Called to be One

Program Advisor Arrested in Sit-In Demonstrating for Marriage Equality

2009-05-30T13:23:00.005-06:00

Soulforce In Colorado Stages Sit-In: Draws Public Attention to the Injustice of Proposition 8

"Tuesday afternoon, approximately 100 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Coloradans protested outside Denver's Wellington E. Webb Municipal Building. At 3:45pm, several couples and individuals entered the Denver City and County Clerk and Recorder's office to stage a sit-in and nonviolent civil disobedience. Denver residents (and members of Soulforce In Colorado) Kate Burns, Lewis Thompson, Laurin Foxworth, John Ferguson, and Shari Wilkins were arrested at approximately 4:45pm. The arrest occurred after a young heterosexual couple entered the clerk and recorder's office to obtain a marriage license and were unable to do so because of the sit-in that blocked business as usual."

Read the rest of the article by clicking here. The couple who were interrupted in their attempt to obtain a marriage license later commented supportively of the demonstrators and their purpose for staging the sit-in.

John Ferguson is a leader in the Denver Chapter of PFLAG (Parents, Friends and Family of Lesbians and Gays) and was an advisor to the Called to Be One program on April 2nd entitled "Religion and Its Impact on Attitudes Toward Gay and Lesbian Families." A video of the sit-in demonstration and arrest can be viewed at YouTube.

Obama nominates lesbian parent for U.S. Attorney

2009-05-22T12:54:00.002-06:00

by Robert DeKoven
Published Thursday, 21-May-2009 in issue 1117 of gay and lesbian times

President Obama announced this week that he is nominating openly lesbian Seattle attorney Jenny Durkan, 50, as U.S. Attorney for the federal district serving Seattle.

Durkan was formerly legal counsel to Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire. Not only is she the first openly gay U.S. Attorney to be nominated, but she and her partner are the parents of two children. This is even better news, because as a parent she will be sensitive to the effect of GLBT marriage inequality on children.

Click here to read more. Gay and lesbian families and the impact of religious attitudes on them was the Called to Be One Planning topic at our April 2nd program.

Continuing the Conversation: Religion and Its Impact on Attitudes Toward Gay and Lesbian Families

2009-04-03T06:42:00.006-06:00

Last night's event was well received by an audience of about sixty people. Our three panelists, Elizabeth Bennett, Eugene Howard and Keith Swain, shared stories about their lives in and out of church, and the audience engaged the topic at their own tables. Lelanda Lee, a professional anti-racism trainer and member of the Called to Be One series' planning team, moderated the panel's conversation.

Bennett talked about her engagement in a push-pull process, presently from a space outside the formal church body, as she writes, speaks and prays about moving the church to more inclusivity of LGBT people. For Bennett, a lifelong church member who deeply loves her religious upbringing and traditions, and who says she has been very welcomed and loved in her local church community, it has been very difficult to walk apart from her church at this time. She finds it too painful to remain in a church where some of the sacraments are not extended to LGBT people, such as the blessing of same sex marriages and ordination to the episcopacy (becoming a bishop).

Howard shared his journey from a fundamentalist religious background where messages of condemnation of gays was the norm to his being joyful and intentional about living openly as a gay man, being fully who he is in the world. He and his partner and two young sons worship in a welcoming and affirming church as a family. Howard says that the approach his partner and he take to raising their sons is to speak openly and directly about important topics so that his children know that they are loved and cherished and their family and home are safe space.

Swain talked about a special calling that he believes LGBT people have, which is to love those who don't know gays and who may even have antipathy for gays. He told a story of how he was partnered with a religious fundamentalist in a writing project and how he felt called to invite the other person to dinner in his home so that the man could meet his family and see how normal their lives are. Swain also said that he views participation in the church as one of the ways in which families are normalized, because church participation supports and affirms family life. He pointed out that just like in straight families, his teenage son now is grappling with whether or not he believes in God.

The evening also featured the film "The Constant Process," a documentary portrait of the life and theology of the Rev. Susan Russell, a lesbian priest who is the president of Integrity, the LGBT organization in The Episcopal Church. Russell tells the story of how she discerned the call to become ordained and how she came to realize her identity as a lesbian after having been married to a man and raising two children.

Russell said the important question is "Do you love," and not "How or what gender person do you love." Russell indicated that part of her journey has been answering a call to action even when she had never considered doing it before, because God sometimes taps a person on the shoulder, and the call is irresistible. "Doubt is not the opposite of faith," Russell pointed out, in talking about her journey as a lesbian person of faith, stating, "Fear is." She pointed out that it is impossible to separate call from sexual identity from God's mission for us.

The film’s director, Douglas Hunter, is a devout Mormon who has been deeply moved and challenged by his subject. "The engagement of the 'other' was so important in the teaching of Jesus that it had to have a place of centrality in my own faith," Hunter said in a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times. As he made the movie, Hunter found the ingrained attitude toward gays that he had absorbed as a part of his faith begin to change.

Morris Price, from the Gill Foundation, and John Ferguson and Sandy Wilbanks of PFLAG—Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, helped to plan the evening’s event.

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The audience was invited to continue the dialogue by posting their responses to last night's program and discussion questions, which are shown below:

Last Night's Topic:

Greg Movesian, Canon Steward at Saint John’s Cathedral and a member of the planning team, explained: “We aren’t asking whether gay families are okay. At Saint John’s, we know it’s okay to be gay. The focus here is on how well religious denominations are measuring up to their responsibilities toward the gay individuals and families in their congregations. Too many gay people are feeling marginalized by the faiths that should be welcoming them and they’re wondering—like the line in the Clash song—‘Should I stay or should I go?’ and that’s just not okay.”

Last Night's Discussion Questions:

1. What did the speakers say that was surprising to you? What did you learn?

2. Identify some religious attitudes that have impacted gay and lesbian families. What do you think / how do you feel about those attitudes?

3. What are your hopes for religious entities and their attitudes towards lesbian and gay families? What part do you see yourself playing?

Religion and Its Impact on Attitudes Toward Gay and Lesbian Families

2009-03-31T12:58:00.008-06:00

The Called to Be One anti-discrimination series is focusing on "Religion and its Impact on Attitudes Toward Gay and Lesbian Families" at its April 2nd program. We are posting links to articles which contribute to the discussion and Web sites about this subject. We hope that you will find them helpful. We invite you to add your comments to this blog.

Black ministers discuss homophobia in black churches at Howard University School of Divinity forum

It was a lively discussion today at the Howard University School of Divinity in Northeast Washington, DC, where a panel of fair-minded black ministers gathered to discuss the hot topic of homophobia in black churches. This was the first time the Howard University Divinity School Student Government Association has held a forum specifically focused on LGBT issues. The panel was hosted by People for the American Way (PFAW), the National Educational Association (NEA), and the African-American Ministers Leadership Council. [Click here to link to the full article.]

LGBT Activism as Ministry

A speech given by the Rev. Rebecca Voelkel for the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry at Pacific School of Religion on January 27, 2009. The Rev. Rebecca Voelkel, an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, is the Institute for Welcoming Resources Faith Work Director for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

"One of the ways my Central American experience continues to inform and inspire me is that it was the context that emboldened me to come out as a lesbian. Because I was interacting with women and men who were fearless, I was called to face my own fears. And, at the time, my deepest fear was my own internalized homo and trans-phobia. Although I grew up in a UCC context with parents who were very supportive of lgbtq people, I knew that there were many, many barriers that would stand in my way if I were to name both my growing awareness of my sexual orientation and my desire to pursue ordained ministry." [Click here to link to the full article.]

The Constant Process

A short film of the theology, activism and spiritual journey of the Reverend Susan Russell.

Susan's story is compelling in that her faith and her sexuality are inextricably tied. Her lifelong spiritual journey from being a self-described "cultural Christian" to becoming a priest, led directly to her coming out as a lesbian. This is a challenging idea for many within Christianity who regard homosexuality as a grave sin and reject the notion of a lesbian in the priesthood. Yet Susan's most intimate experience of the divine is one of confirmation that she should be the person and the priest that God made her to be.

Susan is a senior associate at All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, CA. She is the president of Integrity USA and a member of the Human Rights Campaign's religion council. She has been featured widely in the media from Good Morning America, to CNN, to the Boston Globe, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and many others. [Click here to link to the film’s Web site.]

Being honest with each other

2009-02-25T11:03:00.002-07:00

Last week, Eric Holder, the nation's first African American attorney general said that our country is "a nation of cowards" and that we are afraid to discuss racial issues openly.

"If we're going to ever make progress, we're going to have to have the guts, we have to have the determination, to be honest with each other," he said.

The February 19 article that reports on Mr. Holder's speech at the Justice Department can be found at http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_11735473.

Just how gutsy do we dare to be? Called to be One was created with determined honesty in mind, and a guiding principle among the planners was to do away with "political correctness." But still, it's hard. I find it hard and I'm known for being outspoken. I've never been afraid to stand up for what I believe to be right; I've frequently shouted that "the Emperor has no clothes" when I'm in a "group think" situation and I've suffered for it.

But that's different to hurting others. As I've gotten older, I've become more concerned about hurting others through my bluntness. I know how chance remarks can cut deep and last for years—I've been on the receiving end of enough of them.

As we debriefed after the first session, one of the Planning Team remarked that it was unfortunate that none of the people who disagreed with Rene Marie's position had the guts to stand up and say so. I mentioned that I was ambivalent. That when I'd first read of her actions last year, I thought they were definitely wrong. Comparing it to my former life as an actress, I noted that if you're hired to play Lady Macbeth, you don't show up and start performing Ophelia. It would be plain wrong.

Months later, I now understand why Rene Marie took the action she did, and I applaud it. But I'm still not sure if she chose the right venue to make the point.

How to say that at a microphone in the cathedral? How to say it without being offensive? How to do it in conversation, instead of in sound bites? So I remained quiet. I had no wish to offend two such wonderful people who have done so much for civil rights. I had no stomach to risk being misunderstood and labeled.

If we are going to overcome the cowardice that Eric Holder decries, we'll all have to cut each other a little slack if our bravery seems a bit too blunt.

The upcoming sessions of Called to be One will be moderated by Lelanda Lee, a trained dialogue facilitator. The issues at stake are much too important to walk on eggshells. The conversations may make us uncomfortable, but if we remember that other people have marched and died for social justice in this country, a little discomfort doesn't seem too much to ask. I'm willing to try it. Please join me.

--Mandy M. Rigg

Beginning the democratic dialogue: What are we prepared to do?

2009-02-24T09:36:00.016-07:00

It's not enough merely to attend and listen. That's a beginning. Our hope is that after you left the Cathedral on February 12th, you also continued to ponder the stories that you heard, and to consider your own story and those of your family and friends. How has your experience of America, the beautiful, been affected by your experience of life in America . . . as you were growing up? as a student or young employee in your first jobs? as a parent and a community member? What is it that you would like to say to us and to each other? We invite you to use this blog to post your comments.

Getting ready for the Called to Be One segment featuring singer Rene Marie in conversation with Dr. Vincent Harding, co-founder of Veterans of Hope.

Dr. Harding introduces Rene Marie in Saint John's Episcopal Cathedral in Denver.

Rene Marie sang her arrangement of Voices of My Beautiful Country and talked about how she was inspired to compose it. Go to her Web site at http://renemarie.com/ for a free download of the musical suite.

For a detailed commentary on the evening with Rene Marie and Dr. Harding, read pundit Jason Page's Living Archive blog at http://livingarchive.wordpress.com/2009/02/. In it, Jason challenges us with these words: ". . . President Obama has made the call, offered the challenge and set the table. No matter the metaphor, the conversation has begun. And with the help of the great Dr. Harding and the controversial Rene Marie, a small diverse crowd gathered in the Episcopal Cathedral to heed that challenge and experience the inspiration that is art for social change. This gathering of people were prepared to have that democratic dialogue and help to re-invent an America that is committed to healing and hearing stories. . . . Having had this experience and in sharing it with the Archive, I ask the reader and the larger audience, are we armchair political wonks and Monday morning quarterbacks? Or are we players for change, establishers of a new America? Participants in a new conversation. What are we prepared to do? How bad do we want to redeem ourselves from a violent history and forgotten soldiers of faith and change? For me, it begins with democratic dialogue. And I challenge myself, my colleagues, loved ones and adversaries to step out of our collective comfort zone of complacency. Heed our leader’s challenge and spark that dialogue where it seems most impossible."

Please consider making a donation to support the Called to Be One dialogue series, which is made possible by a generous matching grant from the Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado. Send your check payable to Saint John's Cathedral marked "Called to Be One" on the memo line to 1350 Washington Street, Denver, CO 80203 or donate by credit card by calling Canon Steward Greg Movesian at (303) 577-7711. Your support is important and appreciated.

Voices of My Beautiful Country

2009-02-15T22:37:00.016-07:00

"Voices of My Beautiful Country" featuring singer Rene Marie in conversation with Dr. Vincent Harding was attended by almost 300 people on Thursday evening, February 12th, at Saint John’s Cathedral. So many RSVPs had come in that plans to hold the event in Dagwell Hall were soon abandoned in favor of the larger worship space that could accommodate the crowd.

Download for free the entire “Voices of My Beautiful Country” three movement suite composed, arranged and sung by Rene Marie at http://www.renemarie.com/. This is Rene Marie’s love song to her beautiful country, America. You can read her July 2008 statement under the News tab where Rene Marie describes how she came to create “Voices of My Beautiful Country.”

Dr. Vincent Harding’s interest in Rene Marie and her musical creation “Voices of My Beautiful Country” arises out of his lifelong commitment to a healing-centered approach to community-building that recognizes the interconnectedness of spirit, creativity and citizenship. The Veterans of Hope Project was founded by Dr. Harding and his late wife, Rosemarie Freeney Harding, as the vehicle to share that commitment. Learn more about The Veterans of Hope Project at http://www.veteransofhope.org/.

Rene Marie . . . in her own words

I was born into a family of nine in a very small town in Virginia. Music played a pivotal role in my life from the very beginning. It was at home that I learned the value of telling the story behind the music and how powerfully that story can move the listener and impact one's life. I had one year of formal piano lessons when I was nine years old and another year when I was 13. The rest of my musical ability seemed to come to me naturally. As a teenager, I sang in a band at musical functions in my neighborhood. I composed and sang my first piece in the band when I was 15.

At the age of 18 my boyfriend and I joined a very strict religious group, got married and stopped performing in public—for good, it seemed. Four years later, I was a mother of two sons and found myself inculcating in them a love for music the same way my father had with me—by example. Many mornings I awakened them with Aaron Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man". Other times, we would 'dance' the story of Maurice Ravel's "Bolero". At night, I would compose lullabies, making up verses until they fell asleep.

In January 1996, I was 41 and working full-time at a bank when my oldest son convinced me to start singing again. I started out singing one day a week in a smoky bar of a Ramada Inn for tips only. My husband became displeased with the amount of time I was spending with music. On the last day of 1997, he issued the ultimatum that I either stop singing or he would force me to leave our home, and I chose to leave after 23 years of marriage. Eighteen months later, I had divorced my husband, produced my first CD, quit my job at the bank and signed onto the MaxJazz label.

Between 2000 and 2004, I recorded four CDs on the MaxJazz label and have won several awards, both domestic and international, for those recordings. In 2005, I decided to make my own way, call my own shots. In 2006, I decided to work on a one-woman show. In 2007, I released "Experiment In Truth."

I have never forgotten the early lessons learned about the power of music. Today, I try to imbue that feeling of emotion into every song I write—every song I sing—every time. I am very happy to be singing today.

Dr. Vincent Harding

Professor Emeritus of Religion and Social Transformation, Iliff School of Theology, and Founder of the Veterans of Hope Project

Dr. Vincent Harding has a long history of working for peace and justice as an activist, counselor and teacher of spiritually based social activism. He and his wife, Rosemarie Freeney Harding, began their work in the Mennonite Church in Chicago in the late 1950s. They moved to Atlanta in 1960 to join with Martin Luther King, Jr. and others as reconcilers and nonviolence trainers in the Southern Freedom Movement. Dr. Harding worked as Dr. King’s speechwriter and was the first director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Center in Atlanta. Dr. Harding has written numerous books, including Martin Luther King: The Inconvenient Hero, and he was consultant to the award-winning PBS television series, Eyes on the Prize.

Dr. Harding received his bachelor’s degree from City College of New York, a master’s from Columbia University, and a doctoral degree from the University of Chicago. Before becoming a professor at the Iliff School of Theology, Dr. Harding taught at Pendle Hill Study Center, University of Pennsylvania, Temple University and Spelman College.

In 1997, Dr. Harding and his wife founded The Veterans of Hope Project as a multifaceted educational initiative on religion, culture and participatory democracy. The Project encourages a healing-centered approach to community-building that recognizes the interconnectedness of spirit, creativity and citizenship. Educational materials are designed to support reconciliation, nonviolence and an appreciation for the value of indigenous and folk wisdom for contemporary times. Through a video interview series with older peace and justice activists; an accompanying curriculum; workshops and training in compassionate leadership development; and a public symposium series, the Project emphasizes grassroots resources for social change from the wisdom of varied local communities. The Project documents and shares the transformative histories of “long distance runners” for peace and justice--passing on the values, faith and practices that have guided their lives and work. In March, 2004, Rosemarie Freeney Harding passed on. Dr. Harding and their daughter, Rachel, are continuing the Project's work.

Telling the Story of Us

2009-02-06T14:56:00.002-07:00

“Telling the story of us” frequently introduces things that may be viewed differently, because we each see through our own lenses that have been formed out of our individual life experiences. Our differences are what give texture and dimension to us as we live side by side in our neighborhoods. Yet, it is difficult to value differences in others that we do not understand. Not seeing differences is equally as damaging as discriminating on the basis of differences.

We struggle with questions like: How should I respond when you say that my perceptions or my choices are wrong? What are the steps that we must take to turn our neighborhoods into communities?

One way to respond, a very first step, is to begin talking to one another, to begin hearing each other’s stories. Getting to know “the other” breaks down barriers to understanding.

Greg Movesian says, “Because of the polarization that is so prevalent in our country, we believe that this is the time to bring people together who disagree, no matter how deeply, to hear each other, to understand each other, to find a commonality in our shared humanity, even if we continue to disagree.”

It is precisely because there are deeply held feelings and strong differences in the way we perceive the world that it is important to bring controversial topics into the light of day. Then we can hear and seek to understand our sisters and brothers with open hearts. I am grateful that Saint John's Cathedral fosters dialogue in our community. There are far too few places that do this important community building work.

--Lelanda Lee

Our Approach from an Interfaith Perspective

2009-01-19T11:11:00.004-07:00

As Archbishop Desmond Tutu said in his address to the Australian Parliament in 1994, “Racism opposes God.” This understanding is common to many religions, including those rooted in the Abrahamic tradition: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Both the inner struggle of the individual and the social struggle to identify and root out racist and other discriminatory biases find support in these traditions. It is something on which we can all collaborate even as we confront the biases we may have against each other in the process.

A fundamental part of the way we approach Anti-Racism and Anti-Discrimination training is to establish how all people are actually more similar than different by using some family systems exercises around cultural roots, culture being very broadly defined to include factors such as being raised in a rural vs. urban setting, types of jobs held in the family, etc. in addition to the obvious factors such as ethnic background, countries of origin, immigrant experience, color of skin, etc. Storytelling becomes very integral, because it is in the telling of the stories that we become part of one another’s story.

In the Judeo-Christian tradition, we tell stories, from the Passover recitation to the Eucharistic Prayer, so that we become a people of the stories. Christ IS sacrificed for us, not WAS sacrificed. The Passover Seder reminds us that the mighty deeds of the Almighty that delivered Israel out of Mitzraim were done “for us” and not only for our ancestors.

In like fashion, from the Muslim tradition we read from Q-News, December 2004: Director of Khayaal Theatre, Luqman Ali, a keen advocate for storytelling observes: “The tradition of storytelling is integral to Islam because it is integral to life, to who we are and to the unfoldment of creation. Stories are more important because they allow us to conceive of things spiritual and unseen. It is for this reason that Allah tells the Prophet, peace be upon him, that the stories of the prophets were related to him ‘to establish your heart.’ After all, storytelling was a central role of the Prophet, peace be upon him, himself in his bid to stimulate the transformation of the first Muslim community. The story of Islam is more important than the dogma.”

--Greg Movesian