JDont t^ettle: fight for your rights!
north
& sout
CAROLIN
Q-Living:
Lawrence v. T&ras,
two years later
SINCE
WWW.Q-NOTES.COM
JULY . 2005
Rachel Sage is one of this
year’s OUTMusic Award
winners
die Neighboihood’ 13
LOGO now amiable via
DirecTV 16
Man chrged with attempted
murder in Jerusalem
Pride stabbings 17
Today Show’offers
gay marriages 32
North Carolina:
MAP raises $70,000 08
South Carolina:
Charleston reschedules
LGLA harbor cruise 10
(to you think gays and
lesbians face a greater chance
of \dolent att^dts now, as
in wears aon?
Next Issue:
People & Their Pets
United Church of Christ vandalized after
leadership gives OK to gay marriage
Following same-sex marriage support,
UCC in Middlebrook, Va. set on fire
by Donald Miller
ATLANTA — Meeting in the Georgia cap--
ital city July 4, the United Church of Christ’s
rule-making body overwhelmingly endorsed
same-sex marriage, making it the largest
Christian denomination to date to do so.
Most individuals in the 1.3 million-
member UCC congregation are support
ive of the resolution. Some non-mem
bers in the small town of Middlebrook,
Va., weren’t so happy with the pro
nouncement. So much so, that they
were driven to vandalize St. John’s
Reformed United Church of Christ in the
early morning hours of Saturday, July 9.
According to a report from the
Staunton News-Leader, a groundskeeper
discovered the fire still smoldering when
he stopped by early Saturday to cut the
lawn. The outside of the building was"
spray-painted with anti-gay graffiti and
a declaration that UCC members were
“sinners.”
Vandals apparently set fire to a pile of
hymnals in the church sanctuary, causing
damage to pews and the choir loft.
By the time the fire was discovered, it
had burned itself out. Damage to the build
ing was extensive enough, however, that
Sunday services were held in tents on the
church lawn.
in a press release from the United Church
of Christ, The Rev. John H. Thomas, the
UCC’s general minister and president,
responded to the incident.
“My heart goes out to the people of St.
John’s UCC in Middlebrook,” Thomas said.
“The violation of sacred space is traumatic for
a congregation, particularly when a message
of hate targets a church’s efforts to reach out
in the spirit of Christ’s love to all people.”
(ft
,1'
“1 knew that the decision of our General
Synod on July 4 to affirm marriage equality
for same-gender couples would be contro
versial both within and beyond the church,”
he said. “It saddens mp to realize that, for a
few, disagreement has moved to acts of vio
lence.”
Despite the attack on the church, Garnett
Phibbs, a member of UCC in Charlotte (and a
former pastor with the Congregational
Church, which evolved into the United
Church of Christ) is still happy about UCC’s
support for same-sex marriage.
“I was amazed that we got an 80 percent
vote out of 900 delegates from the meeting in
Atlanta,” said Phibbs. “I believe the church
did the right thing.”
Even though Phibbs is elated with the
church’s decision, he feels there’s still a long
way to go before same-sex marriage
finds broader acceptance. “It’s like
hovv the church once reacted to slav
ery, it might take another 25-50
years before other churches will
accept change.”
Traditionally strong in New
England, the liberal denomination
has long been supportive of gays and
lesbians. In North and South
Carolina there are more than 100
UCC ministries.
Last year UCC was slammed for
an ad campaign featuring a gay cou
ple, among others, being excluded
from a church. CBS and NBC rejected
the 30-second ads.
The same-sex resolution, which specified
that bisexual and transgender persons merit
the same support and protections as gays
and lesbians, was submitted by conferences
from Southern California and Nevada.
According to the UCC Coalition for
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Tfansgender
Concerns, about 1,000 clergy or seminarians
in UCC are gay.
Canada pos^ gay
marriage nationwide
'We're a nation of minorities and in a
nation of minorities you don't cherry-pick
rights.' — PM Paul Martin
Canada becomes third country in
world, first in the Americas to
recognize same-sex marriages
Supported by most members of the
Liberals, the Bloc Quebecois and the
NDP, the legislation passed easily, mak
ing Canada only the third country in the
world, after the Netherlands and
Belgium, to officially recognize same-
sex marriage.
The “vote is about the Charter of
Rights,” said Canadian Prime Minister
Paul Martin. “We’re a nation of minori
ties and in a nation of minorities you
don’t cherry-pick rights.”
The government has moved over the
last few months to appease critics both
see NORTHERNon 4
Spain approves
gay marriages
Thousands of gays ready to many
Spain’s lower house
of parliament has voted
in favor of allowing gay
couples to marry and
adopt children. The con
troversial decision over
rules an earlier rejection
of the bill by the upper
house, the Senate.
The bill should be
law by press time, mak
ing Spain Europe’s _ . .
,, r , Pnme Minister Jose Luis
third nation after the Rodriguez Zapatero:
Netherlands and Belgium 'We are expanding
to allow same-sex mar- opportunities for the
riages. happiness of our neigh
bors, our work col
leagues, our friends,
seeGAifon4 our relatives.'