MyOutSpirit.com Gay Spirituality Blog

"God Hates Fags" or "Being Gay is a Gift from God?" Which Story will Win?

{by Clayton Gibson, GodLovesGays.org}

Have you ever heard someone say "God hates fags?"

Maybe you've read that homosexuality is an abomination?

Maybe you just feel like there's something dirty or naughty (or sinful) about two men or two women together?

Well if you haven't heard those things, I'm moving to wherever you're from! They're a regular part of the conversation here in the United States. In fact, two out of three Americans agree that gay people suffer discrimination and violence and die from suicide at least partly because of anti-gay messages coming out of churches and other places of worship.

It's time for that to change. 

It's time for us to work together to lift up the voices of the thousands of LGBT-affirming spiritual communities in the USA and speak truth to power in one thundering voice, "God Loves Gays."

One small church in Toledo, Ohio, is leading the way.

Central United Methodist Church has purchased a billboard that boldly states, "Being Gay is a Gift from God." [pictured above, obviously]

The Rev. Bill Barnard, Central’s part-time pastor, tells the Toledo Blade that the billboard message will be linked to a four-week sermon series, and the overall campaign goal is “to make a leap beyond tolerance.”

“Members of the congregation have experienced places and times where being lesbian or gay was tolerated — kind of ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell, I know God forgives you,’” Barnard says. “We’re saying, ‘This is the way God created you. There’s nothing to forgive.’"

In an email to MyOutSpirit.com, Central UMC Lead Team Chair Lynn Braun explains, "Central UMC has been actively and openly inclusive of the LGBT community for over 25 years but we felt it was important to make an even bigger statement so that LGBT folks hear messages from religious groups that tell them that they are loved, just the way they are."

We are organizing welcoming faith communities to proclaim love at BringYourGayTeenToChurch.com!

Our plan is for EVERY LGBTQ-AFFIRMING SPIRITUAL COMMUNITY IN THE COUNTRY to celebrate "Bring Your Gay Teen to Church Day" during their services on June 25 or 26, 2011. 

We are raising money at GodLovesGays.org to help the churches pay to promote this interfaith event so that:

Every LGBTQ youth will know that when times are tough, they have a spiritual home to turn to that celebrates their gender identity or sexual orientation (as opposed to churches that would try to change it). 

LGBTQ youth, and their parents, families and classmates, will hear from spiritual leaders that God loves transgender, bisexual, lesbian and gay people just as they are - that "Gay is a Gift from God," and not an abomination, a choice, or a sin.

Every LGBTQ teen will know that someone believes they are sacred, whole, valuable, and perfect as they are.

I don't know if we'll raise enough money to buy every LGBTQ-affirming church a "Gay is a Gift from God" billboard, but wouldn't it be nice? 

It's up to us. Which story will win: "God Hates Fags" or "Being Gay is a Gift from God?"

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Please donate at GodLovesGays.org so we can spread the love - even if it's just a $1 - and use the "Share" tools on that page to tell all your friends about the event!

You can also find us at http://www.facebook.com/GodLovesGays and BringYourGayTeenToChurch.com.

"Bring Your Gay Teen to Church Day" will Announce that "God Loves Gays"

After an exciting start in Houston in February 2011, MyOutSpirit.com is working with organizations in Austin, Texas, and around the country to launch "Bring Your Gay Teen to Church Day," June 25-26, 2011.

"We hope this interfaith event connecting LGBTQ teens with open-and-affirming faith communities will help prevent LGBTQ youth deaths by suicide," says MyOutSpirit.com founder, Clayton Gibson. "Thousands of churches, temples, synagogues and other spiritual communities are LGBTQ-affirming, and this event will help them get the word out. For once it's not about politics, not about equality. This time, it's about serving the spiritual needs of LGBTQ teens and their families."

 

As the crowd-funding campaign page for "Bring Your Gay Teen to Church Day" explains:

As LGBTQ-affirming clergy,

Spiritual teachers,

People of faith, and 

Parents, friends and family members of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer and questioning youth,

We were all alarmed by the spike in LGBTQ youth deaths by suicide last fall. An April 2011 study found that roughly 20% of gay, lesbian and bisexual teens said they had made a suicide attempt, versus 4% of straight kids. 

Young people who live in areas with a more negative cultural climate towards LGBTQ issues are at an increased risk. Some 70% of calls to The Trevor Project's suicide hotline come from the southern and central regions of the United States.

Two out of three Americans agree with us that gay people suffer discrimination and violence and die from suicide at least partly because of anti-gay messages coming out of churches and other places of worship. We wondered:

What can WE do to help prevent gay teen suicide? 

We believe that LGBTQ-affirming spiritual guidance and community can help lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer and questioning youth who are in crisis. 

We know from personal experience that deep community and spiritual practices like prayer, meditation, mindfulness, forgiveness and yoga help human beings weather hard times. Bringing an LGBTQ teen to a certified welcoming church, synagogue, temple, sangha or other spiritual community can help empower them to "Make It Better" starting today.

That's why we invite your donation to support "Bring Your Gay Teen to Church Day."

We want to change the cultural mindset by making it common knowledge that many spiritual communities would love to welcome, support and inspire LGBTQ young people, without trying to change their sexual orientation or gender identity. 

 

We can replace the incorrect assumption that LGBTQ people are "an abomination"

with our message that "God Loves Gays." 

Most importantly, we want every LGBTQ youth to hear that they are sacred, whole, valuable and loved, just as they are. And we want their parents, families and classmates to hear it, too!

Artist envisions a gay Passion of Christ

{Rev. Kittredge Cherry, Jesus In Love}

Jesus is a contemporary gay man in “The Passion of Christ: A Gay Vision,” a series of 24 paintings by gay artist Douglas Blanchard with text by lesbian author Kittredge Cherry.

The images show Jesus jeered by fundamentalists, tortured by Marine look-alikes and rising again to enjoy homoerotic moments with God and friends. He faces forms of rejection that feel familiar to contemporary LGBT people. He stands up to priests, businessmen, lawyers, and soldiers—all of whom look eerily similar to the people holding those jobs today.

The paintings make Christ more accessible to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people and our allies. Christ’s story is for everyone, but queer people often feel left out because conservatives use Christian rhetoric to justify hate and discrimination.

For example, “The Last Supper” (above) appears with this text:

“This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” -- Luke 22:19 (RSV)

Jesus’ friends didn’t know it would be their last meal with him, even though he tried to prepare them. All his closest friends were there, including the man whom Jesus loved. Jesus snuggled his Beloved and talked about love, and then about betrayal, and then a lot more about love. Jesus said he was going away and urged them all to love each other as he had loved them. The greatest love, he told them, is to lay down your life for your friends. He handed bread to them and said something strange: Take, eat; this is my body. Then he passed around a cup of wine, saying, Drink, all of you, this is my blood. He gave and they received completely, an act of true communion. The wine tasted sweet, with a touch of bitterness.

Jesus, thank you for feeding me!

___
“The Passion of Christ: A Gay Vision” is running in daily installments at the Jesus in Love Blog on LGBT spirituality and the arts. Image credit: “The Last Supper” by Douglas Blanchard.

Gays in Watkins' 100 Spiritual Power List

Congratulations to Andrew Harvey and Ram Dass, gay spiritual leaders who made Watkins Review's list of the world's 100 Most Spiritually Influential People!

(There are many affirming leaders on the list, but I think only these two are actually openly LGBTQ. Am I wrong? Tell me in the comments!)

"We’re delighted to share our début list of the 100 most spiritually influential living people, that was published in the Spring issue #26 of the Watkins Review.  Yes, we’ve taken up the not so simple task of naming the most popular authors and spiritual teachers, whose contribution in spirituality and spreading awareness is affecting us all."

You can view the full list of 100 here: http://www.watkinsbooks.com/review/watkins-spiritual-100-list

Andrew Harvey has taught at Oxford University, Cornell University, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, The California Institute of Integral Studies, and the University of Creation Spirituality as well as the at various spiritual centers throughout the United States. He was the subject of the 1993 BBC film documentary The Making of a Modern Mystic and appears also in Rumi Turning Ecstatic and The Consciousness of the Christ: Reclaiming Jesus for A New Humanity. Andrew Harvey is Founder Director of the Institute of Sacred Activism. He also has a spiritual counseling practice in Chicago and is available for spiritual direction via phone.

Ram Dass first went to India in 1967. He was still Dr. Richard Alpert, an already eminent Harvard psychologist and psychedelic pioneer with Dr.Timothy Leary. He had continued his psychedelic research until that fateful Eastern trip in 1967, when he traveled to India. In India, he met his guru, Neem Karoli Baba, affectionately known as Maharajji, who gave Ram Dass his name, which means "servant of God." Everything changed then - his intense dharmic life started, and he became a pivotal influence on a culture that has reverberated with the words “Be Here Now” ever since. Ram Dass’s spirit has been a guiding light for three generations, carrying along millions on the journey, helping free them from their bonds as he has worked his way through his own.

Today also happens to be Ram Dass' 80th Birthday! You can sign his birthday card (from the amazing Seva Foundation he co-founded) here TODAY ONLY.

 Who are the world's other most spiritually influential LGBTQ women and men?

Join the discussion on our post about this topic here!

Follow MyOutSpirit on Facebook

You will get more updates from MyOutSpirit if you follow us on Facebook! (Click here)

We post more frequently there, mostly links to news items of interest to our community of spiritual lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer and questioning folks.

You may also want to create a personal profile on MyOutSpirit.com. Thousands of spiritual LGBTQ people have posted their testimonies there already! You may meet some wonderful people, and you never know who will read your profile and find comfort and strength for their own journey.

Keep visiting MyOutSpirit.org for more in-depth commentary and inspirational writing!

Please "Like" your favorite blog posts, share links and otherwise SPREAD THE WORD about what we're doing! 

If you have a website or blog, please post permanent links to BOTH MyOutSpirit.com and MyOutSpirit.org. Having relevant websites link to us helps our search engine ranking, which helps LGBTQ people find us!

We have a plan to shift gay culture toward spirituality, health, wholeness, and self-actualization, but we need your help to do it!

Thank you for your support and prayers.

Peace,
Clayton
Founder, MyOutSpirit.com

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If you can spare $9 a month, please click "Join Now" at the top of the left column of this page to become a supporter - and then invite two friends to do the same. We really need your financial support.

If you'd like a display ad for your organization or business, please become a sponsor for $108.

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IMPT: Take Survey to Help MyOutSpirit Magazine

Please spend a few minutes taking an anonymous survey to help MyOutSpirit:  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/D7BJFL2

As readers of this blog know, I've been on the road for MyOutSpirit for nearly 18 months now.  I sold almost all my possessions (everything I own fits in my car now) and hit the road for gay spirituality.  I've moved 12 times already (yes, it's getting old), and published the test issue of MyOutSpirit Magazine in Austin earlier this year.  I was very thankful that Bishop Gene Robinson gave a "MyOutSpirit Address" at our big launch party in the Texas State Capitol Rotunda.

Now, I'm in San Diego, working hard to create the national MyOutSpirit Magazine we will distribute for free to inspire LGBTQ people to "Live your best gay life."

An angel investor to help us get started would be really nice (feel free to contact me if you're interested), but even after the angels come, we'll still be dependent on advertisers who support our mission to shift gay culture and save LGBTQ lives. 

That's why I need YOU to take this (sort of fun) anonymous survey. 

Everyone's answers will be consolidated to create a "Reader Profile" to include in the media kit shown to potential advertisers.  This helps them understand why advertising in MyOutSpirit Magazine will be effective as well as important.

Can you spare a few minutes to answer some questions about your life?

Please share the link with your friends and Facebook friends, too!  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/D7BJFL2

 

ABOUT MYOUTSPIRIT MAGAZINE

Believe Out Loud Maps Welcoming Churches

Click on the map below to find a welcoming church. 

Believe Out Loud (http://believeoutloud.com/) is making it easier than ever to find faith communities that welcome and affirm lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning people.  Try it now!  I love this Century!

New Funding for LGBT Ministries and Other Body/Mind/Spirit Resources

MyOutSpirit.com has just launched a new co-op funding program for LGBT-affirming resources in the USA.

MyOutSpirit's VISIONARY program has three goals:

1. Help LGBT-affirming body/mind/spirit organizations and businesses weather the current economic crisis;
2. Unite LGBT-affirming resources from a broad array of spiritual beliefs and practices to meet LGBTQ people's need for inspiration, support and guidance.  Like other organizations that build broad networks pursuing peace and social and economic justice, MyOutSpirit's VISIONARY program is building a network of people, organizations and businesses dedicated to helping LGBT people "Live Your Best Gay Life;" and,
3. MyOutSpirit VISIONARIES share the goal of shifting gay culture toward spirituality, health, self-actualization and personal development.  As a VISIONARY, you will receive as many copies of MyOutSpirit Magazine as you would like to distribute through your resource and in your community, and be invited to participate in cooperative events and other opportunities to reach out to LGBTQ people.

It's free to become a VISIONARY and raise money for your own work AND help transform LGBTQ lives and culture.

Request details by filling out the form at http://www.GaySpiritCulture.com.

September is National Yoga Month

  

FAST COMPANY MAGAZINE's Suzy Evans reports on the big business of yoga.

September is National Yoga Month, when twisting, toe-touching yogis will roll out their mats at more than 1,500 free classes and events across America. Here's a look at the vital stats of this 5,000-year-old practice from the East turned booming business in the West.

Americans spend more than $5.7 BILLION A YEAR on yoga classes and products annually, up 87% since 2004.

The average cost of a YOGA CLASS is $12.

Lululemon Athletica, the world's biggest yoga-inspired retailer, posted $452.9 million in net revenue for fiscal 2009, up 28% from 2008. Its stores generate an average of $1,800 in sales per square foot, about three times as much as apparel retailer J.Crew.

ON JUNE 22, New York's Central Park hosted the largest-ever group yoga session, with more than 10,000 people gathered on the GREAT LAWN.

For his 1967 film "Easy Come, Easy Go," ELVIS Presley recorded the song "Yoga Is as Yoga Does." Other artists who have recorded songs with "Yoga" in the title: Lupe Fiasco ("Yoga Flame"), CSS ("Jager Yoga"), and the Mountain Goats ("Yoga").

BIKRAM CHOUDHURY, father of a fast-growing style of yoga done in rooms heated to105°F, copyrighted his script of 26 poses in 2002. In response, a team of 100 historians & scientists in India has documented nearly 1,500 poses recorded in ancient texts in an effort to stop people from patenting them.

71% of American yoga practitioners are college educated, compared with just 30% of the overall population. 44% have household incomes of $75,000 OR MORE, compared with 32% of the overall population.

108 is a sacred number in yoga and in Hinduism. For instance, the body is said to have 108marma points (sacred spots in the body that can be stimulated during yoga).

Forms of yoga have been practiced in India for at least 5,000 YEARS. More than 5,500 yoga-related injuries were treated in the U.S. in 2008, the most recent year for which data are available.

Nearly 16 MILLION adults in the U.S. practice yoga. 72% of them are Women.

THREE-QUARTERS of practitioners in the U.S. have been doing yoga for 5 years or less.

Source: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/148/om.html

 

The Truth about Ex-Gay Ministries Symposium

It is my pleasure to invite you to Soulforce's educational symposium "The Truth about Faith, Science, Love and Reparative Therapy" that will be held in Philadelphia, PA on November 5-7th, 2010.

I am Jason Conner, Director of Programs for Soulforce and 2010 Equality Rider.  This Symposium holds a very special place in my understanding as a gay person. I grew up in a very conservative Christian home. I was raised Mormon, and I served a two year mission for the church where I preached 'the gospel'. I share an all too common story. I was raised in an environment where people in the LGBTQ community were referred to as freaks, deviants, and sinners. Simply put, I was taught to fear LGBTQ people. I absorbed these lessons, all while realizing I was one of these 'wicked' people who was considered so despicable. My inner turmoil escalated to a turning point while serving my mission. I was trying to serve God to the best of my ability, and yet these seemingly "perverse" thoughts and feeling just wouldn't go away. I confessed my feelings to my mission president, someone I considered to be a man of God, and one of the best individuals I had ever met. I explained to him that I was so conflicted and grief-filled that I had contemplated suicide. I felt so hopeless and alone.  He responded by reading me a scripture, Romans 7:24, which reads:

O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

 

Here I was, more vulnerable and broken than I had ever felt, looking for Christian love and support from this man that I so admired, and I was greeted with confirmation of my worst fears, that I was undesirable in the eyes of God. Immediately after reading me this scripture and telling me that I could overcome these "same sex attraction" afflictions, I was ushered into therapy. I had never heard the words "ex-gay" or "reparative" therapy. All I knew was that if I didn't comply with this therapy program, I would be sent home from my mission, to face the shame and disgrace of my family, church, and friends. I spent nearly a year being told that no one in the "homosexual lifestyle" could ever be truly happy, and that "those people" were incapable of healthy relationships with others. After leaving the mission I found a young woman to whom I was eventually engaged, but by the grace of God, I was able to see the tragedy that heterosexual marriage would mean to me. I ended this engagement, and through participating in the Soulforce 2010 Equality Ride, I come out of the closet and accepted myself as the beautiful creature God has created  me to be.

I share my story with you to illustrate several important things. I am not angry with the mission president who read me that scripture. I'm also not angry with the therapist employed by the church to "fix" me. These individuals were victims of misinformation, perpetuated by large and well funded organizations. Most of us are familiar with organizations like Focus on the Family, NARTH, and Exodus Ministries. These organizations teach a message that is clearly harmful to LGBTQ people and pose a great danger to our society. They promote views that LGBTQ individuals are sick and should and can be fixed or changed. They cite false science and statistics that they themselves fund and compile. What are we to do with all of this false information flooding the media, the pulpit, and even the floors of the Senate and House? Thankfully, we have Soulforce, an organization that continues to "stand in the gap" for oppressed people.   We are delighted to offer this newest educational symposium which we believe will dispel untruths about LGBTQ identities and reparative therapy:

A Soulforce Symposium
Philadelphia, PA November 5-7, 2010
The Truth about Faith, Science, Love and Reparative Therapy

 

We are bringing together some of the most knowledgeable individuals from around the globe to teach us how to confront the false science and news out there about LGBTQ individuals. We will also look closer at reparative therapy, and how to cope as a survivor. This symposium is perfect for all LGBTQ individuals and allies. Preregister now and be the first to receive updates about presenters, locations, and special hotel deals. Click here to preregister!

Even if you can not attend, please donate to Soulforce so that we can continue fighting spiritual and political violence against LGBTQ individuals. Click here to donate now!

I look forward to seeing you in Philadelphia this November. Great change comes from great action. Great action is perpetuated by knowledge. It is my hope that the knowledge we gain at this symposium will lead us to stand up against corrupt individuals and organizations, letting them know that we are people who are whole, and just as deserving of love and equality as anyone else. See you soon!

 

Sincerely,

Jason Conner

Symposium Organizer

REGISTER NOW