Join a network of people seeking the full participation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people of faith in the life, ministry and witness of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Thursday, May 17 is the International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia (IDAHO). IDAHO is inspired by the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights that declares that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
May 17 was chosen as the day of this event because homosexuality was removed from the International Classification of Diseases of the World Health Organization (WHO) on May 17, 1990. This action was taken by the American Psychiatric Association in our country in 1973.
This year IDAHO is focused on making schools safer to improve everybody's chance to gain a high quality education. In December 2011, UNESCO, other UN agencies, representatives of education ministries, NGOs, and other stakeholders issued a "call upon all governments to live up to their responsibility to provide universal access to a high quality education by eliminating the barriers created by homophobia and transphobia, including the unacceptable and devastating prevalence of anti-LGBTI bias and violence in elementry, secondary and tertiary levels."
This year IDAHO includes an IDAHO Lesson Teacher's Brief (pdf). We would like to encourage all Presbyterians to email this teacher's brief to administration and teachers in your school district.
Watch the IDAHO 2012 Video:
The International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia, or IDAHO, recognizes that many of the world's citizens are not able to enjoy the privilege of living in an egalitarian society. In over 70 countries being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, or loving a member of the same sex is against the law and in seven countries the penalty is imprisonment or death.
We are more aware of such threats and the lack of safety for LGBT people because of the anti-gay, "kill the gays" bill proposed in Uganda again this year. As people of faith, Christians and Presbyterians, we should also be aware that homophobia and heterosexism was imported, taught and imposed upon indigenous cultures by fundamentalist Christians. We bear responsibility for the threat upon our LGBT sisters and brothers worldwide because of this legacy. Therefore, all of us can do something about this by participating in the International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia and by supporting pro-LGBT educational and advocacy initiatives in our country and around the world.
While this annual campaign began as the International Day Against Homophobia, many have expanded this to include transgender persons and their families. So, this is being named the International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia in a growing number of countries.
To learn more about IDAHO, or the International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia, please do check out these resources:
More Light Presbyterians is proud to be a supportive organization of the International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia. Since 1974, we have been working to end discrimination against LGBT people and their families in both church and society. We are keenly aware that there are Presbyterian congregations, national churches and seminaries in over 100 countries. Therefore, while our work focuses primarily upon the achievement of spiritual, ordination and marriage equality with the Presbyterian Church (USA), we also earnestly advocate for the end to discrimination against LGBT persons around the world.
On this day, May 17, the International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia, we want to remind our Church and the world that all persons are children of God, created in the image of God and unconditionally loved by God. We are working to remove barriers to all persons knowing they are children of God and to become one human family.
More Light Presbyterians is grateful for the Presbytery of the Redwoods' decision this afternoon to oppose the imposition of a rebuke to Rev. Janie Spahr set forth in the GAPJC decision dated August 27, 2010.
Same-sex love, marriage and family were not recognized or affirmed in the GAPJC decision in the Spahr case. Love is a gift from God. God blesses us with companions and families irrespective of gender, race, ethnicity or other human differences.
We were sad when the highest judicial court in our Church failed to stand on the side of love. We are grateful for the Presbytery of the Redwoods standing on the side of the love of God in Christ Jesus for all persons including LGBT persons and their families.
The motion came from Rev. Janie Spahr's co-counsel and Redwoods Presbytery member Rev. Scott Clark. It was passed by 74 yes, 18 opposed.
THAT the Presbytery oppose imposition of the rebuke as set forth in the decision of the Presbytery Permanent Judicial Commission, dated August 27, 2010 (which was stayed by its terms until the present day), by declaring and resolving as follows:
WHEREAS, our primary ordination vow as Ruling and Teaching Elders is to be obedient to Jesus Christ, the Word of God, as the Scriptures bear witness to him, (F-1.02; W-4.4003(a);
WHEREAS, the love of God in Jesus Christ is for all people, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people;
WHEREAS, the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the constitution require that full inclusion and pastoral care be extended to all members of the church;
WHEREAS, this Presbytery called the Rev. Dr. Jane Adams Spahr to a ministry in outreach to – and in community among and with – lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people;
WHEREAS, the 38-year ministry of the Rev. Dr. Jane Adams Spahr has been faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to her calling;
WHEREAS, the decision of August 27, 2010, by its terms, acknowledges and apologizes (1) that the rules of the church “are against the Gospel,” and (2) that the decision and rebuke continue the grievous harm “that has been, and continues to be, done” by the church to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people “in the name of Jesus Christ”;
Be it RESOLVED that the Presbytery of the Redwoods opposes imposition of the rebuke set forth in the decision dated August 27, 2010, as inconsistent with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the faithful life of ministry lived out in this Presbytery.
When the GAPJC decision was made in August, Rev. Janie Spahr said, "This is a very sad day for our church. This ruling only perpetuates prejudice and the violence we have known only too well. When we as LGBT people and our marriages continue to be considered 'less than' or 'second class' the church wrongly promotes the myths and stereotypes so harmful to the entire community. The church has once again said no to its very own children and family members. We will continue to honor our relationships and marriages as we work and pray for the day when the church recognizes everyone’s full humanity. When the church keeps saying no, we keep listening to God’s 'Yes!' to us. God’s 'Yes!'"
President Obama's public support of marriage equality, particularly in the context of his faith, has sparked a nation conversation among faith leaders about same-sex marriage. The New York Times quotes Michael Coogan at Harvard Divinity School: "The faith divide resembles what the nation experienced in the debates over slavery."
The Rev. Jesse Jackson praised President Obama's decision to support marriage equality and also "compared the battle for such unions to the fight against slavery and anti-miscegenation laws intended to keep blacks and other ethnicities from mingling and marrying with whites."
One of the key debates after President Obama's announcement occured on the The Ed Show, an hour-long weeknight news commentary program on MSNBC. Ed Schultz, who hosts the show, discusses President Obama's stand in light of the black church and the civil rights movement. His guests included Bishop Harry Jackson and Obery M. Hendricks, author of The Universe Bends Towards Justice.
In a statement about President Obama's support for marriage equality, Rev. Jesse Jackson called on the President to do more to assure that LGBT couples and their children have the equal protection of the law at a Federal level.
"This is a bold step in the right direction for equal protection under the law for all citizens," Jackson told the Los Angeles Times on Thursday morning. But, he said, he wished the president had gone further, pushing for federal protection for all citizens instead of leaving the controversial issue of gay marriage up to the states to decide.
If other hard-won civil rights battles had been left up to the states, Jackson said, African Americans would have been on the losing end of those battles.
"If the states had to vote on slavery, we would have lost the vote," Jackson said. "If we had to vote on the right [for blacks] to vote, we would have lost that vote."
Sunday's New York Times also explored the national conversation among faith leaders.
The faith divide resembles what the nation experienced in the debates over slavery, said Michael Coogan, a lecturer in Old Testament and Hebrew Bible at Harvard Divinity School and the author of “God and Sex: What the Bible Really Says.”
“The proslavery contingent quoted the Bible repeatedly, saying that God has all these commandments about slavery and nowhere in the Bible, including the New Testament, is it stated that there’s anything wrong with slavery,” Mr. Coogan said. “The abolitionists also quoted the Bible, but used the same sort of more general texts that supporters of same-sex relationships are using: love your neighbor, treat others as you would have them treat you, the golden rule.”
Mr. Obama invoked his own faith when he revealed on Wednesday — a day after North Carolina voters approved an amendment to ban same-sex marriages, partnerships and civil unions — that he supports same-sex marriage. He said that he and the first lady “are both practicing Christians,” and that “obviously” his position “may be considered to put us at odds with the views of others.”
“But, you know, when we think about our faith, the thing at root that we think about is not only Christ sacrificing himself on our behalf, but it’s also the golden rule, you know? Treat others the way you would want to be treated.” ...
“The only thing that has changed in the church since the first century is who is considered ‘us,’ and who is considered ‘them,’ ” she said. “The essential issue is the same: We aren’t sure ‘they’ belong with God at all. When I was young, a pastor said, whenever you draw a line between us and them, bear in mind that Jesus is on the other side of that line.”
President Barack Obama made a historic, public statement of support for marriage equality yesterday on ABC News in a special interview with Robin Roberts. He also cited his Christian faith as a motivator for doing so. Believe Out Loud is collecting signatures for a thank you card to send to the President.
Dear President Obama:
With joy and gratitude in our hearts, we thank you for declaring your support for same-sex marriage.
Like you, we are faithful Christians who support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality not in spite of our Christian faith, but because of it.
Our Christian voices for equality are getting stronger everyday and we thank you for lending yours to the chorus.
Many, many thanks,
Believe Out Loud
If you'd like your name on the thank you card, sign here.
This is a historic moment in the life of our country and world. More Light Presbyterians gives thanks for President Barack Obama's public statement of support for marriage equality today on ABC News in a special interview with Robin Roberts. With this statement of support, President Obama stands on the side of love and the right side of history.
The full interview with the President is set to air on Thursday's "Good Morning America." Obama's remarks follow Vice President Biden's remarks on Sunday's Meet the Press.
Cameron Tolle at Freedom to Marry writes, "Moments ago, we learned the President Barack Obama has joined to the growing number of Americans who support the freedom to marry for gay and lesbian couples. President Obama becomes the first sitting President to stand with the majority of Americans whose hearts have opened and minds have changed in favor of the freedom to marry. In short, today is a turning point in the movement to win marriage nationwide."
“Today, President Obama added his voice to the growing chorus of Americans who believe that all loving and committed couples should share equally in the freedom to marry. Like so many others who have made this journey – from Bill Clinton to Laura Bush, most recently Vice President Biden, and a majority of the American people – President Obama has come to know loving and committed gay couples. Through thought and conversation about these families and their dreams and challenges, President Obama has reflected on his own values of fairness and respect for others, and completed his journey to support for the freedom to marry. He now becomes the first sitting President to join the majority of Americans whose hearts have opened and minds have changed in favor of the freedom to marry.
“The President’s support marks a historic turning point for the freedom to marry movement. Yet there is much left to be done. Forty-four states continue to exclude same-sex couples from marriage and because of the federal so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the civil marriages of thousands of same-sex couples are not respected by the federal government, thus depriving families of a crucial safety-net of federal protections and responsibilities. It is time to repeal discriminatory laws that hurt families and help no one and speed passage of freedom to marry laws throughout the country.
“Government has no business putting obstacles in the path of loving and committed couples and their families who simply seek to care for one another and for whom marriage matters. We call on the President, members of Congress, and state legislators from both sides of the aisle, to act together to bring an end to marriage discrimination and put government at every level on the side of families, fairness, and freedom.”
More Light Presbyterians joins with the civil rights community and the faith community to lament the passage of Amendment One. This is a profound injustice. Amendment One sanctions discrimination against a class of citizens and is unfair, unlawful and violates fundamental Christian and democratic values. All loving, committed couples and their children should have the equal protection of the law and the loving embrace of the Church. We are deeply grateful for the many people of faith who spoke out against Amendment One.
Amendment One has profound consequences far beyond marriage equality. In a nation struggling with a scourge of anti-LGBT bullying sometimes resulting in suicide, Amendment One has a profound impact on our youth. In Asheville, NC "a group of young gay people and their supporters were so overcome with sadness and frustration at the passage of Amendment One that they held a spontaneous gathering of solidarity."
Brought together by Just Us for All founder Sam Soper, the group of some 40 young people, many of them college students, sat quietly on the walls around the monument, candles flickering as they embraced and wiped tears from their eyes.
“I was sitting at home feeling very, very alone, and I didn’t want to be, so I got (her friend) and we came down here to be with other people,” said Savannah Seithel, 22, a pre-med student at UNC Asheville.
Seithel said that when she came out as gay, the hardest part was not telling her family or friends – although she lost friends because of it. The hardest part, she said, was knowing that the one thing she most wanted was to raise a child someday, and give it “the best life possible, as well organized and supported as my mother raised me.”
“I came to believe that I could have that dream,” she said. “But now I feel that there’s a war on that dream.”
This was not an angry crowd. These young people spoke in soft tones, offering hugs and shoulder rubs, carrying signs saying “I love my community,” “Compassion now,” and “We’re your children, parents, friends and neighbors, and yes, we are gay.”
Amy Orenchuk, a senior photography major at UNC Asheville, clutched a tissue in her hand to blot the tears that continued to spring into her eyes, even as she took deep breaths and tried to smile and offer encouragement to her friends.
What hurt her most about the passage of Amendment One was “the lack of information and the lack of compassion,” she said, referring to the ramifications to both gay and straight couples that were not clearly spelled out in the language of the legislation.
“It makes me want to move out of this state, and I’m actually planning on moving now,” she said, again blotting tears from her eyes.
On Tuesday, North Carolina foolishly and shamefully joined 30 states with constitutional bans on same-sex marriages. But state voters went further than that with this unwise and unnecessary constitutional change.
With language that declares “marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized” in the state, the amendment casts a cloud of uncertainty over the rights and benefits of unmarried couples – both gay and straight – and over domestic violence laws, child custody and visitation rights and end-of-life arrangements.
The ambiguity created by the declaration of traditional marriage as the “only domestic legal union” the state will recognize is ironic. Proponents have said the constitutional ban was needed to head off activist judges from intervening. But this change almost guarantees that judges will have to intervene and interpret what the amendment allows and prohibits.
Legal experts are divided on the possible effects. Even the state constitutional amendments commission that wrote an explanation so voters could understand the amendment concluded that “the courts would ultimately” decide the amendment’s ramifications.
Duke University professor Mike Munger told the Observer editorial board Tuesday that domestic partner benefits “clearly are in jeopardy.” Unmarried couples who get domestic partner insurance benefits from local governments could lose them. “It’s not clear it’s legal” under the amendment for the governments to offer them, Munger said. Chapel Hill, Durham, Greensboro, and Mecklenburg and Orange counties now provide health care benefits to domestic partners and their children.
And judges might refuse to issue domestic violence protection orders in cases involving unmarried couples and throw out orders already issued. Under this amendment, North Carolina doesn’t appear to recognize them as having legally-defined personal relationships.
More Light Presbyterians calls on voters in North Carolina to stand on the right side of history and defeat Amendment 1. Amendment 1 would define marriage in the state as between one man and one woman. Same-sex marriage is already banned in the state of North Carolina. The proposed measure, however, would add the ban to the state constitution. The Amendment 1 vote is happening today.
When asked how he thought voters should respond, Rep. Brad Miller (D-N.C.) said, "Vote against it. [Approving Amendment One would be] the wrong thing to do. You’d clearly be on the wrong side of history. In 20 or 30 years, we’ll look back and feel embarrassed about this like we’re embarrassed about Jim Crow."
The NAACP agrees. Listen to this important speech from Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, the head of the North Carolina NAACP. He is surrounded by clergy from around the state.
And although many Christians are positioned against the amendment, including coalitions such as Clergy for Equality and Pastors Against Amendment One, Knight points out that conservative churches far outnumber progressive ones in North Carolina. “They’re encouraging their folks to vote as much as we are,” he said. “It remains to be seen who’s going to be motivated and mobilized to get out there and do it.”
As far as media coverage is concerned, Bakker laments that the same-old anti-gay Christian perspective is still the easy go-to. “It’s a strange phenomenon,” he told me.
“I really do think that in the long run it’s going to hurt the church, and shrink the church in numbers. We’re supposed to be known for our love for one another, and for our compassion, and this is just not it.”
Many younger Christian communities around the country would agree with Bakker, and have adopted the kind of positive, inclusive messages he refers to, marking a definitive shift away from the type of pro-Amendment 1 voices heard in the debate. But—unlike Bakker, who is outwardly gay affirming—these young Christians also tend to remain quiet when it comes to homosexuality and marriage equality. They shy away from politics, and are they particularly hesitant to enter into the same culture-war debates as their predecessors.
So it hasn’t come as much of a surprise that the vast majority of Christians participating in the campaign against the amendment seem to be older, more traditionally affiliated, and familiar with the same rhetorical language that’s been used for decades. One need look no further than 93-year-old Billy Graham’s endorsement of Amendment 1 to realize that the terms of this debate are firmly rooted deeply in the past. “For me, it’s heartbreaking that we’re still having this conversation,” Bakker said, noting conservative Christianity’s continued insistence on law and regulation and divisiveness. “I wish people lived life on life’s terms instead of turning the Bible into a cruel, old book.”
More Light Presbyterians are grateful for for Vice President Joe Biden's support of marriage equality. He offered his remarks on Sunday's Meet The Press in an interview with David Gregory.
Marriage equality will be considered by the 220th General Assembly next month in Pittsburgh. We hope, pray and are working so that the Presbyterian Church (USA) will approve both marriage equality overtures. The Authoritative Interpretation overture permits Presbyterian ministers to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies in states where they are legal. As love is not restricted by gender, the second marriage equality overture seeks to change the characterization of marriage in the Directory of Worship from opposite sex, a man and woman, to two loving persons in a faithful relationship.
A transcript of Biden's remarks related to marriage equality:
Gregory: You write social policy. I'm curious. You know, the president has said that his views on gay marriage, on same sex marriage, have evolved. But he's opposed to it. You are opposed to it. Have your views evolved?
Biden: Look -- I just think that, uh, the good news is that as more and more Americans come to understand what this is about, it's a simple proposition. Who do you love? Who do you love? And will you be loyal to the person you love? And that's what people are finding out. It's what all marriages, at their root, are about. Whether they're marriages of lesbians, or gay men, or heterosexuals.
Gregory: That's what you believe now?
Biden: That's what I believe!
Gregory: And you're comfortable with same sex marriage now?
Biden: Look. I'm Vice President of the United States of America. The president sets the policy. I am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women and heterosexual -- men and women marrying – are entitled to the same exact rights, all the civil rights, all the civil liberties. And quite frankly, I don’t see much of a distinction beyond that.
Gregory: In a second term, will this administration come out behind same sex marriage? The institution of marriage?
Biden: Well, I, I can't speak to that. Uh, I, I, I, I don't know the answer to that. But I can tell you --
Gregory: Sounds like you'd like to see it happen. If that's where the president ...
Biden: Well, the president continues to fight. Whether it's Don't Ask Don't Tell, or whether it is making sure, across the board, that you can't discriminate -- look at the executive orders he's put in place. Any hospital that gets federal funding, which is almost all of them, they can't deny a partner from being able to have access to their partner [who's] ill, or making the call on whether or not they, you know ... it's just, this is evolving. And by the way, my measure, David -- and I take a look at when things really began to change, is when the social culture changes. I think Will and Grace probably did more to educate the American public than almost anything anybody's ever done so far.
And I think people fear that which is different. Now they're beginning to understand, they're beginning to understand that this -- as a base! -- I, uh, was speaking to a group of gay leaders in Los Angeles last, two weeks ago. And one gentleman looked at me in the question period and said, let me ask you, how do you feel about us? And I had just walked in to the backdoor of this gay couple and their, their two adopted -- and I turned to the man who owned the house, and said: What did I do when I walked in? He said: You walked right to my children. They were seven and five, and giving you flowers. And I said, I wish every American could see the look of love those children have in their eyes for you guys, and they wouldn't have any doubt what this is about.
Watch Vice President Biden's remarks on Meet the Press:
After the unanimous Iowa Supreme Court decision ending marriage discrimination, same-sex couples started marrying on April 27, 2009. After the decision, these three justices: Chief Justice Marsha Ternus and Justices David Baker and Michael Streit, were ousted in a retention election. There is no question that these three justices stood on the side of love, fairness and justice. They also stood on the right side of history.
We give thanks that three years later, the three justices will receive the prestigious 2012 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award on Monday, May 7. According to the award site, "The Profile in Courage Award seeks to make Americans aware of the conscientious and courageous acts of their public servants, and to encourage elected officials to choose principles over partisanship – to do what is right, rather than what is expedient."
Three years after the unanimous Iowa Supreme Court decision affirming the freedom to marry, three former justices ousted in a retention election following the ruling will receive the prestigious 2012 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award on Monday, May 7. Caroline Kennedy will present the award to former Iowa Chief Justice Marsha Ternus and Justices David Baker and Michael Streit at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston.
“Former justices David Baker, Michael Streit, and Chief Justice Marsha Ternus showed tremendous courage when they joined a unanimous court in upholding the freedom to marry for all loving, committed couples in Iowa, and, again, when they honored the bedrock American value of an independent judiciary by refraining from political campaigning even as they faced an unprecedented moneyed campaign mounted against the court by anti-marriage shell-groups,” said Evan Wolfson, founder and President of Freedom to Marry. “These courageous justices have stood by their decision and fidelity to the constitutional guarantees they defended, even as Iowa’s voters have begun expressing buyers’ remorse over succumbing to the scare-tactic, special-interest campaign that rabbit-punched judges for doing their job .”
The John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award is the nation's most prestigious honor for public servants.
Throughout his political career, President Kennedy inspired people to follow their conscience and to work for the benefit of their communities, their country, and their world. He believed that each person can make a difference, and that everyone should try. In particular, he wanted to restore a belief in politics as a noble profession and a calling to public service.
The Profile in Courage Award was created in 1989 by members of President Kennedy's family to honor President John F. Kennedy and to recognize and celebrate the quality of political courage that he admired most.
The award is named for President Kennedy’s 1957 Pulitzer prize-winning book, Profiles in Courage, which recounts the stories of eight U.S. Senators who risked their careers by taking principled stands for unpopular positions.
More Light Presbyterians grieves with our pro-LGBT United Methodist sisters and brothers today after the General Conference voted by 572 to 368 to retain the wording that homosexuality is "incompatible with Christian teaching." New wording would have removed the "incompatability clause." The General Conference has yet to consider ordination of LGBT clergy and blessing of same-sex relationships.
"My heart broke as I learned that the General Conference of the United Methodist Church voted to retain the ruling that homosexuality is 'incompatible with Christian teaching.' No person is incompatible with God's creation, love or grace. No person is outside of God's salvation or embrace. Every person is a beloved child of God, created in the image of God and unconditionally loved by God. The truth is that homophobia, like racism or sexism, is incompatible with Christian teaching. Homophobia is an offense to God, God's creation of LGBT persons and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I imagine God's heart broke to see God's own children allowing this harmful ruling to stand. Let us remember that God has the last word. We're all God's children and one human family," said Michael Adee, Executive Director, More Light Presbyterians.
Delegates at the United Methodist Church’s global convention on Thursday rejected proposals to eliminate a rule declaring homosexuality “incompatible” with Christianity. The 572 to 368 vote was a defeat for gay rights activists who have tried for years to change church doctrine.
“God is weeping,” said Karen Oliveto, pastor at Glide Memorial United Methodist Church in San Francisco, and a leader in the Love Your Neighbor Coalition, which is trying to eliminate church rules condemning same-sex relationships.
In recent years, most mainline Protestant denominations — the Episcopal Church, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the United Church of Christ — have permitted the ordination of gay and lesbian clergy members and the blessing of same-sex marriages. But the United Methodist Church, with 12 million members worldwide including 7.85 million worshipers in the United States, has resisted such changes. Its doctrine declares homosexuality “incompatible with Christian teaching,” prohibits ordination of openly homosexual men and women, and bans same-sex weddings, while urging churches not to reject gay parishioners.
After the vote, Bishop Carcaño made the following statement:
David Braiden, Director of Development at Reconciling Ministries Network, issued the following statement:
We grieve that the United Methodist Church really had the opportunity to live into inclusive gospel of Jesus Christ and live into its tagline of Open Hearts, Open Doors, Open Minds and extend its welcome to LGBT people and unfortunately, chose not to do that. We grieve that UMC continues to harm and discrimination against LGBT people. We're already here in the United Methodist Church and we will continue to be that shining light on top of the hill to show the world what it means to be UMC, and that is to welcome all people.
An Ordination Guide for the new G-2.0104 is available for download and use among Sessions and nominating committees; seminarians, candidates and inquirers; Committees on Ministry and Preparation; Executive Presbyters and Stated Clerks; and Seminaries.
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Thursday, May 17 is the International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia (IDAHO). IDAHO is inspired by the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights that declares that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
More Light Presbyterians is grateful for the Presbytery of the Redwoods' decision this afternoon to oppose the imposition of a rebuke to Rev. Janie Spahr set forth in the 
President Obama's 
President Barack Obama made a 
This is a historic moment in the life of our country and world. More Light Presbyterians gives thanks for President Barack Obama's public statement of support for marriage equality today on ABC News in a special interview with Robin Roberts. With this statement of support, President Obama stands on the side of love and the right side of history.
More Light Presbyterians joins with the civil rights community and the faith community to lament the passage of Amendment One. This is a profound injustice. Amendment One sanctions discrimination against a class of citizens and is unfair, unlawful and violates fundamental Christian and democratic values. All loving, committed couples and their children should have the equal protection of the law and the loving embrace of the Church. We are deeply grateful for the many people of faith who spoke out against Amendment One.
More Light Presbyterians calls on voters in North Carolina to stand on the right side of history and defeat Amendment 1. Amendment 1 would define marriage in the state as between one man and one woman. Same-sex marriage is already banned in the state of North Carolina. The proposed measure, however, would add the ban to the state constitution. The Amendment 1 vote is happening today.
More Light Presbyterians are grateful for for Vice President Joe Biden's support of marriage equality. He offered his remarks on Sunday's Meet The Press in an interview with David Gregory.
After the unanimous Iowa Supreme Court decision ending marriage discrimination, same-sex couples started marrying on April 27, 2009. After the decision, these three justices: Chief Justice Marsha Ternus and Justices David Baker and Michael Streit, were ousted in a retention election. There is no question that these three justices stood on the side of love, fairness and justice. They also stood on the right side of history. 
More Light Presbyterians grieves with our pro-LGBT United Methodist sisters and brothers today after the General Conference voted by 572 to 368 to 
