CLGS

Editorial from the National Catholic Reporter, February 20, 2004

May 17 marks the first anniversary of Massachusetts offering equal marriage benefits to same-sex couples. For those of us who believe in those rights, and the more than 5,000 same-sex couples that have been married, it is a moment for reflection and celebration. Our joy, however, is mixed with a sense of loss, because 14 states have since passed measures banning legal recognition of same-sex relationships.

Del Martin, 82, and Phyllis Lyon, 79, married in San Francisco's City Hall on February 12, 2004. They became the first same-sex couple in the United States to have their marriage recognized legally by a government agency. They may also be the first to be divorced if the courageous decision by Mayor Gavin Newsom to grant marriage licenses to two partners of any gender constellation, rather than to a man and a woman, is overturned by the courts.

GAY AND CHRISTIAN - SoulForce Equality Ride Forum [PDF]

The Rev. Rosa Lee Harden found herself quite unexpectedly caught up on the recent marriage license frenzy in San Francisco. Here are her reflections on the usual frustrations and the unexpected joys of being an agent of the state when it comes to weddings.

If you think that there is strict separation between church and state in this country we live in, you might want to check in with a clergy person who functions in a congregation composed mostly of gay folks and their straight friends.

On this President's Day I find myself in deep reflection, laughing, crying, cleaning the house as I often do when there is so much to feel. As you can imagine it has been a week to remember here in San Francisco.

Why Do They Hate Us So Much? [PDF]

"Entreat me not to leave you or to return from following you; wherever you go I will go, and wherever you lodge I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God; where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if even death parts me from you."(Ruth 1:16-17)

Relationships, not Policies Make Welcoming Churches [PDF]

A Failure to Communicate? Bible-Talk Among Anglican Christian [PDF]

Rumors are beginning to circulate that the Episcopal Church in
the U.S. might no longer be considered "Anglican" after all. The
Archbishop of Canterbury's Lambeth Commission on ...

Faithful Evolution: The Dynamic Character of Christian Theology in Anglican Traditions [PDF]

Dana and I, only together as a couple for four years, have met dozens of gay and lesbian couples over the last week who have been together in committed relationships for ten, twenty, and thirty years. On Sunday afternoon we went to a joint celebration in San Francisco held for Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon in honor of their fifty-one year relationship and to honor the hundreds of couples who have received marriage licenses over the last few days. There were more than 2000 people in attendance, all dressed in wedding finery for a wedding reception that was long overdue.

Jerene and I got an unexpected Valentine's Day present this evening. We received a phone call from longtime friends Moya Watson and Leanne Waldal. Moya was on our staff at Dolores Street Community Services in San Francisco back in the late 80s. Among many of her talents, she was a computer guru who led our nonprofit (and church) into the computer age. We have remained good friends ever since.

Goss, who teaches in the Department of Religion at Webster University in St. Louis, writes of this article: "My intention is to create dialogue about the love and justice of same-sex relationships within the churches and deconstruct the churches’ claims of procreative privilege for heterosexual marriage. This dialogue involves queer Christians who live the gospel and who want to engage in open discussions with their churches about the morality of their sexual lives and their families of choice...

In this paper I will address the Judeo-Christian historical contours of marriage and how those foundational patriarchal beliefs about marriage still shape public and social policy regarding marriage entitlements, explore the unconscious reasons that conservative politicians and religious leaders oppose same sex marriage, and finally, seek to answer the unasked question with a different ethic that, in the words of Dr.

The Roman Catholic Caucus of the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement held a meeting in St Anne's Church, Soho on Sunday 3rd August 2003 to respond to the UK government's proposals concerning same-sex partnership rights. This was an impromptu theological/ pastoral contribution by James Alison, put into writing after the event.

(from The Tablet, 9 August, 2003. Reprinted with Permission)

Last week the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a harshly worded document describing the state recognition of same-sex unions as the "legalisation of evil". A Boston theologian reads between its lines.

This Vatican document argues against any legal recognition of same-sex by stating that "Legal recognition of homosexual unions or placing them on the same level as marriage would mean not only the approval of deviant behaviour, with the consequence of making it a model in present-day society, but would also obscure basic values which belong to the common inheritance of humanity."

Transcript of Lecture [PDF]

Handout for Lecture [PDF]