HerlandVoice-2000-07-v18-no07_ocr.pdf
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Jul
2000
REPORT FROM CLEVELAND
By Jm McKinley-Oakes
The United Methodists, with nine million members
worldwide are the second largest Christian denomination.
They meet every four years at a delegates' convention to set
policy. They have been debating the institutional church 1s
relationship with LGBT people since 1972. Each year they
have taken a more reactionary position. This year they were
expected to take the backward step of prohibiting any of
their churches from being"reconciling"; i.e., accepting of
gays and lesbians. While we were not able to change their
hearts to welcome open LGBT people into their church as
pastors or permit holy unions, we were able to keep them
from moving backwards.
On Wednesday May 10, Soulforce, led by Rev. Mel
White, held a demonstration and civil disobedience outside
the convention center. The convention had refused to allow
us onto the floor. Missing the historical irony, they had said
we could sit in the balcony. 191 demonstrators, with several
hundred supporters looking on, blocked the exit of the
convention center and said 'We won't let you out until you
take the correct action that God loves all of her/his children."
The 191 were arrested, held in cells for several hours and
paid $155 in fines for disorderly conduct. The police and
guards were uniformly polite, jovial, and supportive. One
officer told us she is a lesbian and several others were vocal
in their support.
We were with several of our (s)heroes. Yolanda King,
Martin Luther King, Jr's daughter met with us Tuesday,
spoke to the press on our behalf, and gave a great speech
· with quotes from her father and from Maya Angelou. The
following people came for at least three days or the entire
week and were arrested with us: Rev Don Faldo, Rev.
Gregory Dell, and Rev Jimmy Creech all Methodist ministers who were tried by the church for performing Holy
Unions. Dell is serving a two year suspension and Creech
had his orders removed. Dr. Rodney Powell was a leader
of SNCC in the 50's and 60's. He is a bisexual man in a
longtime marriage to Dr. Gloria Johnson-Powell whom he
met in medical school. He said, 'We remember when the
Bible was misused to exclude racial minorities from the
churches. Today that same Bible once misused to support
slavery, apartheid, and segregation is being misused to
(continued page 3)
Volume 18 Number 07
PRIDE2000
The Her/and float was warmly greeted
by the crowd waiting at 39th and Penn.
~
Herland Activities
Two-Spirits - 7:00 PM. Saturday, July 1.
A gathering of Nati...e American lesbians and their
friends.
Supper Club - Saturday, July 8. Meet at
Her land at 5:30PM. Everyone is invited.
Bike Ride - 8:00 AM, Sunday, June 16.
Call 942-1535 for information.
HSR Board Meeting - 4:30 PM, Sunday
June 16. Open to all.
Two-Spirits - 7:00 PM, Saturday, August 1.
Herland Sister Resources
2312 N.W. 39, OKC, OK 73112
SAINT SYBIL
Sybil Ludington, Matron Saint of the Forgotten Woman, is an
occasional contributor to this space.
Dear Sybil,
Well, I had another lovely Oklahoma moment tonight,
'round about midnight. The weather was fabulous, not too hot,
not too cold, not too breezy; the moon almost full; the
Governor's lawn prettily planted and of course no common
working-people houses across the street anymore to distract
from the Governor's glory and give offense. A beautiful night
to be alive. Not such a good night to die. I got to bed about
1 a.m. and then couldn't sleep, so now I am up writing to you.
I keep thinking of the wrongness of capital punishment, as well
as the futility of my protests.
Because, I ask you, just what good did this little exercise
do? There were eight of us out there, eight out of half a million,
protesting an execution that took place in our names. I can
imagine the gate guard smirking to Keating in the morning "just eight this time, sir'', and the Guv digging into his bacon
and pancakes, well satisfied.
The man who was executed didn't know we were there,
so we didn't help him any. There were a few folks protesting
down at the prison, but likely he didn't know they were there
either. Here he was, 29 years old, being killed by society for
a terrible crime he committed twelve years before - when he
was in massive sexual thrall to the woman whose husband he
helped kill. That'll teach him, I guess.
It's not a fun pastime, this midnight gathering. When a
person who is clearly guilty of a very bad crime is executed,
it is an hour of sorrowful contemplation and protest. When
someone who might well be innocent (Robyn Parks always
comes to my mind) is executed, it is extremely painful. It is
going to be very hard later this year when an obviously
unbalanced woman is scheduled to be killed in our name.
So why in god's name do we do it, what use is it, the
ex~tions go on and on and no one cares that there are eight
or ten of us out here who want it to stop.
Help me please,
Sissie Fess
Dear Sissie,
So you're asking me to tell you that you can sleep in when
your government kills in your name? Think how you'd feel if
you didn't go there one night, and Tom didn't go either, and
neither did Bea or Bill or any of the others - and there was no
one there. Imagine with what gusto Keating would tackle his
breakfast the morning after that no-show!
And imagine the opposite of that scenario - imagine that
every person in Oklahoma City who deplores and despises the
death penalty showed up one night - they would think it was
a riot, they'd have to call out the guard to contain you all, and
breakfast would be like ash in the Governor's mouth.
P&Re 2 Berland Voice Julv. 2000
Even if that doesn't happen, you know you are right and
you know that your side will win - and every little thing you do
will hasten the day. So keep the faith, and keep pushing that
boulder up the hill - one day it will stay up there and not roll
back down again.
In sisterhood,
Sybil
Editor's Note: On June 15, Oklahoma executed William
Bryson. His execution was thefourth infourweekswith two more
scheduled in the near future. A recent study by Columbia
University documents thefailure ofthe criminaljustice system to
implement the death penalty within reasonable standards of
fairness. Oklahoma, has had serious errors in at least 75% ofthe
state 's death penalty cases, the report shows.
I'he Oklahoma Coalition Against the Dea/th Penalty has
called on Governor Keating to implement a moratorium on all
executions in the State of Oklahoma until a thorough, full and
independent evaluation and investigation into all death row
cases in the state can be conducted
Opponents ofthe death penalty will continue to stand vigil
in.front ofthe Governor 's/or each execution.
[J
Vickie Shavv LIVE
"Sick &Wrong Tour"
Opening Band is
favorite locals
IRIS
Saturday- July 15th
Sooner Theater
101.E. Main - Norman, OK
Tickets ... $15 in Advance
$20 at the Door
Get your tickets at
Jungle Red @The Habana Inn in OKC
Mystic Forest Treasures on Campus Corner in Norman
for tickets and more info...
872-2583
www.BlueSkyChx.com
CLEVELAND(continuedfrom page 1)
support intolerance and discrimination against se:x11al minorities.
We African-Americans had to take our truth to the streets before
anyone would listen. It's time homosexual-Americans took their
truth to the streets as well. This Soulforce event gives us that
chance."
Dr. Arnn Ghandi, who lived with his grandfather Mahatma
Ghandi was arrested for the first time in his life and shared many
stories of his grandfather. Rev. Robert Graetz came with his
spouse, and daughter. Rev Graetz was the first and for a long time
the only white pastor to stand with Dr. King during the Montgomery bus boycott. Their home was bombed twice and they received
threats against their children. Rev. Phil Lawson was there with his
brother Rev. Dr. James Lawson who mentoredDr. Kingin Ghandian
non-violence.
Dr. Lawson, the current Chair ofthe Fellowship ofReconciliation, said "Gays and lesbians have a more difficult time than we
did. We had our families and our churches on our side. All too
often, they have neither."
Whew! And these folks were not just making an appearance.
They were integral. I feel so humbled and incredibly honored to
have met them and worked with them.
The civil disobedience went well. My cell mate was a retired
minister who was fired from his first church for going tojail during
the civil rights movement. We were all released by dinner. Several
bishops and ministers and laity from the convention came out to
support us. One woman bishop was arrested with us. The
convention did not vote our way, but they did not move farther
right, and we sparked a lot of ~onversation cµid controversy. We
had a lot ofpress coverage in Cleveland, but none elsewhere except
for NPR as far as I can tell. I imagine that having such powerful
solidarity between civil rights leaders, LGBT activists, and people
offaith is threatening to the New York Times, and the Washington
Post.
Another exciting factor was that probably no action for LGBT
liberation has ever had such a large percentage of straight allies
working with theLGBT folks. We had threetransgendered people
www.herlandsisters.org
Herland Board of Directors:
JB
Laura Choate
Joanna Fife, Secretary
DIH
Ginger McGovern, Treasurer
Pat Reaves, Co-Chair
Jerri Schaben
Denise Smith
Judy Walden
The Voice ls published by: Hertand Sister Resources, Inc.
2312 N.W. 39th, Oklahoma City, OK 73112.
The Voice is offered as an open forum for community discourse.
Articles reflect the opinions of the author and not necessarily
those of Herland Sister Resources. Unsolicited articles and
letters to the editor are welcomed and must be signed by the writer
with full name and address. Upon request, letters or articles may
be printed under a pseudonym or anonymously.
Subscriptions to The Voice are free upon request although a
donation is requested to meet publication and distribution costs.
arrested. They are my new standards for courage. None of them
were abused by the police and jailers who were all cordial, friendly,
or openly supportive. That was wonderful. It certainly wasn't the
60's.
I have never been inan action with so many Christians. It was
a great education which I needed. They were some of the most
passionate, mature, loving seekers ofjustice I have ever met. And
not one even blinked when I said thatl am Pagan. One ofthe straight
arrestees was Rev. Nancy Gibson who came with her 11 year old
daughter Katie in memory ofa seminary classmate who killed herself
following her denial of ordination because she came out as a
lesbian.
Even more expansive than being confronted by my antireligious prejudice, was being immersed in a culture of non-violence. I was deeply moved and challenged by the compassion of
the people. I feel that they have invited me to stretch in difficult and
wonderful ways. I think and hope that I can. During one point Fred
Phelp's people were shouting at us the most hateful, and cruel
things I have ever encountered. I thought "how can Mel possibly
expect me to love THEM?" Then my pal Freeman said that he had
been told that the loudest hate monger was Phelp' s son. I thought
about how at eighteen I had wanted my father's approval and that
now I would not like the person I was then. And I thought about
how horrible it must be to grow up with Fred Phelps as a father.
Although the young man still scared and disgusted me, I began to
feel pity and even compassion for him. I felt so blessed and lucky
to be where I was and not where he was. Then a young Baptist
minister said to me, "You know, Phelps is converting a lot of people
to our side. In a way we are lucky he is here."
The intention ofthe action was clearly expressed bythe leader
Rev. Mel White, We are using this civil disobedience and mass
arrest to deliver a clear message to leaders of all the Christian
churches. This tragic debate about God's lesbian, gay, bisexual,
and transgendered children must end. The suffering has gone on
far too long. We are recruiting and training our allies to help us
end that suffering."
At a press conference and debriefing held Thursday, May 11,
Greg MarlanandKaren Weldin, Soulforce co-chairs for this event,
announced a four-year Soulforce strategy to help end discrimination against sexual minorities by the United Methodist Church.
That campaign-RELIGHTTHEFLAME-wasannounced Thursday to show solidarity with United Methodist allies inside the
Convention Center who were risking arrest (many of them the
second time this week). Thursday afternoon, May 11, when the
delegates voted to maintain their LGBT policies twenty-seven
United Methodist leaders, including Bishop Joseph Sprague (Northern Illinois) and Bishop Susan Morrison (Central New York), were
arrested after staging a Pray-In on the stage of the Convention
Center.
To learn more about Soulforce check out www.soulforce.org
D
(not .com).
Individual, couples or family counseling. Accessible rates. Call fora Wednesday evening appointment. Jo L. Soske, Phd, LPC, CADC 879-2226
Her/and Voice July, 2000 Page 3
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