Category Archives: LGBT

Notes on the United Methodist General Conference 2019

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After the Vote

The hashtags of #gc2019 and #umcgc are sad to read right now, even to my humanist eyes.

But this one post from Lance Pressley of Mississippi is a warning to anyone inviting dissenting Methodists to UCC, TEC, ELCA, etc.

“There’s a #UMC in every rural community and every poor neighborhood, ministering with the community. There’s rarely an Episcopal congregation nearby.[…] Do you know how many UCC congregations are in this state? A grand total of 2. And they’re both in the Capitol. Tell a kid in Shannon, MS that they should go to church 200 miles away. I appreciate your invitation now, but your denomination hasn’t seen fit to invest in my home state. It leads me to suspect you only care when you can use that care to show how tolerant you are.”

It reminds me of how even the UCC has had a presence in Columbus, GA three separate times in its history, most recently when Forgiving Heart United Church of Christ became a UCC member. The nearest UCC members are small churches in Pine Mountain and Woodbury.

There’s a glut of UCC churches in Metro Atlanta, but where’s the UCC in Macon? Augusta? Albany? Valdosta? Athens?

How much investment is being made in progressive mainline Christianity in non-Atlanta Georgia? or in rural Georgia for that matter?

If progressive mainline Christianity is already having a hard time funding itself and broadening itself to rural areas, progressive Methodists will face a bit of an uphill climb if they leave the UMC.

But forming a new Methodist church may be the only option left.

United Methodism as Colonial Christian Hubris

If anything, #umcgc/ #gc2019 showed one of the hubrises of Western Christianity: the descendants of those who were missionarized in Africa during Europe’s colonization and in Eurasia flexed their weight rather spitefully against a great deal of the European and North American descendants of the colonizers and missionaries who now seek a different course for the UMC on the question of gender and sex than what was preached for over a century to Africans and Eurasians by European and American colonizers.

The minority, somewhat-wealthy White American Methodist right – through such groups as the Wesleyan Covenant Association and the Institute for Religion & Democracy – joined the above bloc and helped lead the charge as a means of taking power away from more progressive clergy.

The American section of the UMC – in the birthplace of the UMC – is now in a weird position. American Conservative Methodists, largely concentrated in the South and Midwest, can claim a victory, and are rubbing salt in the wounds of the Progressive Methodists on social media with the usual “pleasantries” directed toward LGBT people.

The Progressive American Methodists, most reflected in the Western Jurisdiction, will marinate on this and come to decisions in the coming days.

This decision reduces pro-LGBT church caucuses like the Reconciling Ministries Network from a somewhat respected caucus like IntegrityUSA (in the Episcopal Church) to an actively-opposed caucus like DignityUSA (in the Roman Catholic Church) or Affirmation (in the LDS).

Another big issue is whether disaffiliation will be made a lot easier for churches, namely for those who want separation. But it is hard to tell who wants the split of the UMC more: the conservatives or the progressives.

A lot of the progressives are pledging in religious language to stay (but it is far from unanimous, as numerous Twitter posts renounced membership within the minutes of the result), while the conservatives are hoping to drive the UMC harder to evangelicalism by driving out the progressives and also hoping that they demographically dwindle on the vine in a new, less-wealthy denomination for the sake of conservative vindication.

But given the PR crisis that has ensued from this – pitting young against old, rural against urban, nation against nation – I don’t think the conservatives have much else to gloat about than a seizure of power, money, property, and brand from progressive dissenters who they’ve wanted to railroad out of the denomination for decades.

Both sides are dressing their emotions in the religious language of the denomination. One side made a big power play against dissenters, and won. And many are gloating of their victory over “heretics”, “satanists” and “cultural relativists”, or, in less pointed language, professing “love” for LGBT people while maintaining their religious disdain for same-sex relations.

But the most hardcore progressive dissenting members and clergy are “grabbing the horns of the altar”, and refuse to walk out of their own accord at this moment. They’re also not taking, or are actively discouraging, invites to other mainline denominations for various reasons.

The politics of this decision reflect not only the effects of the historic colonialism of the UMC, but also an ecclesiastical system which reflects the crisis of American politics and economics. It may also affect the politics of the United States.

How would the schism of the UMC, the third largest denomination of Christianity in the United States, play out in the United States regionally, ethnically, in gender terms? How would it affect or manifest in American politics and partisan identity?

If the UMC becomes an evangelical denomination and drives as many of its progressive members out as possible, how close will this place the denomination into the realm of the Republican Party and its policies in states like Georgia?

This is important even for those who are not Methodists, or even Christians, or even theists. Whatever results from this crackdown will affect the rest of us.

The Digging-in of Heels

How can the progressive American Methodists dig in their heels when the UMC is becoming less American?

They clearly failed to convince the African and Eurasian delegates of the urgency of the One Church Plan. They failed to appeal to the hearts and minds of the African and Eurasian delegates, whose growing numbers come from countries whose Christian denominations are way too frequently antagonistic against LGBT people and who support state and corporalviolence against LGBT people. They are literally living the same ideology taught to them and their parents by Euro-American Methodists missionaries and colonizers, and their chickens came home to roost in St. Louis.

How did the progressive American Methodists think this was going to go down? Who were they seeking to convince? How do they expect to convince the African and Eurasian Methodists now?

I don’t think there will be convincing at this point.

So its very important that some questions be answered! I am making this blog post to ask our LGBT activists, organizations and LGBT media to be that loud voice asking several questions of several people.

1. What are State Representative Allen Peake’s views on the legislation? Does he support it? Will he vote for its passage?

2. Will State Representative Allen Peake abstain from voting for this legislation and realize the conflict of interest because his business will be affected by the new law if it passes.

3. IF State representate Allen Peake does support this legislation and votes for its passage, what are the views and what would the course of action be by any of the parent companies that franchise restaurants to Allen Peake’s company, C&P Restaurants.

via Edric Floyd: Telling It like It is!: Will a restaurant franchisee support Georgia’s License to Discrimate?.

Oregon: A State for Women

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Two things I noticed today:

I find it gratifying that women in Oregon are making such strides, particularly to enshrine such “equality under the law” on the basis of sex into their constitution.

Unfortunately, even after the unsuccessful fight for the federal ERA in the 1970s and after so long since the Nineteenth Amendment’s passage in 1920, these 22 states (and their various extensions of protection from mere employment to full equality under the law) stand alone out of so many states which have not constitutionally-enshrined gender anti-discrimination law. We don’t have such protection which could greatly benefit the future of half the U.S. population enshrined into the majority of constitutional documents in this country.

Why can’t we in the other 28 states spell out equality in the sexes to our states’ residents through the second highest laws of our states? Why are we so reticent to spell out gender equality? Do we even believe in the government recognizing our equality, or are we still ruled by people who represent the interests and privileges of half the population of our states?

And then we wonder why New Hampshire can’t bring forward a constitutional amendment to define equality for all sexual orientations?

Our collective mindset is our most potent enemy. We must change that mindset at all levels.

Congrats to Oregon and Gov. Kate Brown!

McEwen believes — and has often been able to prove or link together — deliberate attempts by rightwing groups to twist facts, mischaracterize scientific studies and malign LGBT people in the process.

“They say they are standing on God’s principles and God’s law,” he said. “Okay, if you’re doing that, why do you have to lie? Why do you have to do all these other things?”

Exposing the right’s hypocrisy and their intentional efforts at discrimination defines nearly all of McEwen’s passion and citizen journalism. He’s challenged some of the biggest names on the right, and even got one to admit the truth, he said.

“I had a conversation with Robert Knight,” McEwen recalled of the man who has worked with Concerned Women for America and the Family Research Council, two of the nation’s largest anti-LGBT groups. “I asked him about how he used junk science. He said, ‘Yeah, we use it. So what?’”

via McEwen has a watchful eye | QNotes.

We became silent about things that matter. That’s why we lost.

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The good news: Muscogee County went blue for Carter, Nunn and Bishop. Incumbent state reps Hugley (unopposed), Buckner (against a Republican challenger), and Smyre (unopposed) all won Muscogee, and no Democratic incumbents lost in the General Assembly.

The bad news: Only Bishop is going to federal office. None of the Democratic slate won statewide office. Roslund lost against McKoon for the state Senate. Wasn’t even close.

The post-mortem meeting for the Democrats in Columbus-Muscogee is on Saturday morning. Words will be traded. Fireworks may go off.

But I appreciate this month that I spent volunteering on the campaign with so many forward thinking, proactive people.

  • Patricia Lassiter, who spent months out of this year working campaigns, making and answering calls, taking crap from some fools and desperate activists, knocking on doors across Columbus to get the vote out – first for Mayor Tomlinson in May and second for the statewide Democratic slate of candidates. I personally admire Patricia’s personality, work ethic, ability to organize and progressive politics.
  • Mary-Kate Clement, who graduated from Marquette and flew from Chicago to Georgia to join Patricia in helping the county’s coordinated campaign. I stayed late in the office with Patricia and Mary-Kate on several nights when they had to get things wrapped up and called in. I am so sorry that she had to see her own home state go to a Republican governor (and Wisconsin, where she previously interned for Mary Burke, going back to Walker for another term). Her mother, who came by our office several times, is cool. Hope they do well in the future.
  • David Smith, spirited and knowledgeable 17-year-old who made phone calls and knocked on doors for the campaign. He is a party activist in the making.
  • William Viruet, native New Yorker who GOTV’s on a very down-to-earth level and does a mean massage.
  • All of the people – of all ages, even slightly underage – who gave their time and energy to this campaign – Berlinda, Tom, both Bills from the UU Fellowship of Columbus, Charlotte, LaVon, Marlyne, Alice, Eddie (Mr. “Souls to the Polls”), James, and several others. You all did the great work for a Blue Muscogee.

But now I am furious, and the colleagues who I met over this month know how furious I am with what just happened.

The Democrats lost across this country. Low turnout happened in several states, and yet it was not for a lack of African-American voters. Older voters, as usual, turned out more for the vote than younger voters.

And yet, progressive legislations won on the ballot at the SAME DAMN TIME. Across the country!

  • Minimum wage increases passed by voters in Arkansas, Nebraska, Illinois (advisory), Alaska and South Dakota
  • Marijuana possession decriminalized by voters in Oregon, Alaska and Washington, D.C., while Florida gained 57% in favor but not the 60% necessary for passage. 6 Michigan municipalities’ voters passed similar measures.
  • California voters passing the reduction of dozens of nonviolent property and drug crimes from felonies to misdemeanors, resulting in potential thousands leaving California’s prisons.
  • A severe anti-choice “personhood” amendment being defeated in Colorado and North Dakota.
  • A fracking ban being passed in Denton, Texas and Athens, Ohio.
  • Dallas voters retain SOGI-inclusive NDO for city workers
  • Washington voters backed a criminal background check on all guns.

And I’m not the only one who noticed this. The Nation noticed this contradiction of voters supporting progressive legislation and voting for regressive candidates in the same election, so did Ring of Fire Radio. And I wonder “WTF just happened?”

And I’ve learned so much from reading articles about how populism won at the local and state levels, even as the GOP expanded their reach in many state legislatures.

A few words to the Democrats and to progressives all over Georgia, especially the state leadership in Georgia.

  • Stop being cowards on our principles. Stop apologizing.
  • Support our president and Obamacare.
  • If party leaders are cowards, throw them out. They are bums.
  • Shut up about money. No seriously, DNC/DSCC/DCCC/DGA/DLCC, stop sending me emails asking for contributions to the party’s war chest every damn day. I’m sick of being begged by career party activists for money when they don’t pull their weight.
  • Embrace your constituencies like your life depended on it.
  • Campaign on economic justice like your life depended on it.
  • Meet more often, like the party is your second, more secular church.
  • Don’t be afraid to remove those who don’t adhere to progressive principles.
  • If you can’t throw out the bums, do everything to make their political lives difficult.
  • Primary those who won’t carry their weight or have gotten too soft in their seats.
  • Campaign on issues. Not party, not personality, not demographics. ISSUES. Hear the issues, speak the issues, vote on the issues, poll the issues, build alliances around the issues, raise money on issues, publicize the issues, saturate local media with issues, recruit and test your candidates on the issues.
  • Do NOT disrespect progressive activists who are doing the work if you’re not doing it yourself. Or else you will get ripped a new butthole, in public, by me.

I have more to say, but all in all, let’s up off of our asses and campaign as progressives, not the “NON-REPUBLICANS”.

As MLK said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter“. The voters cared about issues. We didn’t. We need to care about issues, to push them by whatever means necessary, and to embrace those who care about them, like our President. We need to care about the compassion of our government, and we must say it every time we get. Or else, there is nothing progressive about us.

#YesWeCan

Australian Opposition Leader gives the business to right-wing Christian lobby

Amazing speech. And its not just because he directly supports marriage equality in his speech. Or the fact that he said this in front of the right-wing, anti-gay Australian Christian Lobby. Or the fact that he quotes MLK and JFK. Or that he directly addresses income inequality and cuts in foreign aid. YES.

via Bill Shorten speech to the Australian Christian Lobby 2014 Conference – YouTube.

What the fuck.

Via JMG:

Phillip W. Unruh and Sandra L. Unruh today filed a motion to intervene in the ACLU’s marriage equality case in Kansas. As laid out in multiple points in their brief, the Unruhs declare that legalization of same-sex marriage would constitute the literal theft of their straight Christian marriage, a property which is guaranteed to belong only to them per the Fifth Amendment.

The full brief is here.

via Joe. My. God.: KANSAS: Straight Couple Seeks To Intervene In Marriage Case Because Gays Literally Want To Steal Their Marriage.

A 74-year-old Navy veteran who challenged Idaho’s marriage equality ban so she could be buried with her late wife in Idaho’s state-run veterans cemetery will have her wishes respected after Idaho state officials agreed to allow the couple to be interred together.

via Lesbian Veteran Will be Buried with Her Late Wife in Idaho Cemetery – National Center for Lesbian Rights.

There are better ways of making an impact than casting pearls before swine

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Noah Michaelson, editor for HuffPo’s Gay Voices, takes on gay evangelical businessman Matt Stolhandske’s publicized offer of a $150,000 “olive branch” donation to a anti-gay Christian fundamentalist baker couple who refused to bake a wedding cake for a lesbian couple:

Well, guess what, Stolhandske? You are an apologist for homophobes. And this kind of anti-gay behavior shouldn’t be rewarded. While I don’t like to see anyone suffer, this wasn’t something that just happened to the Kleins. They willfully disregarded the law — they went so far as to close their store rather than offer their services to a gay couple — and when you break the law, there are consequences.

Besides, what kind of a message does paying for these people’s fine really offer? It’d be one thing if Aaron and Melissa had shown any sign of remorse for what they did or promised to change their behavior, but they haven’t, and it doesn’t appear that their minds (or hearts) will change anytime soon. Instead, they’d rather lose their business and put their family in jeopardy. And now Stolhandske wants us to co-sign their hate because of some misguided mumbo-jumbo about love and acceptance.

Michaelson provides a list of organizations at the end which would do more good with Stolhandske’s money.

via Here’s a Better Idea for the Gay Man Who Wants to Raise $150,000 for Anti-Gay Bakers | Noah Michelson.