Gay Catholics Plead Their Case For Dignity

Dignity/USA, the organization of gay and lesbian Roman Catholics and their friends, has taken its case directly to the American public in response to recent attacks from the Catholic Church. The organization has placed a full page ad in the April 27 issue of Newsweek, a national newsmagazine, asking "all fair-minded individuals" to join them in fighting for equal rights for lesbian women and gay men in the Roman Catholic Church. The Dignity statement reads as follows: Dignity chapters across the country are in a state of siege. Under Vatican orders, the bishops of seven American dioceses and one Canadian diocese have expelled eight of the organization's chapters from using church facilities where they worship and hold meetings. The organization has 108 chapters in the United States and British Columbia, Canada.

In an October, 1986 document, the Vatican refuses to admit that lesbians and gays can be practicing and committed Catholics and goes as far as prohibiting gay/lesbian groups such as Dignity from practicing their faith. Imagine, the Catholic Church forbidding Catholics from worshipping in its churches!

What is going on here? We must speak up to those bishops who are determined to push us out of the Church. Dignity calls on the National Conference of Catholic Bishops to speak out against the expulsion of its chapters and to dialogue with us on the pastoral care of lesbian and gay Catholics.

Bishops of dioceses in Buffalo, NY, Atlanta, GA, Pensacola, FL, Brooklyn, NY (two chapters); New York City; Norfolk, VA, Minneapolis-Saint Paul, MN and Vancouver, B.C., Canada have towed the Vatican line and expelled Dignity from their churches. We ask that this stop since we are children of God, and the bishops are our pastors.

Jesus Christ said nothing about homosexuality. The Vatican, on the other hand, calls homosexuality an "objective disorder," an "intrinsic moral evil," and "behavior to which no one has any conceivable right." Dignity believes that gay men and lesbian women can express their sexuality in a manner that is consonant with Christ's teaching and believe we are members of Christ's mystical body, and we are numbered among the People of God. For almost twenty years, Dignity has sponsored Masses and the celebration of the Church's sacraments, along with educational and social programs, regional meetings and a national convention held every two years.

We ask the bishops to reach out to us since we are doing Christ's work. When an institution as powerful as the Roman Catholic Church discriminates, all people suffer. We are your brothers and sisters, your sons and daughters. We are laypeople, clergy and religious... We are the People of God.

Gay Catholics Plan Convention July 23-26

Members of Dignity/USA, the organization of gay and lesbian Roman Catholics and EDGE May 13, 1987

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PHOTO: BILL TYSON

GLOBAL COMMUNITY

FORWARD TOGETHER

Long Beach Gays: Strong, Proud, United

The Long Beach Gay Pride celebration, Saturday and Sunday, May 17 and 18, promises to be the South Bay's biggest and best gay/lesbian event in history. Scheduled to perform are Jayne Edwards, Sylvester, Up Town, The Tyrants In Therapy, and Nancy Vogel. Also appearing for your listening pleasure are Sonlight, the Long Beach Gay Men's Chorus and many, many more.

All of this and much more-for just $6. Come enjoy the palm tree-lined Shoreline Aquatic Park in Long Beach at the foot of Pine Avenue. Other attractions include a disco dance tent, shade, sun, food, drink, and plenty of souvenirs to take home. Festival hours are 10 am-8pm (sunset) both days. The Parade is scheduled for 12 noon down Ocean Boulevard from Cherry to the Festival site, Sunday, May 17. Any questions? Call the Long Beach Lesbian and Gay Pride, Inc. at (213) 439-0696. Enjoy!

their friends, will gather from July 23 to 26 for their Eighth Biennial Convention at the Sheraton Bal Harbour Hotel in the Bal Harbour area of Miami, Florida. Their agenda will include preparations for the upcoming visit of Pope John Paul II scheduled for September, 1987. The Pope will visit cities across the Southern United States and along the Pacific coast in California. A final stop in Detroit is planned on the return to Rome.

The theme of the convention is "Celebrate the Freedom of the Children of God," and the keynote address will be given by Dr. John Boswell of Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, noted historian and author of "Christianity, and Social Tolerance: Gay People in Western Europe from the Beginning of the Christian Era to the Fourteenth Century." Boswell will relate his discovery of early Church services that united same-sex couples.

Other highlights will include an address by Father John McNeill, S.J., author of The

Church and the Homosexual. McNeill is a Jesuit priest who was silenced by the Vatican for speaking on gay and lesbian issues and was recently expelled from the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) for the same reason, although the expulsion is under appeal; an address by Sister Jeannine Gramick, SSND, a co-founder of New Ways Ministry, a pioneer ministry to Catholic gays and lesbians; a panel discussion on Sexual Ethics, including the Task Force set up by Dignity/USA on Sexual Ethics and addressing such questions as "What is sexual ethics? How can Dignity members contribute to a sexual ethic that is both Christian and gay?"

Billed as the largest lesbian and gay religious conference ever held, Dignity delegates will be joined by members of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC) for an historial evening of ecumenical worship. This special evening will include a liturgical service, a featured speaker and a dinner/dance, to be

held at MCC Convention headquarters, the Deauville Hotel.

More than twenty convention workshops and seminars will cover a varied array of topics built from Dignity's areas of concern: Spiritual Development, Education, Social Involvement, Feminist Issues and Social Events. The major events of the convention are an Opening Ceremony featuring all of the organization's 100-plus chapters banners and delegates and a reception, Prayer Services, a Dinner/Dance, Exodus (closing) Liturgy and Final Brunch.

For further information, registration etc., call or write Dignity/USA Convention, 1500 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Suite 11, Washington, DC 20005, or phone (202). 861-0017.

Woo Initiates Plan To Deter 'Gay Bashing'

Councilman Michael Woo (13th District) joined with gay community leaders and vowed to end the recent acts of violence directed at openly gay members of the community.

"Anxiety and fear are spreading through the gay community. Recent violent acts in Silver Lake, including the murder of Mario Martinez outside the Detour bar and the attack on volunteers at the AIDS Project Los Angeles food bank, are proof that homophobia is alive," said Councilman Woo, whose district includes Silver Lake, Hollywood, and Studio City.

"Educating the public, fostering a cooperative effort between the gay community and the police, and placing stricter penalties on those who assault innocent victims is the only way to stem these violent acts," Woo added.

Woo described seven actions which he hopes will deter gay bashing and AIDSrelated bashing:

Overtime police officers to patrol high crime areas of Silver Lake for three months. The City Council approved $4.3 million for police overtime on March 23, and Woo has been able to secure an estimated $100,000 for the Northeast Division and $150,000 for Ramparts Division. As a result, three or four extra squad cars and 10 uniformed officers will patrol high crime areas.

Motion to allocate $25,000 for program to address gay bashing. Woo introduced a motion on Tuesday, April 21 asking the city to allocate $25,000 from the 1987-88 budget to support the Community United Against Violence (CUAV) pilot project. Modeled after a highly successful program in San Francisco, this project will establish a hotline for reporting crimes against gays. It will also enable police to respond to crimes where the individual is uncomfortable in calling the police directly, and to keep statistics on gay bashing not kept now by the police.

"Blow-the-whistle campaign." Bar watch, neighborhood watch and business watch programs will be initiated. A meeting with the police, local bar owners and community organizations is scheduled in early May to kick off the bar watch program. This program is modeled after successful neighborhood watch efforts throughout the city. These programs disseminate self protection information and encourage better police-community relations. Part of the over-