TIES THAT BIND
January 2009 | Episode 1804

This month IN THE LIFE looks at the power of religion to shape our lives, our worldview and our political convictions.  The Bible, the Koran, and the Torah are tools for spiritual guidance, comfort, and direction, but those same texts are often used to promote intolerance and hatred of LGBT people.  In this episode, we look at the intersection of religion and sexuality, to see how gays and lesbians reconcile their faith within their religious communities:  In God We Trusted explores the tragic consequences of the ex-gay ministries of fundamentalist Christianity; In A Conversation With….Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum and Bishop Gene Robinson discuss their spiritual journeys; and a Real to Reel encounter with Muslim director, Parvez Sharma’s ground-breaking film, A Jihad For Love, and the struggle of gay and lesbian Muslims to stay true to their Faith and themselves.

IN GOD WE TRUSTED
Believing that homosexuals have no place in the Christian church,  evangelical ex-gay ministries, such as EXODUS, have been established around the country to re-program LGBT people to make them heterosexuals…often with tragic consequences.

A Conversation With… Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum and Bishop Gene Robinson
Sharon Kleinbaum, rabbi of New York’s largest LGBT synagogue, leads Judaism’s national dialogue on the issues of gay rights and social justice.  Gene Robinson, the first openly gay Bishop in the Episcopal Church, has been at the center of the Church’s heated debate on homosexuality. The rabbi and the bishop discuss their spiritual journeys, faith, religion, and politics.

Real to Reel: “A JIHAD FOR LOVE”
In the world of Islam, “Jihad” translates as a “struggle in the way of God.” For gay Muslims, reconciling one’s homosexuality is a struggle against oppression, against tradition, and fear. In our final story, Director Parvez Sharma’s ground-breaking film, A JIHAD FOR LOVE, looks at gay and lesbian Muslims who strive to be true to their Faith and themselves.

eHarmony — a dating service founded by Neil Clark Warren to serve the pre-marital dating desires of conservative evangelicals — has settled an antidiscrimination complaint in New Jersey by setting up a separate-and-unequal dating site for sexual minorities.

Ex-gay industry pundits promptly sought to exploit the news.

Peter LaBarbera accused the gay man who filed the lawsuit of exploiting New Jersey’s “special rights law” — even though the state law equally protects residents regardless of their gender, race, or sexual orientation. LaBarbera further took the opportunity to distort Exodus International officials’ position that sexual attraction is an “identity” that can be changed as easily as one changes one’s political party label or denominational identity:

Evidence that homosexuality is a behavior — and not an “identity” — issue can be found in the many ex-gays and ex-lesbians who have found freedom from homosexuality through Christ — and true love and marriage with a member of the opposite sex.

No one at Exodus has corrected LaBarbera.

Meanwhile, Focus on the Family — whose supporters have, until now, used eHarmony to sanitize their pre-marital sexual desires — sought to project its allies’ questionable morals onto government:

“It’s basically the power of the government being used to force people across the country to accept beliefs that they know are not moral,” said Kelly Shackelford, president of the Free Market Foundation and chief counsel of the Liberty Legal Institute. “It’s an attack on freedom, and people better get ready to fight.”

I have yet to find a gay activist that fully supports the settlement. Personally, I would prefer to know that a company is antigay before I do business with it. I don’t want to be diverted by the company to an afterthought website for second-class citizens — and while I don’t believe businesses should be permitted to harass or fire workers on the basis of a minority status, I’m not sure I really want government to force companies to pretend to be tolerant toward clients when they’re not.

Advocates of equality and freedom will continue to shame eHarmony (and Focus on the Family) for their ongoing opposition to equality and moral consistency. But perhaps gay dating services should begin to wonder whether they might soon be forced to cater to the desires of antigay fundamentalists.

The best course of action may be to support dating services that don’t discriminate in either direction: Services, such as Chemistry.com, that focus on relationship-building and not the gender — or genitals — of their clients.

Hat tips: Good As You, Republic of T

On Nov. 8, Truth Wins Out and the Gay Liberation Network joined a coalition of local, state and national groups to protest Focus on the Family’s James Dobson’s induction into the Radio Hall of Fame.

A crowd of several hundred people came out to demonstrate on a frigid night in Chicago. They were also energized by Proposition 8 being passed in California, which prohibited same-sex couples from marrying.

California Proposition 8 explicitly eliminates equal marriage rights for gay and lesbian Californians. It also overturns religious freedom for California religious institutions that affirm marriage for same-sex couples. Proposition 2 in Florida and Proposition 102 in Arizona do the same.

The ballot propositions impose on the states — and all their residents — the sectarian religious belief that homosexuality is immoral and that gays and lesbians are not entitled to be treated equally under the law.

But the religious-rightists who support these propositions can’t win popular support by telling voters the truth. So instead, Focus on the Family, Exodus, wealthy Mormon donors, and others have caved in to the immoral gutter instincts of dirty politics, illegal Internet attacks, and alleged election-law violations.

The L.A. Times editorial board today listed some of the deceptions of the lawless forces behind Proposition 8: (Read More)

The Anchorage Press, wrote a large feature story on the so-called “ex-gay” ministries. It did so after TWO and local Alaskan activists squared off against Focus on the Family, which brought its “ex-gay” road show to town last week. TWO Executive Director, Wayne Besen, flew to Alaska to help organize a response. The anti-gay symposium took on national interest after GOP Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin’s house of worship – the Wasilla Bible Church – promoted the event. Besen spoke at the Anchorage Metropolitan Community Church with local clergy and mental health experts to counter Love Won Out.

“The  Anchorage Press article was in-depth and did a very good job of getting to the essence of the ex-gay industry – which is politics,” said Besen. “Focus on the Family’s Love Won Out road show is a political vehicle used to make people feel better about themselves when they vote for anti-gay legislation. Other than that, the glitzy event has no practical purpose.”

Thanks to E. Ross of the website Bent Alaska and Edie Bailey of the Metropolitan Community Church and PFLAG, there was a powerful response to the “ex-gay” road show.

Heinz pulled the company’s mayo ad in the UK after complaints spured on by an American fundamentalist organization. The advert is tasteful and should have stayed on the air. There should be nothing controversial about gay affection or relationships in this day and age. If people have psychological issues or hang-ups, they need to get help. Gay relationships are just as normal and natural as any other and must be reflected as such in the media and advertising.

The American Family Association has gone ballistic with this and pressured Heinz. So, please call Heinz and let them know you are upset about them pulling the ad – 800-255-5750