Getting the Word Out

A Church in Indiana has began a billboard campaign challenging Christians to re-examine their assumptions about what the Bible says about homosexuality.

According to 365Gay.com, “the campaign is being coordinated by Jesus Metropolitan Community Church of Indianapolis, with support from Faith In America and Metropolitan Community Churches worldwide.” Faith In America is a national organization dedicated to ending the injustice of religion-based bigotry against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people.

The 30-day campaign utilizes a series of billboard messages that highlight Scriptural passages that affirm gay people and their relationships. One billboard message boldly declares: “Jesus affirmed a gay couple. Matthew 8:5-13.” The campaign is also using yard signs, bumper stickers and T-shirts to get its message out. In addition, each billboard and yard sign invites viewers to visit a web site that provides detailed support for the Scriptural claims – www.WouldJesusDiscriminate.com. For instance, about the “Jesus affirmed a gay couple” message, the web site notes:

From our days in Sunday school, many of us are familiar with the Gospel story where Jesus healed the servant of a Roman centurion. This story is recorded in Matthew 8:5-13 and Luke 7:1-10. In Matthew, we are told that the centurion came to Jesus to plead for the healing of his servant. Jesus said he was willing to come to the centurion’s house, but the centurion said there was no need for Jesus to do so — he believed that if Jesus simply spoke the word, his servant would be healed. Marveling at the man’s faith, Jesus pronounced the servant healed. Luke tells a similar story. Just another miracle story, right? Not on your life! In the original language, the importance of this story for gay, lesbian, and bisexual Christians is much clearer. . . .The Greek word that the Roman centurion uses in this passage to describe the sick man – pais – is the same word used in ancient Greek to refer to a same-gender partner.

According to 365Gay.com, “Jesus MCC, Faith In America, and MCC conducted a pilot project in Indianapolis [last summer], using billboards and yard signs to ask a simple question: ‘Would Jesus Discriminate?’ Organizers say this year’s project will be bigger and bolder, moving beyond a gentle question to propose a bold answer that some may find unsettling.”


“I can already hear tires screeching across Indianapolis as folks see the billboards.” says Rev. Jeff Miner, Senior Pastor of Jesus MCC. “Most people have no idea that the Bible contains passages that powerfully affirm gay people.”

The 365Gay.com article also quotes Rev. Jimmy Creech, Executive Director of Faith In America , who observes that, “In the past, many Christians misused the Bible to support slavery, oppose equal rights for women, and oppose interracial marriage. They went so far as to accuse people on the other side of being unbiblical. The same thing is happening again with respect to same-gender relationships. It has to stop.”


I think what this coalition of Christian faith communities and organizations is doing in Indianapolis is great. The idea of a similar type of campaign has been discussed by a number of Catholic folks here in the Twin Cities. Both the Catholic Pastoral Committee on Sexual Minorities (CPCSM) and Catholic Rainbow Parents, for instance, were eager to do something as pro-active and highly visible as a billboard campaign when efforts to pass a state constitutional amendment banning same-gender marriage were underway in Minnesota in 2004-2006. The cost of such a campaign, however, was prohibitive.

One Catholic group that has managed to fund such a campaign is the Catholic Action Network. This organization’s Holy Families Committee not only challenged the Courage movement (as CPCSM did in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 2003) but placed the billboard pictured below in St. Louis, Missouri. (The inspiring history of this committee and its work in St. Louis can be found here.)


Reading about the great work of these various Christian groups across the US makes me all the more committed to being part of this Thursday’s Lobby Day at the Minnesota State Capitol. Along with others from both CPCSM and Catholic Rainbow Parents, I’ll be present as part of the Faith Family Fairness Alliance.

If you’re a Minnesotan person of faith dedicated to Jesus’ radical message of liberating inclusion, and/or a citizen of Minnesota who is opposed to unfair discrimination based on sexual orientation, than I encourage you to join with thousands of others at the State Capitol this Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Of course the highlight of the day will be, as always, the opportunity to visit with one’s legislators and advocate pro-active legislation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people and their families.

Another highlight will be the 12 noon – 1:00 p.m. Rally for Fairness on the steps of the Capitol, at which thousands of LGBT persons, their friends, families, and allies will show their support of legislative efforts to move Minnesota toward LGBT equality. In recent years, this rally has become the second-most attended LGBT event in Minnesota, after summer’s Twin Cities Gay Pride. OutFront Minnesota is reporting that for this year’s rally, “buses and carpools are already planned from Duluth, Rochester, and elsewhere across the state.” A great line-up of speakers and musicians is also planned.

Clearly, the Rally for Fairness is not to be missed!

Following is the speech I delivered to a crowd of around 5,000 people at the 2004 Lobby Day rally. At that time, attempts were underway to pass the previously mentioned constitutional amendment banning same-gender civil marriage and all legal equivalents – including domestic partnerships and civil unions. Those opposed to this proposed amendment recognized and called it the “Minnesota Anti-Marriage Amendment.” Thankfully, this amendment was defeated in May of 2006.

_______________________________


CPCSM Offers a Progressive Catholic Voice at the Capitol
The Rainbow Spirit
Fall 2004

The following speech was delivered by Michal Bayly (above), Executive Coordinator of the Catholic Pastoral Committee on Sexual Minorities (CPCSM), during OutFront Minnesota’s Just Fair Rally on March 25, 2004, and Faith Speaks Out event on May 5, 2004. Both events were held at the Minnesota State Capitol and expressed widespread opposition to a proposed Constitutional amendment which would ban civil marriage between same-sex couples.

For close to a quarter-of-a-century, CPCSM has served as a grassroots, independent organization dedicated to creating just and safe places for LGBT people within the Catholic Church and wider society.

We do not speak officially for the archdiocese. Nevertheless, we are a coalition of Spirit-filled people – both gay and straight – grounded in our Catholic faith. We recognize this faith – like all authentic spiritual traditions – to be a living, growing, and richly diverse reality.

The Minnesota Anti-Marriage Amendment does not reflect such a reality. Instead, it is a narrow, stagnant, and life-denying ploy rooted in homophobia, discrimination, and the politics of distraction.

From a Catholic perspective, the Minnesota Anti-Marriage Amendment is contrary to Catholic teaching on social justice. Furthermore, this amendment is completely out of step with a broad consensus among the world’s Catholic theologians who insist that gay and lesbian persons should be treated with dignity, fairness, and justice.

This same position has been endorsed by the United States Catholic Bishops in their pastoral statement entitled Always Our Children, where they write, “Respect for the God-given dignity of all persons means the recognition of human rights and responsibilities. The teachings of the Catholic Church make it clear that the fundamental human rights of homosexual persons must be defended and that all of us must strive to eliminate any forms of injustice, oppression, or violence against them.”

These are powerful statements. We believe that such statements, rooted as they are in Jesus’ call for social justice, supersede certain teachings of the Church that reflect a medieval and inadequate understanding of human sexuality – teachings that are thus unresponsive to the presence and movement of the Spirit in the lives and relationships of LGBT people.

For these reasons, my friends, we as Catholics oppose the Minnesota Anti-Marriage Amendment. And as Catholics, we stand united with all people of good faith and conscience.

We stand united against any and every unjust discrimination against the basic social rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people.

We stand united in recognizing that civil marriage is one of these basic social rights.

And we stand united in saying “No!” to the Minnesota Anti-Marriage Amendment.


Above: CPCSM president, Mary Lynn Murphy; CPCSM co-founder, Bill Kummer; and CPCSM treasurer, Paul Fleege at the Minnesota State Capitol - May 5, 2004.


Above: Paul Fleege and Mary Lynn Murphy suspend a banner over a balcony railing inside the Minnesota State Capitol - May 5, 2004.


See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
The Real Gay Agenda
On Civil Unions and Christian Tradition
The Bible and Homosexuality
Good News from Minnesota
Making Sure All Families Matter
CPCSM’s Year in Review (2006)

Remembering a Great Soul Singer

Today marks the 68th birthday of the late, great British soul singer Dusty Springfield (1939-1999), about whom Barry Walters once wrote:

There is something about Dusty Springfield that makes her contribution to pop music - hell, to life - particular, peerless. There are plenty of divas, plenty of blue-eyed soul sisters, but there is only one Dusty, and when I think about it there is no other singer who reaches me in so many ways so deeply as Dusty. . . . While remaining incredibly true to her own sensibility and spirit, no other singer has as effortlessly proven that soul is not a matter of color or nationality but of feeling. Dusty knows not just the look of love but also its essence.

To mark today's anniversary of Dusty's birthday, here’s a clip from 1967 of her singing the soul classic, “Get Ready.” Enjoy!





See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• Soul Deep
• Classic Dusty

Recommended Off-Site Links:
• Woman of Repute
• The Dusty Springfield Bulletin

The Harvest Within the Heart

As I continue to gather together the sermons I’ve delivered over the past few years, I present today one that I delivered at Spirit of the Lakes United Church of Christ on Sunday, July 17, 2005.

My sermon’s references to Jesus’ “alternative, subversive wisdom” were drawn from New Testament scholar Marcus Borg’s insightful book, Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time: The Historical Jesus and the Heart of Contemporary Faith. Two months earlier I had included these same references in a commentary about the election of Pope Benedict XVI, published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

___________________

Gospel Reading
Matthew 13: 24-30

Jesus spun out another parable for them:

The Reign of God is like someone who sowed good seeds in his field. And while everyone was asleep, his enemy came and scattered weed seed around in his wheat and stole away.

And when the crop sprouted and produced heads, then the weeds also appeared. The owner’s servants came and asked him, “Master, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Then why are there weeds everywhere?

He replied to them, “Some enemy has done this.”

The servants said to him, “Do you want us then to go and pull the weeds?”

He replied, “No, otherwise you’ll root out the wheat at the same time as you pull the weeds. Let them grow up together until the harvest, and at harvest time I’ll say to the harvesters, ‘Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to burn, but gather the wheat into my granary.’”


Sermon
By Michael Bayly

The parable we heard in today’s gospel reading is referred to by some as “the sabotage of weeds.” It’s a fascinating parable – primarily because like so much of what Jesus said, it can be read on a number of levels.

Because it’s found in both Matthew’s gospel and the Gnostic gospel of Thomas, it’s a parable that’s believed to have been circulated orally in the period before any of the gospel accounts were written.

New Testament scholars suggest that the parable of the sabotage of weeds reflects the concerns not so much of the historical Jesus, but of a fledging Christian community alive with the Spirit of the Risen Christ; a community trying to define itself over and against a world of life-denying attitudes and actions – a world of greed, intolerance, and violence; a world not unlike our own.

I must admit that at first I was reluctant to take on this particular gospel reading. At first glance, it seems unduly negative – obsessed with final judgment and damnation. That’s because it reflects the apocalyptic, end-time focused perspective of the early church – one that experienced frequent persecution and anticipated the return of Jesus at any day.

Yet Jesus in his lifetime operated from and expressed a different perspective. Rather than the Reign of God being something in the far-off future, something to look forward to after a period of persecution, Jesus lived and taught that the Reign of God is here and now.

“Split a piece of wood; I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find me” (Thomas 77:2-3), says Jesus in the Gospel of Thomas. Elsewhere in this gospel, Jesus tells us that, “The Reign of God is inside you and outside you” (Thomas 3:3).

Elements of the Gospel of St. Thomas – along with elements of the other more well-known and accepted gospels – reflect and focus upon gnosis. By gnosis, we mean knowledge that is intuitive and divinely-inspired. Such knowledge includes self-knowledge, yet this “self” is not to be confused with the human ego – that part of ourselves that needs to be in total control and fears change and transformation. No, the self that Jesus speaks about is the true Self – that part of us hidden deep within and which is already one with God; that part of us that yearns to grow and become fully conscious to our intellect and fully embodied in our actions and relationships.

The sayings of Jesus found in the Gospel of St. Thomas and elsewhere that reflect an understanding and respect for gnosis, also distinguish between two types of wisdom – conventional wisdom and an alternative, subversive wisdom.

Conventional wisdom emphasizes rewards and punishments. It is fixated on hierarchy, literalism, and absolute answers for everything. Conventional wisdom fears ambiguity and is highly suspicious of those who are attuned to the presence of God within.

These characteristics of conventionality can all too easily be propped up as idols, which is why Jesus, when condemning the Pharisees of his day as “whitened sepulchers,” identified the way of conventional wisdom as the broad path to spiritual death.

Jesus, through his life and teaching, invites us to embrace and embody an alternative, life-giving wisdom – one grounded in an experience of God as abundant, surprising, gracious, and compassionate; an experience that cannot be separated from the self-knowledge of gnosis. Such qualities of alternative wisdom lead to understanding religion not as unquestioning obedience, but as trustful openness to God who is very much present here and now throughout the vast arena of human life and relationships.

Awareness of the role that gnosis and counter-conventional wisdom play in the earliest known sayings of Jesus have led some to suggest that these particular sayings relate, first and foremost, to the inner life of all spiritual seekers. They serve as universal wisdom sayings aimed at freeing us from the falsehoods of conventionality and helping us to become our true selves and to embody authentic wisdom.

Even though the parable of the sabotage of weeds reflects in many ways the apocalyptic, end-time focused perspective of the early Church, it nevertheless contains elements that allow it to be interpreted in light of both gnosis and counter-conventional wisdom. And it is this interpretation – one that has implications for our life here at Spirit of the Lakes – that I’d like to share with you now.

It’s an interpretation, or understanding, that recognizes that “the field” is the human heart, the interior life of each one of us. “The wheat” and “the weeds” represent the conflicting attitudes and thoughts we have within us. Harvest time occurs whenever we choose between the life-affirming and life-giving thoughts represented by “the wheat,” and the life-denying, unproductive thoughts symbolized by “the weeds.” This harvesting, of course, is embodied and expressed through our words and actions.

I find it interesting that the weeds, the negative thoughts and attitudes, are sown when we’re “asleep” – a poetic way of saying when we’re unconscious; when we’re unaware or unmindful of our true selves and our intrinsic connection to the sacred.

I also find it interesting that it’s when our pro-active and positive attitudes and thoughts begin to grow, begin to assert themselves, that we become aware of our ability to choke them, to undermine them with negative thoughts and attitudes.

It’s as if a part of us doesn’t believe that we’re capable of growth and of bearing good fruit. A part of us is fearful of the sacrifices and changes we’ll experience, and of the places to which we may need to go in order for our “good seeds” to flourish and bloom. Such thoughts stem from the fearful, controlling, self-sabotaging ego. This ego and the true Self are constantly engaged in a strange dance within our souls – a dance that ensures an entanglement not dissimilar to wheat and weeds growing in the same field.

The challenge isn’t to madly try and eradicate all our negative thoughts and attitudes. As the archetypal and wise owner of the field within says: No, wait! We will acknowledge and discern between such conflicting thoughts and attitudes; they are part of the human condition. But when it is time to harvest, when it is time to speak and take action, let it be the life-affirming and life-giving thoughts and attitudes we express.

My friends, here at Spirit of the Lakes we’ve been blessed with experiences that have enabled us to discern and choose between positive, pro-active, and productive thoughts and ideas and those that would have us believe that the game’s up, that we’re too messed-up and burdened by past missteps and mistakes to be of use to anyone.

The work that our community has been participating in over the last six months has in many ways been our harvest time – our time of choosing between the wheat and the weeds, between the conflicting positive and negative thoughts we have about ourselves and our journey.

The life-giving, community-affirming goals that we have brought forth in both word and action as a result of this harvest, this time of choosing, serve to proclaim to each one of us, and to the world, that we choose life for this community we call Spirit of the Lakes.

Yet the harvest is ongoing – both within each of our individual hearts and the collective heart of this community. My prayer is that we will be willing harvesters of the heart, that we will work together to embody all that is good and life-giving within us. I also pray that we will courageously acknowledge that which is negative and unproductive within our individual and communal life, yet ultimately discard such thoughts and attitudes with the gentle strength and wisdom of our brother Jesus.

This is my prayer for Spirit of the Lakes. If it resonates within your heart, then I invite you to join others and myself in the harvest. Amen.

Michael J. Bayly
Spirit of the Lakes United Church of Christ
July 17, 2005



Previously posted sermons:
• Something We Dare Call Hope
• On the Road with Punk Rockers and Homeless Mothers
• Praying for George W. Bush
• Soul Deep
• Somewhere In Between
• A Homily for the Feast of the Epiphany

"A Courageous Document"

To the best of my knowledge, Kristin L. Gunckel and Adam J. Greteman of Michigan State University have the distinction of being the first to review Creating Safe Schools for LGBT Students: A Catholic Schools Perspective – the book I edited and which Harrington Park Press (the trade division of the Haworth Press, Inc.) has recently published.

Gunckel and Greteman’s review is featured on the Education Book Review website, and overall, I greatly appreciate what they have to say about the book I’ve been working on for the past five years. However, like many who are perhaps unfamiliar with the subtleties of Church teaching on homosexuality, they make the erroneous claim in their review that the Catholic Church considers homosexual people “disordered” rather than the homosexual orientation.

Of course, labeling either the person or his/her orientation as “disordered” is highly problematic and, for most gay people and those who know and love them, simply wrong. Still, when compiling Creating Safe Environments for LGBT Students: A Catholic Schools Perspective, I was always mindful of the need to accurately present the Church’s teaching on homosexuality – even if I personally do not agree with it. Indeed, anything less would have diminished the book’s credibility. And you can be sure that there are folks out there looking for any chance to dismiss and condemn the credibility and value of this book!

Toward the end of their review, Gunckel and Greteman highlight a number of shortcomings they see in the book. I particularly appreciate their constructive criticism with regards to the lack of guiding questions for the various role-play scenarios presented in the book. I hope to address this issue before any future reprinting.

I disagree, however, that there is a lack of “specific questions . . . to stimulate discussions,” or that the book “fails to give an overall vision for the guiding [theological] framework” and that such a framework is “hidden” in the various handouts. I believe both the foreword (written by Bishop Thomas Gumbleton) and the introduction by Catholic high school teacher Genevieve Goodsil-Todd clearly define the book’s theological framework – one that is shaped by and reflects both the pastoral and prophetic dimensions of our living Catholic tradition.

Overall, I am very grateful to both Gunckel and Greteman for writing such a thoughtful and thorough review. Here’s hoping it’s the first of many, and that the word about this important resource will get out to those teaching and caring professionals within Catholic high schools who are concerned with the well-being of all their students.

_________________________


Education Book Reviews

Bayly, Michael J. (2007). Creating Safe Environments for LGBT Students: A Catholic Schools Perspective. New York: Harrington Park Press.

Creating safe environments for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth is a challenging task for any school, but particularly so for Catholic schools where homosexuality has long been religiously stigmatized as sinful. Michael Bayly addresses this challenge head-on in his book designed to lead facilitators through the steps of facilitating Safe Staff training sessions for Catholic high school educators. The book addresses not only the challenges of meeting the spiritual, psychological, and emotional needs of LGBT youth, but also the challenges of meeting the needs of Catholic school faculty and staff who must reconcile their desire to be helpful to LGBT youth with the teachings of the Catholic Church. Creating Safe Environments offers a pastoral perspective that balances Catholic doctrine and explains the theological rationale for creating safe environments for LGBT Catholic youth.

This book uses a Safe Staff training model that was developed by the Catholic Pastoral Committee on Sexual Minorities (CPCSM) in the St. Paul/Minneapolis Archdiocese. After achieving initial success in offering Safe Staff trainings to Catholic high schools within the St. Paul/Minneapolis area, CPCSM recognized the need for greater awareness of issues regarding LGBT youth in Catholic schools. Bayly wrote this guide to disseminate CPCSM’s Safe Staff model to other dioceses nationwide.

The book offers step-by-step directions for a series of five staff training sessions. The sessions are designed to guide participants through recognizing the need for Safe Staff who can compassionately respond to LGBT youth (and all youth questioning their sexuality), defining the role of Safe Staff members, understanding the needs of LGBT youth, reconciling the LGBT reality with the teachings of the Catholic Church, and establishing safe environments in Catholic high schools. The guide includes spiritual readings, hand-outs, discussion topics, and role play scenarios for each session. Additional readings for participants to consider between sessions are also included in the materials.

Creating Safe Environments provides a much-needed tool to help Catholic schools address the issue of sexuality and the needs of LGBT students within the Catholic educational system. It illustrates the complex and political nature of the situation while asking that Catholic educators address this sensitive topic not solely from doctrine or out of pity, but with an emphasis on social justice and the pastoral need to care for all students. Bayly challenges those who take part in the training to not simply tolerate LGBT students, but to embrace them for their differences and recognize their unique gifts and existence.

Bayly traverses the complicated terrain by contrasting the theological issues with the reality that LGBT students face increased persecution and higher suicide rates than their heterosexual peers. He calls for the Catholic community to take action to embrace its LGBT students and create a safe environment in which they can learn and develop. He does this through various means including an examination of the cultural context in which the Bible was written and the passages often used to condemn homosexuality. Bayly also provides an honest look at the various statements that have emerged from the documents issued by the U.S. Catholic Bishops, which at times have not been the most positive toward LGBT peoples, but which he recognizes as important in the on-going discussion. Finally, Bayly addresses the reality that the Catholic Church is constantly changing, just at a slower pace than other institutions. The pastoral move to discuss sexuality outside of Catholic doctrine is a positive advancement. While Bayly’s guide may not suffice for all schools, it provides useful guidance on what the issues are and how the Catholic school community can and should recognize the existence and needs of its LGBT students.

While the book is intended to be a guide for facilitators leading Safe Staff training sessions, we question whether an interested person could pick up this book and lead a training session without having additional support or resources available. First, not all high schools are the same, and we are not sure that this model will fit all schools’ needs. An introduction that helps schools assess their particular needs and tailor the training sessions to their situation might make the guide more useful to a wider range of schools. In addition, the book fails to give an overall vision for the guiding framework. The theological frameworks are hidden within the many hand-outs for each session, which are compiled together at the end of each chapter. Therefore, one has to read all of the hand-outs of the book before one understands how the sessions fit together and their grounding in Catholic theology. Each session includes a list of topics to be explored, but a clear listing of the purpose and objectives for each session is needed to help would-be facilitators understand what each session is designed to accomplish. Furthermore, while each chapter includes a step-by-step flow of hand-outs to read and associated discussion topics, the guide could be greatly improved if there were suggestions for specific questions to ask to stimulate discussions and tips for how to respond to common participant questions and concerns. Finally, many sessions include open-ended role-play situations to help participants work through the issues introduced in the sessions. However, the guide could present some suggestions for how to lead a discussion of the role-play scenarios and how to respond to role-plays that may lead away from the direction the facilitator intended. Without these supports, we feel the guidebook may leave potential facilitators in a precarious position as they attempt to organize and lead their first Safe Staff training sessions.

Overall, this book is a courageous document that presents materials to begin and continue the discussion on the issue of homosexuality in the Catholic Church. Bayly carefully walks a tight line between not alienating the Catholic hierarchy while making the needs of LGBT students visible. We hope that in opening the door for this discussion he is laying the groundwork for the Catholic Church to move toward nurturing LGBT peoples as whole human beings rather than viewing them as objectively disordered.

Reviewed by Kristin L. Gunckel and Adam J. Greteman, Michigan State University.


See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
Confronting Classroom Homophobia
Update from the Great South Land (written and posted during the final stages of editing Creating Safe Environments for LGBT Students: A Catholic Schools Perspective)
A Catholic Bibliography on Gay Issues

A Catholic Bibliography on Gay Issues

.

Though by no means definitive, the following bibliography nevertheless highlights a substantial number of books relevant to Catholics seeking greater understanding of the reality of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) lives, relationships, and issues.

I hope to continually add to this bibliography, so be sure to periodically check back by clicking the appropriate link in the sidebar’s “Catholic and Gay” section.

And finally: the links to Amazon.com and other off-site locations serve primarily to provide descriptions and reviews of the books listed in this bibliography. If you wish to purchase any of these titles I encourage you to do so through your nearest independent bookseller.

Peace,

Michael

__________________________

A Catholic Bibliography
on
LGBT Issues

Compiled by Michael J. Bayly
Executive Coordinator, Catholic Pastoral Committee on Sexual Minorities
Last Updated: July 11, 2008

Alison, James. Faith Beyond Resentment: Fragments Catholic and Gay. New York: Crossroad, 2001.

Alison, James. On Being Liked. Herder and Herder, 2004.


Bayly, Michael (Ed.). Creating Safe Environments for LGBT Students: A Catholic Schools Perspective. New York: Harrington Park Press, 2007.

Berzon, Betty. Permanent Partners: Building Gay and Lesbian Relationships That Last. Plume, 2004.

Boenke, Mary. Trans Forming Families: Real Stories About Transgendered Loved Ones. Oak Knoll Press, 2003.

Boisvert, Donald L. Sanctity and Male Desire: A Gay Reading of Saints. The Pilgrim Press, 2004.

Boswell, John. Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality: Gay People in Western Europe from the Beginning of the Christian Era to the Fourteenth Century. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1980.

Boswell, John. Same-Sex Unions in Pre-Modern Europe. New York: Villard, 1994.


Brooten, Bernadette J. Love Between Women: Early Christian Responses to Female Homoeroticism. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996.

Brown, Mildred L. and Rounsley, Chloe Ann. True Selves: Understanding Transexualism – For Families, Friends, Co-workers and Helping Professionals. Jossey-Bass, 2003.

Buxton, Amity Pierce. The Other Side of the Closet: The Coming-Out Crisis for Straight Spouses and Families. Wiley Books, 1994.

Coleman, Gerald D. Homosexuality: Catholic Teaching and Pastoral Practice. New York: Paulist Press, 1995.

Conover, P. Transgender Good News. Silver Spring, MD, 2002.

Duberman, Martin Bauml, et al. (Eds.). Hidden from History: Reclaiming the Gay and Lesbian Past. New York: Penguin, 1989.

Duncan, Geoffrey (Ed.). Courage to Love: Liturgies for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community. The Pilgrim Press, 2002.

Empereur, James L. Spiritual Direction and the Gay Person. New York: Continuum Publishing, 1998.

Evans, Amie M. and Healey, Trebor. Queer and Catholic. Haworth Press, 2008.

Farley, Margaret. Just Love: A Framework for Christian Sexual Ethics. Continuum, 2006.

Ferder, Fran and Heagle, John. Tender Fires: The Spiritual Promise of Sexuality. New York: Crossroad, 2002.


Ferder, Fran and Heagle, John. Your Sexual Self: Pathway to Authentic Intimacy. Notre Dame. Indiana: Ave Maria Press, 1992.

Garden, Nancy. Hear Us Out: Lesbian and Gay Stories of Struggle, Progress, and Hope, 1950 to the Present. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007.

Garner, Abigail. Families Like Mine: Children of Gay Parents Tell It Like It Is. Harper Paperback, 2005.


Gottlib, Andrew. Sons Talk About Their Gay Fathers. Harrington Park Press, 2003.

Gramick, Jeannine and Nugent, Robert. (Eds.). The Vatican and Homosexuality. New York: Crossroad, 1988.

Gramick, Jeannine (Ed.). Homosexuality in the Priesthood and Religious Life. New York: Crossroad, 1989.

Gramick, Jeannine and Nugent, Robert. (Eds.). Voices of Hope: A Collection of Positive Catholic Writings on Gay and Lesbian Issues. New York: Center for Homophobia Education, 1995.

Hanway, Donald G. A Theology of Gay and Lesbian Inclusion: Love Letters to the Church. Haworth Press, 2006.

Harvey, Andrew. The Essential Gay Mystics. HarperSanFrancisco, 2007.


Helminiak, Daniel. Sex and the Sacred: Gay Identity and Spiritual Growth. New York: Harrington Park Press, 2006. (NOTE: For an interview with Daniel Helminiak, click here).

Helminiak, Daniel. What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality. San Francisco: Alamo Square Press, 1994.

Holtz, Raymond (Ed.). Listen to the Stories: Gay and Lesbian Catholics Talk About Their Lives. New York: Garland Publications, 1991.

Horner, Thomas. Jonathan Loved David: Homosexuality in Biblical Times. Westminster John Knox Press, 1978.

Jennings, Jr., Theodore W. The Man Jesus Loved: Homoerotic Narratives from the New Testament. Cleveland. OH: The Pilgrim Press, 2003.

Johnson, Toby. Gay Perspective: Things Our Homosexuality Tells Us About the Nature of God and the Universe. Los Angeles: Alyson Books, 2003.


Johnson, Toby. Gay Spirituality: The Role of Gay Identity in the Transformation of Human Consciousness. Los Angeles: Alyson Books, 2000.

Jordan, Mark. The Invention of Sodomy in Christian Theology. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1997.

Jordan, Mark. The Silence of Sodom: Homosexuality and Modern Catholicism. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.


Jung, Patricia Beattie and Smith, Ralph. Heterosexism: An Ethical Challenge. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1993.

Jung, Patricia Beattie and Coray, Joseph Andrew (Eds.). Sexual Diversity and Catholicism: Toward the Development of Moral Theology. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 2001.

Kaufman, Philip S. Why You Can Disagree and Remain a Faithful Catholic. (Expanded and Revised Edition.) New York: Crossroad, 1998.

Kennedy, Eugene. The Unhealed Wound: The Church and Human Sexuality. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2001.

Kennedy, Ted. Who Is Worthy? The Role of Conscience in Restoring Hope to the Church. Annandale, NSW, Australia: Pluto Press, 2000. (NOTE: To read an article containing excerpts from this book, click here).


Kolodny, Debra R. (Ed.). Blessed Bi Spirit: Bisexual People of Faith. New York: Continuum, 2000.

Liuzzi, Peter J. With Listening Hearts: Understanding the Voices of Lesbian and Gay Catholics. New York: Paulist Press, 2001.

Lopata, Casey (Ed.). Seeds of Hope: Compassionate Ministry with Gay and Lesbian Catholics and Their Families: A Practical Resource Manual. Rochester, NY, 2001.

Lopata, Mary Ellen and Lopata, Casey. Fortunate Families: Catholic Families with Lesbian Daughters and Gay Sons. Victoria, Canada: Trafford Publishing, 2003.

Maher Jr., Michael. Being Gay and Lesbian in a Catholic High School: Beyond the Uniform. Binghamton, NY: Haworth Press, 2001.

McGinley, Dugan. Acts of Faith, Acts of Love: Gay Catholic Autobiographies as Sacred Texts. Continuum, 2006.


McNaught, Brian. On Being Gay: Thoughts on Family, Faith, and Love. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1988.

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He is Risen!

All creation sings your praise, Christ is risen from the grave.
Rejoicing, we sing all our days, Alleluia to our God!

A new life for us to share, in God’s healing, loving care.
Christ our brother lives forever, Alleluia to our God!

In Easter joy we pray and sing, to our God we gladly bring
Praises that will ever ring, Alleluia to our God!

Birds and flowers dance their way, in this life-filled Easter day.
Creation sings for all to say, Alleluia to our God!

Christ is risen from the dead; new life shines, we all are lead.
At the table we are fed, Alleluia to our God!

Excerpted from “Sing Alleluia”
by Janet Vogt

This is the joy of the Easter Vigil: we are free. In the resurrection of Jesus, love has been shown to be stronger than death, stronger than evil.

From Pope Benedict XVI’s Easter Vigil homily – April 7, 2007.

Images of Easter 2007 from around the world . . .

Above: A Romanian girl holds a candle while attending an Easter service at the St. Iosif Roman Catholic cathedral in Bucharest. This year Orthodox Christians, which comprise the majority of Romanian people, celebrate Easter on the same day as Roman Catholics; the calendars for the two traditions do not always coincide. (Associated Press)



Above: A Spanish United Nations peacekeeper breaks colored Easter eggs with Lebanese girls outside a church in the southeast village of Marjayoun. (Associated Press)



Above: Filipino children paint eggs for an Easter egg hunt in suburban Manila, Philippines. (AFP/Getty Images)



Above: Iraqi Christians observe Easter in a church in Baghdad. (Associated Press)



Above: Pope Benedict XVI delivers the Easter 'Urbi et Orbi' (to the city and the world) benediction in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican April 8, 2007. Pope Benedict, in his Easter message, made an impassioned call for world peace on Sunday and lamented the "continual slaughter" in Iraq and the growing unrest in Afghanistan. (Osservatore Romano/Reuters)



Above: Ethiopian Christians hold candles during a ceremony of the "Holy Fire" at the Dir Al-Sultan Church on the roof of Jerusalem's contested Holy Sepulchre Church on April 7, 2007. Thousands of worshippers from five Christian traditions celebrated Easter at the Holy Sepulchre Church - the traditional site of Jesus' resurrection. (AFP/Gali Tibbon)


Opening image: Van Peebles Land.
Image of Easter altar: Michael Bayly.

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
The Triumph of Love: An Easter Reflection
Palm Sunday Around the World