Stonewall 2.0?

That's a phrase that has been only very recently birthed, refering to the passing of Prop 8 in California as a catalyst for a new phase in LGBT activism, similar to how the Stonewall riot in 1969 birthed the initial phase. A post by Rex Wockner on his blog Wockner advances that thought and offers a substantial body of support for it. Here are some excerpts.

Was it really just six days ago that I wrote here: "I sense the power could be shifting, from the suit-and-tie professional activists with their offices, their access, their press releases and their catered receptions, to the grassroots."?

Was it really just six days ago that I was apparently the first person to utter the phrase "Stonewall 2.0"?

It was. But I am not alone now. Let's have a look at what influential people are saying six days later.

From Daily Kos:
What we're seeing now ... is brilliant. ... These nationwide protests are a watershed moment of sorts -- the moment when the gay community realized that it had the power to fight for change on its own, and didn't require any of its so-called, self-appointed 'leaders' to give them permission to engage.

From Wayne Besen:
The leaders of what is being billed as Stonewall 2.0 are not coming from large, established organizations. ... That this huge outpouring of organic outrage is not being channeled through official organizational channels has enormous implications. ... We are not the same movement we were prior to Nov. 4. ... Organizations that do not adjust to this new reality will wither and die. ... Anti-gay forces unleashed a ferocious storm with powerful winds of change that will only end with the sound of wedding bells."

We have now indeed entered Activism 4.0 or whatever the hell you want to call it. Our "leaders" let us down and you -- you, the average gay or lesbian citizen who just wants to have equal rights and maybe even get married -- you have seized power by using Facebook and your blogs, e-mail and Twitter, MySpace and text-messages to launch a new gay movement -- one that can get 25,000 gays and lesbians into the streets of sleepy San Diego on a Saturday morning, one that got 12,000 people into the streets of New York to protest something that happened in California.

From recently out comedian Wandy Sykes:
"When California passed Prop 8 ... I felt like I was being attacked, personally attacked, our community was attacked. I got married Oct. 25. You know, I don't really talk about my sexual orientation, I didn't feel like I had to, I was just living my life and, not necessarily in the closet, but I was just living my life. Everybody that knows me personally, they know I'm gay. And that's the way people should be able to live their lives. We shouldn't have to be standing out here demanding something that we automatically should have as citizens of this country. And I got pissed off. They pissed me off. I said, You know what, now I gotta get in your face. And that's what we all have to do now. They pissed off the wrong group of people. They have galvanized a community. We are so together now and we all want the same thing and we are not going to settle for less."

LGBT people should not have to settle for less of anything in this or any other society on this planet. This kind of outrage followed by sustained and passionate activism will be the single most important factor in making that a reality.

Click here to read the rest of the post on Wockner.

Psalms Of the Soul

A new feature we're bringing to Straight, Not Narrow is to share what LGBT churches and ministries are doing to reach out and make a positive impact in their communities.

One way to do that is with music, like Pastor Debbie George of Living Water Fellowship in Kenmore, WA (the Seattle area) has done.

Pastor Debbie, who just blessed our church by leading worship at our annual Fall Renewal, has a new website titled "Psalms Of the Soul" featuring her music. There are MP3's to sample and purchase.

Here is an excerpt of what Debbie says about her music:

I often will “sing my prayers” and some of my most profound moments happen when I just hang out with Jesus and my guitar in my den, and pour out whatever is on my heart and mind. I do not worry about how I sound, or if I phrased something right. I am just real and raw with Jesus. As I release my heart, my concerns, or whatever else is on my mind, I can hear Him singing back to me words of love.

I am always amazed at how strengthened I am after one of these times of worship and prayer. It is in this realm of worship and intimacy that my songs are birthed and flow out during corporate or small group worship.

This is the testimonial I contributed to her website:

We've had the pleasure of having Debbie play at our church and in our living room.In both settings, the Holy Spirit just flowed out of her. She is a passionate, anointed woman of God, and that is clearly the foundation of her music. The joy of the Lord is present when she pulls out her guitar and starts praising Him in song.

Debbie's songs are very passionate and folksy. I encourage you to check out the site and sample her music.

Psalms Of the Soul

"Shake It Off and Move Forward"

That's the advice offered in a post on Bilerico that reflects on the aftermath of Amendment 2's passage in Florida.


This isn't the time to sit quietly by and shrug our shoulders at another loss for the LGBT community in our state. We need our statewide leaders and organizations to step up and galvanize our community and our allies.

And these protests need to extend to the groups (like the Florida Republican Party, the Catholic League, the Baptist League, and many other groups) that gave money and support to Amendment 2. We need to hold politicians accountable- like Governor Crist and others- and make sure there are consequences for their support of hate and bigotry.


We also need to be having conversations like this- figuring out where we went wrong and how we overcome it. Not in closed door meetings with the same leaders that ran these campaigns, but with the entire community.


I also think we need to be proactive. We cannot wait for the religious right to take this to court and try to take away more of our rights. We need to be shaping the argument now.


One thing is clear- we cannot keep sitting idly by while more of our rights are taken away. We had our time to mourn this loss, but now it's time to shake it off and move forward.


We need to regroup, get tough, and keep fighting.


It angers me that, in this day and age, there is still a group of people in this country that have to fight for basic rights that the rest of the population can take for granted, but that is the current reality.


I strongly agree with the points that oppoents of equality need to be held accountable and feel political and PR pain of their choice. It is also critically important that LGBT people don't let themselves slip into a victim mentality. That certainly would not be unjustified, but it also would not be constructive.

Utlimately the victory will not be won until people's hearts and minds are changed to where they truly accept LGBT people as equal members of society. We've seen laws changed and then changed back--that's how you can control behavior to some extent. It's when attitudes change that there can be a lasting victory and end the constant struggle and threat of having something taken away.


We need to follow Jesus' example here. He didn't come to Earth to pass legislation, he came to change hearts and lives of people so individuals could build His kingdom. He didn't leave His work to lawmakers and we shouldn't either.

Click here to read the entire Bilerico post.

A Time To Reflect On Renewal

Our church is having what we term "renewal" this weekend. Basically, we’re looking for God to renew our passion for Him and to show us what He wants us to do going forward.


As I was thinking about renewal, I likened what we’re doing at our church to what the United States is doing right now. The U. S. has collectively felt for a long time that the country was going in the wrong direction. Now that President-Elect Obama has been voted into office, I think the mood of the country is changing. Whether you voted for him or not, you have to admit that we’re all breathing a sigh of relief that the country might actually be able to get a "renewal" in the months and years to come. Sure, there are those on the religious right that are crying foul and preparing for Armageddon, but for those of us who aren’t right-wingers, we hope for a better day.


My personal hope is that the economy will take a turn for the better. I hope that President Obama will steer our country into a place where we will start to treat each other with respect as people and not worry so much about whether we agree with each other all the time. I hope that all of us will be able to come together as Americans to save our country that is in crisis.


Whether President Obama will be able to facilitate all of the change that he has said he wants to see happen, I really believe that he will help us move in the right direction again and I’m excited about that prospect.


So, let’s look forward with anticipation to the Obama years and pray for him and his family and all of the leadership of our country that God will grant them wisdom and keep them safe and bring all of our troops home soon.


God Bless America!

A Quick Look Back at What Was Once Heresy

Here are some definitions of the word "heresy" from Merriam-Webster's online dictionary:

1 a: adherence to a religious opinion contrary to church dogma b: denial of a revealed truth by a baptized member of the Roman Catholic Church c: an opinion or doctrine contrary to church dogma2 a: dissent or deviation from a dominant theory, opinion, or practice b: an opinion, doctrine, or practice contrary to the truth or to generally accepted beliefs or standards

Okay, I think you get the picture. Unfortunately, many, members of the LGBT community have had this word hurled or spewed at them when asked to be considered a member in good standing of "the church." People like me think "the church" is wrong by doing that. It wouldn't be the first time "the church" got something very, very important very, very wrong.

That is pointed out with a brief history lesson by Anthony Venn-Brown, one of the leading LGBT advocates in Australia. Here is a summary of the point from his website "The Great Heresy."

1. Once Heresy Now Truth--The world revolves around the sun

2. Once Heresy Now Truth--White and black are equal

3. Once Heresy Now Truth--Two people who love each other should marry no matter the color of their skin

4. Once Heresy Now Truth--Men and women are of equal value and worth

5. Once Heresy Now Truth--Same sex orientation, for a percentage of the population, is a normal expression of sexuality and occurs in all of creation.

Of course, #5 is a work in progress (heck, there are some folks that still don't get 2 through 4), but the point is that it took a while for the other positions of "the church" to change, but they eventually did.

So will the postiion on #5. It is happening even as a write this. Truth always wins out, but not without a fight.

There is much more to check out at "The Great Heresy." Thanks to Anthony for the heads up about his work.

"Vows Than Can't Be Voted Down'

An article in the Washington Post does an excellent job of putting last week's votes in California, Florida, and Arizona that made discrimination parts of those state's constitution in perspective.

While voters were (mistakenly, in my opinion) given the right to take away rights of same-sex couples to receive the legal benefit of marriage, they could not take the act of marriage itself away from them.

From Jennifer Donnelly in the Washington Post:

For months, it made me indignant to think that my neighbors, and the entire state of California, were going to vote on my marriage -- something so deeply personal and spiritual and uniquely mine and my wife's. I wondered: How could they? Why would they?

Then I realized that they wouldn't.

Because on Tuesday, California, you did not vote on whether or not I exist; I am here, and I live in your neighborhood. You did not vote on whether your children will learn about same-sex couples; they will, when they go to school with my child. You did not vote to prevent your children from growing up gay; they already are who they are. You voted on whether to give my family the same status that other families have. You voted on civil marriage rights, not rights having to do with religious marriage or spiritual marriage. No vote can pass judgment on my actual marriage.

I was deeply saddened when Californians approved a state constitutional amendment this week banning same-sex marriage. But I remain married to the love of my life. I jumped the broom with her six years ago.

This article speaks to the truth that marriage is more than a legal agreement--at it's very heart is a covenant relationship between two people in love.

And that, folks, is not up for anyone to vote on.

Click here to read the rest of Jennifer Donnely's article.

It's About Education

To me, one of the most interesting and troubling issues during this recent election cycle was the issue of education. How can one be against education, you ask? Beats me, but there was a substantial faction of the electorate that held Barack Obama's education against him as proof of his "eletism" while celebrating the fact that Sarah Palin was a "hockey mom' without a great amount of depth on major issues.

It is also interesting to me that the mainstream media is often criticized for leaning to the left, but what does that say when people closest to the news and issues who should therefore be the most educated on the facts and implications of them largely skew progressive instead of conservative?

Knowledge is good. There, I said it.

Here are two excerpts from the Bible that point to the value of knowledge.

Isiah 53:11 (prophesy about the coming of Jesus): After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.

One of the powers that Jesus received from God was knowledge. If he did not have understanding, how would he lead, how would he teach?

In Isiah 56:10, we see the other side: Israel's watchmen are blind, they all lack knowledge; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they lie around and dream, they love to sleep. They are dogs with mighty appetites; they never have enough. They are shepherds who lack understanding; they all turn to their own way, each seeks his own gain.

Isn't that interesting, a lack of knowledge and undestanding are responsible for people turning to their own way, seeking their own gain.

I believe this was the single most important factor in the adoption of more discrimination in Californina, Florida, and Arizona on election day. So does Wayne Besen in a column titled "Prop
8 and Race."

Uneducated people - black, white and Hispanic - often derive their power from physical strength. They perceive being gay as weak and antithetical to real manhood. By voicing support for gay rights, they lose status and often fear rivals may perceive them as gay. The easiest way to gain status is dissing faggots. I see this attitude all the time in Brooklyn - in the gym and on the basketball court, where I often play. (Not the best sample, I realize this)

Meanwhile, educated people of all races gain power by outsmarting opponents - not beating them up. This creates a safe space to support gay rights and not lose social status. (Unfortunately, the fact that the conservative black church is a central organizing point for politics makes even educated blacks less likely to vote for gay rights. But, this is secondary to education levels.)

It is understandable that black support for anti-gay efforts drives white gay people nuts. It is difficult to understand how people affected by bigotry can promote bigotry - as if they are selfish people who learned all the wrong lessons from the civil rights movement. But, remember, uneducated people - of all races - are not students of history. They react to the environment around them, which often rewards homophobia.

(Compounding this perception problem is that the vast majority of overt homophobia experienced by urban gays comes from black people. In places like New York City, you almost never hear a white person say “faggot”. But, we hear this from uneducated blacks too often. This makes the problem seem worse than it is. We often forget that we moved to places like New York to escape uneducated whites in rural areas that were just as openly homophobic. In other words - it is about education - not race.)

We can't allow ignorance to rule the day. Wayne has suggestions to help this along in his column. Click here to read the rest of it.

The Religious Right Declares War on LGBT Rights

From Pam's House Blend:

Thus far, 30 states have outlawed homosexual "marriages" by an average close to 70% approval by voters through amendments to the state constitutions. In addition, the voters in Arkansas yesterday approved a measure banning unmarried couples from serving as adoptive or foster parents. It will be the goal of Christian Coalition to ensure that the other 20 states adopt similar amendments banning homosexual "marriages" including the states of Massachusetts and Connecticut which also had two judicial decisions, by one vote margins, legalizing these abominations.

The energy being expended on finger-pointing needs to be turned into an effort to strategically plan a path forward. With their party out of power at the federal level, the religious right has thrown down the gauntlet, and has an issue to use to empty the wallets of the uninformed and bigoted.

All the Dems, including the President-elect (and in my case, Kay Hagan), who knowingly chose to conflate religious and civil marriage at our peril, have to be held accountable going forward to lend a high-profile voice against this pressure from the right. Hiding behind personal faith is not
going to fly. Questions in the light of this --

* How can we best mobilize to rise to this challenge?
* Are our advocacy organizations ready to deal with this in an effective manner?
* What is the plan at the state level to educate legislators who will be cornered on this issue?

As usual, Pam makes some excellent points, and I would like to add a couple.

*Don't let the Religous Right co-opt discrimination as the "Christian worldview" without being challenged by LGBT Christians and their allies.
*Pray to the Lord for justice to be done in our society. His sense of justice does not include discrimination and blesses love and comitted, covenant relationships.

Moving Beyond the Mixed Message of Election Day

History was made last night with the election of Barrack Obama, who will become the first African-American president of the United States.

As I scanned the various networks subsequent to Obama surpassing the magic number of 270 electoral votes, I saw several instances of African-American journalists, often with great emotion, proclaiming how this was validation of the idea that anything was possible in this country. Lest that be confined to the alleged media bias to the left, even conservative pundit William Bennett chimed in with that sentiment during CNN’s coverage. This monumental event has filled many Americans with a desperately needed injection of hope.

The optimism of unlimited possibilities was denied to members of the LGBT community, however, as discrimination against them was voted into the constitutions of Florida and Arizona and probably California. Residents of these states join those in 27 others that have adopted similar bans against same-sex marriage in recent years.

For most LGBT Americans, possibilities are indeed limited. They are still lesser citizens, required to share equal tax burdens with their straight countrymen but not equal rights. Depending on where one lives, LGBT people still have no rights to legally marry, share property, visit sick partners in hospitals, adopt children, or protection from being fired from their jobs because of their sexual orientation.

Despite this current reality, however, there is still hope.

Back in April of 1968, I was a young boy living with my parents just across the border of the District of Columbia in a Maryland suburb. We were close enough to ground zero of the riots that broke out following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that a vacant house directly behind us was burned to the ground, nearly taking ours with it. Neighbors pitched in to help water down our garage and save our home, then took turns patrolling the streets holding loaded shotguns to protect their loved ones from more violence.

If someone had told me then that we would have an African-American president elected in my lifetime, well, even to a nine-year old that would have seemed pretty far-fetched.

It just so happens, though, that I am still alive and, God willing, will see Barrack Obama inaugurated as our 44th president in January.

Things often don’t change as quickly as we think they should, but they do eventually change for the better. God is good, and good always wins out over evil in the long run. Jesus was quoted in John 16:33 (NIV):
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Freedom will prevail over discrimination because the Lord wants us to be free, and he has already prevailed. There will be a time when LGBT people will claim victory and obtain their rightful, equal, place in American society. Sadly, it may be too late for some of those currently fighting the good fight, but their efforts will not be in vain, just like Dr. King’s life and actions helped pave the way for President Obama.

I therefore encourage my LGBT brothers and sisters to claim the promise of victory from our Lord and the hope that goes along with it as the struggle for equality continues.

What Are You Afraid Of?

For those of you who will vote tomororow in states that are considering constitutional amendments that would prohibit same-sex marriage (especially Proposition 8 in California and Proposition 2 in Florida), I ask you onto consider one important question as you cast your ballot:

What are you afraid of?

How does the prospect of same-sex couples receiving the full legal rights of marriage change anyone else's life?

How does the right for same-sex couples to transfer property and visit each other in the hospital just like traditional married couples hurt you?

How does the fact that Bill and Tom can marry hurt Joe and Jane's marriage?

How does Sue and Sally's legal right to marry threaten to increase the divorce rate which usually hovers around 50%.

I believe that if the right of same-sex couples is a threat to your marriage, that is more of a reflection on the health of your relationship than it is an indictment of anyone else.

I believe that the notion of homosexuality being sinful, even in committed relationships, says more about your lack of understanding of the power of God's love than it does any sinful behavior on their part.

Are you afraid of being wrong, that what you've been taught all your life was a mistake, perhaps even an intentional life?

It's never too late to correct that.

Casting a vote for equality in marriage would be a good step in that direction.