Lez Keep It Real

Seriously.

Not everything is a slam at the Christian right for Pete’s sake. I have an idea — let’s ban anything and everything that seemingly has to do with promoting the “gay lifestyle.”

Because really, that’s what it’s all about. Our main goal in life is to shove our homosexual agenda in the face of all religious and conservative groups and individuals in hopes of brainwashing them and forcing them to commit destructive and unholy behaviors.

I don’t know about you but my main goal in life is to be happy and enjoy life. That has nothing at all to do with conservative or the Christian right.

And neither does this:

(Reedsburg, Wisconsin) 365gay.com ~ An elementary-school event in which kids were encouraged to dress as members of the opposite gender drew the ire of a Christian radio group, whose angry broadcast prompted outraged calls to the district office.

Students at Pineview Elementary in Reedsburg had been dressing in costume all last week as part of an annual school tradition called Wacky Week.

On Friday, students were encouraged to dress either as senior citizens or as members of the opposite sex.

A local resident informed the Voice of Christian Youth of America on Friday.

The Milwaukee-based radio network responded by interrupting its morning programming for a special broadcast that aired on nine radio stations throughout Wisconsin.

The broadcast criticized the dress-up day and accused the district of promoting alternative lifestyles.

“We believe it’s the wrong message to send to elementary students,” said Jim Schneider, the network’s program director. “Our station is one that promotes traditional family values.

“It concerns us when a school district strikes at the heart and core of the Biblical values. To promote this to elementary-school students is a great error.” READ MORE

Here’s a little tid-bit of advice for the Christian right … It’s not always about you!

The principal of the school put it best when she said, “our purpose was not to promote cross-dressing, homosexuality or alternative gender roles. Our purpose was to have a Wacky Week, mixing in a bit of silliness with our reading, writing and arithmetic.”

The only thing “wacky” about this situation is the Christian radio show that made such a stink about this in the first place. Kids play dress up all the time. It has nothing to do with cross-dressing. It’s fun to simply pretend to be someone or something else.

If you let a kid dress up in an animal costume, does that mean you are promoting bestiality? See how absolutely ludicrous that sounds?

Let kids be kids for crying out loud. Quit trying to make everything an issue or a crusade. It literally makes me sick.

wacky week, cross-dressing, pineview elementary, voice of christian youth of america

I’m home today catching up on some sleep because I had a rough night sleep last night. I tossed. I turned. I sat awake for a couple hours. Unfortunately, I don’t really have a reason why. It was just one of those restless nights I guess.

Anyways, since I was sleeping most of the day and enjoying the day I didn’t have too much time to scour the Internet for news stories, or pick my brain for a personal reflection or two. So, here’s what you are going to get.

Straight from our friends at the Rainbow Sash Movement:

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It’s so refreshing when any prominent religious figure steps forward to articulate his or her beliefs in such a way that they not only make sense, but they capture the true spirit and meaning of beliefs based on love and faith rather than fear and hate.

That’s why I have to give some props to Jay Bakker, son of Tammy Faye and no stranger to the scandalous ways of evangelical politics. Bakker is distancing himself from his father, a former televangelist who ended up behind bars (big surprise) and took a page or two from his mother who showed him her book on how to be “radically welcoming and inclusive.”

From the Statesman:

To that end, Bakker calls himself “gay affirming” and has taken some hits since stating publicly that he does not believe homosexuality is sinful. Reading from Ephesians, Bakker told the packed church, made up mostly of gay and lesbian families, that even though they may have felt unwelcome in churches in the past, the Bible says all believers are one in Christ.

“I don’t know if Focus on the Family wants to admit it or not, but we are one in Christ with them,” he said. “I don’t know if we want to admit it or not.”

He praised the families who are planning to speak to megachurches for the Soulforce campaign.

“I’m so glad to be part of a movement that’s going to change the world,” he said.

Jay Bakker  is a 30-something, tatted, intelligent fellow who conducts services for his Revolution NYC church in a bar in Brooklyn. If that doesn’t make him down right “cool” as James Dean in your book, then I don’t know what will.

Furthermore, he’s on a mission to confront churches who spread anti-homosexual ideology.

I’ve got three words for Mr. Bakker … you go boy!

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“It’s the same, old song … but with a different meaning …” la, la, la. I love that song. I’m a fan of Motown, have been ever since I was little. Though I didn’t grow up in that era, I can appreciate the simplicity of the lyrics and the harmonious arrangements.

Here’s a song I’m sick of hearing. It goes something like this, “I was gay but then I turned to God and he made me straight,” la, la, la.

When I hear this song, I just want to turn the dial.

(more…)

Seeing as how there are numerous news stories these days of conflict between faith and sexuality, more significantly, Christians and Homosexuals, I thought it might be a wonderful idea to swap blogs with April Gilford of Life as a Christian Woman.

I know many loving and welcoming Christians, and April is one of them. She is understanding, compassionate and, in my eyes, the perfect example of what God intended a good Christian to be. She is not unique, however. There are many people out there like her. Unfortunately, with the news today, you often hear about those Christians who tend to twist the words of the Bible and act from a place of hate rather than love for their own personal agendas. At the same time, you often hear about homosexuals who bash organized religion or who lump all Christians together in one discriminating group. I’ll let you in on a little not-so-secret. There are just as many homosexuals who embrace religion, as there are Christians who embrace homosexuals. April and I wanted to take an opportunity to show that side. So here it is. A Christian perspective on a gay and lesbian blog.

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I’m just going to let this particular little ditty speak for itself …

(Johnson City, Tennessee) The minister of a Baptist church has been charged with indecent exposure and driving under the influence, and police officers say he propositioned them.

Tommy Tester, 58, of Bristol, Va., was wearing a skirt when he was arrested last week after allegedly urinating in front of children at a car wash, police said.

Police also said Tester offered to perform oral sex on officers who were sent to the scene.

Authorities identified Tester as the minister of Gospel Baptist Church in Bristol and an employee of Christian radio station WZAP-AM in Bristol.

There was no immediate response Tuesday to calls to the church and Tester’s home.

WZAP issued a statement Monday asking for prayers and saying Tester had been suspended during an investigation.

“We pray this matter can be quickly resolved,” WZAP owner Al Morris said in the statement.

Tester was released on $1,000 bail. A hearing is scheduled for Oct. 25. ~ 365.com

Sigh.

The more this happens, the more I chuckle to myself and think … And we gays are the ones with the issues?

Please Advise: this post is not meant to say that all members of the Christian faith are wacked out. I am a spiritual person myself and I do share many of the same Christian beliefs as others. What I have issue with aren’t the many Christians out there who preach love for every human being, but those Christians who preach hate against homosexuality all while simultaneously exposing themselves to little children, engaging in illicit sexual encounters with the same sex and dabbling in drugs.

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I’m feeling a little feisty this morning. Could be because of a certain story I read in the Houston Chronicle.

Murder suspect says he was doing God’s work

A Cypress man charged in the death of a Southwest Airlines flight attendant said Saturday that he was doing God’s work when he went to a Montrose-area bar last month, hunting for a gay man to kill.

“I believe I’m Elijah, called by God to be a prophet,” said 26-year-old Terry Mark Mangum, charged with murder June 11. ” … I believe with all my heart that I was doing the right thing.”

Interviewed in the Brazoria County Jail Saturday morning, Mangum said he feels no remorse for killing 46-year-old Kenneth Cummings Jr., whom relatives described as a “loving” son who never forgot a holiday and a devoted uncle who had set up college funds for his niece and nephew. He worked at Southwest for 24 years.

READ MORE

This incident is a perfect example of what can happen when you teach someone to hate. Only, he believed he was “doing the right thing,” because the hate in this case was being taught through the use of the Bible. If you think this is an isolated case, think again. This is not a rare example. This kind of thing is happening more and more, and what’s worse is that the people committing these crimes truly and wholeheartedly believe they are justified in doing so.

Think about some of the more radical Christian Youth Camps where kids not only swim, eat pillowy marshmellows by the campfire and sing songs while holding hands, but are also taught, through interpretations of numerous passages in the Bible, to hate.

Now, I know these are extreme cases. But, they exist. The whole basis of Christianity is to “Love thy neighbor.” Not “Kill thy neighbor.”

Besides, last time I checked … committing murder was also a sin. I guess there’s an exception if the victim is homosexual.

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And we all thought coming out Christian was hard … not to lessen the difficulty, but in my opinion there are more open-minded Christians than there are open-minded Mormons.

NPR’s Alex Cohen put together an audio report on how Mormons grapple with their faith and sexuality.

For Ben Jarvis, the tension between Mormon teachings and his sexuality led him to leave the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. But Affirmation, a support group for gay, lesbian and bisexual Mormons, has helped Jarvis and others retain and share traditions, whether or not they are “officially” church members.

Listen to Ben’s story.

The Mormon faith has always puzzled me. It appears to be so much more strict than other religions and then there’s the whole excommunication aspect. Imagine having an entire group of people, with whom you have bonded spiritually and wholeheartedly, turn their backs on you. There are numerous resources for gay Mormons, however, that have been established and set up by others who have struggled with the same religion and sexuality conflicts. You can read other stories and find support almost anywhere on the Internet. There’s no reason to feel alone or to suffer in silence. Others have already tread the path you now walk. Take advantage of their advice and learn from their lessons. That is, if you want to. As with anything, there is always a choice. You can choose to face your sexuality or you can choose to be blind to it.

The choice is yours.

Any Mormon who would like to weigh in on this, feel free …

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The Rainbow Sash Movement (RSM) announced that they will be challenging the practices of the Catholic Church this Pentecost Sunday, May 27. RSM members wear a simple 2-inch wide ribbon of rainbow colors across their shoulders, and respectfully present themselves to receive communion.

Priests have withheld communion from people wearing the rainbow sash in prior appearances by the RSM. According to Joe Murray, US Convener for the RSM, parishioners have taken it upon themselves to share their wafer with ribbon-wearing churchgoers, much to the consternation of the priests.

“For some reason,” says Murray, “Church officials have chosen to go against their own teaching, that individual conscience is paramount in guiding the individual to spirituality. These ill-advised bishops cannot possibly know our hearts when they deny us communion. They actually turn the Holy Eucharist into a weapon of division and exclusion.

“American bishops have a history of viciously opposing equal rights and even civil rights for people whose lifestyle is not ‘traditional.’ In Chicago and New York, they stooped to working against job and housing rights for gays and Lesbians. Today, they are still demanding a 13th century lifestyle where they are the arbiters of right and wrong. They are hopelessly out of touch.”

Murray adds, “Pentecost Sunday celebrates the reunion of ALL of humankind to the Light of God. In this spirit of unity, we will be joined by straight people, bi-sexual people, transgender people, tall people, short people, fat people and thin people. It’s time the bishops catch up with their own congregations.” Announcing their intentions in advance, and asking bishops again to drop their phobic and unscriptural antagonism to people with different orientations, the RSM send the following letter:

Eminences and Excellencies:
The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

I am writing to inform you that members and supporters of the Rainbow Sash Movement will be entering Cathedrals and parish churches around the nation on May 27, 2007, Pentecost Sunday. We come as part of the people of God. Pentecost represents God’s gracious, enabling presence actively at work among Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender people, calling and enabling us to live out in dynamic ways the witness of being part of His people.

Our Catechism defers completely to moral conscience: “In all he says and does, man is obliged to follow faithfully what he knows to be just and right.” This obligation to follow our individual consciences is at the heart of church teaching on moral matters. Truthfulness calls us to disagree with you about Gay Marriage. Would you have us jump the broom stick as slaves did in the past to marry? War and Poverty are the plague, not gay marriage.

I call on you stop manipulating language to hide the reality and truth about Gay and Lesbian marriage and adoption. Such behavior is fruitless. These efforts reflect an hysteria focused on sexual acts. Our lifestyles are far less about sexuality than they are about relationships, exactly the same as heterosexual unions. Your strategy of pitting Social Justice Concerns against Family values and Pro Life issues is smoke and mirrors. It is more an expression of prejudice than any kind of a real argument. Your actions are a sign of diminished moral authority.

Pentecost is a celebration of newness, of recreation, of renewal of purpose, mission, and calling as God’s people. It is a celebration of God’s ongoing work in the world. Yet, it is also a recognition that His work is done through the diversity of His people as He pours out His presence upon them.

The Rainbow Sashes that we wear reflect that we are part of the diversity that is the Church. It is our hope you will not use the Holy Eucharist as a tool of degradation. In the past your decision to do so unjustly denigrated a group of people simply for who they are.

One’s conscience, thoughtfully and honestly formed, supersedes other influences. This is a central tenet of the Catholic faith. Your model of “Error has not right” is not pastoral. How can you know what is in our hearts when you reject us and withhold communication.

Sincerely Yours in Christ,

Joe Murray
US Convener

**This was a recent press release sent out by the RSM **

Somehow I don’t believe that this is significant to the catholic church. I know plenty of fear mongering Christians who preach in the name of the Lord and then teach their children the practice of hate through discrimination of gays and lesbians. I understand that the RSM is trying to make a point here, but why not join a positive church community that accepts all people?

There are plenty of these kinds of churches out there, instead of spending time beating your head against the Catholic church wall
spend time rejoicing with other like minded spiritual individuals.

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There are so many people who talk about the gay agenda, how GLBT organizations are constantly shoving their rights, view and opinions down the throats of every day people in hopes to influence them and make a lasting impact on society. I don’t consider myself part of the so-called gay agenda because I don’t have an agenda. I’m gay and I believe that I am entitled to the same rights as everyone else, sexuality aside. It’s as simple as that. When you think about it, the word “agenda” has a sort of sly connotation to it, as if someone is trying to pull a fast one on you. I personally don’t think that the gay community is trying to pull the wool over anyone eyes. But, there are some organizations in this country that do have an agenda of sorts. They claim to be acting in the name of religion, when they actually have another plan in mind – converting homosexuals to heterosexuals, otherwise known as ex-gay therapy.

Ex-gay therapy has been around since the 1960s, especially since being gay was once considered a psychological disorder. Could you imagine getting sent to a psychiatric hospital simply for being gay? Thankfully, in 1973 the American Psychiatric Association announced that homosexuality would no longer be considered an illness. In fact, the APA began warning against the use of reparative therapy for homosexuals because of the dangers it posed to their mental health and well-being. Eventually the use of such tactics subsided but has made a somewhat recent comeback in religious communities because of the growing tolerance and acceptance of gays in America. The religious right panicked and began offering group sessions, sermons, speeches, and the like to professed homosexuals within and outside of the church. They formed organizations that dealt specifically with combating homosexuality as if it were an addiction like crack or alcohol.

The most well known ex-gay programs are offered by Love in Action (funded through a national organization known as Exodus International). They are rigorous programs run by individuals who profess homosexuality can be “cured.” Apparently it was used to “cure” Reverend Ted Haggard, a well-known evangelist out of Colorado Springs, who was found romping around with a gay male prostitute. There was also the famous ex-gay couple John and Anne Paulk who appeared on the cover of Newsweek in 1998 proclaiming that they were a happy, healthy heterosexual couple. Fast forward a couple of years and Paulk was spotted out at a gay club mixing it up with other “sinners.”

There are others who have gone through these same ex-gay programs only to realize that after months of wasted time, money and energy they are still gay. They start to think … “well, maybe God did make me this way after all.” With not-for-profit organizations like Beyond Ex-Gay sprouting up all over the place, gays who struggle with their identity because of their strong religious convictions finally have other places to turn.

To those poor souls who have embarked on the ex-gay journey, I say this: you can shed your outer skin, you can toss your rainbow flag into the garage, you can marry the opposite sex legally and even have children, but you will never be able to change your sexual orientation. Sure, you can hide from it. You can even curb it. But it will never go away. It is a part of you and by denouncing something that makes you who you are, you are merely denouncing yourself.

The ex-gay agenda is basically based on fear. The religious right is so dumbfounded with the direction of acceptance in this country that they don’t know what to do with themselves. They feel backed in to a corner so to speak and are grasping at straws. Maybe they think, “If we can just get a few to come back to our side …” that they’ll have more of an influence. But those who truly believe in a higher power and that we (homosexuals) were created from the soil on up just as Adam and Eve, also know that we are loved unconditionally by the very hand that created us. To try and change something that is as innate as walking upright is as illogical as it is absurd.

All you have to do is read Christine Bakke’s story to feel the full impact of what it means to be an ex-ex-gay. She has risen up whole, accepted her faith and her sexuality. And she is a better person for it.

You see…the ex-gay agenda isn’t really so much of an agenda … it’s really more of a myth.

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I remember having to write a paper on homosexuality in my religion and sexuality course in college. This was before I came out but had already decided that yes, I was in fact a big fat scary lesbian. I chose the topic of homosexuality because it “spoke to me,” or at least that’s what I told other students. Truth be told, I chose that topic because I considered myself to be a spiritual person of sorts and wanted to know what was really said about being gay in the bible. Was it really as horrible as some people made it out to be?

I found out, through my own research and interpretation that there were many, MANY, contradicting statements regarding the ever-thought provoking topic of homosexuality. And nowhere did I find the complete, written sentence: homosexuality is wrong.

There are things that are said and plenty of things that are left unsaid.

A good resource to look at is “What the Bible Says - And Doesn’t Say - About Homosexuality.” It’s written by Rev. Mel White, co-founder of Soulforce, a religious organization that calls for the freedom of political and religious oppression against gays, lesbians, transgender and bisexual people through nonviolent practice and resistance.

In this 24-page booklet, Mel White puts forward these eight premises:

1. Most people have not carefully and prayerfully researched the Biblical texts used by some people to condemn God’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender children.

2. Historically, people’s misinterpretation of the Bible has left a trail of suffering, bloodshed, and death.

3. We should be open to new truth from Scripture. Even heroes of the Christian faith have changed their minds about the meaning of various Biblical texts.

4. The Bible is a book about God. The Bible is not a book about human sexuality.

5. We miss what these passages say about God when we spend so much time debating what they say about sex.

6. The Biblical authors are silent about homosexual orientation, as we know it today. They neither approve it nor condemn it.

7. The prophets, Jesus, and the Biblical authors say nothing about homosexual orientation as we understand it today. But, they are clear about this one thing. As we search for truth, we are to “Love one another.”

8. Whatever some people believe the Bible seems to say about homosexuality, they must not use that belief to deny homosexuals their basic civil rights. To discriminate against sexual or gender minorities is unjust and un-American.
- Soulforce.org

Though I received an A- on my paper, I wonder … had I had a book like this at my disposal maybe then the inner struggle I faced when approaching this sensitive topic would have been less intense.

That and maybe I might have gotten an A + instead.

For a futher look at relgion, visit Find Relgion, 451press’s blog on everything relgious and more.

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