Gay Nazis, Gay Clergy, Gay Atheists, Gay Pride

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http://www.religiondispatches.org/dispatches/petermontgomery/7892/gay_nazis__gay_clergy__gay_atheists__gay_pride/

Peter Montgomery
May 23, 2014 2:30pm

International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia

It was a big week, with International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT) falling last Saturday on the 10th anniversary of marriage equality becoming a reality in Massachusetts, the first U.S. state to allow same-sex couples to legally marry. This week, Oregon and Pennsylvania became marriage equality states, to the dismay of religious conservatives and Catholic bishops, while a new Gallup poll showed a significant and steadily growing majority of Americans supporting marriage equality.

In advance of IDAHOT, the Human Rights Campaign released “Equality Rising,” which HRC calls “a brief overview of many of the successes and setbacks of LGBT activists, advocates, and allies around the world in 2013.” President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry both issued public statements recognizing IDAHOT, as did UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. United Nations’ Free and Equal project released a new video. Micro Rainbow noted that many LGBT people face restrictions on their freedom of expression. C-FAM, a conservative Catholic group that fights LGBT equality and reproductive choice internationally, complained about Obama releasing a statement with Finland on fighting homophobia on May 15, “International Day of Families,” and slammed the priority that the administration has given LGBT equality in its foreign policy.

Scotland: Church of Scotland Debating Gay Clergy

As Scotland moves toward a September vote on independence from the United Kingdom, the Church of Scotland edged closer to allowing gay ministers. This week the church’s General Assembly voted “to allow its governing body of elders to debate whether or not to allow gay ministers to be appointed,” reports Pink News, which said that after the debate, which “examined the legal and theological implications of the proposal, commissioners voted by 369 for, and 189 against.” It could become church law by summer 2015. The move was an effort to find compromise amid controversy over gay clergy, as about half of one of the church’s largest congregations recently quit over the issue.

Ireland: Church of Ireland Bishop Backs Civil Marriage Equality

The Bishop of Cork, Dr. Paul Colton, became the first Church of Ireland bishop to publicly express support for civil marriage for same-sex couples, reports the BBC. As we recently reported, a bid to move marriage equality legislation was recently blocked by Unionists and Catholics. Colton told an Ulster radio program that the marriage equality debate is very “divisive.”

"The events in society are moving very rapidly and the church is not at all up to pace with the debate," he said.

"I certainly support civil same sex marriage.

"I also recognise that the church of Ireland's definition of marriage is for itself and I adhere to that discipline... but that is not to say that everyone must be required to take the church of Ireland's view of marriage.

"Having said that I'm also among those in the church, and perhaps we're only a minority, albeit a significant one that long to see the day when we can have a discussion - as we've had discussions over the years on all sorts of other issues about the nature of marriage - with a view, ultimately, at least to the blessing of same sex couples following civil unions if not to their marriage in church as is happening in other parts of the Anglican communion."

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