Towards a Welcoming and Inclusive Church
IWR News
July 6, 2008
- 1) Born With the Wrong Body ~ Transgender 10-Year-Old Girl and Her Family Talk to Barbara Walters
- 2) 'I'm a Girl' -- Understanding Transgender Children
- 3) 'I Want to Be Seen as Male' ~ Transgender Teenager and His Parents Share Their Story With Barbara Walters
- 4) Why the black church should support gay rights
- 5) Archbishop of Canterbury warns breakaway Anglican movement ~ Conservatives are minority in 2.2 million-member church
- 6) Healing from "ex-gay" therapy
- 7) Remembering Stonewall [radio documentary]
- 8) Gay bishop Gene Robinson to preach at London church
- 9) Dale Martin delivers inaugural Boswell lecture on gay Christian sexual ethics to overflow crowd
- 10) Church of Ireland may accept gay marriages
- 11) Links to more news from Welcoming Church Programs
1) Born With the Wrong Body ~ Transgender 10-Year-Old Girl and Her Family Talk to Barbara Walters
ABC News, April 25, 2007
"He said, 'Mom, I'm so mad at God, because God made a mistake. He made me a boy, and I'm not a boy, I'm a girl, Mom. Every night I pray that God gives me a girl body but when I wake up I'm still a boy. God won't take back his mistake, he won't make it right,'" Stephanie recalled.
2) 'I'm a Girl' -- Understanding Transgender Children
ABC News, June 27, 2008
Last year Barbara Walters spoke with the families of three transgender children who agreed to share their story. Now, one year later, "20/20" has reached out to the families again to learn what's happened since the original episode aired. All three families said that the story helped change their world for the better. Advocacy groups also report a significant surge in young transgenders coming out.
3) 'I Want to Be Seen as Male' ~ Transgender Teenager and His Parents Share Their Story With Barbara Walters
ABC News, June 27, 2008
On Sept. 19, 2004, 14-year-old Rebecca gave a startling letter to her mother, Betsy.
"This is one of those stream of consciousness things that I write in the wee hours of the morning when I'm tired and unable to sleep. I was probably crying when I wrote it, but don't think that the tears blurring my eyes were blurring my judgment as well," Rebecca wrote. "What am I? I ask myself this all the time. Right now what I believe myself to be is an FTM, or a female-to-male transsexual. A boy in a girl's body. What I want is for you to understand, and let me transition into the boy I really am."
4) Why the black church should support gay rights
The Daily Voice, June 18, 2008
Despite what some may argue, their sexual orientation is an integral and immutable component of their identity. It is who they are and they could not change it even if they tried. On a certain level, I believe that many if not most of us in the Black Church are aware of this, but it is too difficult and uncomfortable for us to go against the grain of what has been taught to and instilled in us all of our lives. It is much easier for the Black Church to bash or ignore gay people, while at the same time exploiting their tremendous gifts and talents, than it is to become a safe space in which they can realize their full, God-given potential without having to hide in the closet.
5) Archbishop of Canterbury warns breakaway Anglican movement ~ Conservatives are minority in 2.2 million-member church
London, Southern Voice, June 30, 2008
The Archbishop of Canterbury spoke out Monday against plans by conservative Anglicans to set up their own global fellowship of those who rejected the liberal teachings of north American and British churches. Rowan Williams said proposals to set up a separate global council of bishops who would train priests and interpret Scriptures would create more problems than they solve.
6) Healing from "ex-gay" therapy
Planet Out, June 2008
Unlike many who wind up dead from such treatments, all three were able to escape, but not easily. "I had a nervous breakdown at 32 years old," Hollenstein said. "After 13 years of marriage and 10 years of ministry, I could not play the game and live the lie any more. My body gave out on me. It could not hold my secrets any more. I just totally shut down. My choice at that point was: Be honest or die!"
7) Remembering Stonewall [radio documentary]
NPR, All Things Considered, July 1, 1989
On Friday, June 27, 1969, eight officers from the public morals section of the first division New York City Police Department pulled up in front of the Stonewall Inn, one of the city's largest and most popular gay bars. . . . This documentary, broadcast on the 20th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, is the first documentary -- in any medium -- about the riots.
Listen at click here.
8) Gay bishop Gene Robinson to preach at London church
London, Telegraph, July 2, 2008
Bishop Gene Robinson has been invited to speak at a London church just two days before a worldwide conference of church leaders, from which he has been barred. However the bishop has been invited to speak at the historic church of St Mary's, Putney, in the diocese of Southwark, by the church's team rector, the Rev Giles Fraser. Rev Fraser said: "I am delighted that Gene Robinson is preaching in Putney. His exclusion from the Lambeth Conference, a meeting for listening, is an absolute scandal. He is a gracious and deeply courageous man of God."
9) Dale Martin delivers inaugural Boswell lecture on gay Christian sexual ethics to overflow crowd
Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry, April 29, 2008
Dale Martin delivers inaugural Boswell lecture on gay Christian sexual ethics to overflow crowd "Since the 1970s, the meaning of sex has changed radically; unfortunately, our churches have not come to grips with that fact." -- Dale Martin, Woolsey Professor of Religious Studies at Yale University
10) Church of Ireland may accept gay marriages
Ireland, BBC News, July 5, 2008
Church of Ireland primate Alan Harper has controversially acknowledged that a time may come when homosexual unions are officially sanctioned within his denomination. . . . Addressing the Anglicans in World Mission conference in Swanwick, England, Archbishop Harper said if evidence came to light that homosexuality is biologically predetermined then the church would have to reflect that fact.
11) Links to more news from Welcoming Church Programs
- Associational - The Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists
- Consensus - Affirm United/S'affirmer Ensemble
- Crossbeams - Open and Affirming Ministries of the Gay, Lesbian & Affirming Disciples (GLAD)
- FlashNet - Reconciling Ministeries Network
- LC/NA News and Events - Lutherans Concerned/North America
- More Light News - More Light Presbyterians
- Outspoken - Brethren-Mennonite Council for LGBT Concerns
- Room for All News and Events - Room for All
- WAVES - Open and Affirming Program of the United Church of Christ Coalition for LGBT Concerns (ONA)
- WCNnewsletter - Welcoming Community Network
Additional News
News Selections offers news from around the world related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersexual, and ally efforts to make the world more accepting and welcoming to everyone of every sexual orientation and every gender identity. It is gathered by Sara Boesser, author of Silent Lives: How High a Price ~ For Personal Reflections and Group Discussions about Sexual Orientation, published by Hamilton Books, an imprint of University Press of America, Inc. Silent Lives provides a valuable resource for individuals, study groups, civic groups, congregations, spiritual groups, and other groups discussing issues of sexuality. It is helpful for personal journaling and sharing with relatives and friends, and is also very useful as a college text, therapy supplement, or a catalyst for group discussions. www.SilentLives.com
