DOCSLIB.ORG

Queer Inclusion in the United Methodist Church New Approaches in Sociology Studies in Social Inequality, Social Change, and Social Justice

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Queer Inclusion in the United Methodist Church New Approaches in Sociology Studies in Social Inequality, Social Change, and Social Justice Queer Inclusion in the United Methodist Church New Approaches in Sociology Studies in Social Inequality, Social Change, and Social Justice NANCY A. NAPLES, General Editor The Social Organization of Policy Striving and Surviving An Institutional Ethnography of UN A Daily Life Analysis of Honduran Forest Deliberations Transnational Families Lauren E. Eastwood Leah Schmalzbauer The Struggle over Gay, Lesbian, Unequal Partnerships and Bisexual Rights Beyond the Rhetoric of Philanthropic Facing Off in Cincinnati Collaboration Kimberly B. Dugan Ira Silver Parenting for the State Domestic Democracy An Ethnographic Analysis of At Home in South Africa Non-Profi t Foster Care Jennifer Natalie Fish Teresa Toguchi Swartz Praxis and Politics Talking Back to Psychiatry Knowledge Production in Social The Psychiatric Consumer/ Survivor/ Movements Ex-Patient Movement Janet M. Conway Linda J. Morrison The Suppression of Dissent Contextualizing Homelessness How the State and Mass Media Critical Theory, Homelessness, Squelch USAmerican Social and Federal Policy Addressing Movements the Homeless Jules Boykoff Ken Kyle Are We Thinking Straight? Linking Activism The Politics of Straightness in a Ecology, Social Justice, and Education Lesbian and Gay Social Movement for Social Change Organization Morgan Gardner Daniel K. Cortese The Everyday Lives of Sex Workers “Rice Plus” in the Netherlands Widows and Economic Survival in Katherine Gregory Rural Cambodia Susan Hagood Lee “Between Worlds” Deaf Women, Work, and Intersections of Gender and Ability Cheryl G. Najarian If I Only Had a Brain Deconstructing Brain Injury Mark Sherry Minority within a Minority Black Francophone Immigrants and the Dynamics of Power and Resistance Amal I. Madibbo Gender Trouble Makers Education and Empowerment in Nepal Jennifer Rothchild No Place Like Home Organizing Home-Based Labor in the Era of Structural Adjustment David E. Staples Negotiating Decolonization in the United Nations Politics of Space, Identity, and International Community Vrushali Patil Disability, Mothers, and Organization Accidental Activists Melanie Panitch Judicial Reform and Reorganization in 20th Century Iran State-Building, Modernization and Islamicization Majid Mohammadi Queer Inclusion in the United Methodist Church Amanda Udis-Kessler Queer Inclusion in the United Methodist Church Amanda Udis-Kessler New York London First published 2008 by Routledge 270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016 Simultaneously published in the UK by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2008. “To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.” © 2008 Taylor & Francis All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereaf- ter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trade- marks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Udis-Kessler, Amanda, 1965– Queer inclusion in the United Methodist Church / by Amanda Udis-Kessler. p. cm. — (New approaches in sociology) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-415-96249-0 (hbk) ISBN-10: 0-415-96249-8 (hbk) 1. Homosexuality—Religious aspects—United Methodist Church (U.S.) 2. United Methodist Church (U.S.)—Doctrines. I. Title. BX8385.H6U35 2008 287'.608664—dc22 2007052761 ISBN 0-203-89463-4 Master e-book ISBN ISBN10: 0–415–96249–8 (hbk) ISBN10: 0–203–89463–4 (ebk) ISBN13: 978–0–415–96249–0 (hbk) ISBN13: 978–0–203–89463–7 (ebk) Contents List of Tables ix Preface xi Acknowledgments xiii 1 Introduction 1 2 History and Participants 14 3 Research Methodology 42 4 General Conference 2000: Selected Field Notes 58 5 Analytic Perspectives: Culture Wars 88 6 Analytic Perspectives: Homophobia and Heterosexism 103 7 Analytic Perspectives: Social Closure 120 8 Analytic Perspectives: Contradictory Institutional Logics 139 9 Implications and Possibilities 175 Appendix 1 193 Appendix 2 195 Appendix 3 197 Notes 201 Bibliography 221 Index 239 Index of Biblical Passages 253 List of Tables 2.1 Selected Homosexuality-Related Actions in Four Denominations 38 3.1 Selected Aspects of Qualitative Research from Different Perspectives 54 5.1 Orthodoxy, Progressivism, and Positions on Homosexuality Issues Among 1996 General Conference Delegates 90 6.1 Moral Alchemy and Homosexuality: Selected Examples 111 6.2 Homosexuality and Symbolism: Selected Examples 116 9.1 U.S. Poll Data on Homosexuality 180 Preface As social institutions go, religion may be the one that contributes both the greatest good and the greatest harm to the world. At its best, religion pro- vides community, meaning and support to people in times of celebration and trouble, and it offers people a means of ordering their lives. Religious values and beliefs can enable people to take risks on behalf of healing the world, and can even provide the impetus for wanting to heal the world in the fi rst place. In short, religion can be a source of great abundance, both for individuals and society. At its worst, however, religion can create insu- lar communities that shut people out. Religion can be built on meaning systems that devalue some people, whether heathens or homosexuals, lead- ing to dehumanization and violence. The support that religion offers can require problematic levels of commitment that force practitioners to choose between the religious organization and the “outside world.” In enabling people to order their lives, religion can mandate that believers set aside reason and refl ection on their own experiences in making value judgments and choosing courses of action. Religious values and beliefs can lead people to hate and kill each other, and to be willing to destroy the world. In short, religion can be a source of great injury, both for individuals and society. The struggle of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (“LGBT”) United Methodists for full inclusion in the United Methodist Church par- takes of both the gifts and the damages of religion, and in a book that focuses substantially on the damages I want to make sure to acknowledge my recognition of the gifts. The religious beliefs and spiritual practices of the LGBT United Methodists and their supporters clearly nourished them and enriched their lives, just as these beliefs and practices did for the other United Methodists I studied. To ignore the value of the church for United Methodists across the homosexuality struggle would be to deny the empiri- cal evidence on which sociologists must depend. Nonetheless, given the topic of this book my stance must of necessity be critical, and my focus must remain on where the church (in my estimation) has fallen short of the best that it could do. The experiences and work of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, were centered in the idea that God’s grace is suffi cient, even given the fallen xii Preface nature of humanity. In encountering the graciousness of United Methodists over the course of my research, I have had to think hard about how ungra- cious it is to write a book criticizing a denomination for fostering social inequality. At the same time, one writes a book such as this at least in part to help the denomination and others like it think about the sexuality strug- gle in new ways. What a researcher develops as an offering to academia may simultaneously be for the religious progressive a human manifesta- tion of the “yet more light” the Holy continues to share with the world, audacious as such a claim may be. As a researcher, I offer this book to sociologists interested in how inequality can work in religious institutions. As a religious progressive, I hope this book can serve the United Methodist Church productively in some way. I remain convinced that, however pow- erful social patterns may be, there are possibilities for a different future that are yet unseen. May we fi nd our way to them soon. CLARIFYING NOTES About the title: The term “queer” in the title of this book is intended to serve as shorthand for “LGBT,” or “lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgendered.” It should be noted that the LGBT United Methodists I studied do not call themselves queer, and they eschew “queer politics.” Neither they nor I are engaged in the development of queer theory. Because it is important to describe people using language with which they feel comfortable, the remainder of the book uses “LGBT,” “lesbian,” “gay,” or “bisexual” as appropriate. I apologize to any LGBT Christians and their allies who fi nd the term “queer” offensive. About biblical references: I have used the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible for all biblical quotes. About terminology: This book focuses entirely on the United Method- ist sexuality inclusion struggle as it is occurring in the United States of America, and some of the book’s language refl ects this limitation. I abbre- viate “United States of America” to “United States,” and frequently use the terms “America,” “American,” and “Americans” to refer to the United States of America, its citizens, and its culture. Where necessary, I refer to North America, South America, or Latin America. Acknowledgments All books are joint efforts, and while I cannot individually thank everyone who played a role in bringing this one to fruition, I want to make sure the following people know how much I appreciate them. Terri Akse, Dr. Wendy Cadge, Marla Gerein, Kris Jones, Krystyna Mrozek, Dr. Carol Neel, Rev. Dr. Karen Oliveto, and Julie Stockenberg provided encouragement along the way. Dr. David Brown, Dr.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • 1988 the Witness, Vol. 71, No. 6. June 1988
    VOLUME* 71 NUMBER* 6 JUNE 1988 publication. and reuse for required Permission DFMS. / Church Preachment Episcopal To People Power the of John H. Burt Archives i Union-Busting 2020. Susan E. Pierce Copyright Episcopal Church As Voyeur L Louie Crew Hushed-up Christ by Robert Hodgell Letters Bishops not all bad magnitude involving a complete rever- serving is an inference drawn by Cor- Charles V. Willie's article on women sal of custom and tradition ends up win and not a conclusion of this author. bishops, "No doubt about it," (March based on guesswork, I wonder. Also my essay on women as bishops WITNESS) is a learned and dramatic Prof. Willie writes, "If women are did not state that men as a rule are more support of the elevation of ladies to the called to be bishops, my guess is they harmful and less helpful. Again, this is episcopate, and in spite of my own are called to do these things because Corwin's inference. For the record, my doubts, it seems almost an exercise in they are helpful and not harmful." That article simply stated that "If men are futility not to accept that this is going to seems to infer that men as a rule are not more helpful as bishops than happen, come hell or high water, in the more harmful and less helpful. If that is women could be, and if women are not not too distant future. That will give us true, then perhaps the ultimate step is to more harmful as bishops as men have have only women in Holy Orders.
    [Show full text]
  • AAC Timeline
    THE ANGLICAN REALIGNMENT Timeline of Major Events 1977 Continuing Anglican Movement is 1987 & 1989 founded over the mainstream ordination of women to the priesthood. TEC Panel of bishops dismiss heresy Composed of several breakaway charges against Bishop Spong of Anglican jurisdictions no longer in Newark; he rejects among other things communion with Canterbury, some of the incarnation, atonement, these will join the Anglican Church in resurrection, the second coming of North America (ACNA) during the Christ and the Trinity. realignment. 1994 Global South Anglicans (GSA) begin meeting and communicating in earnest between its members regarding the growing liberal theological trends in the Anglican Communion. 1996 1998 The American Anglican Council (AAC) is founded by Bp. David Anderson as a Lambeth Council of Bishops takes place response to unbiblical teachings in TEC under Canterbury’s leadership, during and the larger Anglican Communion. which Anglican bishops overwhelmingly Begins organizing in earnest hundreds (567-70) uphold the biblically orthodox of clergy and lay delegates to the TEC definition of marriage and sexuality in Triennial General Conventions (1997, Lambeth Resolution 1.10. Bishops from 2000, 2003, 2006 and 2009) to stand up TEC and ACoC immediately protest that for “the faith once delivered to the they will not follow Biblical teaching. saints.” (Jude 3) 2000 Anglican Mission in the Americas (AMiA) is founded in Amsterdam, Netherlands, due to theologically liberal developments in the Episcopal Church 2002 (TEC) and the Anglican Church of Canada (ACoC) under the primatial Diocese of New Westminster, Canada, oversight of Rwanda and South East authorizes rite of blessing for same-sex Asia.
    [Show full text]
  • Homosexuality & the Priesthood
    HOMOSEXUALITY & RICHARD P. McBRIEN THE PRIESTHOOD QUESTIONS WE CAN'T KEEP IN THE CLOSET ecent articles in such diverse publications as Q What impact, if any, does the large number of gay priests Newsweek, Atlantic Monthly, and National have on recruiting candidates for the ordained priesthood, or Catholic Reporter have called public atten- the presbyterate? Has the public image of the Catholic priest in tion to a phenomenon that used to be spoken the United States changed in recent years, and, if so, to what of only by innuendo or in whispers: gay extent is homosexuality in the priesthood a factor? priests and gay seminarians. Has the percentage of gay men attracted to the ordained Now no sensible person -- and I hope I fall in that category priesthood increased in recent years? Are there more gays in -- would enter a discussion of this sort without a good deal of the seminary today than there were in the years before Vatican hesitation. It is not the sort of terrain one ordinarily chooses to I1? cross, at least not without an ample supply of protective gear What impact does the presence of a large number of gay and a painful awareness of the suspicions and misunderstand- seminarians have on the spiritual toneand moral atmosphere of ings that can be provoked by almost anything one says. My our seminaries? Do gay seminarians inevitably create a gay own reflections, I should underline, are highly tentative and culture in seminaries? To what extent are seminary faculty not offered motu proprio, as it were, but in response to an members a part of this culture? Are heterosexual seminarians inquiry by the editors.
    [Show full text]
  • The Why and How of Congregational Discernment in LGBTQ+ Inclusion: Models in the Literature
    religions Article The Why and How of Congregational Discernment in LGBTQ+ Inclusion: Models in the Literature Helen Harris * and Gaynor I. Yancey Diana R. Garland School of Social Work, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76701, USA; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] Abstract: Through the years, people of faith and their congregations have encountered social issues without easy answers. From racism, women’s rights, and poverty to the current divisions over abortion and human sexuality, the church has wrestled with difficult subjects impacting policy and practice. In the United States of America (USA/US), the question of LGBTQ+ inclusion in churches is an increasingly frequent conversation, point of decision, and sometimes point of division in congregations. As these challenging social issues in a politically polarized USA culture impact the church, there is also a focus in the literature on methods for civil conversation. This article reports on models for conversations that provide guidance for congregations engaging in difficult conversations including that of LGBTQ+ inclusion. In this article, congregations and others are provided with resources and models for discernment. Models covered include those developed by individual Christian leaders, those developed in congregational processes, and those developed for public and educational discourse. Keywords: congregations; denominations; discernment; LGBTQ+; inclusion; models 1. Introduction In the United States of America, many LGBTQ+ Christians write about growing up in Citation: Harris, Helen; Yancey, the church and their experiences of community and worship (Chu 2013; Lee 2018; Robertson Gaynor I. 2021. The Why and How of 2017; Vines 2014). Shared values and the experience of collaborative response in the Congregational Discernment in LGBTQ+ Inclusion: Models in the community can be threatened when gay Christians come out (Baldock 2014; Cantorna 2019; Literature.
    [Show full text]
  • Being Married to Gay Anglican Clergy by Bonnie Skerritt a Graduate
    The Man Behind the Priest: Being Married to Gay Anglican Clergy by Bonnie Skerritt A Graduate Project Final Paper submitted to Atlantic School of Theology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Masters of Divinity degree Approved by: Dr. Jody Clarke Date: April 9, 2019 Table of Contents REB Certificate ........................................................................................................... pg. 3 Abstract ....................................................................................................................... pg. 4 Introduction ................................................................................................................. pg. 4 Purpose ....................................................................................................................... pg. 6 Methodology ............................................................................................................... pg. 7 Data Analysis & Themes .......................................................................................... pg. 10 Theme 1: Mutual Support ............................................................................. pg. 10 Theme 2: Identity .......................................................................................... pg. 13 Theme 3: Aspects of Acceptance .................................................................. pg. 15 Sub-Theme: Surprised by Faith .................................................................... pg. 16 Implications for the Anglican Church of Canada
    [Show full text]
  • The Postcolonial Problem for Global Gay Rights
    Scholarly Commons @ UNLV Boyd Law Scholarly Works Faculty Scholarship 2014 The Postcolonial Problem for Global Gay Rights Stewart Chang University of Nevada, Las Vegas -- William S. Boyd School of Law Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.law.unlv.edu/facpub Part of the Comparative and Foreign Law Commons, Human Rights Law Commons, and the Sexuality and the Law Commons Recommended Citation Chang, Stewart, "The Postcolonial Problem for Global Gay Rights" (2014). Scholarly Works. 1109. https://scholars.law.unlv.edu/facpub/1109 This Article is brought to you by the Scholarly Commons @ UNLV Boyd Law, an institutional repository administered by the Wiener-Rogers Law Library at the William S. Boyd School of Law. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE POSTCOLONIAL PROBLEM FOR GLOBAL GAY RIGHTS Stewart Chang* A BSTRACT.......................................................... 309 INTRODUCTION . ................................................... 310 I. FRAMING GLOBAL GAY RIGHTS IN THE POSTCOLONIAL STATE: DECOLONIZATION, ILLIBERAL PRAGMATISM, AND SINGAPORE'S AMBIVALENT RELATIONSHIP WITH N EOLIBERALISM ........................................... 317 II. THE LEGAL HISTORY OF 377A AND THE WESTERNIZED CONSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGE ............................. 324 III. THE LIM MENG SUANG DECISION: READING ANTI- NEOLIBERAL INTENT INTO THE 2007 PARLIAMENTARY D EBATES.................................................. 328 IV. THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK: THE AFTERIMAGES OF IMPERIALISM IN THE ANTI-NEOCOLONIAL RETENTION OF 377A................................................... 336 V. REVISITING TRADITIONAL VALUES IN THE 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES: A NEW HOPE? . 344 ABSTRACT As the United States and Europe have progressed to the issue of same-sex marriage,countries that are still working through antecedent issues, such as the decriminalization of anti-sodomy laws, are regarded by internationalgay rights advocates as lagging behind the times.
    [Show full text]
  • Episcopal Church
    Nos. 14-556, 14-562, 14-571, 14-574 Supreme Court of the United States dNo. 14-556 JAMES OBERGEFELL, et al., and BRITTANI HENRY, et al., Petitioners, —v.— RICHARD HODGES, Director, Ohio Department of Health, et al., Respondents. (Caption continued on inside cover) ON WRITS OF CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE SIXTH CIRCUIT BRIEF FOR AMICI CURIAE PRESIDENT OF THE HOUSE OF DEPUTIES OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH AND THE EPISCOPAL BISHOPS OF KENTUCKY, MICHIGAN, OHIO, AND TENNESSEE; GENERAL SYNOD OF THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST; JEWISH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY; RECONSTRUCTIONIST RABBINICAL ASSOCIATION; RECONSTRUCTIONIST RABBINICAL COLLEGE AND JEWISH RECONSTRUCTIONIST COMMUNITIES; UNION FOR REFORM JUDAISM; UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST ASSOCIATION; UNITED SYNAGOGUE OF CONSERVATIVE JUDAISM; AFFIRMATION; COVENANT NETWORK OF PRESBYTERIANS; FRIENDS FOR LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER, AND QUEER CONCERNS; METHODIST FEDERATION FOR SOCIAL ACTION; MORE LIGHT PRESBYTERIANS; MUSLIMS FOR PROGRESSIVE VALUES; THE OPEN AND AFFIRMING COALITION OF THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST; PARITY; RECONCILING MINISTRIES NETWORK; RECONCILING WORKS: LUTHERANS FOR FULL PARTICIPATION; RELIGIOUS INSTITUTE, INC.; AND 1,900 INDIVIDUAL FAITH LEADERS IN SUPPORT OF PETITIONERS AND IN FAVOR OF REVERSAL JEFFREY S. TRACHTMAN KRAMER LEVIN NAFTALIS Counsel of Record & FRANKEL LLP NORMAN C. SIMON 1177 Avenue of the Americas JASON M. MOFF New York, New York 10036 KURT M. DENK [email protected] Attorneys for Amici Curiae No. 14-562 VALERIA TANCO, et al., Petitioners, —v.— BILL HASLAM, Governor of Tennessee, et al., Respondents. No. 14-571 APRIL DEBOER, et al., Petitioners, —v.— RICK SNYDER, Governor of Michigan, et al., Respondents. No. 14-574 GREGORY BOURKE, et al., and TIMOTHY LOVE, et al., Petitioners, —v.— STEVE BESHEAR, Governor of Kentucky, et al., Respondents.
    [Show full text]
  • An Anglican Schism Draws Closer Wednesday, September 26, 2007
    http://www.albertmohler.com/2007/09/26/what-really-happened-in-new-orleans-an-anglican-schism-draws-closer/ 1/3 AlbertMohler.com What Really Happened in New Orleans? An Anglican Schism Draws Closer Wednesday, September 26, 2007 “We want that statement to be clear and unambiguous and we are working in that direction,” said Episcopal Bishop Neil Alexander of Atlanta. The bishop made this statement at a press conference during the meeting of the Episcopal Church’s House of Bishops that ended in New Orleans yesterday. The meeting of the bishops made international news because the stakes could not be higher for the future of the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion, the international fellowship of churches associated with the Church of England and the Anglican tradition. The background to the controversy and drama is well known. In 2003 the Episcopal Church elected and consecrated an openly-homosexual man as the Bishop of New Hampshire, detonating an international crisis in the Anglican Communion. The American church had also moved in the direction of blessing same-sex unions. The unavoidable reality is that the American church has been moving toward the normalization of homosexual behavior and homosexual relationships — putting the liberal American church on a collision course with the churches of the so-called “Global South.” These churches, including several in Africa, now claim far more members than the Church of England and the Episcopal Church. They are also far more conservative. The Global South churches, joined by evangelicals in other churches, are absolutely certain that the American church is defying biblical authority, ignoring clear biblical teachings, and rejecting the collegiality of their doctrinal consensus.
    [Show full text]
  • Amicus Curiae Brief
    No. 12-307 ================================================================ In The Supreme Court of the United States --------------------------------- --------------------------------- UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Petitioner, v. EDITH SCHLAIN WINDSOR, et al., Respondents. --------------------------------- --------------------------------- On Writ Of Certiorari To The United States Court Of Appeals For The Second Circuit --------------------------------- --------------------------------- BRIEF OF AMICI CURIAE BISHOPS OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN THE STATES OF CALIFORNIA, CONNECTICUT, IOWA, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW YORK, VERMONT, AND WASHINGTON AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA; THE JEWISH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY OF AMERICA; MANHATTAN CONFERENCE OF THE METROPOLITAN NEW YORK SYNOD OF THE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA; THE RABBINICAL ASSEMBLY; THE RECONSTRUCTIONIST RABBINICAL ASSOCIATION; RECONSTRUCTIONIST RABBINICAL COLLEGE; RABBI AKIVA HERZFELD OF SHAAREY TPHILOH; THE UNION FOR REFORM JUDAISM; UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST ASSOCIATION; UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST; THE UNITED SYNAGOGUE OF CONSERVATIVE JUDAISM; AFFIRMATION; COVENANT NETWORK OF PRESBYTERIANS; FRIENDS FOR LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER, AND QUEER CONCERNS; METHODIST FEDERATION FOR SOCIAL ACTION; MORE LIGHT PRESBYTERIANS; PRESBYTERIAN WELCOME; RECONCILING MINISTRIES NETWORK; RECONCILINGWORKS: LUTHERANS FOR FULL PARTICIPATION; AND RELIGIOUS INSTITUTE, INC. ON THE MERITS AND IN SUPPORT OF AFFIRMANCE IN FAVOR OF RESPONDENT EDITH SCHLAIN WINDSOR ---------------------------------
    [Show full text]
  • RESILIENCE AMIDST ADVERSITY: Being Gay and African in the New Century
    RESILIENCE AMIDST ADVERSITY: Being gay and African in the new century Case Study Commissioned by The Atlantic Philanthropies and the OTHER Foundation Written by Marian Nell and Janet Shapiro, February 2013 Photograph: Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya © Front cover: Participant in the first ever Pride celebrations in Uganda, August 2012 Photograph: David Robinson © Abbreviations ACHPR AfricanCharteronHumanandPeoples’ LGBTI(s) Lesbian,gay,bisexual,transgenderand Rights intersex(people) AIDS AcquiredImmuneDeficiencySyndrome LGEP LesbianandGayEqualityProject AJWS AmericanJewishWorldService MDC MovementforDemocraticChange amfAR FoundationforAIDSResearch MP MemberofParliament AMSHeR AfricanMenforSexualHealthand MSM Menwhohavesexwithmen Rights NGO Non-governmentalorganisation ANC AfricanNationalCongress OSF OpenSocietyFoundations AU AfricanUnion OSF-SA OpenSocietyFoundationforSouth BtM BehindtheMask Africa CAL CoalitionofAfricanLesbians OSISA OpenSocietyInitiativeforSouthern CSO Civilsocietyorganisation Africa DRC DemocraticRepublicoftheCongo ROHR RestorationofHumanRights ECOSOC UnitedNationsEconomicandSocial SIDA SwedishInternationalDevelopment Council Agency EU EuropeanUnion SIPD SupportInitiativeforPeoplewith FARUG FreedomandRoamUganda atypicalsexDevelopment GALA GayandLesbianMemoryinAction SMUG SexualMinoritiesUganda GALCK GayandLesbianCoalitionofKenya STD Sexuallytransmitteddisease GALZ GaysandLesbiansofZimbabwe STI Sexuallytransmittedinfection HIV HumanImmunodeficiencyVirus TIC TheInnerCircle Hivos HumanistInstituteforCooperation UHAI-EASHRI
    [Show full text]
  • Mainline Churches' Influence on American Civil Rights Movements
    A Force Overlooked: Mainline Churches’ Influence on American Civil Rights Movements since the Mid-Twentieth Century Clayton Harrington Campbell University Faculty Mentor: Jaclyn Stanke Campbell University ABSTRACT In recent years, Evangelical Protestantism and Christian Fundamentalism have received a great deal of attention concerning their influence and impact on American society and culture over the last fifty years. Because of that, the impact and influence of Mainline Protestantism has frequently been overlooked. This essay examines both Evangelical and Mainline Protestant churches’ reactions and statements to three movements from the mid-twentieth century to the present: the Civil Rights Movement, the Feminist Movement, and the Gay Rights Movement. In doing so, I argue that Mainline Protestant churches have actually had a greater, though more subtle, impact on American society and culture than previously thought. ince Christianity’s beginnings, various one of these Protestant groups, which en- Ssects have existed, all vying for the hearts sured that many English speaking Christians and minds of humanity. While the Roman would embrace Protestantism in some form. Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions Various sects came to America beginning in remain largely homogenous, Protestantism the seventeenth century, especially dissenters has been historically divided. From its of the Anglican Church such as the Puritans very origins it fragmented into various de- and Baptists. During the next century other nominations whose views, while largely groups followed, bringing myriad versions similar, differ on varying matters of doc- of Protestantism as well as Catholicism to trine and dogma. The first evident “split” America, all contentiously practicing side by occurred in 1529 when Martin Luther and side.
    [Show full text]
  • The Secularized Discourse of the Anti-Gay Christian Movement
    “The Right Not to Be Offended”: The Secularized Discourse of the Anti-Gay Christian Movement Stephen Hunt University of the West of England Abstract The subject of gay and lesbian rights is one of the most vexed and challenging issues facing contemporary Christianity. In line with other elements of the non-heterosexual liberation movement, lesbian and gay Christians in the United Kingdom (UK) have sought to organize and mobilize. Their aim is to extend and protect what they regard as fundamental human and civil rights. A countervailing Christian movement, articulated through various factions, has arisen to confront the non-heterosexual lobby. This paper explores the strategy adopted by conservative groupings seeking to forcefully reply to their highly vociferous opponents who have appealed to both church and secular agencies with the language of “rights”. Such a response increasingly involves a discernible shift from a discourse of “sin” and biblical prohibition as the conservatives engage in their own secular rhetoric related to “rights”, thus arguably indicating wider processes of “internal secularization” within the Christian churches. The Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement In the UK, as in many Western societies, lesbian and gay Christian groups have proliferated with various levels of success in advancing their civil rights. As the core representative body, the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement (LGCM) was established in 1976 in order to provide a common forum for a number of “cause” groups from different denominations and to advance
    [Show full text]