Oh, those whacky Episcopalians --- doing their best to drag Pennsylvania back into the Dark Ages.   Up to bat this time is the Very Reverend Paul F. M. Zahl, dean of Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry in Ambridge, Pennsylvania. 

Let me catch you up.  This coming weekend, we'll see the election of a bishop for the Episcopal Diocese of California.  Three of the seven candidates are gay! (emphasis mine).  So a pro-homo vote could further alienate the church from the Anglican Communion.  An anti-homo vote could preserve the union ... for now.

Enter Reverend Zahl with a comparing " the election of a gay bishop in California to "a terrorist bomb, which is timed to destroy a peace process."

Nice, huh?  This is the kind of hate-speak you expect from Jimmy Dobson and Jerry Falwell and the other right wing lunies skulking around looking for homo-trouble.  I'm guessing Zahl has a man-crush on Nigerian Archbishop Peter Akinola, that bastion of Christian compassion and feels the need to bring the hatred back home to the good old USA.

The Human Rights Campaign and Integrity, the LGBT Episcopal caucus, are calling for an apology. 

"Paul Zahl's comments comparing the election of a gay bishop to a 'terrorist bomb' is hate speech that has no place in any faith based discourse," said Reverend Susan Russell, director of Integrity, the national gay and lesbian Episcopal caucus.

"Such language does nothing to advance our public discourse, does everything to further polarize and alienate and is antithetical to the love God calls us all to offer each other."

Damn right, Reverend Susan.  Zahl is yet another big Christian hypocrite who is using ugly divisive tactics to further his own agenda.  He's on a witch hunt and, apparently, has no qualms about it. 

If this is what passes for spiritual leadership in our lovely state, then we desperately need all the prayer we can get.

From last week's Tribune-Review, I found this little item about a young Catholic middle school child who was the victim on-line bullying.  According to his mother, classmates put up a faux My Space profile identifying the young man as gay.  This happened hand in hand with unspecific physical bullying. 

So what happened to this kid?  His grades plummet and his mother gets involved.  She contacts the school (Word of God in Swissvale) which does nothing b/c it wasn't a school issue.  She then contacts the Diocese of Pgh.  She contacts the police.  She contacts My Space and gets the profile taken down.  Then she contacts other parents to let them know what is happening.

As proof the school doesn't take it seriously, I need only point out that the Word of God secretary spoke with the press.  God bless secretaries. If the principal of the school cannot take the time to address this issue, God help the kids. Perhaps she's too busy covering up a scandal to pay attention?

Good for Mom.  But her next call should be to the GLSEN (Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network).  Because unlike the school and diocese, these folks take bullying seriously.  And since this directly involves harassment based on sexual orientation, who better than the homos to help Mom figure it all out? 

Because while she's done a great job trying to protect her son and other children in the school, her next step isn't going to be productive.

[Mom] said even though the incident did not occur at school, she would like to see those responsible disciplined.

"I know the school cannot handle every problem," she said. "But in the Catholic environment, (the school) expects more socially and morally from students."

What the Catholic environment should be doing is teaching (and modeling) anti-bullying behavior in and out of school.  Punishing the perps won't begin to address the underlying problems.  Parents in this school need to come together and insist that the school take a proactive stance on bullying so the kids get the tools they need to protect themselves.

Consorting with the homosexuals seems contrary to Catholic teachings, but who better to help parents respond to bullying than the current number one target in America?  We get it from every direction -- government, church, workplace, random bystanders, etc. 

Mom - contact GLSEN.  Your son deserves more support and help than the Catholic Church is going to provide in this incident. 

 

Words I thought might never cross my lips ... Hurrah for Ohio!

The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that public employees can be disciplined for discrimination even if they are following religious beliefs.  This is a big victory for gay rights advocates because it gives teeth to workplace non-discrimination policies.

The case involves a Baptist prison chaplain, William Akridge, who refused to allow homosexual prisoners serve as leaders at his non-denominational events. 

Akridge, however, interpreted scriptures to say he would be punished if he complied. "The leaders that the chaplain selects implicitly implies an endorsement and approval of the lifestyle of the selected leaders," Akridge explained. He added that a gay choir director "would violate my conscience and make me guilty in the sight of God."

Akridge was disciplined for discriminating and sued, claiming his right to discriminate was constitutionally protected because it was Christian-based. 

The court thought otherwise, noting:

Although it may be that Akridge could have disbanded the choir and/or praise band entirely, the facts appear to be that he did not do so; rather he openly and intentionally excluded an inmate from such groups," the appeals court said.

"Even if the ODRC [Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction] had no interest in the existence of the band, this would not vitiate its interest in preventing discrimination and its consequences."

Hurrah for Ohio!

Speaking as an openly gay woman, I can testify that it is very troubling at work when I encounter the attitude that gay-hate must be tolerated as an outgrowth of Christian beliefs.  And I encounter that attitude much more frequently than I ever imagined. 

Thus, I am heartened to learn that the courts are upholding non-discrimination protections in the workplace.  Especially in lands of anti-gay marriage constitutional amendments. 

Hurrah for Ohio!

(cross-posted on Big Gay Picture)

(hat tip to GayNews@yahoogroups.com)

 

Tribune-Review columnist Mike Seate has recently made repeated forays into gay issues, commenting on Rene Portland as well as the straight-appeal of beloved gay bar True.  His most recent column examines anti-gay activists outrage with that icon of the gay community ... Wal-Mart.

Yes, of course, its because Wal-Mart is selling DVD copies of Brokeback Mountain.  Immoral, family values, blah, blah, blah. 

Seate takes a few obvious shots, most notably questioning whether any self-respecting homo would set foot in Wal-Mart.  He's clearly a man who is okay with homos as long as stay in our place and don't get all outrageous (paging Ivana Trailer). 

But Seate does make an interesting point at the end of his column:

So lighten up American Family Association. "Brokeback Mountain" itself is enough to prove that the lives of gay people are no more interesting or weird than anyone else.

Surely it ain't so!  My life is filled with all sorts of gay drama.  Why just tonight I not only cooked dinner but, in a fit of lesbian petulance, I left the dirty dishes in the sink to sneak up to my computer.  (Honey, I really will do them before bed.)  Earlier today, I went to Shop'N Save and bought dental floss for my partner.  And, before drifting off the sleep, I have a load of socks to sort. 

Mike, next time you are on Pittsburgh's North Shore (aka North Side), your chocolate martini is on me.

Here's a sad fact: Russian Orthdox Catholics are working in unity with
skinheads to oppose gay rights.

On Sunday
police had to hold back a crowd of bottle-tossing skinheads and Bible-
clutching church folks who were protesting a gay event at a local club.

Not to be outdone by the Christian-Skinhead connection, Russian Muslims are
threatening to kill gays if they proceed with plans to celebrate Pride.

PrideFest is scheduled for May 26 and 27 in Moscow. If the city bans the
event, organizers plan to take the matter to the European Court of Human
Rights.

Sounds like a crowd where Fred Phelps would feel right at home.