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Two churches move to welcome gays and lesbians

Cincinnati--Here in the home of Issue 3, which prohibits the city from passing laws to protect the civil rights of gay people, two Unitarian-Universalist churches are valiantly trying to reach out and build bridges to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.

The churches are St. John's Unitarian in Clifton and Northern Hills Fellowship in Springfield Township, and the way they are trying to create an open community of gender affection is by being approved by the Unitarian Universalist Association as official "Welcoming Congregations."

"Being a Welcoming Congregation goes much further than just saying, 'We are a safe haven for gays'," said St. John's minister L. Annie Foerster. "The message we're trying to convey is that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people have full social and religious rights in our community.

"In fact," she added, “one of the most heartening things is that there are as many heterosexuals in our Welcoming Congregation committee as there are GLBT people."

Both churches are actively trying to change people's perceptions by doing community outreach work. They will be advertising in the GLBT press, spreading the word throughout the gay community, and developing resources to help schools be inclusive and safe for all students. Their basic message is that GLBT people need not change or hide their orientation in order to be part of the world. This is truly a "come as you are" party.

An offshoot of 15th-century heretics, who believed that Christ was a social reformer but not a messiah, Unitarian Universalists have evolved into the most transcendent and humanistic of all Western religions.

As early as 1970, one year after the Stonewall Rebellion, the Unitarian Universalist

Association, the church's governing body, stated that gays, lesbians and bisexuals are fully worthwhile as heterosexuals, that their difference in gender affection is merely another aspect of human diversity, the same as differences of race, culture or economic status. This put them 30 years ahead of the radical Methodists, Presbyterians and Catholics who are now trying, much more timidly, to break down barriers between gay and straight populations.

Northern Hills is tying GLBT issues to those of race, culture and economic status in an effort to "work on all kinds of diversity," said Mary Jean Pierson, a worship committee chairperson at Northern Hills. Pierson indicated that her church will have a service in August conducted by their Welcoming Congregation committee, and they are also applying for a grant to allow all Cincinnati U.U. churches to do diversity training.

"A basic difference between our religion and the Metropolitan Community Church is that we are not essentially Christian," said Larry Wolf, moderator of St. John's worship and liturgy committee. "Deists, humanists and atheists have long been a part of our heritage. In recent decades we have expanded to include Buddhists and Wiccans as well."

"Of course, some of our members honor Christ, but in a non-dogmatic way," Wolf added. "We pride ourselves on being the most flexible religion because we always stay open-ended. Nothing is taught as an absolute truth. Our goal is to celebrate universality by sharing our beliefs, not comparing them unfavorably."

Nevertheless, St. John's and MCC had a special joint service on June 13, at which the guest speaker was Cincinnati councilmember Todd Portune.

A few days earlier, on June 9, St. John's

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and Northern Hills co-sponsored a discussion and movie night that concentrated on family and transgender issues.

In the fall, both churches plan to initiate a series of UUA-recommended workshops educating their heterosexual members on GLBT issues and lifestyles. Among the subject that will be covered are gender socialization and homophobia, the radical right, AIDS, and the link between homophobia and racism.

"Unlike many gays and lesbians in this city, we're not so much angry as simply disillusioned by Issue 3 and the failure of City Council to pass anti-hate crimes legislation," said Lynn Rene Bayley, a member of the St. John's welcoming committee. "Such incidents are as much the result of misinformation and ignorance about gay issues as they are about actual hatred. Most people believe that gays already have the

same rights that they do and, worse yet, that they are all wealthy and powerful. In point of fact, they earn less than the average and their lives are often in danger. Part of our work will be to educate the community."

Both congregations said that specific services will be built around gays and lesbians as they are around people of different racial and ethnic backgrounds. As Kathy Laufman, co-chair of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, which fights anti-gay bias in K-12 schools, put it, "We all need and deserve a church family.” The Unitarians are working hard to make that vision a reality for as many people as possible.

St. John's Unitarian is located at 320 Resor Ave., Cincinnati Ohio 45220; 513961-1938; Northern Hills Fellowship is located at 4460 Fleming Rd. Cincinnati Ohio 45231; 513-931-6651.

Streisand songwriter to join chorus in Gershwin tribute

Columbus-In celebration of George Gershwin's 100th birthday, the Columbus Gay Men's Chorus, under the direction of Mr. David Monsuer, will present "Here To Stay-The Music of Gershwin" on July 9 and 10, 8:00 p.m. at the Southern Theatre.

Joining the chorus will be special guest Anne Hampton Callaway. She is one of the most widely acclaimed singersongwriters working in pop and jazz today. The awardwinning artist has received national attention from television audiences for the theme song which she wrote and performed CBS's The Nanny.

Another of Callaway's compositions, "At the Same Time," was recently performed by Barbra Streisand for President Clinton in Los Angels and was recorded for Steisand's current CD, Higher Ground.

Streisand recently asked Callaway to write lyrics to a Rolf Lovland melody, which she entitled "I've Dreamed of You." Streisand sang the song to James Brolin at their recent wedding, and recorded it for her new CD Barbra in Love.

Callaway has just completed recording a new CD, Easy Living, featuring pianists Kenny Barron, Benny Green and Bill Charlap with guest artists Wynton Marsalis and Nelson Rangel. She recently appeared in

New York with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and at Carnegie Hall with Skitch Henderson and the New York Pops, and will be featured guest artist with numerous symphony orchestras, including the Boston Pops which will be nationally

Anne Hampton

televised this July. This fall, Callaway will star in the new Broadway musical Swing.

Callaway

This will be the first appearance for the Columbus Gay Men's Chorus in the newly renovated Southern Theatre. The Southern will become the home for all the chorus' performances during the 1999-2000 season and celebration of their tenth anniversary.

The chorus' heartfelt celebration of Gershwin's centennial illustrates the versatility and the timeless quality of the great American composer's music.

The Columbus Gay Men's Chorus, Anne Hampton Callaway and Gershwin all in the beautiful setting of the Southern Theatreindeed, who could ask for anything more! To order tickets call Box Office Tickets at 800-494-8497, or visit An Open Book at 761 N. High St., Columbus.

For additional information about the Columbus Gay Men's Chorus and this event please contact marketing director Terry Thompson, 937-645-2233 in daytime.

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