‘Left’ coast Anglicans - um, not so much

Below, an op-ed written by my good friend, fellow Equality Rider Vince Cervantes, in The Merced Times (no website):

Through an unusual voting method, where organizers sent delegates who favored the idea to split away from the US Anglican Communion to one side of the room and opponents to the other side, it became visually symbolic of the separation of church and church.

With a choice to secede from the national Anglican Communion based over differences on roles of gays and women in the church, the Diocese of San Joaquin has made it very apparent that marginalization of oppressed groups–women and the gay community–is acceptable, thus sending a wide message that religious-sanctioned discrimination is also justifiable.

Although gay Christian advocates, supporters, and a large fraction of the Anglican Communion, assert that our views and beliefs are guided by biblical teachings of social justice, love, and tolerance, Bishop John-David Schofield continues to believe that the scriptures bar homosexuality and condones the continuing subjugation of women.

If the Diocese of San Joaquin will not come together with the gay community on the faith and beliefs we share with them, what hope is there for reaching any reconciliation between the communities of faith and the LGBTQ community? Through this separation, the Diocese will never be able to understand the hearts and humanity of the LGBTQ community

With the alarming rates of hate crimes and violence towards the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community–including the recent incidents in October at the University of California, Merced, when a small group of individuals scribbled several offensive messages on white boards that included anti-gay and racist epithets–Bishop Schofield and the Diocese of San Joaquin are only making it clear that such oppressive behavior is permissible, since the beliefs of the church have such an extremely high influence on the behaviors and actions of the surrounding communities. There can only be an expected rise in oppressive incidents in the California Central Valley.

The Rt. Rev. John-David Schofield and the clergy of the Diocese of San Joaquin are called upon to reconsider and to rescind their election to exclude an oppressed group of individuals–including, but not limited to women and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community–from joining them in fellowship and communion.

Vince has started a petition for locals in the diocese.

I guess this busts the whole “left” coast stereotype. They ain’t all liberal, commie pinkos, ya know? If you didn’t, you do now.

Technorati Tags: Episcopal Church, Anglican Communion, Diocese of San Joaquin, Vince Cervantes

Posted in Anti-LGBT, LGBT, Religion, United States |