On July 10, The Episcopal Church’s House of Deputies gave final approval to a liturgy for the blessing of same-sex unions.

Resolution A049 authorizes the provisional use of a liturgy for the blessing of same-sex relationships. Strictly speaking, it is not “marriage,” but rather “The Witnessing and Blessing of a Lifelong Covenant.” However, it has many of the same elements as the traditional marriage service, including the exchange of vows and rings.

The Rev. Jack Zamboni, a deputy from the Diocese of New Jersey, praised the quality of the draft liturgy, saying that he wished he and his wife could have used it when they were married. He also told of how two lesbian parishioners of his were moved to tears when he told them that this General Convention would be considering a rite to bless their relationship. “They had never thought it would happen in their lifetime,” he said.

Deputy Ian Hallas from the Diocese of Chicago, who identified himself as a straight ally, spoke of his sister and her love for her partner. “The reason I return [to General Convention] is for my sister. I seek to assure that she not only has the same rites as myself but also the same privileges.”

But there were some who were adamantly opposed to the resolution. “For 2,000 years, the church has had clear teaching regarding marriage,” said the Very Rev. David Thurlow, deputy from the Diocese of South Carolina. He was a member of the committee that endorsed the resolution, but he dissented from its report.

“This resolution marks a clear and significant departure — theological, doctrinal and in worship — from the doctrine, discipline and worship of Christ as this church has received them,” he said. It introduces a “new theology of human sexuality,” he continued.

The final passage of the resolution was marred by procedural squabbling. A deputy moved to divide the resolution, and the President of the House of Deputies accepted his request. Her ruling was then challenged, and confusion reigned as the House tried to figure out how to proceed. Ultimately, the motion to divide was voted down, and the resolution was finally able to proceed to a final vote.

Because there was a request to vote ‘by orders,’ the clerical and lay deputations from each diocese had to vote separately. The final tally was:

CLERICAL DEPUTATIONS:

85 Yes

22 No

4 Divided

LAY DEPUTATIONS:

86 Yes

19 No

5 Divided

The House of Bishops already passed the resolution, so it is now officially on the books. Same-sex blessings will be available from the first Sunday in Advent, though bishops will not be required to allow their clergy to use them.

Just before the vote on A049, the House of Deputies considered Resolution C095, which finally nudged the church down the road to structural reform. It calls for the creation of a task force of up to 24 people who will collect ideas from all levels of the church regarding possible changes to the church’s structure and system of government.

The General Convention received over 51 resolutions calling for structural reform, and it fell to the Committee on Structure to craft a single resolution that would be acceptable to as many people as possible. Their work produced C095, and in an astounding turn of events, it managed to pass the Deputies on a unanimous voice vote.

After its passage, the Rev. Gay Jennings, co-chair of the Committee on Structure and President-Elect of the House of Deputies, said that there was “a palpable desire to reimagine how we do business. I think as much as the discussion is about structure, perhaps even more the passion and the interest in this is about identity and vision: who we are as the church, who is God calling us to be in the 21st century.”

The measure now goes to the House of Bishops.

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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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On Sunday, December 4, 2011, The Trevor Project will honor Lady Gaga with the Trevor Hero Award and Google Inc. with the Trevor 2020 Award during “Trevor Live” at the Hollywood Palladium. The annual show benefits the life-saving work of The Trevor Project, a recent honoree of the White House as a Champion of Change for leadership and innovation in suicide prevention.

The event’s presenting sponsors are Audi of America and ING. ”Our young people are at the center of a health crisis, and vocal leaders like Lady Gaga and technology leaders like Google Inc. have stepped up to help change our culture,” said David McFarland, Interim Executive Director and CEO of The Trevor Project.

“Our honorees are working with The Trevor Project to make a better today and a brighter tomorrow for youth. We are proud to honor Lady Gaga with the Trevor Hero Award and Google Inc. with the Trevor 2020 award for their work to help young people express their true selves with pride.”

The Trevor Hero Award honors Lady Gaga for being an inspiration to youth and increasing visibility and understanding of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) community. As an ally for LGBTQ people, Lady Gaga has recently founded the Born This Way Foundation to bravely empower youth to be proud of who they are, to accept and embrace one another’s humanity, and to love themselves and one another.

“We are honored and humbled to be recognized with the Trevor 2020 Award,” said Yolanda Mangolini, Director of Global Diversity & Inclusion and Talent & Outreach Programs at Google Inc. “We applaud The Trevor Project for their commitment to providing services and creating safe spaces for LGBTQ youth in need, and look forward to a continued partnership.”

The Trevor 2020 Award honors Google Inc. for the company’s support of the LGBTQ community and for increasing visibility and understanding of LGBTQ issues. Google Inc. has become a leader in championing LGBTQ workplace equality over the past decade by advocating for equal policies and benefits for their LGBTQ employees, expanding the presence of their LGBTQ employee resource group globally and supporting the community and LGBTQ youth organizations.

Trevor Live at the Hollywood Palladium is the signature annual event of The Trevor Project, a recent honoree of the White House as a Champion of Change for leadership and innovation in suicide prevention.

Celebrated director, producer and choreographer Adam Shankman returns as Special Guest Director for Trevor Live, benefiting the nation’s leader in providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ young people.

About The Trevor Project

The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning young people under 24. Every day, The Trevor Project saves young lives through its free and confidential lifeline, in-school workshops, educational materials, online resources and advocacy. Honored by the White House as a “Champion of Change,” The Trevor Project is a leader and innovator in suicide prevention.

Learn more at TheTrevorProject.org.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.facebook.com/ladygaga

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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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