May 7, 2009

More Evidence the Anti-Gays Are Coming to Terms With Reality. Sort Of.

They’re not happy about it, of course, and there will always be that core stubbornly stuck in LaLaLand, but we’re seeing more of them come around, and admit they’re losing the war.

From Hot Air — the most aptly-named right-wing blog on the Intertubes, which surprised me to no end with this piece that is essentially rational (albeit shrouded in the ever-present veil of imagined persecution):

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December 31, 2008

Judge Gives Green Light to Discrimination Suit in Ocean Grove Case

Backstory:

Ocean Grove Methodists Lose Tax-Exempt Status, September 21, 2007

The news is good — although the Anti-Gays will (as they have all along) twist this into: “See?! We told you gays want to force churches to marry them!” Never mind that 1) this has nothing to do with any church marriage, and 2) Ocean Grove Camp opened itself up to the lawsuit by denying its facilities after allowing the general public to use them.

Finally, notice that Ocean Grove Camp finally stopped renting its facilities to the public — which only reiterates the point we’ve been making all along, particularly in “Six Big Lies“:

If the facilities are “open to the public,” then yes, the owner could be sued for refusing to allow access to same-sex couples — or anyone else for that matter.

A Press-Enterprise article from late July … sums it up:

David Cruz, a professor of law at USC, an expert on sexual-orientation law and president of the International Lesbian and Gay Law Association, said religious institutions might be required to allow their meeting rooms or halls to be used for same-sex weddings if the religious groups already rent their facilities to the public. There has never been a court ruling on the matter, so the law is unclear, he said.

If a court does rule there is a requirement, it would be based upon long-standing state law that prohibits public-accommodations discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, not on the Supreme Court’s marriage ruling, he said. A religious group that does not rent out its facilities to the public would not be affected, because the facilities would not be considered “public accommodations,” he said.

The solution: Don’t rent your church hall to the public.

And now to the good news:

Civil Union Ceremony Victory
in Jersey’s Ocean Grove

The New Jersey Division of Civil Rights has handed a preliminary victory to a lesbian couple denied access to the Boardwalk Pavilion in Ocean Grove, which is owned by a religious group, the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, but a second lesbian couple was denied the same ruling because by the time they applied to use the space the association had stopped renting it out for private ceremonies.

Still, the favorable ruling, issued on December 29, suggests the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination may prove effective in ensuring the access of civil union couples to public accommodations within the state.

J. Frank Vespa-Papaleo, director of the New Jersey Division of Civil Rights, issued a Finding of Probable Cause on December 29, concluding the division’s investigation of a complaint filed by Harriet Bernstein and Luisa Paster. The couple had raised a public accommodations discrimination complaint against the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association after they were denied the right to rent the Boardwalk Pavilion for their civil union ceremony. The case now goes to a public hearing, at which an administrative judge will determine whether the anti-discrimination law has been violated and, if so, order a remedy on the couple’s behalf.

In addition to banning sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination, New Jersey state law specifically forbids discrimination against civil union couples by entities that provide goods and services to the public. The investigation showed that until this controversy arose, the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, which owns all the land in the Atlantic coastal town of Ocean Grove, near Asbury Park, had allowed couples to rent the Boardwalk Pavilion for wedding ceremonies, without regard to religious affiliation. …

More at the link.

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November 6, 2008

Ten Questions for California United Methodists Who Voted on Proposition 8

Rev. Gilbert H. Caldwell: “I am a 75 year old, African American United Methodist clergyman who was first ordained in 1956. I am straight and have been in a heterosexual marriage for almost 51 years. If I had been a resident of California, I would have voted No on Proposition 8 that defined marriage as being limited to one man and one woman. …”

I dare all Methodists (and all Christians, for that matter) who voted yes on Prop 8 to answer these questions.

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October 30, 2008

Article of Faith: Multi-Faith Leaders Stand in Support of Freedom to Marry

WASHINGTON — October 30 — Multi-faith leaders of the National Religious Leadership Roundtable (NRLR), convened by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, gathered Oct. 20 on the steps of San Francisco City Hall, where they sent a strong and unified call of support for the freedom to marry. They were joined by local faith leaders to amplify the message of treating all California citizens equally under the law. Californians will vote Nov. 4 on Proposition 8, an initiative aimed at eliminating the fundamental right of same-sex couples to marry. What follows is an Article of Faith recounting the multi-faith component of this gathering of faith leaders standing against a discriminatory measure.

It isn’t a usual occurrence for the steps of any city hall to be clad with clergy in their religious garb — yarmulkes, stoles, sacred scarves and jewelry. And it is most certainly not a usual occurrence in San Francisco. So to have over a hundred multi-faith leaders — rabbis, ministers, pastors, priests and priestesses — stand on the steps of the San Francisco City Hall and proclaim their opposition to California’s Proposition 8 was a profound moment.

What compelled many of those present were questions such as these:

In a time when war threatens and the economy teeters, do we really want to spend our time taking away the rights of two people who love each other enough to marry? In a world where hatred and violence claim the lives of countless children every day, do we really want to use our spiritual energy blocking people from acting on love and commitment?

Each of the religious leaders came to the same moral and theological conclusion: No we don’t.

Those African-American pastors amongst us — noteably the Rev. Dr. Bishop Yvette Flunder and the Rev. Kenneth Samuel — spoke of their rootedness in the Bible’s call to do justice, in their ancestors’ experience of slavery, and in their own involvement in the civil rights movement. Each of these compelled them — religiously and morally — to stand against taking away someone else’s rights.

Those Jewish rabbis amongst us — noteably Rabbi Peretz Wolf-Prusan — spoke of the Torah’s command “Justice justice, we must pursue.” The text repeats the phrase justice, say the rabbis of old, to emphasize that this is the word of God. But, also, it helps us understand that if we act on behalf of justice for all, we act for justice for ourselves. He noted that we are approaching the 70th anniversary of the “Night of Broken Glass” (Kristallnacht) when the Nazis began to move more powerfully against Jewish citizens of Germany. Too many stood aside as the Nazis enacted all of their work in a perfectly legal way. In these United States, none of us can afford to make that same mistake, so we must not stand aside when some rights are taken away.

Those Asian American Pacific Islander pastors amongst us — noteably the Rev. John Oda — spoke of the pastoral implication of a passage of Proposition 8. What does it say to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender members of our congregations — and to their children and families — if we single them out to have some of their rights as citizens removed? What does it mean for the rights of loved ones to visit in the hospital? To be able to protect their children?

Those Protestant clergy amongst us — noteably Bishop Marc Andrus and Bishop Mark Holmerud — spoke of all of the people in the pews for whom they stood. Lutherans and Episcopalians, Presbyterians and members of the United Church of Christ, Methodists and Community of Christ members, members of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches and many others stand for equality and justice and love.

This powerful moment on the steps of San Francisco City Hall highlights the importance of people of faith standing against that which is unfair, unnecessary and unjust.

The Rev. Rebecca Voelkel is the Institute for Welcoming Resources and faith work director for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

For more highlights of this multi-faith event, please click here.

The National Religious Leadership Roundtable (NRLR), convened by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, is an interfaith network of leaders from pro-lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) faith, spiritual and religious organizations. We work in partnership with other groups to promote understanding of and respect for LGBT people within society at large and in communities of faith. We promote understanding and respect within LGBT communities for a variety of faith paths and for religious liberty, and to achieve commonly held goals that promote equality, spirituality and justice.

The mission of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is to build the political power of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community from the ground up. We do this by training activists, organizing broad-based campaigns to defeat anti-LGBT referenda and advance pro-LGBT legislation, and by building the organizational capacity of our movement. Our Policy Institute, the movement’s premier think tank, provides research and policy analysis to support the struggle for complete equality and to counter right-wing lies. As part of a broader social justice movement, we work to create a nation that respects the diversity of human expression and identity and creates opportunity for all. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., we also have offices in New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis and Cambridge. The Task Force is a 501(c)(3) corporation incorporated in Washington, D.C. Contributions to the Task Force are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law. ® 2007 National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, 1325 Massachusetts Ave NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20005.

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January 21, 2008

Barack Obama and Kirbyjon Caldwell: Somebody’s Fibbing (Maybe Everybody)

1. Kirbyjon Caldwell — spiritual adviser to George W. Bush, pastor of Houston’s Windsor Village United Methodist Church, and senior pastor of “ex-gay” brainwashing program Metanoia Ministries — announces his endorsement for Barack Obama, and says he plans to campaign for Obama, apparently with the blessings of the Obama campaign: “I have been in contact with the Obama campaign team,” he said. “I will be making visits on his behalf.”

2. Gay folks and our allies go ballistic. Especially after the Donnie McClurkin flap.

3. I receive an email from a reader called “dbdors” whose panties are all in a twist because the link to Caldwell’s anti-gay ministry page (in this post) doesn’t work. Twisted-Panty Reader accuses me of lying, and concludes, predictably, that I must just be a Hillary supporter anyway:

It is a sad day in America when people resort to lies and plain fraud to discredit someone becasue of their choice of canditate.

Could you please explain why I cannot link to this website via www.kingdombuilders.com??? When I go to “care groups”, there is no such site.

Why is it that a Google search brings back a bad link? I know, it’s because you made this up!!

Why is it that I can’t register for the blog and leave a comment? I know, you don’t want any facts posted!!!

You want Hillary elected really bad don’t you!!

I read the email out loud to my better half, and as soon as we finish laughing, I reply to the Obamabot, mostly because I want to know what the heck “care groups” are. (So far, my hysterical little correspondent hasn’t responded.) I also explain that s/he did just leave a comment. Duh!

(P.S. to “dbdors”: You should be grateful I don’t sue your butt off for libel, twerp.)

4. I check the link to Caldwell’s anti-gay ministry page, and find it missing. Or, more accurately, it’s been scrubbed — deleted, suicided, tossed into the memory hole, gone — *poof!* — as nonexistent as Obama’s plan for a workable healthcare system.

5. Meanwhile, Matt Stoller notices the same thing.

6. But, thanks to the wonders of The Wayback Machine, I resurrect the original page from the dead. Some of the images are broken, so I check the properties of each broken image, figure out its original URL, copy the missing images directly from the live Kingdombuilders site, and reconstruct the page completely. I then tuck away the reconstructed page in case it’s no longer available on The Wayback Machine.

I also discover that the text of the original page is still on the Kingdombuilders site, in PDF form. (I save a copy of that, too.)

I also discover that a linked MSN Group (which may or may not have been affiliated with Caldwell’s church — but they liked it enough to link it), “The African American Recovery Corner” — has also mysteriously vanished.

Still, a directory listing at CrossDaily.com shows us the description of the group, presumably submitted by whoever ran it:

Site URL: http://groups.msn.com/TheAfricanAmericanRecoveryKornerTheArk
Title: The African American Recovery Korner
Description: An Christian support group for those seeking freedom from homosexuality. Although we believe that no one chooses to have homosexual desires, we do believe that you can choose to change your identity.
Top Category: Ministries & Organizations
Subcategory: Support Groups
City: Riverside
State/Prov./Region: California
Country: United States
Start Date: February 2, 2006 (719 days)…

(Heh… Couldn’t get enough momentum to keep your self-loathing homophobe group going a whole year, eh? *snort*)

I decide to search for other scrubbed pages, but before I start, I see that, in the meantime…

7. John Aravosis writes about the Caldwell dust-up, but concludes that there’s nothing to see here, so move along — and adds that “on this one we can give him [Obama] a pass” (I disagree, but I’ll take that up some other time):

I’ve talked to the Obama campaign about this, and they assure me of a few things:

1. Caldwell has not, and will not, be asked to do anything for the campaign (and this means, we hope, that Obama won’t be doing appearances with the man any time soon).

2. Caldwell was simply wrong when he told the papers this weekend that the campaign asked him to travel around the country on their behalf. In other words, Caldwell was freelancing when he called the paper for an interview.

My Skept-O-Meter is tweaked. I don’t doubt a word John says, but something smells fishy, and it’s coming from the Obama camp — where the people who run things either have a very short memory, or think you do. From the Washington Post, October 29, 2007:

“He’s more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ,” said Kirbyjon Caldwell, a Houston pastor who was on the tour and is backing on Obama.

The “he” Caldwell was talking about was Barack Obama. The “tour” was — you guessed it — Obama’s “Embrace the Homophobia Change” gospel tour.

“So?” the Obamaites will cry in unison. “It was one concert! Caldwell probably just got all fired up over Obama and went too far in saying he was ‘campaigning’ for Obama, when he’s never campaigned for him before!”

“Then,” I’ll respond, “I guess you’d better write to Washington Times reporter Christina Bellantoni and ask her if she was lying when she wrote this on December 3, 2007 — after the gospel tour, and before the South Carolina primaries”:

Religious leaders to hold Obama event

I hear that Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign will be doing a big event in Charleston, S.C., with several prominent black religious leaders in the morning.

Among them will be Kirbyjon Caldwell, the Methodist minister who delivered the inaugural prayer for President Bush and is a longtime friend and spiritual adviser to the president. Mr. Caldwell has been campaigning for Obama all year.

Ahem.

No, we’re not done with this Obama-Caldwell matter yet. There are more interesting things I’ll share with you shortly, but I want to get this entry up now.

I tell you, ‘though: The more I dig, the curiouser and curiouser this story gets.

Stay tuned.

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The Right Not to Tolerate the Intolerant

Over the next few days (or weeks, or perhaps months), we’re going to be talking a lot about Kirbyjon Caldwell, Metanoia, and “ex-gay” ministries — and, of course, Barack Obama.

But first, I want you to read something: a quote that prefaces the very first chapter of Chris Hedges’ amazing book, American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War On America. I’ll be referring to American Fascists a good deal as well in upcoming posts, but for now, I’d like you to focus on this quote (I mean, really focus, letting the meaning of each sentence seep into your bones), from The Open Society and Its Enemies by Karl Popper:

Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them. In this formulation, I do not imply, for instance, that we should always suppress the utterance of intolerant philosophies; as long as we can counter them by rational argument and keep them in check by public opinion, suppression would certainly be most unwise. But we should claim the right to suppress them if necessary even by force; for it may easily turn out that they are not prepared to meet us on the level of rational argument, but begin by denouncing all argument; they may forbid their followers to listen to rational argument, because it is deceptive, and teach them to answer arguments by the use of their fists or pistols. We should therefore claim, in the name of tolerance, the right not to tolerate the intolerant. We should claim that any movement preaching intolerance places itself outside the law, and we should consider incitement to intolerance and persecution as criminal, in the same way as we should consider incitement to murder, or to kidnapping, or to the revival of the slave trade, as criminal.

Re-read it a few times. Let it roll around in the back of your head for a while.

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Any gay person who votes for Barack Obama after this is, simply, an idiot.

From our eagle-eyed hero, AKATheKorman:

MCCLURKIN REDUX: Kirbyjon Caldwell, Pastor who will campaign for Obama, leads “EX-GAY” MINISTRY

I cannot believe this is happening AGAIN.

Kirbyjon Caldwell, former “spiritual adviser” to George W. Bush, will campaign for Barack Obama.

From the Houston Chronicle:

The Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell, longtime spiritual adviser to President George W. Bush and senior pastor of Windsor Village United Methodist Church, plans to campaign on behalf of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.

Caldwell said Saturday that he’s endorsing Obama’s presidential campaign because of the senator’s “character, confidence and courage.”

. . .

The pastor, however, said he has informed his congregation of his presidential choice and that Obama may even pay a visit to his church.

“I have been in contact with the Obama campaign team,” he said. “I will be making visits on his behalf.”

Caldwell, who gave the benediction at both of President Bush’s inaugurations, said he personally called the president to tell him of his decision. Bush, he said, was “OK” with it. His presidential choice will not affect their relationship, Caldwell said.

Source

In fact, Caldwell has already been on the campaign trail for Obama. His name was overlooked at the time, but a little digging reveals that Caldwell was also part of Obama’s S.C. gospel tour featuring “ex-gay” bigot Donnie McClurkin:

At the event, McClurkin said more about himself than the man who the concert was supposed to help, Obama. But the singer said the candidate “is standing for change” and “a man not afraid to bring different opinions to the stage.”

In fact, for all the criticism on the left for President Bush mixing faith with politics, some of the speakers essentially described voting for Obama as akin to a religious cause.

“He’s more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ,” said Kirbyjon Caldwell, a Houston pastor who was on the tour and is backing on Obama.

Source

Here’s the kicker: CALDWELL IS THE SENIOR PASTOR OF METANOIA MINISTRIES, AN OUTFIT WHOSE WEBSITE ADVERTISES “A PROGRAM CREATED TO PROVIDE CHRIST CENTERED INSTRUCTION FOR THOSE SEEKING FREEDOM FROM HOMOSEXUALITY, LESBIANISM, PROSTITUTION, SEX ADDICTION AND OTHER HABITUAL SINS.”

METANOIA is apparently an offshoot of United Methodist Church.

Here is a link to METANOIA’s website:

http://www.kingdombuilders.com…

This is actually WORSE than McClurkin. This man actually RUNS an organization that ministers to youth to “cure” them of their sexual orientation. These organizations result in severe psychological trauma and death to GLBT youth not to mention an environment that encourages violence and discrimination against gay, lesbian and transgender people. Obama supporters: tell your candidate that it is UNACCEPTABLE to have this man campaign for Obama again, no matter how much he “disagrees” with his message. This is the last straw, and if Obama allows this man to appear on his behalf I will do EVERYTHING in my power, including campaign for his opponents, to work against his candidacy.

This is so not over, folks. We’re going to be digging deep into Caldwell’s operation, and reporting to you what we find.

This is so not over.

Stay tuned.

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September 24, 2007

Barf Alert: “In the Works: Homosexuals Nix Church Tax Exemptions”

A columnist who goes by the totally made-up-sounding name of “J. Grant Swank, Jr.” makes up crap about the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA):

Liberals are going to wipe out church tax exemptions due largely to pressure from homosexuals.

Bruce Hausknecht, judicial analyst for Focus on the Family Action, said: “‘The state, local and federal governments all grant various tax exemptions to those organizations, because historically they serve a vital public function in the community that benefits all in the community, not just the members of a particular church. Since the government giveth, the government can taketh away those exemptions.’

. . .

In addition, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) before Congress would “grant special protections to homosexuals in the workplace,” per CitizenLink.

. . .

As to tax exemption: “Two lesbian couples who were denied permission to use a church group’s seaside pavilion for civil-union ceremonies have persuaded New Jersey officials to punish the group through revocation of its tax-exempt status. Proposed federal legislation could accelerate that trend.

. . .

“‘What’s happening in Ocean Grove is a perfect example of the dangers which will be at issue if ENDA passes,’ senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund Brian Raum said.”

What is making it difficult for the Ocean Grove Methodists to stand alongside biblical morality is that there is an aggressive group within the denomination demanding practicing homosexuality as a divinely approved lifestyle. They are scheduling seminars throughout the nation in order to push their agenda into every Methodist pulpit and pew. …

Gee, where are these seminars? Not that we want to join them, but stop them; we sure don’t want to be forced “into every Methodist pulpit and pew” — we like sleeping in Sundays!

But, seriously… Buffy writes:

Interesting how they consider ENDA “special rights” for us, yet all the laws prohibiting discrimination against them not “special rights”.

Nor do they consider their tax-exempt status a “special right”. And that claptrap about performing a “vital function to the community”? Spreading hate and working to cause greivous harm to people is not, in my book, a vital function to the community. But then maybe I’m just biased.

I say revoke the tax-exempt status of all religious organizations. Period.

…Which sounds right to us, while having nothing to do with ENDA, as “J. Grant Swank, Jr.” (doesn’t that sound like a Dudley Do-Right villain?) wants everyone to believe.

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September 21, 2007

Ocean Grove Methodists Lose Tax-Exempt Status

Lifesite isn’t too happy about it, but we are:

OCEAN GROVE, N.J., September 19, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced on Monday that it was stripping the Methodist Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association of its tax-exempt status for part of its property. The Methodist camp made the news earlier this year after it refused, for religious reasons, to allow a lesbian couple to hold a “civil-union” ceremony at a pavilion on the camp’s property.

. . .

Until recently the camp held tax-exempt status on its entire boardwalk property under a New Jersey program that gives tax-breaks to organizations that open up their property to the general public.

In June, however, Harriet Bernstein and Luisa Pester, a lesbian, filed a complaint with the state attorney general’s office on the basis of sexual orientation discrimination, after Ocean Grove refused to allow them to hold their “civil-union” ceremony at the camp’s pavilion. A second lesbian couple has also sued Ocean Grove. New Jersey’s anti-discrimination laws currently forbid those who “offer goods, services, and facilities to the general public” from “directly or indirectly denying or withholding any accommodation, service, benefit, or privilege to an individual” on the basis of sexual orientation.

. . .

In August, the Christian camp preempted the complaints currently pending against it by itself suing New Jersey state officials. According to the Alliance Defense fund, which is representing the camp, the attorney general’s office is violating First Amendment protections by investigating Ocean Grove. “Religious groups have the right to make their own decisions without government interference,” said Brian Raum, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund. “The government can’t force a private Christian organization to use its property in a way that would violate its own religious beliefs.”

See also:
Public advocate questions group’s ban on civil unions
Lesbian couple denied beachfront access for civil union
N.J. church group sues over gay ceremony
Judge may rule Oct. 1 on gay union motions

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September 12, 2007

Ocean Grove slaps gays in the face

Kate Walter recalls:

When I was a kid growing up at the Jersey Shore we made jokes about “Ocean Grave” and how they locked the town gates on Sunday and forbade driving and shopping (and how they’d probably outlaw breathing if they could get away with it). Those bans were ruled unconstitutional in 1979, but the town of Ocean Grove still hasn’t learned its lesson. This past Labor Day weekend the whole place—one square mile—was buzzing about its newest controversy. It was the first conversation I overheard on the boardwalk.

. . .

I knew immediately that he was referring to the two lesbian couples who wanted to have their civil union ceremonies in the boardwalk pavilion and whose requests were denied by the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, the Methodist group that founded the summer retreat in 1869. They own the pavilion, which is used for worship services and other activities, including the weddings of straight couples.

. . .

Politeness reigns in Ocean Grove, and politeness kept things friendly and civil for years between the Methodists and the gay and lesbian home and business owners who helped revive the decaying Victorian resort. … We stupidly thought the town was a risky investment. But the climate changed dramatically in the 1990s, and then whenever we visited, we noticed more and more gays and lesbians. Now we seem to be everywhere.

. . .

… When I saw that the Reverend Dr. James Forbes from New York’s Riverside Church was preaching, my friends and I decided to attend. …

Since I knew Riverside was famously liberal, I prayed the visiting minister would address the conflict. Even though he was not on his home turf, the Reverend Forbes got right into it and said, “So, I’ve been reading in The New York Times about some trouble here in Ocean Grove.” I elbowed my friend. “Everyone is God’s children,” he continued, “and that includes gays and lesbians.”

“Yes,” I said aloud, and started to clap along with about 50 other people in a room with about 500 worshipers. …

See also:
Gays only welcome if they know their place

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