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Australian Catholic Bishop Backs Equal Rights for Gay Couples

The Adelaide Archdiocese in Australia has given support for a South Australian Parliamentary Bill giving gay and lesbian couples access to the rights enjoyed by heterosexual couples.

The Advertiser reports that Archbishop Philip Wilson threw his support behind the Statute Amendment (Relationships) Bill “so that people can be properly protected in their rights”.

The Bill would give equal rights to same-sex couples in areas such as property, inheritance, superannuation and medical laws, and bring South Australia in line with other states.

Discussing the Bill at a meeting of Parliament’s Social Development Committee, Archbishop Wilson emphasized the importance of protecting the union of marriage but said the law also should be extended to protect the rights of same-sex couples.

“We clearly regard marriage as being a unique type of relationship﾿but at the same time we recognize the fact that there are people in society who live in other kinds of relationships,” the bishop said. “The difficulty that we find in a modern society is that we are living in a time of change.  Click here to read more about this story.

Catholic Bishop Apologizes for Barring Funeral of Gay Nightclub Owner

The San Diego Union Tribune reports “The head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego apologized Monday to the family of gay nightclub owner John McCusker, less than a week after decreeing that McCusker couldn’t have a Catholic burial because of his ‘business activities,’ according to a statement released by McCusker’s family.

“In a stunning twist to a controversy that has created an uproar in the San Diego gay and Catholic communities, Bishop Robert Brom also promised to preside at a mass in memory of McCusker at The Immaculata Catholic church on the campus of the University of San Diego.

“It was only last week that the bishop forced The Immaculata to cancel McCusker’s funeral, declaring that no parish within the diocese, which includes San Diego and Imperial Counties, could hold a Catholic funeral for him.”

Lesbian Couple Turned Away From Michigan Catholic Church

A Catholic church in Michigan turned away a lesbian couple from joining the church.  The Macomb Daily reports that Mary Horon said the Rev. Michael Bugarin of St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church told her two weeks after she and her partner applied for membership that the church would not accept the lesbian couple as members. Another local Catholic church ended up accepting the couple.  “‘The priest said he couldn’t have any gay people in his church,” Horon recalled. “He called us, ’sinners.’”

“Ned McGrath, director of Communication for the Archdiocese of Detroit, issued a statement in response to the couple’s claim of discrimination. ‘The Catholic Church is committed to the support of—and a belief in— the marriage of one man and one woman, and does not recognize so-called same-sex unions, whether civil or otherwise, period,’ McGrath said. ‘And, to register in a parish as ‘gay couple,’ provides, in fact, a recognition the Church cannot concede. At the same time, any individual who embraces the teachings of the Catholic Church is welcomed in the parishes of the Detroit Archdiocese.’” Click here to read more about this.

One of the themes of Ghana’s 50th anniversary of independence was to review the country’s progress so far.

Ghana@50 provided an opportunity to assess the country’s progress as an independent nation, with a focus on how to continue improvements and overcome challenges of the future.

Recently there have been accusations that the celebrations were a waste of valuable resources and whether this is true or not, there should also be a reminder of the practical gains that can be made during a period of reflection.

It is important when a review of a country takes place that a critical eye is used to look over the origins and reasons for the values and laws that a society subscribes to, even if some may seem non-negotiable.

The criminalisation of homosexuality has been described by critics as “a relic of colonialism” and it is the status of this law as a remnant of British rule that makes it ripe for criticism after more than 50 years of independence.

This year, Obama, Atta Mills’ much-lauded ‘other-half’ in Ghana’s ‘partnership for change’ signed a UN declaration calling for the decriminalisation of homosexuality worldwide.

Read full article here

Gay rights advocates have criticised slated changes to Victoria’s equal opportunity laws that will continue to allow religious organisations to discriminate against gays and single parents.

State Attorney-General Rob Hulls says a new Equal Opportunity Bill will be introduced into parliament next year.

Under the changes, religious groups will no longer be able to discriminate on the grounds of race, disability, age, physical features, political belief or breastfeeding

Read Full Story from Nine MSN News here

Follow discussion on same same forum

Off the cuff is a new feature at The Immanent Frame, in which we pose a question to a handful of leading thinkers and ask for a brief response. Our question today concerns the issue of homosexuality in debates about the Anglican Communion.

As the New York Times reported last week, in response to the Episcopal convention in Anaheim earlier this month, and in light of “profound rifts over sexual issues within Anglicanism,” Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, has released a statement addressing the issues of gay clergy and same-sex unions.

The Archbishop here signals support for the human dignity and civil liberties of LGBT people. While suggesting that the Anglican Communion recognize “two styles of being Anglican,” however, he also argues that “a certain choice of lifestyle has certain consequences.” The Church, he writes, will only change its stance on the blessing of same-sex unions after they have been justified by “painstaking biblical exegesis” and subsequently widely accepted within the Communion. Until that point, a member of a homosexual couple will continue to be treated just as “a heterosexual person living in a sexual relationship outside the marriage bond.” (read full text)

Gay Straight Alliance

Congratulations to the staff and students at Australian Catholic University Banyo Campus on the work of the Gay-Straight alkliance

On Wednesday August 5  Daniel Gullotta  a Theological Student at ACU, a youth worker, writer for Catholica, and member of the Anglican Church of Australia will lead a forum on Christian Gay Rights.

As a heterosexual who is a budding theologian, church member, and a Christian, Daniel believes that Christianity’s integrity rides on how religious people deal with gay rights. In dealing with homophobia and hetrosexism, Daniel believes that no compromise is possible and that while embracing change is a present cross to bear, change will happen with or without the Church – Daniel believes that gay people must claim the cross of change and Christianity with them create the change. The question being asked is, “What does religion have to do with gay rights?”

QAHC’s LGBT History Project

E.G Crichton is artist-in-residence with the San Francisco GLBT Historical Society and Associate Professor of Art at the University of California Santa Cruz.  She uses a range of art strategies to explore social issues, history and site specific subject matter. She will talk about her current work “Lineage: matchmaking in the archive” – a collaborative work, and her role within the GLBT Historical Society. Gerard Koskovich said… For more information about the GLBT Historical Society in San Francisco and about E.G. Crichton’s “Lineage” show currently on display in the main gallery there, visit www.glbthistory.org.

Jenny Scott is responsible for developing the “South Australia Memory Radical Dream” website with their State Library, and implementing their  presence on Flickr.  Her experiences of coming out as a transgender in 1993 have fuelled her activism, and currently her advocacy for LGBTI visibility in the public archives.

Dr Yorick Smaal, local gay historian, identifies the issues of delving into archives when so little is on the record of our LGBT lives.  Working with what is there (it has been largely the legal record), and ‘reading against the grain’ is the challenge.  Yorick also contests our assumptions in interpreting the LGBT past, and our very notions of sexuality.

The Australian Lesbian & Gay Archives in Melbourne have for 30 years been the pioneers in collecting our LGBT archives.  They are community-run and now – sit alongside the official collecting institutions – such as our State Library of Queensland, who have a commitment to building their LGBT content in their collections.  How do we work together on this enterprise?

Dear Readers,

Stepehn Hough

I am so excited to announce that Stepehn Hough now  appears on this blog alongside other Gay Catholic mentors and heroes. be sure to drop ion on his blog for a range of reflections.I really must live in a cultural ghetto as I only heard of Stepehen via the Church Resources News Service:Feature – One Catholic’s journey of music and spirituality  Not only does he appear in Catholic News Services, he even writes for them 

However poor Stepehn did step on more than a few precious liturgical toes when he left the safety of the keyboard for the boxing ring of the Sanctuary. His feature article The moment our eyes are opened in the 11 April 2009, English Tablet was  noted by a New Zealand blogger and my old Geelong mate Kevin Bates tells me that the Tablet also published his letter correcting Stepehen’s reading of the Liturgy.

Learn more about this amazing man

• Listen to this interview on ABC Brisbane: Stephen Hough
• From the ABC Radio national Music Show listen now | download audio
• From The Austral;ian June 18 2009: Pianist Stephen Hough’s big questions 
• Piano genius with mass appeal
• Breathe deep on remarkable, fluid journey
• Pianist keeps the faith, in his life and music
• Stephen Hough on Wikipedia

I managed to get along to the final evening of ‘POWER & PANACHE’ to see  Stephen Hough with the Sydney Symphony on June 22. What an evening. I came away with a brief chat with the man himself, a signed copy of a CD and a little more knowledge of Classical Piano. So, welcome Stephen!!!

 Bond and Griffith Universities researchers are conducting a survey into those gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex people who have, OR have not reported, being victims of prejudice related violence/harassment to Queensland Police and community support groups. Researchers aim to use the information from the ‘Stop Gay Hate Now’ survey to increase awareness of the extent of homophobic violence/harassment against L.G.B.T.I. citizens experienced by Queensland residents over the age of 18.

The, completely confidential, data gathered will be used to provide recommendations to Queensland Police [and related community support services] to encourage reporting of offences against LGBTIs; ways to improve recording homophobic violence/harassment, and provide recommendations for legislative and other reforms to address homophobia generally.

 After completing this survey, you will be given the chance to enter a prize draw for an Apple iPhone valued at $800 and to be considered for membership of some focus groups. However your personal contact details will not be linked to your answers to this survey.

To access the survey now click on theis  link

 LGBTI people interested in participating in focus groups in metropolitan and rural and regional Queensland as part of the ‘Stop Gay Hate Now’ survey may also contact researchers direct. Focus group and other Inquiries: Dr. Shirleene Robinson of Bond University (srobinso@bond.edu.au) and/or Dr. Alan Berman of Griffith University/University of Newcastle (Alan.Berman@newcastle.edu.au). Explanatory Statements: Investigating Legal Responses to Homophobic Violence, BUHREC Protocol Number: RO-948 Background: This survey has ethics clearance from both Bond and Griffith University and is part of a Legal Practitioner’s Interest on Trust Account Funds investigation into Legal Responses to Homophobic Violence. The project is being conducted by Dr. Shirleene Robinson from Bond University and Dr Alan Berman, an Adjunct Research Fellow of the Socio-Legal Research Centre of Griffith University and Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Newcastle

Ferdy Parer ofm

In the early 1980s I was living in the parish house of St Joseph’s Collingwood exploring community faith and justice. I can still remember with amazing clarity the day I opened the front door to a Franciscan friar who introduced himself as Ferdy Parer and asked to see Tony Robertson because he had been told about my work with people living in the local housing commission estates. I hold that moment in graced humility now as I had no idea of Ferdy’s work at the time.

Nearly 20 years later I settled in West End and began attending Masses at St Mary’s South Brisbane.When I realised that Ferdy was the celebrant of the week day Masses, I made a point of going as often as I could. Those Masses were the most extraordinary moments of grace and community I have ever experienced at St Mary’s in almost 20 years of participation.

Ferdy’s vision was going but his spirituality was as sharp and insightful as ever.The Mass was full of moments of glorious wonder. Gordon Smith, older than Ferdy I suspect would arrive every morning in his suit to serve. With quiet dignity and grace Gordon also read the gospel as the text in the Lectionary was too small for Ferdy to manage.And then as he handed the cruets of wine and water over for the preparation of the gifts, Gordon would kiss them in a gesture of beauty and grace which has never been seen in the recent contemporary liturgies of Terry Fitzpatrick and Peter Kennedy.

Thank you for recalling to mind this man of God and servant of the Gospel. In these days of “exile’’ and religious spin may he call us back to where we are most truly at home among the “little ones” of our fragile human family.

This post is a resposne to a blog Calling to mind Father Ferdy Parer OFM by Mark Bahnisch