The 99-year-old West Hollywood Presbyterian Church’s efforts for the LGBT community date back to 1965, four years before the Stonewall Riots. Now the first Presbyterian congregation to hire an openly gay minister has left the denomination over what it calls “core-level homophobia” in the Church.
Even though Presbyterian leaders lifted the ban on LGBT clergy last year, “the denomination is still pretty hostile to gay and lesbian folks,” says Yale Divinity School’s Rev. Maria La Sala. “On the one hand, my heart is broken. On the other, I understand” [L.A. Times]
Incensed that Trinitas Hospital, a Catholic institution, allegedly denied Joao Simoes vital AIDS medication because of his sexual orientation, Kathleen Jercich of The Petition Site launched an online campaign to help Simoes and others like him. “As an LGBT-identified person myself, this really pissed me off, so I’m trying to get as much promotion for this petition as possible,” Jerich told Queerty. [The Petition Site]
Joel Hochmuth, an official of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, was sentenced to a year in jail and ten years probation for possessing child pornography. The Synod calls homosexuality an “unholy lifestyle.” and one of “Satan’s cunning, deceitful lies,” and condemns anyone who tries to “condone their homosexuality and to deny that anything is wrong with it.” Michelle and Marcus Bachmann were prominent members of the denomination up until a week before Bachmann announced her presidential bid. The 52-year-old Hochmuth, a former communications director for WELS, downloaded hundreds of pictures of boys having sex with other children and men. [Truth Wins Out]
Dutch Health Minister Edith Schippers cut coverage of reparative therapy from the national healthcare, saying people conflicted over their orientation should be offered pastoral guidance not so-called medical treatment. “The origins of the suffering in these cases are not psychiatric in nature but lie in their religion. There’s therefore no question of a psychiatric diagnosis, no questions of treatment and, therefore, there is no question of insured care.” [Pink News]Bryan Fischer, mouthpiece for the nutty American Family Association, claimed in a radio segment this week that gay rights and the First Amendment cannot coexist. “Every advance, of the homosexual agenda, comes at the expense of religious liberty. We cannot have religious liberty—in fact I would go so far as to say, we cannot have gay marriage and the First Amendment. We can’t have homosexuality and the First Amendment. If homosexuality is embraced and normalized, that’s the end of the First Amendment. It’s gone, it’s out here, shredded beyond recognition, a worthless piece of paper”[The New Civil Rights Movement]
Daez
Oh Bryan Fischer, you dumb, dumb person you. The first amendment guarantees the freedom of ALL religion. Since most religion is now becoming non-homophobic. It is more correct to say that you can not have bigotry and the first amendment because bigotry tries to restrict the rights of other religions, and that infringes on the first amendment.
Daez
Also, someone does not know Michelle Bauchman from Sarah Palin. Way to go! Of course, both are dumb bigoted women that are famous for being dumb and bigoted, but they look very different in photos.
Chris
Why is there a picture of Sarah Palin on this article? I don’t see anything written about her? Or did some genius confuse Sarah Palin and Michele Bachman?
Again, I beg you. GET AN EDITOR!
Jonathonz
@Daez: Haha Daez…I couldn’t have said it better myself. It’s pretty rich that Queerty mixed their pictures up…LOL
Bob Conti
Actually, I kinda like the picture of the dumbstruck half-term governor, even though there’s no mention of her in the post.
Dirty Ole Man
Again, Dan Avery’s Editor was obviously distracted by some young guy’s cute ass. This is the second article today that is completely lacking any editorial supervision.