Gay Christian IXIetworlc provides
safe harbor
Struggles make for a stronger community
by Lainey Millen :: lainey@goqnotes.com
I n 2001, little did Justin Lee, a recent gradu
ate from Wake Forest University and 23 at
the time, realize what a monumental con
tribution he would make to LGBT Christians
around the globe.
Born in Marietta, Ga., his family moved to
Raleigh when he was four. He came from a
loving and supportive
Southern Baptist
family. When he was
19 he came out, but
felt confused and
tried to go straight.
He had felt for years
that gays should be
straight and took
a sojourn in the
"ex-gay" movement,
but felt it was alien
to his upbringing.
He shared that the
"ex-gay" leaders'
stand was that kids
who came from
overbearing parents
were more inclined
to be gay or lesbian. This was totally not true
for him. His were the complete opposite. He
had tried to get answers from his church and
friends. His background had been along the
evangelical lines.
So, he abandoned this shjp and set sail for
other ports. He began to write on the internet
about issues. He wanted to make sure that
there was a place that was welcoming and
provided a sense of community for gay and
lesbian Christians and their allies. And, this .
grew into a worldwide attention-grabbing
phenomenon;
From that seed, the Gay Christian Network
(GCN) was born. Participants came from a
wide range of people. Ministers wrote to him
asking questions for their own use and to sup
port their clerical responsibilities.
A decade later, this religious support
group is doing its part to help bring about
change within Christian communities. They do
this by bridge-building and changing mindsets
about being gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans
gender Christians.
With 18,000 members
and growing, it works
with individuals, faith
communities, families,
friends and the
broader church to gar
ner support for more
acceptance. Over
the years, it devel
oped a documentary
("Through My Eyes"),
YouTube videos, pod
casts (which is coming
back online soon
through GCN Radio)
and conferences
targeted at providing a
positive experience for
those who utilize these tools.
On Aug. 17, GCN, a non-profit ministry,
celebrated its 10th anniversary.
Lee says that his work is vital to the health
of people and church bodies. With the use of
the documentary, he is working to get it out to
every church across the country. It tells the
story from those who have wrestled with the
issues surrounding self discovery. He feels
that working on the local church level will
help them write inclusivity into their bylaws.
This falls in line with GCN's mission, "Sharing
Christ's light and love for all." They have a
five-core component direction: Promoting
spiritual growth; cultivating safe community;
supporting family and friends; educating and
encouraging the church; and engaging the
wider LGBT community and the world.
Staff includes Lee who serves as execu
tive director, along with board of directors
Bill Caldwell, Ling Lam, Mark Lawrence,
Ryan Kuseski and Michael Zwiers. With the
support of a director of operations, com
munity manager and a plethora of volunteer
team leaders, it covers the gamut of Christian
communities worldwide. They abide by the
group's statement of faith, which includes:
"We believe that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender Christians are full participants in
God's kingdom, and that the ways of holiness
and the ways of sinfulness are equally avail
able to them as to others...."
GCN uses its website to disseminate
information and serve as a point of contact
for those who are seeking answers or sup
port. They also are engaged in social media
through Facebook and Twitter.
As far as the type of response they get
from fellow Christians who are not gay and
may not fully understand why inclusion is
important for the church, Lee says that he
hears that people think that they can't be gay
and Christian, don't understand the issues,
are frustrated over the level of dialogue that
they have found, experienced antagonism in
respective churches and want to learn more
in open dialogue. Even parents are jumping
into the fray and getting the support they have
been searching for.
The organization reaches out to both
potentially welcoming and unwelcoming
faith institutions. They send representatives
to conferences and work on coordinated
efforts. They are constantly engaged in
private conversations behind the scenes with
unwelcoming groups to help bridge build. This
year they received an Arcus Foundation grant
so that they could go to 20 universities, mostly
in the Bible Belt, to provide training to create
change in these communities. This will be
their pilot program. Next year they hope to be
able to go to Christian schools and hope to get
funding to achieve this expansion.
They also set up at public events, such
as NC Pride and Wild Goose, and work to
network with affiliate groups. They have been
in touch with Rev. Mel White over the years
and want to do more with Faith in America.
Currently, there are no projects on the table,
but Lee says that there is mutual respect
among all of them.
The website is the best place to gather
information, Lee states. It includes daily Bible
passages and Bible study, book recommenda
tions, audio and video resources, message
boards, calendar, a store and giving options.
Being headquartered in Raleigh makes
sense for GCN, Lee says. He feels that since
North Carolina is not as progressive as other
states, it helps to keep them connected,
grounded and aware of the work that needs
to be done.
For more information, visit gaychristian.net
and facebook.com/gaychristiannetwork. To
keep up with dialogue follow GCN at twitter,
gaychristiannetwork.::
From Jan. 5-8,2012, an annual ...
conference will be held OoubleTree by
Hilton Orlando at SeaWorid in Orlando,
Ra. Last year over 490 attended.
Speakers include blogger Misty Irons,
former ex-gay organization founder
Jeremy Marks and Lee. Until Sept. 30,
cost is $115, $135 until Dec. 3 and $160
onsite. Scholarships are available by
request only. Family and friends may
also attend at $35 each. .
Somber memorials
I
Tenth anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks approaches
by Matt Comer :: matt@goqnotes.com
As Sept 11 approaches, the nation prepares to hold remem
brances and memorials for tfiose lost during the Sept 11,2001,
terrorist attacks 10 years ago. For those too young to remember
Pearl Harbor, the Kennedy or King assassinations and other
tragic dates now seared into national memory, the attacks a
-decade ago have served as watershed life- and culture-defin
ing moments for an entire generation. Above and beyond those
killed that day, thousands of young men and women have
ventured into Afghanistan and Iraq never to return home. Nearly
every person in the nation has been touched by 9/11; many lost
friends that day and others have lost siblings, children, friends or
parents to the battlefield.
For the LGBT community, iri*particular,the decennial an
niversary of the Sept 11,2001, terrorist attacks gives us pause
to reflect on those of our own who died that day. We also reflect
on those LGBT servicemembers who served and died in the line
of duty, fighting bravely for a nation that refused to give them full
rights of citizenship.
In the days and weeks following the attacks, LGBT media
and organizations began reporting on LGBT victims. Among the
most high profile were a Catholic priest. Father Mychal Judge,
and Mark Bingham, who helped to thwart United Airlines Flight
93's hijackers.
Judge, 68, was a chaplain with the New York Rre Department
6 qnotes Sept 3 16 2011
Through the 1980s, he worked to comfort AIDS victims and
presided over many funerals. He was-also an ardent support of
Dignity, an LGBT Catholic organization. On Sept 11,2001, Judge
died while ministering to injured firemen at the World Trade
Center. His memory lives on in the Mychal Judge Act signed by
President George W. Bush in 2(X)2, which granted federal money
to survivors of 9/11 victims, including same-sex partners.
Bingham, 31, was a public relations executive. On Sept
11,2001, he was a passenger on United Airlines Flight 93 and
aided in stopping hijackers from taking over the plane. The
flight ended tragically in Shanksville, Penn. A resident of San
Francisco, he played on the city's Fog Rugby Football Club team.
In 2002, the club founded the Bingham Cup in honor of 9/11 hero.
The cup is a biennial, international, gay rugby tournament
Judge and Bingham have certainly been among the most
well-known gay 9/11 victims, but there are others.
David Charlebois, a member of the National Gay Pilots
Association according to the Washington Blade, was the co
pilot of American Airlines Flight 77. Charlebois' plane was flown
into the Pentagon.
A gay couple, Ronald Gamboa, 33, and Dan Brandhorst
42, and their three-year-old son, David, were also among the -
victims. The couple and son were passengers on United Airlines
Flight 175 heading from Boston to their home in Los Angeles.
Fifty-one-year old Shelia Hein, an employee at the U.S.
Army's management and budget office was killed when the
Pentagon was attacked. Her partner, Peggy Neff, was among
the first same-sex partners of 9/11 victims to be recognized by
the government and receive survivor benefits, after being re
fused recognition as anything other than "friends" by Virginia's
Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund, according to 365gay.com.
These victims were just a handful of dozens of gay and
lesbian people killed on Sept. 11,2001. Many of our LGBT broth
ers and sisters who died 10 years ago or those who have died
in service since then will likely remain unknown to all but their
closest friends and family members. Regardless, their memory
lives on collectively as each of remember that day and its events
in our own individual and unique ways.
Our nation has faced many challenges in our history; without
doubt, we'll continue to face more. As we do, however, we move
closer and closer to a society that values, respects and includes
— legally, civically, socially, culturally and religiously — each
of its members, regardless of sexual orientation and gender
identity. In that, we are the victors; radical terrorists attempted
to destroy us from the inside out, but we have proven that even
in the face of tragedy, America's values and ideals live on to
prove that our "great experiment" can continue to produce
good results.::