Summer 2000 Newsletter on this page... Other Sheep attends Rome 2000 gatherings: ILGA World Pride ...and more |
Other Sheep Summer 2000 Newsletter Outreach to Sexual Minorities with the Christian Communities of the World Ruth Marner editor – email: marner@compuserve.com Inside this Newsletter
ILGA, Other Sheep, and World Pride, Rome 2000
(Danish Quaker, residing in Brussels, Belgium) volunteered to represent Other Sheep at the International Gay Lesbian Association Conference and the World Pride Rome 2000 celebration, both events which took place July 1-9 in Rome. There was also a special Pre- conference, "The Separation of Faith and Hate: Sexual Diversity, Religious Intolerance and Strategies for change," sponsored by the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission. Father Jerry's Eye-Witness Report: Jerry Cleator, O.P. (Ecumenical Liaison, Other Sheep, Mexico City) email: cleator@infosel.net.mx
March. The Preconference brought together about 100 people from around the world. It highlighted the oppression which sexual minorities face and showed some places where people are working within the churches themselves for change. Other Sheep, happily, is not alone. The main point of the conference, however, was to emphasize the need to separate church from state so that particular religious confessions could not infringe on the human rights of sexual minorities. The World Pride celebration was hailed as Stonewall 2000. Sexual minorities in Italy have their legal rights established, but suffer a lot of moral oppression. This was their chance to bring the large sexual minority population out of the closet and into the public arena. They were highly successful. The week's activities were front page news in the papers. There were up to 700,000 participants and spectators in the parade which took four hours to pass by. We of Other Sheep marched in the parade with our banner (in Spanish), "God Loves Us" Four people among the thousands, we still got our picture taken a lot and and gave several interviews to the press. It was a real celebration. The Vatican really helped, playing right into the hands of the Pride organizers. It gave them the enemy they needed to rally the troops and also helped prove their point, that while gay rights in Italy look great by the books, there is a lot of subtle and not so subtle discrimination and repression. So by trying to squelch the whole celebration the Vatican brought out more people and more media coverage. Welcome to WOW 2000
want to be really effective as we "act locally"? Do sister movements and organizations in other nations constitute a threat--competition for the scarce funding available for our local needs--or can a sense of world mission and solidarity in international networking actually bring to our local efforts perspectives and resources essential to their health and growth? These are the kind of questions that will be explored in a panel and workshop, Friday afternoon, August 4, at the WOW conference in De Kalb, IL. Panel members will include:
The panel will be chaired by the Rev. Dr. Tom Hanks, Other Sheep Executive Director, Presbyterian, who has served in Latin America since 1963, author of "God So Loved the Third World: the Biblical Theology of Oppression" (Orbis, 1983). Latin America News, John Doner - email: jpdoner@acnet.ne John Doner, Other Sheep coordinator for Latin America, teaches English in Mexico City, where he lives with his partner of 18 years, José (Pepe) Hernández.
ecumenical Christian support group for GLBTTs (Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals, Transgendered and Transsexual persons) and friends. Two Genesis leaders work with the Other Sheep team: Marco Morales (dentist and hotel reservations supervisor and treasurer of Génesis, who will be at WOW2000) and Eduardo Gonzáles (former president of Genesis). Genesis celebrated its third anniversary in April 2000 with about 120 in attendance in each of the two Sunday meetings of the week-long celebration. Our principal ongoing activity is the 5: 00 pm Sunday celebration, a time of singing, prayer, a talk related to our Christian life as gays, frequently including work in small groups, and socializing. Average attendance is about 70. Approximately 30 of us marched with thousands of others down Paseo de la Reforma and Juárez Ave. to the Zócalo in Mexico City's 22nd Gay Pride March on June 17th (one week early because of the Mexican presidential election), and we gave a clear and strong witness to God's love with large vertical banners which were very visible. We also yelled slogans such as "If Christ is not dead, then where is he? Christ is in us, demanding freedom!" and "Christ understands you, he defends you from hate! Christ is your friend and therefore goes with you!" (They rhyme in Spanish!) A friend observing our participation in the march from the Independence Angel Monument quoted a lady next to him saying, "Are they homosexuals too?" What a tremendous witness to God's inclusive love! The Rev. Jerry Cleator, O.P. has formed a group for gay priests and ministers, which meets once a month in order to discuss the situation of gays in the Church and to offer mutual support. In Mexico the situation is particularly difficult for these men since the churches are so homophobic, and they would lose their ministries if it were discovered that they are gay. Jerry is also part of a Catholic study group of social activists. The group meets monthly and is trying to study in depth the situation of sexual minorities in the Catholic Church, with the idea of forming a plan for change. In addition, he is part of a new committee which will concentrate on non-violent demonstrations in order to create awareness of the problems of gays within the Church. They are adapting Mel White’s Soul Force program to the Mexican scene. John and Pepe spent January 2000 on a mission trip to the seven principal cities of Central America: Panama City; San José, Costa Rica; Managua, Nicaragua; San Salvador, El Salvador; Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, Honduras; and Guatemala City. Their purpose was to visit the then existing Christian ministries with lesbians and gays in San José and Managua and to search for potential local Christian leadership to develop ministries in the other five cities. Groups are now being organized in Panama City (Ricaurte Garrido, leader) and San Salvador (Mario Bran, leader, who hopefully will be at WOW2000), and John and Pepe are in contact with potential leaders in the other three cities. A trip report is included in the Spring 2000 Other Sheep News.
continental Latin American countries. In addition, John is in close contact with Tito Salas (who also plans to be at WOW2000) and others in Caracas, Venezuela, where they are about to begin a spiritual support group they are calling "Otras Ovejas" (Other Sheep). A recent project for John was the development of a directory of all Christian ministries with GLBTT in Latin America in an attempt to foment contact among the different groups and thus reduce the sense of isolation that is so common as a result of the great distances that separate them. Periodic distribution of materials to the documentation centers throughout Latin America, now 60 in number, continues. We have just published "Salir del Clóset" ("Coming Out"), the third in a series of booklets on homosexuality and Christianity. Included is Jerry Cleator’s testimony of "coming out" to himself and others at the age of 40. The first two in the series are "Existe homosexualidad en la Biblia?" ("Does Homosexuality Exist in the Bible?") by Eduardo González and "Una carta a mi amiga" ("A Letter to my Lesbian Friend") by Alvaro Olvera, both members of Genesis, Other Sheep’s Christian support group in Mexico City. Now that we have the "trilogy", our task is to get them distributed and sold! Still on the back burner is the translation into Spanish and publication of a book on homosexuality and the Bible. However, this hopefully will soon move to the front now that Daniel Helminiak’s revision of his best seller, What the Bible Really Says about Homosexuality? is available. USA - Pioneering in Richmond, Indiana - Barry Cramer Other Sheep, P.O. Box 2448, Richmond, IN 47375; (765) 966-4458; Email: BarryC44@go.com
worship program on Ecumenical Welcoming Sunday, January 30, was well received. "Extending the Welcome: A Challenge to Congregations," was the first ecumenical program of its type in the area and attracted over 60 people. Since then:
preparation for their upcoming wedding;
auspices of PFLAG, was enjoyed by the members and guests who participated;
sexual orientation, intimacy needs, and ordained ministry; * a local congregation has invited me to participate in an adult forum later this summer on the issue of inclusive ministry; and * a canoe trip or other social event hopefully will materialize with my help before Summer's end. * flyers, which I printed and circulated, urged same-sex couples to utilize the "unmarried partners" category for the relationship question on the U.S. Census questionnaire. In spite of the challenges and frustrations I continue to believe in the importance of this ministry and my call to it. Please continue to pray for its vitality and endurance. Other Sheep Co-Sponsors Conference with Psychiatrists Alice Kitchen, M.D. – email: alicekitchen@earthlink.net
psychiatric community in St. Louis. Board members Alice Kitchen, M.D., Peg Atkins, and Gordon Herzog helped design the half-day program for GLBTs and their allies during the visit to St. Louis by two gay psychoanalysts, Ralph Roughton, M.D. and Susan Vaughan, M.D. Kitchen, who is also the chair of the Committee on Homosexualities of the Eastern Missouri Psychiatric Society, said that over 200 people attended the conference,, which was called "GLBTTs, Our Straight Allies and Our Evolving World." Of those 200, Kitchen said that about 50 were "straight allies." The conference featured representatives from three educational and professional organizations, seven gay organizations, and three community organizations. The Other Sheep’s workshop focused on GLBTs and spiritual communities. Thirty-two people attended the OS workshop. The panel included board members Gordon Herzog and the Rev. Dr. Bob Goss (the convener). Also on the panel were a man from a Jewish Reform congregation very inclusive of gays, a straight Presbyterian woman minister, a lesbian representative of the Episcopal Cathedral, and a gay male Episcopal priest in a committed same sex relationship who is the vicar of a suburban mission. St. Louis Chapter information: Dorothy Gannon, email: issiah58@freewww.com or: Peg Atkins, email: atkinspegdoug@juno.com
concentrate instead on other activities through the Winter and Spring. We helped plan the "Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgendered People, Our Straight Allies and Our Evolving World," the April Sunday afternoon program co-sponsored by Other Sheep and written of elsewhere in this issue. Two of us have served on the Planning Committee for WOW2000, and others have worked to publicize the conference in our area. The Chapter's experience in ecumenical outreach to affirming congregations and individuals has served as the base for a newly formed Committee on Religious Endorsement of Civil Rights, a project of the Privacy Rights Education Project (PREP), the statewide educational and political action group for GLBT civil rights. With our knowledge of the faith community, Other Sheep has played a major part in enlisting the support of leaders in every denomination. The leaders have appointed representatives who know best how to approach the people within their denomination who want to become informed on equalizing civil rights for GLBT. The Committee will advise PREP on materials needed, and will alert religious groups when response to issues is needed. The sixth annual Other Sheep Fall Picnic in the Park, a time of fellowship and sharing, is in the first steps of planning. In this area, where few denominational affirming groups exist, many of us still find Other Sheep to be the source of spiritual enrichment that gives GLBT and their allies strength to work within our own churches. Doug and Peg Atkins Win PFLAG Award
by the St. Louis Metro Chapter of the Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) organization. The award was given at the group's June 17 meeting. The award is named in honor of the founders of the chapter and is given to a PFLAG member or couple who have made significant contributions to the organization over the past year in its mission of support, education and advocacy of Lesbian and Gay civil rights. The Atkins, board members of Other Sheep, became involved in a myriad of activities after the death of their son, Thomas, in 1987. He told them just ten days before his death that he had AIDS and was Gay. Since then, the Atkins have worked tirelessly to end discrimination against sexual minorities. Among their many activities include working as founding members of the National Presbyterian AIDS Network and the St. Louis AIDS Interfaith Funeral Assistance Committee. They are active in the Privacy Rights Education Project (PREP) and Other Sheep Multicultural Ministries with Sexual Minorities. They are also working to amend the civil rights codes of Kirkwood to include sexual orientation and are currently conducting outreach to African Americans who might want to join PFLAG. Resources GOOD NEWS ABOUT GOOD BOOKS - Can You Pass the Test?
most months since its original publication in 1994? From all we have heard and read about that scandalous "gay lifestyle" in homophobic media caricatures, you might assume it would be something of the erotic/ pornographic genre. To the contrary, it has been the sober, learned work of Roman Catholic priest and theologian (and Other Sheep advisory board member), Daniel A. Helminiak, What the Bible Really Says about Homosexuality (New Mexico: Alamo Square, 2000), now out in an updated and expanded "Millennium Edition." . In the Preface to the new edition he writes "I am deeply indebted to Thomas Hanks of the international ministry Other Sheep…for their generous pointers to recent scholarship that needed to be included in this revised edition" (p. 15). After years of emailing between Argentina and the USA, I am looking forward to meeting Daniel at the WOW conference, where he will lead a workshop. If you liked the first edition, you'll love the second one.
more "bookophobia" in homophobic circles: Lewis C. Daly's A Moment to Decide: the Crisis in Mainstream Presbyterianism (New York: Institute for Democracy Studies, 2000). Daly traces efforts throughout the century, reaching back to the political and business empire of J. Howard Pew in the 1930’s, to duplicate in the Presbyterian denomination the kind of fundamentalist takeovers of that Missouri Synod Lutherans (1972) and Southern Baptists (19XX) have suffered. Although focusing on Presbyterians, treatment of forces such as Promise Keepers and organizations with parallel entities in other denominations make the book more widely relevant for discerning how millionaires produce "populist" lay organizations to carry out their bidding. Available ($18 plus shipping) from Presbyterian Pipeline (800-227/2872).
Because when Pilgrim Press incorporated the "final editing" on Tom Hanks’ The Subversive Gospel: A New Testament Commentary for Liberation (Cleveland: Pilgrim) the computer compressed the file and then refused to decompress it. So editing and proofreading began again July 1, finished July 15, and the book will not be available until Fall. Someone who knows the manuscript well (but not from Pilgrim) recently wrote with suggestions for improving The Submissive Gospel (which is hardly the point of the book!). Also scheduled for publication by Pilgrim Press this fall is Take Back the Word, a collection of essays on the Bible edited by Webster University Professor and Other Sheep board member The Rev. Dr. Bob Goss. By December Bob hopes to have finished the manuscript for his new book on gay theology, Jesus Came Out, with translation into Spanish projected as soon as the manuscript is completed. Bob was awarded the prestigious Templeton Course Prize for his course in religion and science on the problem of evil. Email: goss@webster.edu Other Sheep Videos
A discussion led by Susan Vaughan, M.D., lesbian psychoanalyst, clinician, researcher and author from Columbia University, New York with "A" and "K" and their experiences in "reparative therapy" and the "Ex-Gay" movement. (2000) "Homosexuality and the Bible" A discussion by leading theologians – Dr. Robert E. Goss (Webster University), Dr. Dale Martin (Duke University), Dr. Saul Olyan (Brown University), Dr. Deidre Good (General Theological Seminary), Dr. Ken Stone (Chicago Theological Seminary). (1998). "Mission Jesus Style" A report of the trip of John Doner and Pepe Hernandez through Latin America bringing the Gospel to Gays and Lesbians and establishing Resource Centers in each country. (1994). Please send check for Ten Dollars for each video you desire, made out to Other Sheep with your address: Other Sheep 319 N. 4th St. #902 St. Louis, MO 63102-1936 Download more resources from Other Sheep Websites:
www.otrasovejas.org (Spanish, Mexico) "Gay y Cristiano? Si!" How To Reach Other Sheep:
Phone: (1-314) 241-2400 Fax: 241-2403 E-mail: osworldwide@aol.com The Rev. Dr. Tom Hanks, USA Executive Director: Lavalle 376-2D, 1047 Buenos Aires, Argentina; Phone/Fax 011-(54-11)-4314-5989; E-mail: thanks@thanks.wamani.apc.org |
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| "I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them in also." John 10:16 |
| Other Sheep Newsletter Summer 2000 Outreach to Sexual Minorities with the Christian Communities of the World Ruth Marner editor – email: marner@compuserve.com |
| Other Sheep Websites Other Sheep English Other Sheep Spanish Argentina Other Sheep Foundation Other Sheep East Africa Executive Director |
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"I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also."
John 10:16 NRSV
John 10:16 NRSV