 2008 under the 17-year ban. " 'Don't ask, don't tell' is like a snapshot of institutional prejudice," says Sohn, 33, a Los Angeles police officer. The ban has disproportionately affected minorities and women. The latest data, compiled by the gay rights group Servicemembers United from Defense Department numbers, show that in 2008, 45% of troops discharged under 'Don't ask, don't tell' were minorities, while minorities were 30% of the service. Women accounted for 34% of the discharges but were 14% of the military.
5) QueerShidduch: A Matchmaking Service for Religious LGBT Jews
Queershidduch, May 4, 2010
QueerShidduch is a new shidduch (matchmaking) service for religious lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Jews. We find matches (same-gender or opposite-gender) for religiously observant LGBT Jews. If you are LGBT, and you keep kosher and keep the laws of the Sabbath (shabbos/shabbat), or if you are interested in building a kosher and shomer shabbos household with your future partner, we welcome you to contact us.
6) 'Hell Freezes Over' at Westboro Protest
Dallas, Texas, Advocate, July 2, 2010
Plans by the notorious Westboro Baptist Church to protest the Resource Center Dallas, a northern Texas nonprofit that offers a variety of programs to LGBT and HIV-positive people, on July 9 have been turned into a fund-raiser. The center has launched an initiative called "Hell Freezes Over" and is asking local residents to donate an amount of money for each minute the protesters plan to picket both the center and Beth El Binah, a mainstream Jewish congregation with a longtime LGBT outreach that meets at the center.
7) Understanding the 'Reason' Why Fundamentalists Must Exclude Gays (and Other 'Sinners')
Huffington Post, June 28, 2010
Right Wing Fundamentalists, be they Protestant, Roman Catholic, Jewish or Muslim, must hate gays (and other sinners) no matter what they say about hating the sin but loving the sinner. They also must hate even the mildest feminism . . . . Fundamentalists have to "stand against all compromise" because they themselves are in a constant battle with temptation and these temptations lead to questioning what they say they believe.
8) Lesbian pastor for Sydney church
SameSame, June 26, 2010
Just ten years ago, Penny Davis was working at Hillsong Church - and was enrolled in Ex-Gay Therapy. But next month she'll be ordained as a pastor in a progressive gay-friendly Christian Church ministry in Sydney.
9) Balancing on the Mechitzah: Transgender in Jewish Community
Yes! Coalition, June 2, 2010
Please join us Wednesday evening, June 2, 2010, at 7pm for the east coast launch of the new anthology, Balancing on the Mechitzah: Transgender in Jewish Community, edited by Noach Dzmura, an activist for transgender inclusion in the Bay Area Jewish communities and a consultant for Jewish Mosaic: The National Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity.
10) Court: Christian group can't bar gays, get funding
Washington, Associated Press, June 28, 2010
An ideologically split Supreme Court ruled Monday that a law school can legally deny recognition to a Christian student group that won't let gays join. The court turned away an appeal from the Christian Legal Society, which sued to get funding and recognition from the University of California's Hastings College of the Law.
11) Links to more news from Welcoming Church Programs
- Associational - The Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists
- Consensus - Affirm United/S'affirmer Ensemble
- Crossbeams - Open and Affirming Ministries of the Gay, Lesbian & Affirming Disciples (GLAD)
- FlashNet - Reconciling Ministeries Network
- LC/NA News and Events - Lutherans Concerned/North America
- More Light News - More Light Presbyterians
- Outspoken - Brethren-Mennonite Council for LGBT Concerns
- Room for All News and Events - Room for All
- Ripples - Open and Affirming Program of the United Church of Christ Coalition for LGBT Concerns (ONA)
- WCNnewsletter - Welcoming Community Network
Additional News
News Selections offers news from around the world related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersexual, and ally efforts to make the world more accepting and welcoming to everyone of every sexual orientation and every gender identity. It is gathered by Sara Boesser, author of Silent Lives: How High a Price ~ For Personal Reflections and Group Discussions about Sexual Orientation, published by Hamilton Books, an imprint of University Press of America, Inc. Silent Lives provides a valuable resource for individuals, study groups, civic groups, congregations, spiritual groups, and other groups discussing issues of sexuality. It is helpful for personal journaling and sharing with relatives and friends, and is also very useful as a college text, therapy supplement, or a catalyst for group discussions. www.SilentLives.com
