IWR News
May 11, 2008
- 1) Monument to honor homosexual Holocaust victims
- 2) NJ Becomes 2nd State To Mandate Paid Family Leave For Gay Partners
- 3) Black clergy in USA say gays face same rights struggle as black people
- 4) Mildred Loving, matriarch of interracial marriage, dies
- 5) Top this: A gay ceremony on ABC's 'Brothers & Sisters'
- 6) On Being a Gay Parent - a new book
- 7) Two Families Grapple with Sons' Gender Preferences ~ Psychologists Take Radically Different Approaches in Therapy
- 8) Despite death threats, gay bishop plans civil union
- 9) Candidate for London mayor comes out (as Christian)
- 10) The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Religious Archives Network
- 11) Links to more news from Welcoming Church Programs
1) Monument to honor homosexual Holocaust victims
Tel Aviv, Israel, YNet News, May 1, 2008
A monument honoring the homosexual men and women who were persecuted due to their sexual orientation and perished during the Holocaust is to be established in Meir Garden in Tel Aviv. . . . A quarter of a million homosexuals were persecuted during the Holocaust, and tens of thousands were murdered
2) NJ Becomes 2nd State To Mandate Paid Family Leave For Gay Partners
Trenton, New Jersey, 365 Gay.com, May 2, 2008
New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine (D) Friday signed broad legislation that mandates paid family leave for same-sex partners - making the state the second after California to have such a law. Under the New Jersey law, workers can apply for up to six weeks off to care for a newborn or newly adopted child, or a sick parent, child, spouse or partner,
3) Black clergy in USA say gays face same rights struggle as black people
Ekklesia, April 28, 2008
Two senior black clergy in the United Methodist in the USA, who are also longtime civil-rights advocates, say there are striking parallels between the struggles of blacks in the 1960s and those of gays and lesbians working for full inclusion in the churches today. . . . [and] spoke of the connection between racism and "heterosexism."
4) Mildred Loving, matriarch of interracial marriage, dies
Richmond, Virginia, Charlotte Observer, May 5, 2008
Mildred Loving, a black woman whose challenge to Virginia's ban on interracial marriage led to a landmark Supreme Court ruling striking down such laws nationwide, has died, her daughter said Monday. . . . "I want (people) to remember her as being strong and brave yet humble - and believed in love," Fortune told The Associated Press.
5) Top this: A gay ceremony on ABC's 'Brothers & Sisters'
Burbank, California, USA Today, May 9, 2008
After much anticipation on the set of ABC's Brothers & Sisters, a wedding cake has arrived. . . . This is no typical TV wedding. It's a gay commitment ceremony - the first same-sex union on American network TV between series regulars."It's all very progressive, evolved and about time," says Rhys.
6) On Being a Gay Parent - a new book
Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists, May 7, 2008
"How to come out to your kids" is just one of the questions unique to the experience of same-sex parents that Brett Webb-Mitchell explores in his book, On Being a Gay Parent: Making a Future Together (Seabury Books, 2007). Mitchell, a Presbyterian minister, college professor and father of two, also offers advice for navigating the challenges that children of same-sex parents face at school, in church and at extended-family gatherings. Ultimately, Webb-Mitchell writes, it is not a question of "gay or lesbian or straight parenting, but good parenting."
7) Two Families Grapple with Sons' Gender Preferences ~ Psychologists Take Radically Different Approaches in Therapy
All Things Considered, NPR, May 7, 2008
[Part one of a two part series]
Bradley's school referred her to a psychologist in Toronto named Dr. Ken Zucker, who is considered an expert in gender identity issues. . . . in general, what characterizes children like Bradley is that they are more than just effeminate boys, or masculine girls, who are gay. These are children who genuinely believe they are girls even though they have a male body - or boys, even though they have a female body.
http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=90247842&m=90259905
8) Despite death threats, gay bishop plans civil union
New York, MSNBC, May. 8, 2008
Episcopal bishop Gene Robinson knows he is inviting death threats by entering into a civil union with his gay partner on the eve of his church's biggest ecclesiastical conference. And he says it is worth it, because he is doing what God asks of him. . . . "That's the great reward of being a Christian. Not living your life - that's worse than death. And if something were to happen to me, I would know that I am doing what I discern God is calling me to do."
9) Candidate for London mayor comes out (as Christian)
Ekklesia, April 24, 2008
Brian Paddick, the Liberal Democrat candidate for Mayor of London has announced that he has had an Evangelical Christian 'conversion'. He said that he became a Christian when he was a young Sergeant in the Police force. . . .The revelation will cause a stir amongst some Evangelicals as the he is also openly gay.
10) The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Religious Archives Network
LGBT-RAN
Overview: The LGBT Religious Archives Network (LGBT-RAN) is an innovative venture in preserving history and encouraging scholarly study of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) religious movements around the world. LGBT-RAN has a two-fold basic purpose. First it assists LGBT religious leaders and groups in determining how best to preserve their records and papers in appropriate repositories. Secondly, LGBT-RAN provides an electronic information clearinghouse for these archival collections and other historical data about LGBT religious history for the use of historians, researchers and other interested persons. Initiated in 2001 as a project of the Chicago Theological Seminary, LGBT-RAN can best be understood as a "virtual" archive. It is not a physical repository that collects and preserves papers and records. Instead, LGBT-RAN is a resource center that enables the preservation of history and makes historical information easily accessible through this web site.
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
- GALANews - Gay And Lesbian Association/Welcoming Community 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
- WAVES - Open and Affirming Program of the United Church of Christ Coalition for LGBT Concerns (ONA)
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
