Stonewall @ 40 years... Remembering & Becoming One Human Family
Posted Monday, June 29 2009 @ 04:18 AM by Michael Adee
Stonewall Riots in NYCJune 28, 1969... June 28, 2009
It began at a bar. The Stonewall Bar in New York City, the West Village. It could have been at church. Finally, they had enough of being told they could not be who they were, love who they fell in love with, even be safe in public.
J.E. Freeman was 24 at the time. Of his experience at the Stonewall Bar riot, he said: "That night the world changed for me and for every other gay, lesbian, bi, cross-dressing and transgender person on the planet. That night we were all reborn in the baptism of that hose's 'holy' water."
I commend Freeman's reflections of Stonewall to all of us in the pro-LGBT Movement in the Church and in civil society. Freeman reminds us that this work for justice and becoming One Human Family is a long-distance run, not a sprint. You can find his reflection at:
At age 64 he says: "I have marched and demonstrated all my life. I marched in San Francisco the night Harvey Milk and George Moscone were shot, and months later I rioted. I've marched on conventions and city halls. I've marched in New York and D.C., San Francisco and L.A. I've marched in daylight and with a candle in my hand. I've marched for the living and the dead. I've grown tired and old and sick marching. I've grown powerful and brave, wise and proud marching."
Freeman describes that Stonewall moment as "the ground was shifting right under the establishment's feet." As Christians, people of faith, we would call this a kairos moment. As I travel our Church, it is absolutely clear to me that "the ground is shifting right under the establishment's feet." More and more good hearted, salt of the earth Presbyterians and other Christians are willing to let go of the old ways of reading prejudice and bigotry into Scripture. They are listening to their hearts and choosing to do what is right by the Gospel, the example of Jesus, their faith and real-life experience with LGBT persons and their families.
Such is the case at First Presbyterian Church, Stillwater, Oklahoma. Yes, Oklahoma, now described as the "reddest" state in the nation in terms of political conservatism. Just two weeks ago, Vikki Dearing, Co-Moderator, MLP and I met with two groups there who are passionate about removing barriers in their church to LGBT people and their families. They say, "all are welcome" here and they are serious about that meaning everyone, no exceptions. I believe this is a kairos moment in the life of this church and community and that God is doing a new thing in their midst -- in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Hal Porter, the pastor who loved me back into faith and the Presbyterian Church, told me today to make sure I read Frank Rich's column from the New York Times about Stonewall. So, I did. Rich's column, "40 Years Later, Still Second Class Americans" is a reminder of what has not changed yet for LGBT citizens in our country that we call a democracy. It is a democracy, if you are straight or pretend to be so. To read Rich's column, go to: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/28/opinion/28rich.html
For the Presbyterian Church (USA), its spiritual Stonewall moment was when the late Rev. David Sindt held up his sign "Is Anyone Else Out Their Gay?" in a crowd of thousands of Presbyterians gathered at their General Assembly in Louisville, Kentucky in the summer of 1974. 35 years ago, just 4 years after Stonewall. This was the birth of the More Light Movement in our Church. Rich's assessment regarding the gaps in equality for LGBT Americans after 40 years compared to heterosexuals in our society as still "second class Americans" challenged me to consider our place and progress in the Church.
Are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people still Second Class Members in the PCUSA? I want you to answer that question from the context of the local church you are part of first, and then look closely at national policies or questions related to full church membership and service, ordination and marriage. I am deeply grateful for all of the welcoming and affirming More Light Churches who declare and strive to live out being the beloved community that will not tolerate discrimination against LGBT persons and their families, that embrace the presence and gifts of LGBT persons and their families, and advocate publicly for change. They are communities of witness.
It is critical to remember that the 218th General Assembly struck down the anti-gay policy statements of the 1978 Definitive Guidance and subsequent Authoritative Interpretations. The incredible gains within the recent Amendment 08-B Campaign give rise to hope for change in 2010, no question. This does not mean, however, that homophobia and heterosexism are no longer part of the life or witness of our Church. Discrimination is still possible and rampant under the "fidelity in marriage, chastity in singleness" ordination law and the characterization of marriage between "a man and a woman" in the description of a wedding in our directory of worship.
In the church as in civil society, we can celebrate progress and be inspired by it. And, as we mark the 40th Anniversary of Stonewall, and the 35th Anniversary of More Light in our Church, let us be mindful of what needs to be done now within our local congregations, presbyteries and within our denomination. I am deeply grateful for those remarkable queer folk who said "enough" 40 years ago at the Stonewall bar. I am deeply grateful for Rev. David Sindt and all those who dared to dream, believe, pray and work for our Church to become a place for all God's children. They blazed a trail for us and it is our privilege to dare to dream, believe, pray and work until we are what we say.
With hope and grace,
Michael
Join us for "God's Whole Family!" The National Welcoming & Affirming Presbyterian Conference, September 4 - 6, 2009, Second Presbyterian Church, Nashville, TN. Registration and more information online at www.mlp.org
PS: To support the work and national outreach of More Light Presbyterians please donate online at www.mlp.org
Michael J. Adee, M.Div., Ph.D., Executive Director & Field Organizer
More Light Presbyterians, 369 Montezuma Avenue # 447, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 USA (505) 820-7082, michaeladee@aol.com, www.mlp.org
More Light Presbyterians