GLAAD’s Religion, Faith & Values program works to elevate LGBT-affirming voices of faith in mainstream, regional, and community media. To find out more, visit www.glaad.org/faith. For additional religion and faith updates, be sure to subscribe via our online registration form. We welcome suggestions at faith@glaad.org.
Last week’s Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) was a huge success, and members of various faith traditions spoke out in support of the transgender community. Keshet had a great list of 10 transgender resources for Jewish communities, Unitarian Universalists hosted memorial vigils, and the United Church of Christ posted information on their denominational website. Barbara Satin shared with GLAAD the importance of meeting the spiritual needs of people on TDOR.
Read about the White House’s observation of TDOR.
Much happened on the international stage this week, as well. Uganda’s parliament is dangerously close to passing the “Kill the Gays” bill. Lawmakers may have dropped the death penalty from the list of appropriate punishments for LGBT people in the anti-gay bill, but lengthy prison sentences can be levied against anyone who isn’t rabidly opposed to LGBT people. A Muslim man is trying to open the first gay mosque in France. In Leeds, a radio station was forced to pay £4000 after airing defamatory comments about the LGBT community during a Ramadan special last August.
Four gay men are suing the Jewish so-called “ex-gay” organization JONAH (Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing). Religious communities are still responding to the votes for marriage equality earlier this month. A Buddhist teacher wrote about the intersection of his faith and marriage equality, Catholics celebrate the 40th anniversary of Dignity in Boston, and rabbis in Maine are eager to perform marriages for lesbian and gay couples. Unrelated, our Director of Religion, Faith, and Values has some really serious feelings about Black Friday.
Read the story of a transgender Presbyterian minister, and his journey toward ordination.
Atheism
- From Closeted Evangelical to Unapologetic Atheist: A “Faitheist” Manifesto
- Religious Dispatches, November 8, 2012
Anglican
- New Archbishop Justin Welby pledges re-think on gay relationships
- The Telegraph, November 9, 2012
- Former Oil Executive Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
- The New York Times, November 9, 2012
- Why the New Archbishop of Canterbury Faces Challenges
- Odyssey Networks, November 9, 2012
Baptist
- Russell Brand Interviews Two Westboro Baptist Church Members
- Towleroad, November 20, 2012
Black Churches
- Blacks turning to support gay marriage
- San Francisco Chronicle, November 23, 2012
Buddhism
- Compassion and Marriage Equality
- The Huffington Post, November 21, 2012
Catholic
- Catholics lose fight to stop gays from adopting
- Gay Star News, November 3, 2012
- Catholic bishop disappointed by gay marriage vote
- The Boston Globe, November 7, 2012
- Salvatore Cordileone, San Francisco Archbishop, Releases Statement Against Gay Marriage Victories
- The Huffington Post, November 8, 2012
- Gay marriage opponents concede, but for one bishop
- Seattle Post-Intelligencer, November 8, 2012
- Washington bishops seek stronger catechesis after same-sex marriage vote
- National Catholic Reporter, November 8, 2012
- Ex-Roman Catholic priest becomes Austin’s 1st out school board member
- Dallas Voice, November 12, 2012
- U.S. bishops stay firm on gay marriage, birth control despite election
- CBS, November 12, 2012
- USD faculty declare no confidence in university president after fellowship cancellation
- National Catholic Reporter, November 13, 2012
- Catholic bishops urged by their president to repent
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, November 13, 2012
- Gay Priest Presents Opportunity for Catholic Church
- The Ram, November 14, 2012
- Catholic Bishops Suddenly Silent as LGBT Ugandans Face Possible Death
- Chicago Pride, November 14, 2012
- Barnesville teen denied Catholic confirmation after Facebook post supporting gay marriage
- The Forum, November 14, 2012
- Sorry, Orphans, The Catholic Church Spent That $2 Million To Fight Marriage Equality
- Queerty, November 16, 2012
- The Vatican’s Dead End
- The Daily Beast, November 16, 2012
- No Father, The Gay Sky Isn’t Falling
- Religion Dispatches, November 19, 2012
- For Gay Catholics, and Alternative to the Collection Plate
- The Atlantic, November 20, 2012
- Homosexuality in the Catholic Church
- The Huffington Post, November 20, 2012
- Catholics put pressure on Knights of Columbus; petition slams cash spent fighting gay marriage
- The New Haven Register, November 20, 2012
- Catholic Teen Denied Confirmation For Supporting Marriage Equality
- GLAAD, November 20, 2012
- LGBT Catholics celebrate 40 years of Dignity/Boston
- The Boston Globe, November 25, 2012
- The Boston Globe, November 25, 2012
Christian
- Jennifer Knapp Brings Her “Inside Out Faith Tour” to SOU
- The Siskiyou, November 9, 2012
- Church Under Attack by Christians, Not Gays, Says Leader of the Gay Christian Network
- Jericho Books, June 1, 2012
- Crumbs from the Communion Table
- Gays and Christians: A Synchroblog for Sanity
- An Open Letter
- The Extraordinary Ordinary, November 9, 2012
- Re: An Open Letter
- Up Popped a Fox, November 9, 2012
- Christian Right Failed to Sway Voters on Issues
- The New York Times, November 9, 2012
- Slapping Gay Christians in the Face
- The Huffington Post, November 12, 2012
- The Bible Hates Homosexuality. So What?
- The Huffington Post, November 16, 2012
- Where are so-called ‘family’ organizations on Black Friday? Not where they should be.
- The Washington Post, November 23, 2012
Evangelical
- The GOP’s last stand against gay marriage
- The Daily Beast, November 7, 2012
- Dear Evangelicals, Let’s Stop Burying Out Heads in the Sand on ‘Ex-Gay’ Ministries
- The Huffington Post, November 12, 2012
- Gay Christian Network founder: Ex-gay therapy is spiritual abuse
- The Raw Story, November 27, 2012
- Rick Warren on gay marriage
- CNN, November 28, 2012
Episcopal
- South Carolina Episcopalians break away from U.S. church
- The Chicago Tribune, November 17, 2012
- Openly gay bishop to discuss same-sex rights
- Seacoast, November 26, 2012
International
- Malawi minister reportedly denies move to suspend anti-gay law
- LA Times, November 8, 2012
- Transgender Pakistanis Face Society’s Scorn
- November 9, 2012
- France slams Muslim group for gay marriage bestiality remark
- Expatica, November 15, 2012
Jewish
- Shades of Gay in Israel
- Tablet, November 12, 2012
- 50% of Jewish Groups Have Gay-Friendly Policy
- The Jewish Daily Forward, November 12, 2012
- Transgender Jews Seek Place at Table
- The Jewish Daily Forward, November 14, 2012
- First-of-its-kind LGBT ‘equality index’ calls on Jewish groups to strengthen inclusion policies
- The Times of Israel, November 14, 2012
- My Jewish Transgender Journey
- Keshet, November 14, 2012
- Jewish and Gay
- The Jewish News, November 15, 2012
- An Unorthodox Guide to Sexuality
- The Jewish Daily Forward, November 19, 2012
- Raising the bar of LGBT inclusion within the Jewish world
- The Washington Post, November 20, 2012
- Orthodox Rabbi Steven Greenberg talks to Pasadena shul about homosexuality, welcoming the stranger
- The Jewish Journal, November 20, 2012
- Growing Up Gay in an Orthodox World: My Final Game of Tag
- Tribe Magazine, November 22, 2012
- Gay men sue counselors who promised to make them straight
- CNN, November 27, 2012
Marriage Equality
- My Vote on Gay Marriage Shouldn’t Count (And Neither Should Yours)
- The Huffington Post, November 5, 2012
- 2012 shows a social sea change on gay marriage
- Religion News Service, November 7, 2012
- Faith leaders on both sides of Maryland’s same-sex marriage legislation take stock
- The Washington Post, November 9, 2012
- Vatican digs in after gay marriage advances in US, Europe; asks sarcastically why not polygamy
- The Washington Post, November 10, 2012
- Pastors split on decision to perform weddings
- The Bellingham Herald, November 11, 2012
- Marriage equality campaigns: The difference faith makes
- The Washington Post, November 20, 2012
- Some Maine ministers, rabbis eager to marry gay couples
- Bangor Daily News, November 25, 2012
Metropolitan Community Church
- Palm Beach Gay-Friendly Church to Feature Jay Bakker
- South Florida Gay News, November 14, 2012
Mormon
- Gay Mormon couple feels validation with outcome of Maine’s vote on 1
- Bangor Daily News, November 19, 2012
- Gay Mormons Tie the Knot
- Religion Dispatches, November 20, 2012
- Season of Giving: LGBT Utahns reach out, give back
- The Salt Lake Tribune, November 26, 2012
Muslim
- Muslim Man in France Seeks to Open Mosque for Gays
- The Huffington Post, November 20, 2012
- Muslim radio station fined for saying gay people should be tortured
- The Telegraph, November 23, 2012
- Muslim Host’s Anti-Gay Views Deemed Inciteful, Radio Station Apologizes
- Queerty, November 26, 2012
Seventh-Day Adventists
- The Ice Is Breaking: One Woman’s Campaign to Affirm Queer Christian Youth
- The Huffington Post, November 16, 2012
Transgender Day of Remembrance
- Why I Care About Trans Day of Remembrance as a (“Cisgender”) Gay Man
- Keshet, November 8, 2012
- Unitarian Universalists: Honor the Transgender Day of Remembrance
- Standing on the Side of Love, November 9, 2012
- Trans 101 for Faith Communities
- Believe Out Loud, November 15, 2012
- UCC churches celebrate 14th annual Transgender Day of Remembrance
- UCC News, November 16, 2012
- Strange Fruit: Racial Divisions & the Transgender Day of Remembrance; Being Black,
- Gay & Christian
- WFPL News, November 24, 2012
Uganda
- Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Bill: MPs drop death penalty
- BBC News, November 23, 2012
- Scott Lively Tickled Pink Over Imminent Passage of Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill
- Box Turtle Bulletin, November 25, 2012
Unitarian Universalists
- Church forms ‘non-discriminatory’ scouting group
- Standard-Examiner, November 2, 2012
- Putting Faith Into Action: A Pictorial Travelogue
- HRC Blog, November 6, 2012
- Arkansas AIDS walk turns 10
- Arkansas Times, November 7, 2012
- Be Not Afraid
- The Huffington Post, November 8, 2012
- Twin Cities religious leaders hold service to celebrate marriage amendment defeat
- Star Tribune, November 9, 2012
United Church of Christ
- Monumental marriage equality victories likely to carry forward
- UCC News, November 13, 2012