Pride Events at St. George's: Maplewood

As a courtesy to a longtime Sponsoring Congregation of the OASIS, we are sharing word of the following events to take place at St. George's Episcopal Church in Maplewood to commemorate LGBT Pride Month:

• On Sunday, June 3rd at 12:00 p.m. (following the 10:30 Eucharist service), noted civil rights leader Joan M. Garry will lead a forum entitled LGBT People, Bullying, and the Deeply Held Religious Belief Card.
  
  Ms. Garry is former Executive Director of GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) and came to prominence in 1993 by successfully challenging New Jersey's second-parent adoption law to become the first lesbian in the state to adopt her partner's biological children. She is currently an Adjunct Professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School of Communications and writes a blog for The Huffington Post.
• On Saturday, June 9th, members of St. George's will host a table at SOMA Pride at Memorial Park in Maplewood.
• On Sunday, June 10th, IntegrityUSA Founder Dr. Louie Crew will be the guest preacher at both the 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Eucharist services. In addition to a lifetime of advocacy for LGBT people, Dr. Crew is a retired Professor of English, most recently of Rutgers University, an accomplished writer and poet, and a longtime member of the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church.
• On Sunday, June 24th, members of St. George's will be joining us marching in the annual Heritage of Pride in New York City.

Recently, St. George's Rector, The Rev. Bernie Poppe, was quoted in the Newark Star-Ledger in response to President Obama's personal endorsement of marriage equality for LGBT persons.

St. George's is located at 550 Ridgewood Road, Maplewood, NJ., a very short walk from the Maplewood train station.


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Episcopal Presence at NYC Pride 2012

Please see details below regarding the Episcopal presence in the Heritage of Pride March, which is organized by the LGBT Concerns Committee of the Diocese of New York.  Your congregation or group can march as part of the Episcopal group without registering separately or sending someone to the marshal training.  You may bring your own banners, t-shirts, etc. and walk together.


In a year that has had a lot of anti-LGBT messaging from the pulpit, it is more important than ever that we have a strong progressive presence at this very visible parade.   If your congregation has not marched in some years, please consider retuning... we'd love to see you there!  Details will be posted here as they arrive.

Dear Fellow Episcopalians,

For the past several years, the Committee on LGBT Concerns has organized a float in the annual LGBT Pride March, to be held this year on Sunday, June 24^th, 2012. Several hundred Episcopalians, from parishes large and small, from Staten Island to Sullivan County, march down Fifth Avenue with the float under the slogan “The Episcopal Church Welcomes You”.  For the past two years we have been by far the largest religious contingent in the entire March!

The Episcopal Church has, for years, been in the forefront of the full inclusion of LGBT persons in all of the sacraments.  While we may not yet have attained all of our goals, we are well on our way.  The annual LGBT Pride March is one of the most visual and important ways that we have of reaching out to the LGBT Community, many of whom have given up on or been driven away from any organized religion.

In order to do this again in 2012, we need your help.  The LGBT Pride March is not a budgeted item.  We rely on donations from individuals, parishes and groups in order to make it possible.  The cost is between $5000.00 and $6000.00 and our suppliers (float, music, registration) require payment in advance. 

The Church of St. Luke in the Fields has agreed to act as our treasurer again this year.  Please make your checks payable to The Church of St. Luke in the Fields, note Pride March in the memo field and mail to:

                Paul J. Lane

                c/o The Church of St. Luke in the Fields

                487 Hudson Street

                New York, NY 10014

The March takes place on Sunday, June 24, 2012.  It will proceed down Fifth Avenue from the lower 30s to its usual end point on Christopher and Greenwich Streets in the West Village.  Our exact meeting  time and location won’t be known  until about two weeks prior to the actual March, but you are welcome to join us at 11 a.m. for Eucharist at the Church of the Transfiguration, 1 E 29 Street, and proceeding to the muster location from there.  

Anyone is welcome to join us.   You will not need to register your group separately.  We will take care of registration and marshals.  All you need to do to participate is show up.  We will post the information on the LGBT Concerns web-page:   and Facebook page:   as soon as the March organizers let us know.

If you have any questions, please contact Paul Lane at 646-456-8705 or LGBTConcerns@dioceseny.org

Thank you and we look forward to seeing you there,

Paul J. Lane - LGBT Pride March Coordinator

The Committee on LGBT Concerns of the Episcopal Diocese of New York

Screening of "Love Free or Die" in Morristown Jun. 3

On Sunday, June 10 at 3 p.m., there will be a screening of Love Free or Die,  the award-winning biography of Bishop Gene Robinson, at the Church of the Redeemer in Morristown, N.J., an Integrity Proud Parish Partner.

The screening will be free.  A freewill offering will be taken to support further promotion of the film.  A discussion will follow the screening and refreshments will be available.   Redeemer is an easy walk from the Morristown train station (see map below).

Winner of a special jury prize at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, Love Free or Die is "compelling storytelling, even for those familiar with the outlines of Robinson’s story: his 2003 consecration as a bishop, the backlash from conservatives within the U.S. and global church, and the Episcopal Church’s decision at its 2009 general convention to continue to ordain gay bishops and to develop blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples," as reviewed by Peter Montgomery in Religion Dispatch.

Others in the church - both for and against Bishop Robinson's ordination - are interviewed, including the Right Rev. Otis Charles, who came out and married his partner after retiring as bishop of Utah; the Right Rev. Barbara Harris, the first female bishop in the Anglican Communion; and a Ugandan woman living with HIV.

Footage from some of the major public events in Bishop Robinson's episcopacy are featured, including a dramatic confrontation with a heckler while preaching in England.

The first of a series of screenings around the Diocese of Newark, this event is co-sponsored by the Church of the Redeemer and St. Gregory's Episcopal Church in Parsippany, with assistance from The OASIS and Integrity NYC-Metro.

PLEASE HELP US spread the word about this event by sharing this flyer. Facebook users please RSVP and invite your friends here.

Reviews of Love Free or Die:

• First Gay Bishop? Give Me a Break -  Religion Dispatches
• Doers of the Word: Bishop Gene Robinson in Love Free or Die - HRC
• New film chronicles gay Episcopal bishop - Bay Area Reporter.

EVENT SNAPSHOT:

• WHAT: Screening of Love Free or Die
• WHEN:  Sun., Jun 10 at 3pm
• WHERE: Church of the Redeemer, 36 South Street, Morristown, NJ
• COST: Free (contributions welcome)

Click for Directions

The Rest of the Story

An editorial by Ross Murray, Director of Religion, Faith & Values, at GLAAD, in the Huffington Post wonders how it is that the mass media seems to only find conservative (read: anti-gay) sources when reporting about religion and sexuality.  While entertainment programming now features a wealth of gay and lesbian characters that both affirm and defy stereotypes about who we are, when it comes to religion, the good news that many denominations have a welcoming movement is a well-kept secret during prime time.  The overwhelming message is that the church is no place an LGBT person would want to be, and we witness the effects in our interactions with the unchurched.

While it is hardly surprising that figures like the Pope, Pat Robertson and Cardinal Dolan's words carry weight.  They represent millions of followers, many of whom disagree with their stance on social issues but remain faithful for other reasons.  However, others like Tony Perkins, whose extreme anti-gay reviews have earned his Family Research Council a designation as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, are still called upon by MSNBC and other outlets for a "Christian perspective."

Where is the countering argument? Within our own church, there is no lack of reasoned, educated resources at the media's disposal, some of whose names -- like Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Bishop Gene Robinson -- are household words.  Our Presiding Bishop, Katharine Jefferts-Schori, who is also a doctor of oceanography, brings both scientific and theological credibility to the table in her stance on issues of biblical interpretation and human justice. We have groups like Claiming the Blessing and the Chicago Consultation which have published opinions on these issues many times.

Other mainline traditions have equally articulate representation, and their existence is not a secret.  The Institute for Welcoming Resources was born of the United Church of Christ in 2002 and is now a program of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.  It provides a wealth of educational materials, many of them free, to help churches understand and equip themselves for welcoming ministry.  The IWR partners with GLAAD and the LGBT-advocacy groups in fourteen Christian denominations in Believe Out Loud, an ecumenical campaign to promote LGBT inclusive churches.

The movement towards inclusion is happening in evangelical circles as well.  The Rev. Jay Bakker, son of Jim and Tammy Faye and pastor of the Revolution Church in Brooklyn, has spoken out in favor of LGBT inclusion.  The Gay Christian Network under the leadership of Justin Lee, has been providing support to thousands of people across a broad theological spectrum.

And impressive credentials are not always required to make a valid point.  Murray also points to a 19 y.o. student named Matthew Vine, whose careful study and unpacking of the traditional "clobber passages"  puts proof-texting to bed:

In short, there is really no excuse for the fact that a balanced argument is not presented when Christian leaders are speaking about human sexuality.  The story which is told to the public is incomplete, and does not reflect the good news being shared from many pulpits: that God loves everyone and there is a place for everyone at the table.  There are many wise voices ready to help the news media present a more realistic picture: all they need to do is ask.

Cyndi Lauper to be Grand Marshall at 2012 Heritage of Pride

The Huffington Post has reported that award-winning pop diva and long-time LGBT-ally Cyndi Lauper will be the Grand Marshall of the 2012 Heritage of Pride March in New York on Sunday, June 24th.

The OASIS will once again be part of the Episcopal presence at the March, which is organized by the LGBT Concerns Committee of the Diocese of New York.  Area individuals, congregations and groups are invited to march with us or under their own banners as part of the church's representation.  The Committee will be announcing details in the coming weeks.

 Lauper, a native of Queens, won a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1985 and has been recognized repeatedly by MTV, VHI, Rolling Stone and others. She has been a staunch ally of the LGBT population. In September, she opened the True Colors Residence, a supportive housing  facility in Harlem specifically for young LGBT adults with a history of homelessness. She also created the Give A Damn Campaign to educate heterosexual people about youth homelessness and how it disproportionately affects the LGBT population. 

Joining Lauper on the reviewing stand will be Chris Salgardo, president of the Kiehl's body care company which was recently recognized in AdWeek for its social responsibility, as well as Phyllis Siege and Connie Kopelov, the first residents of New York City to be legally married in the state.  The couple was wed on July 24, 2011 after 23 years together.

"Our choices for this year's Grand Marshals embody everything we look for in representatives that give back to the LGBT community and have made a huge impact on the overall movement," state Mike Dunlap, March Director, said in a press release.

Film Screening: Love Free or Die

On Friday, April 13th at 7pm, The OASIS (along with Integrity NYC Metro, and the Hudson Pride Connections Center) will be co-hosting a screening of Macky Alston's award-winning biography of The Right Rev. Gene Robinson, Love Free or Die, at Grace Church Van Vorst in Jersey City, NJ.

The screening will be free.  A freewill offering will be taken to support further promotion of the film.  Grace Church is an easy walk from the Grove Street PATH station.

Winner of a special jury prize at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, Love Free or Die is "compelling storytelling, even for those familiar with the outlines of Robinson’s story: his 2003 consecration as a bishop, the backlash from conservatives within the U.S. and global church, and the Episcopal Church’s decision at its 2009 general convention to continue to ordain gay bishops and to develop blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples," as reviewed by Peter Montgomery in Religion Dispatch.

Others in the church - both for and against Bishop Robinson's ordination - are interviewed, including the Right Rev. Otis Charles, who came out and married his partner after retiring as bishop of Utah; the Right Rev. Barbara Harris, the first female bishop in the Anglican Communion; and a Ugandan woman living with HIV.

Footage from some of the major public events in Bishop Robinson's episcopacy are featured, including a dramatic confrontation with a heckler while preaching in England.

PLEASE HELP US spread the word about this event by sharing this flyer. Facebook users please RSVP and invite your friends here.

Reviews of Love Free or Die:

• First Gay Bishop? Give Me a Break -  Religion Dispatches
• Doers of the Word: Bishop Gene Robinson in Love Free or Die - HRC
• New film chronicles gay Episcopal bishop - Bay Area Reporter

EVENT SNAPSHOT:

• WHAT: Screening of Love Free or Die
• WHEN:  Fri. Apr. 13 @ 7 p.m.
• WHERE: Grace Church Van Vorst, 39 Erie Street, Jersey City, NJ
  (Transit: PATH to Grove Street)
• COST: Free (contributions welcome)

Marriage Equality "A Top Priority" for NJ Legislature

The leadership of both houses of New Jersey's legislature announced this afternoon in Trenton that marriage-quality bills will be introduced in both houses and considered "a top priority" for this session.  Senate President Steve Sweeney, who calls abstaining from the vote in 2010 the "biggest mistake" of his legislative career, is now championing the bill.  Episcopal Bishop of Newark, the Right Rev. Mark Beckwith, has campaigned actively in favor of marriage equality in New Jersey.  On Saturday, the OASIS is co-sponsor of an event organized by Lambda Legal called Marriage Equality: Take the Power.

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