On the fifth day of The Episcopal Church’s General Convention, the House of Bishops voted 111 to 41 to approve the draft liturgy for the blessing of same-sex unions.

Resolution A049 would not actually allow same-sex couple to marry, but would allow them to have their relationship blessed using a service known as “The Witnessing and Blessing of a Lifelong Covenant.”

Before it went to the House of Bishops, the Resolution was considered by the Committee on the Prayer Book, Liturgy, and Church Music, where it underwent substantial amendment. Most of the amendments were minor tweaks to the wording of the liturgy, but the committee also included a new clause specifying that Episcopal clergy would not be compelled to use the rite. Furthermore, it also declared that no bishop, member of the clergy, or lay person could be penalized because of their conscientious disagreement with the decision to bless same-sex unions.

During his introductory remarks on the resolution, the co-chair of the Prayer Book, Liturgy, and Church Music Committee, Bishop Thomas Ely of Vermont, said that “there is a place in this process for every Episcopalian regardless of their level of support for the material. Read it. Reflect upon it. Use it, but please don’t ignore it.”

Bishop John Bauerschmidt of Tennessee demanded a roll call vote, and called on the House to reject the resolution. “This liturgy that is proposed does not have the basis in scripture, tradition or reason for us to authorize its use.”

His remarks were echoed by Bishop Edward Little of Northern Indiana. “The Christian world will look at that liturgy world and see vows, and exchange of rings, a pronouncement and a blessing and they will understand that to mean the Episcopal Church has endorsed same-sex marriage and changed a basic Christian doctrine. I do not believe that we are free to do that.”

Some of the bishops claimed that the resolution would alienate Hispanic members of the church. But Bishop Leo Frade of Southeast Florida called his brethren out for treating Hispanics as a monolithic block. “The reality is that we, like everybody else, have gay children. We have gay parents. We have gay uncles,” he said.

“You cannot generalize that Hispanics are going to run away from the Episcopal Church because we have a door that’s open. We are going to run from immigration that’s trying to deport us, but not from the Episcopal Church,” he continued.

Bishop Steven Miller of Milwaukee also opposed the resolution, claiming that it would turn LGBTQ Episcopalians into second-class citizens who could receive a blessing, but not marry.

But by and large, most bishops announced their support for the proposal, saying that they were true to the spirit of Anglicanism, which has long aimed to be a ‘big tent’ church that includes diverse theological viewpoints. Bishop Nathan Baxter of Central Pennsylvania exhorted his fellow bishops to “theological, pastoral and canonical inclusion.” He reminded the House that the church had been mulling issues of homosexuality for over 40 years, and it was time to move the conversation forward.

The resolution must now go before the House of Deputies before it can become church law.

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With more than 3 million users, Grindr, the premier all male geo-social network app, is announcing the use of their location-based technology to bring together a global community through Grindr for Equality, a social movement to raise awareness for GLBT issues and spur action across the globe.

Since its launch in March 2009, Grindr has become a global phenomenon and has the capacity to provide assistance within the GLBT community and harness the power of a global user base to contact people in specific geographic areas en masse.

“There is strength in numbers and Grindr for Equality will enable our users to use our platform for the greater good of our community,” said Joel Simkhai, Founder and CEO. “In today’s world, the power of social networks and location-based mobile technologies are playing a major role in political change and social awareness.  We want to continue that momentum and get more people involved. We’re asking people to sign up, send us submissions regarding issues they care about and become advocates for the GLBT community.”

Grindr for Equality’s first foray into the world of philanthropy was during the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal, which was officially implemented on September 20th. Grindr for Equality sent a national broadcast message welcoming in-the-closet service members to Grindr with a link to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network’s contribution page, with more than 5,000 user click-throughs.

In addition, Grindr for Equality used location-based technology and its tremendous global user base to participate in some of the most significant recent events in the GLBT community, including the overturning of Proposition 8 and the recent passage of marriage equality in New York.

Furthermore, to date, one of Grindr for Equality’s largest victories is more than 57,000 clicks to a petition denouncing St. Petersburg, Russia’s ban on ‘gay propaganda’ which would effectively silence the community of Russia’s second most populated city. “The focus on Grindr for Equality is to continue to give our community a voice and bring to light these issues that try to suppress or silence us, especially on international issues where it can literally be the difference between life and death,” added Simkhai.

Grindr is looking to continue their involvement in the political process by tapping in to their engaged community in order to receive regular updates on GLBT issues on a local, national and international scale. In addition to submitting information regarding the GLBT community, Grindr is continuing to search for on-the-ground activists around the world to send regular updates on gay rights in their area.

Grindr for Equality has already received more than 3,700 responses from across the globe.  These tips will assist in figuring out ways to use the vast user network and geo-targeting technology to mobilize the GLBT community.

Grindr for Equality is requesting ongoing submissions and information pertaining to the GLBT community where users live. Individuals and like-minded groups are encouraged to send an email with basic contact information and a brief description of how the issue relates to the GLBT community and how Grindr for Equality could provide assistance. Submissions can be sent via email to equality@grindr.com or visit www.grindr4equality.com for additional information.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/richiesoft/

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Just weeks after failing to collect enough signatures to qualify a referendum that would have sought to repeal the FAIR Education Act, anti-LGBT forces are at it again. Now they’re attempting to collect enough signatures to qualify a November 2012 initiative that would eliminate references to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in California’s landmark education law.

L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center CEO Lorri L. Jean have issued the following statement:

“Without support from deep-pocket funders for their referendum campaign, the anti-gay religious extremists working to overturn the FAIR Education Act couldn’t hire enough paid signature gatherers to collect the more than 500,000 signatures necessary to qualify a referendum that sought to overturn the law.

Having failed once, they’re now attempting to collect enough signatures to qualify a November 2012 ballot initiative that would strip LGBT people from the landmark law.

“There is no doubt they’ll continue to raise the false specter of harm to children as they try to push another discriminatory ballot measure. They want to continue to portray a false version of history—a version that intentionally excludes the real and historic accomplishments of LGBT people. And that is the REAL harm to the next generation.

“The FAIR Education Act simply means that children are entitled to the historical truth. They will learn of such notable figures as Harvey Milk, Billie Jean King, Bayard Rustin and so many other great trailblazers. Learning about these figures and the historical context of their lives will only give children a deeper knowledge of our community’s history of fighting for civil rights.

The lessons learned will help put an end to the epidemic of bullying and violence directed at LGBT youth and may even save lives. Far too many young LGBT people, who don’t recognize their own self-worth, end their lives while still teenagers.

“It is an insult to the people of the great state of California to pedal measures so blatantly designed to stimulate prejudice. If they raise enough money this time, they could succeed in qualifying the measure for next year’s ballot. But that does not mean they will win; we cannot and will not allow them to mislead the people of California about the true nature of the FAIR Education Act.

Our Vote for Equality program, which mobilizes volunteers to talk to voters about LGBT equality, will put its efforts into overdrive. Since Prop 8, we’ve learned an enormous amount about the difference it makes for voters to hear firsthand about the lives of LGBT people and how it influences them to vote in favor of equality. And more people than ever before stand with us today.”

About the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center

Since 1971 the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center has been building the health, advocating for the rights and enriching the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

Their wide array of services and programs includes: free HIV/AIDS care and medications for those most in need; housing, food, clothing and support for homeless LGBT youth; low-cost counseling and addiction-recovery services; essential services for LGBT-parented families and seniors; legal services; health education and HIV prevention programs; transgender services; cultural arts and much more.

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