Interfaith Gay-Straight Alliance

Opening Remarks by Rev. Leslie Takahashi Morris
Sept. 23, 2006 at A Million Votes No Luncheon

I am honored to welcome you to Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church-Unitarian Universalist, a church that has found its collective voice to assert that we oppose the Marshall Newman amendment, a church that has said that we stand as a united body in opposition to those who would legislate hate, who have spoken with a strong and unanimous voice to say “NO” to hate. I welcome you here as a religious person because this is the work of religious people. Religion’s great task is to being together that which has been torn asunder and that is why we are here today—to restore wholeness to our state which has suffered from the divisive manipulations of those who would toss human lives in the path of reckless political drivers.

In a week when our papers have been filled with news created by religious leaders who would use their religious authority like a cudgel, driving wedges between people and fomenting hate, we are gathered here to be an alternative religious voice, to give what I believe to be one of the compelling and most precious religious messages: that a greater unity among people is possible ON THIS EARTH and that each and every person has an inherent worth and dignity that we must honor and protect.

We are gathered here today because it is not enough to have this precious religious perspective—or any of the other perspectives which honor love in all forms and which affirms rather than limits life. We are gathered here because in days such as these, it is not enough to have such a set of beliefs as abstract ideas within one’s heart. These truths must be told, must be proclaimed, must be testified and witnessed. Whether you are a member or friend of this church or whether you are a welcomed guest, we are here because we know that faith is a verb and it requires action.

In a moment, Linda McNeil will lead us in a blessing. I want to invite us into a moment of prayer. If prayer is not a regular part of your day or if it is something you are a little hesitant about, let me pose it this way: a prayer is a deep ask, it is the act of throwing out to a wider presence that which we cannot hold alone. All of us who care deeply about protecting the rights of all those who love one another and who would counter those who would take away civil rights and simple dignity from others have a deep ask to make, for we know we need the widest circles of support and the guidance of a greater wisdom than we can know ourselves.

In that context, I invite you into the spirit of prayer and mediation:
God of many names, spirit of life
Be present with us as we seek to be present in our community, to make our presence as concerned and faithful people known.
Give us comfort that we are not alone, remind us that many quietly agree with us and strengthen our resolve to help them find the courage to stand and be counted.
Remind us that we oppose positions and we abhor the hatred yet we do not hate the haters. Help us to believe that the light of truth can still touch them, can relieve them of their fears so that their fears and sorrows do not have to spread through and become the law of our land.

Give us courage that no matter what the outcome on November 7th, we will never be silent until all discrimination and oppression is defeated.
Let us be reminded here today that what we work for is something larger than ourselves, a vision of a world where the rights of all are honored—the right to food, to shelter, to safe and productive work, to bodily safety and the right to love and sacred commitment.
Let us be inspired by the wisdom and sacrifice of those who have organized this event, those who organize events such as this around this state. Let us resolve that the seeds they plant will flower as acts of witness and advocacy.

Affirm for those of us who believe that life is sacred, that love is sacred and help us work for a world where whom you love will not matter. Affirm for us that there is more love, more peace, more hope and more truth. Affirm that we are asking and praying from the depth of our souls for the courage to believe that we can stand on the side of love. So may it be. Blessed be.

In closing, let me again say welcome. We are glad you are here, present and willing to be counted. I will remind you of the words of the great Unitarian Theodore Parker, words immortalized by that great worker for civil rights Martin Luther King. They said, “The moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Let us get on with the business of bending.

Words of Rev. Emma Chatten,
Sept. 23, 2006 at A Million Votes No Luncheon

Before I say anything, I just want to say one thing. I have heard it said that we are “fear mongering” when we talk about the full consequences of this amendment. I don’t think so. With all do respect to any lawyers we may have in the group today, it is part of a lawyer’s job to find the boundaries of a law. And this law leaves a lot of wide open spaces.

Why am I involved with this issue? Because I am a Virginian, I care, it’s the right thing to do, and I think I can make a difference. This shouldn’t be a political issue. It should not be a weapon, a platform, or football for democrats or republicans. It should not be a religious litmus test. Plain and simple, this amendment is about an intolerance of differences.

All I can say to anyone is “Look around you, people. In the words of Franciscan ethicist, Father Richard Rohr,

“God is clearly more comfortable with diversity than we are, and God’s final goal and objectives are much simpler. God and the entire cosmos itself are about two things: differentiation and communion. Physicists seem to know this better than theologians and clergy.

God, like the cosmos itself, is about two things: “diversity and community. The whole of creation cannot be lying.” 1

Same-sex marriage is already not legal in the state of Virginia. This proposed amendment does nothing but state the obvious, and then… carry it two steps farther, by including all “Un-married’s”, and potentially placing countless legal documents in jeopardy.

The last time Virginia tried to legislate relationship was in the 60’s. At least 13 states at the time had laws barring the marriage of interracial couples. A Virginian couple, an African American woman named Mildred Jeeter, and a white man, Richard Loving, got married in the District of Columbia, where such a union was legal, and moved back into Virginia a few years later. They were arrested, indicted, charged, and sentenced to 1 year in jail. For the crime of their relationship! However, the judge suspended the sentence if they would leave the state of Virginia, and not return for 25 years.

The judge issued his ruling with an infamous statement:

“Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with his arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix.” 2

Thankfully, they did not leave Virginia for long. They stood up, and they made a difference. Their case was eventually heard by the Supreme Court in a landmark ruling in 1967: Loving v Virginia. And the ruling struck down all such laws barring the mixing of the races. In 1967, interracial marriage ceased to be illegal in the state of Virginia. You could marry whomever you wanted to.

Of course, as long as one was a man, and one was a woman.

wonder if that law had been taken to a popular vote at that time… what might the result have been? That is the rough underbelly of democracy. It allows the majority to control the minority. And sometimes the self-proclaimed social majority does not always know what is in the best interest of the whole of society – only what appears best for itself (or what they are told is best for themselves).

There is no court this time. There is only a vote. One person, one vote. One at a time. Talk about this proposed amendment- with friends, family, strangers…. Let them see you and know who you are… One person, one vote, we will win one at a time… and you CAN make a difference.

1. Fr. Richard Rohr, “Where the Gospel Leads Us,” Homosexuality and Christian Faith, pp. 86, 88
2. In 1965, Virginia trial court Judge Leon Bazile sentenced to jail an interethnic couple who had married in Washington, D.C., writing: “Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with his arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix.”

WHY CHRISTIANS SHOULD VOTE AGAINST
The Virginia Marriage Amendment

Approved by the Session of
Westminster Presbyterian Church,
August 13, 2006
190 Rugby Road
Charlottesville VA 22903

As Christians we take the Bible and the traditions of the church very seriously. Yet, we must confess that our limited understandings of God’s word have supported grave injustices, including slavery, racial discrimination, gender inequality, the neglect of the poor, and wars of conquest against Native Americans and others.

A few decades ago many Christians opposed efforts to bring about racial justice by participating in “massive resistance.” This harmed our Commonwealth politically, economically, morally and spiritually. Most Virginians now look back on this period with regret, and even shame. We fear that Virginians are about to commit another grave injustice by enacting the Virginia Marriage Amendment.

The Bible itself reports various forms of marriage and records that human understandings change over time. Faithful religious people disagree about what rules should govern marriage. The state should not force any religious group to approve or sanctify a form of marriage that the group believes is against God’s will. Neither should the state discriminate against those who have different beliefs about the nature of marriage, when this involves a voluntary relationship between two adults.

The proposed amendment will do nothing to strengthen the institution of marriage. What it will do is enshrine a form of bigotry and discrimination in the Constitution. If Christians are to err, it should be in the direction of offering God’s love to everyone. If we are for family values we should support all couples who want to create stable, committed families based on love and mutual respect.

Therefore, we call upon Virginians to vote for family values and vote AGAINST the Virginia Marriage Amendment.

“A Million Votes No”

by Doug Loyd

I stand here today to represent
The straight or not parents
And lovers and friends
Of those who simply want
To love whom they love
To walk their own paths
To bear one another’s burdens
To share each other’s lives

I wait here today for
The straight or not parents
Aunts uncles and cousins
And brothers and sisters
And lovers and friends
Of those who simply want
To love whom they love
To walk their own paths
To bear one another’s burdens
To share each other’s lives

I come here today to celebrate
Those who simply want
To love whom they love
To walk their own paths
To bear one another’s burdens
To share one another’s lives

And I call upon
Their straight or not parents
Aunts uncles and cousins
And brothers and sisters
And children and partners
And lovers and friends
To rise up and defeat those -
Including the politicians and preachers -
Who are strangely afraid
To let them love whom they love
And walk their own paths
And bear one another’s burdens
And share each other’s lives

“PRIDE”

by Jim Bundy (June 25, 2006 at UCC-Sojourners)

Scripture: 1John 3:11-16; 4:7-12

This is a day that many churches around the country—not as many as I would like, but some—celebrate Pride Sunday. It’s the Sunday closest to the anniversary of the Stonewall rebellion that began on June 28, 1969, and this also just happens to be the exact day on which the United Church of Christ was founded some forty-nine years ago. I want to start with the United Church of Christ this morning, specifically with a resolution on marriage equality that was passed last summer, actually passed last July 4, at the national assembly of the U.C.C. called General Synod. A lot of people know that the U.C.C. passed a resolution. I’m guessing almost no one has read it. So let’s take a moment to listen to the actual wording of the formal resolution.

Resolution is read…

I’m sure you know that this resolution has been the focus of a good deal of turmoil and controversy within the United Church of Christ and has earned the U.C.C. a bit of notoriety in the larger society. [Read more]

“Gay Marriage — The Final Frontier”

by Frank Benedetti (June 27, 2004 at TJMC-UU)

In our society, the concept of “marriage” has become a religiously sanctioned mystique. It raises issues of social equality and economic rights. It has benefits which many of you unthinkingly take for granted, but which are denied to Gary and me. It underpins every facet of adult life. It is supported by public policy and our tax dollars. Yet, it is not available to all our citizens.

Some years ago the Federal government passed the ludicrously named, and knowingly unconstitutional, Defense of Marriage Act to avoid the sanctioning of same gender marriage. A more accurate name would be the Denial of Marriage Act. This bill was written and championed by the three times married Bob Barr of Georgia (I don’t know which marriage he was defending) and hastily signed into law by President Clinton – neither one a paragon of virtue.

With so many legal and social influences promoting them, how could so many marriages be in such imminent danger that discriminatory laws are needed in order to defend them?

What I find confusing is that if these marriages are in danger, and need defending, then why are we are being blamed and how has this become our problem?…[Read more]

“Family Matters”

by Leslie Takahashi-Morris (February 1, 2004 at TJMC-UU)

On the afternoon of my wedding, I realized I had been traveling on the road to hell.

What I had done was to ask a good friend to be part of the service without thinking about what it would feel like to her. Strolling along that road paved with good intentions, I had inadvertently injured her by reminding her of my privilege — the privilege of having my love for David and Garner sanctioned by the civil and religious laws of our country. As a heterosexual, I was allowed, even encouraged, to formalize my whirlwind romance while my friend, a lesbian, had been unable to recognize her relationship for more than a decade. And, a few months later, when Garner and I chose to give legal muscle to our relationship, no questions were asked when I legally adopted her — in fact, the clerk of court was so touched that she went out of her way to make the civil procedure special and personal for us.

Let me be clear. I celebrate my marriage and my status as Garner’s mother. I only want these privileges I enjoy to be available to all…[Read more]

Pride Month In Charlottesville

by Rev. David Takahashi-Morris (October 5, 2003 at TJMC-UU)

The young woman on my answering machine was blunt and direct. Her accent was pure mountain Virginia. “I want to know about the legal status in the state of Virginia of my getting married to my girlfriend,” she said.

I wish I had needed to do research. But I didn’t. I called back. She was gone to work so I told her girlfriend that the state of Virginia would not recognize their marriage in any way.

But that doesn’t matter to us as a church, I said; marriage is a religious institution as well as a state one, and the full religious and personal significance of their marriage would be recognized and celebrated here. I would be honored to help them marry in the same way I would any other couple. So come on in and let’s do some planning together.

That was five weeks ago; I haven’t heard back from them…[Read more]