A report om Human Rights Watch lls on the ernment of St. Vcent to overturn lonial-era anti-gay laws that have led to a recent wave of vlence and genr discrimatn on the small Caribbean island.
Contents:
- RIFT OVER GAY RIGHTS AS UNED METHODISTS U.S. HAVE BEE MORE ACCEPTG OF HOMOSEXUALY
- UNED METHODIST CHURCH MOV TO ALLOW LGBT CLERGY AND GAY MARRIAGE
- HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: ANTI-GAY LAWS PROMOTE VLENCE, DISCRIMATN ST. VCENT
- CALIFORNIA SCHOOL BOARD ADOPTS SOCIAL STUDI TEXTBOOKS THAT CLU GAY RIGHTS AFTER WARNGS OM ERNOR
RIFT OVER GAY RIGHTS AS UNED METHODISTS U.S. HAVE BEE MORE ACCEPTG OF HOMOSEXUALY
The Uned Methodist Church, wh an timated 10.4 ln members, has current polici that are strongly agast the LGBTQ muny. However, many church lears, cludg lol pastors, wele gays and lbians as church members and support their basic human rights. * umc gay rights *
The Church “implor fai and church not to reject or nmn lbian and gay members and iends. Homosexualy was first openly bated at General Conference 1972, four years after the formatn of The Uned Methodist Church, rultg the addn of first statement on homosexualy. While affirmg belief that persons of homosexual orientatn are persons of sacred worth who need the mistry and guidance of the church, the statement add that the church “do not ndone the practice of homosexualy and nsirs this practice patible wh Christian teachg.
UNED METHODIST CHURCH MOV TO ALLOW LGBT CLERGY AND GAY MARRIAGE
The formatn of the new nomatn was spurred by events 2016 when hundreds of Uned Methodist clergy me out as gay and when a regnal nference elected the first openly lbian bishop. * umc gay rights *
Sce that time, the church has mataed the posn that “the practice of homosexualy is patible wh Christian teachg. Based on the posns about homosexual practice and marriage, the Church has also mataed rtrictns regardg clergy.
Pastors may not be “self-avowed, practicg homosexuals” and may not nduct ceremoni that celebrate same-sex weddgs or unns.
Wh a body of over 12 ln members globally, Uned Methodists are not of one md about how to be mistry wh lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer people. Some members feel strongly that the church should uphold s current stanc regardg gay clergy and marriage.
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: ANTI-GAY LAWS PROMOTE VLENCE, DISCRIMATN ST. VCENT
A mtee wh the Uned Methodist Church has affirmed a proposal on acceptg LGBT clergy and gay marriage. Ron Cogswell/Flickr Gay clergy and same-sex marriage may be allowed at Uned Methodist Church thanks to a proposal drafted by the Connectnal Table, a rpected ternatnal body of clergy members and lay people the church. On Tuday, the mtee * umc gay rights *
While the church has official statements regardg homosexualy, all members n disagree wh the church’s posns and n advote for change policy. In 2019, a special ssn of General Conference met specifilly to addrs ongog, unrolved divisns regardg homosexualy.
Its cisns strengthened rtrictns on ordatn (broang the fn of "self-avowed, practicg homosexual" the footnote to ¶304. One was to clare an abeyance (lay) on submtg or procsg plats related to homosexualy until after a procs for separatn had been approved and the nomatns that may rult om uld hold their first post-separatn General Conferenc.
CALIFORNIA SCHOOL BOARD ADOPTS SOCIAL STUDI TEXTBOOKS THAT CLU GAY RIGHTS AFTER WARNGS OM ERNOR
* umc gay rights *
The agreement about abeyance, though, beme effective immediately among s signers, and many other bishops the Uned Stat have likewise agreed to hold homosexualy-related plats agast clergy abeyance until after a post-separatn Uned Methodist General Conference 2028 term what new polici, if any, will be. The impasse over homosexualy has led to uncertaty about the Church’s future. However, many church lears, cludg lol pastors, wele gays and lbians as church members and support their basic human rights.
The church’s 2016 Book of Disciple regniz the “sacred worth” of all persons but also stat that "the practice of homosexualy is patible wh Christian teachg" and bans fancial support of LGBTQ-based groups.
At a special nference Febary 2019, nvened specifilly to addrs divisns over LGBTQ issue, legat approved the "Tradnalist Plan" which affirmed the nomatn's teachg on homosexualy.
A Southern California school board on Friday adopted a social studi curriculum that clus gay rights that was approved by parents and teachers after ially rejectg . * umc gay rights *
Acrdg to the Book of Disciple, “Ceremoni that celebrate homosexual unns shall not be nducted by our misters and shall not be nducted our church. Currently, "self-avowed, practicg" gay, lbian and bisexual persons nnot be ordaed The Uned Methodist Church.
Acrdg to the Book of Disciple: "The practice of homosexualy is patible wh Christian teachg. Therefore self-avowed practicg homosexuals are not to be certified as ndidat, ordaed as misters, or appoted to serve The Uned Methodist Church.
" Although some regns still raise obstacl, gay, lbian and bisexual persons who take a vow of abstence are eligible for ordatn acrdg to church law. Affirmatn: Uned Methodists for Lbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgenr Concerns is an anizatn that challeng The Uned Methodist Church to be clive, and radilly speaks out agast jtice for LGBTQ people around the Rencilg Mistri Network is a growg movement of Uned Methodist dividuals, ngregatns, mp mistri, and other groups workg for the full participatn of all people The Uned Methodist Church. This is rponse to the Amerin UMC monstratg a more progrsive view toward LGBT rights recent years, cludg the ordatn of gay clergy and the performance of same-sex weddgs.