My poetry was rejected but a poetry editor responds with some advice.
July 26, 2010
My response:
Hello, I was wondering, if you had a free moment to answer this question. What can I do make the manuscript more suitable for a publisher to publish? What can be changed to interest a publisher? What did I do wrong?
Advocate Magazine Article: Transgender Man Thomas Beatie Writes Essay About His Decision To Have Children.
From The Advocate April 2008
Labor of Love
To our neighbors, my wife, Nancy, and I don’t appear in the least unusual. To those in the quiet Oregon community where we live, we are viewed just as we are — a happy couple deeply in love. Our desire to work hard, buy our first home, and start a family was nothing out of the ordinary. That is, until we decided that I would carry our child.
I am transgender, legally male, and legally married to Nancy. Unlike those in same-sex marriages, domestic partnerships, or civil unions, Nancy and I are afforded the more than 1,100 federal rights of marriage. Sterilization is not a requirement for sex reassignment, so I decided to have chest reconstruction and testosterone therapy but kept my reproductive rights. Wanting to have a biological child is neither a male nor female desire, but a human desire.
Ten years ago, when Nancy and I became a couple, the idea of us having a child was more dream than plan. I always wanted to have children. However, due to severe endometriosis 20 years ago, Nancy had to undergo a hysterectomy and is unable to carry a child. But after the success of our custom screen-printing business and a move from Hawaii to the Pacific Northwest two years ago, the timing finally seemed right. I stopped taking my bimonthly testosterone injections. It had been roughly eight years since I had my last menstrual cycle, so this wasn’t a decision that I took lightly. My body regulated itself after about four months, and I didn’t have to take any exogenous estrogen, progesterone, or fertility drugs to aid my pregnancy.
Our situation sparks legal, political, and social unknowns. We have only begun experiencing opposition from people who are upset by our situation. Doctors have discriminated against us, turning us away due to their religious beliefs. Health care professionals have refused to call me by a male pronoun or recognize Nancy as my wife. Receptionists have laughed at us. Friends and family have been unsupportive; most of Nancy’s family doesn’t even know I’m transgender.
This whole process, from trying to get pregnant to being pregnant, has been a challenge for us. The first doctor we approached was a reproductive endocrinologist. He was shocked by our situation and told me to shave my facial hair. After a $300 consultation, he reluctantly performed my initial checkups. He then required us to see the clinic’s psychologist to see if we were fit to bring a child into this world and consulted with the ethics board of his hospital. A few months and a couple thousand dollars later, he told us that he would no longer treat us, saying he and his staff felt uncomfortable working with “someone like me.”
In total, nine different doctors have been involved. This is why it took over one year to get access to a cryogenic sperm bank to purchase anonymous donor vials, and why Nancy and I eventually resorted to home insemination.
When I finally got pregnant for the first time, I ended up having an ectopic pregnancy with triplets. It was a life-threatening event that required surgical intervention, resulting in the loss of all embryos and my right fallopian tube. When my brother found out about my loss, he said, “It’s a good thing that happened. Who knows what kind of monster it would have been.”
On successfully getting pregnant a second time, we are proud to announce that this pregnancy is free of complications and our baby girl has a clean bill of health. We are happily awaiting her birth, with an estimated due date of July 3, 2008.
How does it feel to be a pregnant man? Incredible. Despite the fact that my belly is growing with a new life inside me, I am stable and confident being the man that I am. In a technical sense I see myself as my own surrogate, though my gender identity as male is constant. To Nancy, I am her husband carrying our child—I am so lucky to have such a loving, supportive wife. I will be my daughter’s father, and Nancy will be her mother. We will be a family.
Outside the local medical community, people don’t know I’m five months’ pregnant. But our situation ultimately will ask everyone to embrace the gamut of human possibility and to define for themselves what is normal.
On Top Magazine Article: Transgender Man Is Pregnant Again With His Third Child!
Transgender Man Thomas Beatie Due With Third Child
By On Top Magazine Staff
Published: July 25, 2010
Beatie gave birth to his first child, daughter Susan, on June 29, 2008 in an Oregon hospital. Austin followed a year later.
“He’s in full-term now and passed his due date,” an unnamed source close to the family said.
Beatie’s 2008 announcement that he was pregnant in gay monthly The Advocate drew controversy and stirred emotions about Beatie’s claimed masculinity. He defended his right to have a child on The Oprah Winfrey Show, saying: “I feel it’s not a male or female desire to have a child. It’s a human need. I’m a person and I have the right to have a biological child.”
Beatie, a beauty queen in his former life, had sex reassignment surgery in 2002, but opted to keep his reproductive sexual organs. He then legally changed his birth certificate from Tracy to Thomas and married Nancy, a mother of two divorcee, in 2003. The couple decided he should get pregnant after learning that Nancy was unable to bear another child due to a hysterectomy.
The couple says they do not know the sex of the baby and want to be surprised.
CTV News Article: Degrassi Will Have A Transgender Character & Storyline.
‘Degrassi’ tackles transgender storyline
Actor Jordan Todosey is shown in a scene from Degrassi. (Handout)
The Canadian Press
Date: Thursday Jul. 15, 2010 2:50 PM ET
TORONTO — “Degrassi” marks a decade of unexpected pregnancies, underage drinking, broken hearts and general angst-ridden rebellion with a new season Monday that introduces its first transgender character.
The Canadian teen drama promises to enter uncharted ground with a storyline in which a new student, Adam, presents himself as a boy even though he was born a girl.
“I can truly say that when we decided to do this episode we realized this is brand new territory for us,” says producer, director and actor Stefan Brogren, whose character Mr. Simpson returns as school principal.
“We’ve never even tried to breach this subject before. Of course we’ve dealt with gay and lesbian stories but you can’t approach this the same way.”
The new student is played by former “Life With Derek” star Jordan Todosey, a bubbly 15-year-old who says she had to chop off long blond locks, darken her hair and adopt a more boyish swagger to pull off the role.
“The writing is good, they really go there with that kind of stuff and I think that this character can really speak for anybody who is outcast or bullied or transgender or anything like that,” Todosey said from the Toronto set earlier this year, after shooting a violent confrontation with school bullies.
“I really hope the fans like Adam.”
Such delicate topics are certainly not new for the long-running franchise, which began as “The Kids of Degrassi Street” in 1980, and was followed by “Degrassi Junior High,” “Degrassi High” and “Degrassi: The Next Generation.”
“Degrassi High” famously sparked controversy in the United States when a pregnant character battled past protesters at an abortion clinic. Canadian viewers saw the full episode but U.S. viewers got an edited version that left it unclear whether she went through with the procedure.
This time, the transgender storyline is expected to get prominent play on both sides of the border, airing on TeenNick at the same time as the Canadian broadcast on MuchMusic.
Brogren says great effort was made to handle the transgender storyline with care, with writers going so far as to consult with various advocacy groups to make sure the issue was presented accurately.
“It really sort of threw us for a loop because the writers did some amazing research, both networks have been in touch with gay, lesbian, transgender organizations to make sure they like the script. We want to make sure that we’re not hurting the subject matter,” he says.
“This will be an ongoing character, this will be someone who’ll be around his whole high school experience, so we want to make sure that this character is loved (and) develops a fanbase.”
The National Center for Transgender Equality defines transgender as an umbrella term that refers to people “who live differently than the gender presentation and roles expected of them by society.”
Todosey says she expects the heavy topic to resonate with kids, even though it’s a rarely discussed issue that even adults have trouble understanding.
“It’s well-written. I feel like it really does speak to kids and I think it’s a great role to really open up, show people what transgenders are like,” she says, describing her character as someone who “was born physically as a girl but between the ears, he feels like he’s a guy.”
“It lets the audience walk a mile in the character’s shoes and that’s really good.”
Things come to a head for Adam in episodes set to air Aug. 11 and 12, when the school discovers Adam’s secret. The episodes also feature ballroom dancer and “So You Think You Can Dance Canada” judge Jean-Marc Genereux in a guest role.
“Degrassi,” which was previously titled “Degrassi: The Next Generation,” kicks off its 10th season Monday with a special summer schedule that will see the first 24 episodes air four days a week, with a two-hour marathon of repeats each Friday.
“It’s an experiment. We know that the kids can’t get enough of the show. And (TeenNick) asked us, ‘Do you think this is possible?”‘ explains Brogren, adding that the series returns to a weekly schedule in September.
“It changes how we write scripts, how we shoot them and you’re getting a lot more of an elongated story throughout those 24 episodes. We don’t want to call it a soap opera, but it definitely has a lot more cliff-hanger going on.”
The new season will be preceded by the TV movie “D:NYC — Degrassi Takes Manhattan,” airing Friday on MuchMusic.
Cameos in the film include Mary Murphy of “So You Think You Can Dance,” MTV Canada host Jessi Cruickshank, “Canada’s Next Top Model” host Jay Manuel and comic Colin Mochrie.
Other new cast members to join season 10 of “Degrassi” include Munro Chambers as the eccentric Eli, who hides a dark past; Luke Bilyk as Adam’s homophobic step-brother Drew; and Alicia Josipovic as the tough Bianca. “Instant Star”‘s Cory Lee also joins the cast as the media immersion teacher.
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Globe & Mail Article: A Bisexual Woman Considers Dumping Her Girlfriend Because She’s Sexually Attracted To Men.
From Thursday’s Globe and Mail Published on Wednesday, Jul. 21, 2010 4:24PM EDT Last updated on Wednesday, Jul. 21, 2010 4:41PM EDT
The question
I’m a 24-year-old woman and I’ve been in a committed relationship with another woman for two years. We are truly in love. Lately, however, I’ve found myself somewhat attracted to men. I’m not sure if this is a case of the proverbial grass appearing greener on the other side, or if I’m bisexual, but either way I think these feelings may be strong enough to warrant further investigation (and there is a certain gentleman I am interested in).
While I don’t want to break my beloved’s heart over something that might not end up going anywhere (and there is a good chance that if I begin seeing this boy, once his penis enters into the equation I’ll come running back to my side of the fence), I also don’t want to spend the rest of my life feeling incomplete and unfulfilled, wondering if I am also attracted to men.
Would a low-key, likely short-lived fling on the side for the sake of my mental and sexual well-being be out of the question? P.S. My girlfriend pesters me on an almost daily basis to get married. I am against the idea. I do, however, harbour secret ambitions of getting married (to a dude) and having kids, all conventional-like.
The answer
Madam: The penis is a highly volatile, unstable variable. When it enters an equation, or anything else, for that matter it’s hard to predict, mathematically, what the outcome will be.
“ It’s not clear to me which came first, your bi-curiosity or your interest in one specific gentleman.”
Of course, the equation could unfold as follows: Curiosity plus penis equals happiness, and you find yourself sipping chardonnay in the sunshine, a smile playing on your lips, as you inform your friends of your new-found deep fulfilment.
In your case, though, I worry that the equation would be more like: Lesbian relationship plus penis equals couple divided by anger, bitterness, and jealousy; and you minus girlfriend, angrily unpacking a tale of woe to your shrink, or doctor, or lawyer.
I’m not sure you’ve fully thought this through. It’s not clear to me which came first, your bi-curiosity or your interest in one specific gentleman.
It seems to me the cart preceded the horse a bit – that you started wondering, first, if having a penis in your equation was something you might enjoy, then decided on a particular subject upon which to test this theory.
But have you considered that ultimately you will have to deal not only with the member that has excited your curiosity, but also the member of the human race that comes attached to it – complete, I guarantee you, with all his own issues, baggage, quirks, hang-ups, obnoxious habits and so forth?
Moreover: Say you assuage your curiosity with this fellow, and, having checked out the “proverbial” grass on the other side of the fence, you decide your girlfriend’s lawn is indeed greener, and come back.
How do you think your girlfriend will feel when she finds out you let a penis “enter the equation” of your hitherto monogamous relationship – or do you plan on keeping your little heterosexual sidebar a secret from her for the rest of your life?
And how do you think your heterosexuality test subject will feel if he finds out that the whole time you were having your “low-key and likely short-lived fling” with him you were already engaged in a long-term, committed relationship with another person – man or woman doesn’t matter – whom you conveniently forgot to mention?
I think we should call a spade a spade here, and say that what you are contemplating is as old as the hills: cheating, an affair, betrayal, infidelity. Pick whatever term suits you.
I learned at around age 28, after 10 years of missteps, overlaps, double-crossing schemes that invariably blew up in my face leading to tears, bitterness and recriminations for all concerned, that the only way to conduct one’s romantic affairs is one at a time.
(I know all the polygamists and polyamorists out there will call me out, and say their way works really, really well; but this is different, partly because it involves deceit.)
If you want to be a mensch – and you do (menschiness is the goal, people; it’s the grail) – then the time to inform the person you’re engaged in a long-term relationship with that you’re planning to sleep with someone else is before you do the deed.
In other words, if you plan on having an affair with someone, you should first break things off with the person with whom you are in love, and have, by your testimonial, a committed relationship.
You could do it nicely, of course. Tell her (a compassionate version of) the truth. Something like: “Listen, I have a little matter I need to get out of my system, this kooky kink called heterosexuality, and unless I do it I’m afraid I’ll always be curious and could not in good faith go through with marrying you. Of course, I understand if you say no. But do you think you could see your way clear to waiting for me while I work this out?”
Who knows, she might. Personally, I do think you should make the jump. Hop the fence and see how you like the turf on the other side. With your fantasy of “getting married (to a dude) and having kids, all conventional-like,” you sound a few degrees beyond merely “bi-curious.”
If you don’t check it out, it sounds to me like you will be eternally nagged by doubt and always wonder what might have been if the equation had been a little different.
LA Times Article: Should President Obama Appear On The Talk Show The View Or Deal With More Important Issues?
President Obama to appear on ‘The View’
President Obama has many “firsts” in his list of accomplishments. Now he’s got one more: On Thursday, he will be the first sitting U.S. president to be seen on a daytime talk show.
Obama will appear on “The View” as part of the program’s “Red, White & Blue View” campaign, which is dedicated to political guests and discussions. He’ll tape his interview on Wednesday; he’ll cover topics that include his administration’s accomplishments, jobs, the economy, the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and family life in the White House, according to an ABC news release.
Executive producer and co-host Barbara Walters, who has been off since she had heart valve replacement surgery in May, will join her co-hosts for the unprecedented interview.
Study Finds That Canadians More Open Minded About Gay Marriage Than The British & Americans.
In the three countries, support for same-sex marriage is more evident among members of the two youngest generations.
A comprehensive three-country survey on attitudes towards homosexuality reveals that Canadians and Britons are more inclined to support the legal recognition of same-sex couples than Americans.
The online survey of representative national samples of 1,003 Canadian adults, 1,002 American adults, and 1,980 British adults shows that younger generations are clearly more accepting of same-sex relations. However, the poll also confirms that younger Americans—born between 1980 and 1995—are more conservative than their Canadian and British counterparts in all matters related to homosexuality.
Same-Sex Marriage
Three-in-five Canadians (61%) want same-sex marriage to remain legal in their country. In Britain, two-in-five respondents (41%) support legalizing same-sex marriage, while just over a third of respondents in the United States (36%) concur.
A quarter of Canadians (23%) would prefer to see same-sex couples establishing civil unions. The same proportion of Americans (23%) agrees with this concept (23%), while in Britain this is the preferred course of action for 37 per cent of respondents.
The U.S. holds the highest proportion of respondents who believe that couples of the same sex should not be entitled to any legal recognition (32%). Only 15 per cent of Britons and 13 per cent of Canadians hold this view.
Referendums on Definition of Marriage
The survey asked Americans and Britons to pretend they have to vote in a referendum—such as the many ballots that have been held in several American states already—to establish a definition of marriage. Most Americans (54%) would vote to define marriage as between a man and a woman, and just over a third (36%) would vote to define it as a union between two people. The vote would be tighter in Britain, where 47 per cent choosing the first option, and 42 per cent voting for the latter.
Proposition 8
In California, Proposition 8 restored the definition of marriage as between a man and a woman, and effectively banned same-sex marriages in the state. A U.S. District Court is reviewing the constitutional validity of Proposition 8, but the case is expected to eventually reach the U.S. Supreme Court, which may end up ruling about the validity of same-sex marriage at the federal level.
American respondents were asked about their expectations on an eventual Supreme Court ruling on this matter. Almost half (47%) expect the Supreme Court to define marriages federally as between a man and a woman, while only three-in-ten (31%) think the ruling will define it as a union between two people.
As for their own personal preference on how the Supreme Court should rule, a majority of Americans (55%) would like to see a federal definition of marriage as between a man and a woman.
Homosexuality
In the question of preference versus biology, a majority of Canadians (59%) and Britons (56%) think that homosexuality is something people are born with. Conversely, 44 per cent of Americans say people choose to be homosexuals, while a smaller proportion (37%) thinks people are born this way.
Gay and Lesbian Celebrities
One fifth of American respondents (20%) say that if their favourite actor announced he is gay, their opinion of him would worsen. This compares to just 10 per cent of Canadians and nine per cent of Britons who would feel the same way.
Americans (18%) are also more likely than Canadians and Britons (both at 9%) to say that their opinion of their favourite actress would change for the worse if she came out as a lesbian.
A quarter of Americans (25%) admit that, if their favourite male sports figure came out as gay, their opinion of him would worsen—along with 14 per cent of Canadians and 11 per cent of Britons.
The impact on a female sports figure’s popularity would be milder if she were to announce she is a lesbian, with 18 per cent of Americans, nine per cent of Canadians and eight per cent of Britons saying that they would think less of her.
Generational Gap
Older respondents in all three countries are clearly more resistant to accept same-sex relations than those in younger generations. In Canada, 43 per cent of respondents born before 1946 support the continuous legality of same-sex marriages. At the other end of the spectrum, 81 per cent of Canadians born after 1980 feel the same way.
In the U.S., there is little difference in opinions between respondents born between 1965 and 1979 and those born after 1980: 42 per cent in the first group and 48 per cent in the latter support same-sex marriage.
In Britain, the two youngest generations are not too far apart: 52 per cent of those born from 1965 to 1979 and 56 per cent of the youngest respondents support same-sex marriage. However, only 35 per cent of people born from 1946 to 1964 concur.
Friends and Relatives
Throughout the survey, it is clear that respondents in all three countries who have a friend or relative who is gay or lesbian are more inclined than others to come out in favour of legal rights for same-sex couples.
Support for same-sex marriage among respondents with gay or lesbian friends or relatives stands at 67 per cent in Canada, 54 per cent in Britain, and 49 per cent in the United States. However, respondents who do not have any gay or lesbian friends or relatives are not as supportive (50% in Canada, 29% in Britain and 20% in the U.S.).
News Live Article: South African Transgender Woman Fired From Job Due To Sex Change.
Fired for sex change
Employed as a man, now a woman and out of a job
Jul 13, 2010 10:42 PM | By SALLY EVANS
Chris Ehlers, a 43-year-old part way through a sex change, has taken her employer to court for discriminating against her since she became “Christine”.
I will never have respect for a wannabe woman
The case will be heard by the Labour Court over three days next week.
Ehlers was fired after her employers, the multinational steel retailer Bohler Uddeholm Africa, found that she had begun a series of sex change procedures in 2008. She claims in court papers that she was fired as a sales representative for the company “on the grounds of her sexual status”.
Ehlers said she was badly treated by her colleagues because she had “commenced her reassignment procedure”.
She was due to undergo the final operation for her transformation in September, but since her dismissal had been unable to pay for it.
In June 2008, Ehlers stated that she formally complained to her superiors about a colleague who was being “disrespectful”. The statement refers to two SMSs sent to Ehlers by her colleague.
One message said: “I will never have respect for a low-class and a wannabe woman.”
The inquiry into Ehlers’ grievance went against her, and she was given two options by the chairman. She was told either to revert to being a man, as she was when she started working for the company, or accept a redundancy order and severance benefits.
But in January last year, Ehlers was dismissed after another inquiry found that there was a breach in the relationship in general, which had been “seriously prejudiced by the employee”, which led to the termination of her job.
Ehlers appealed against the decision, but her appeal was dismissed. In court papers, Ehlers refers to the findings of the inquiry: “It was also determined in discussion with management that the position is distinctly for a male employee and the applicant (Ehlers) [has] already got distinct female features that create a difficult situation.”
The chairman of the committee, a Mr du Toit, states: “In the end, the employer has to protect its business and may demand a certain standard of acceptability from its representatives in relation to its customers.
“I find myself in a difficult situation in that the employee argues that she can still function in the exact same manner as she would have as a man. The employer argues, on the contrary, that it is an international concern that has to protect its image in the market in the metal industry, which is predominantly male-orientated.”
Ehlers worked for the company as a freelancer for three months at the end of 2007, until she was offered a permanent position in January 2008, at about which time she began her transformation.
Court papers argue: “The respondent dismissed the applicant despite the fact that she has the necessary occupational qualification, skill and knowledge for the capacity in which she was employed.”
In court papers, Ehlers’ lawyer, Andre Schmidt, argues that Ehlers’ dismissal is an infringement of her constitutional right to not be unfairly discriminated against as an employee because of her gender, sex, sexual orientation or beliefs.
Despite attempts by Ehlers to have her grievance taken up by the Metal and Engineering Industries Bargaining Council in March 2009, the dispute remained unresolved and a certificate of non-resolution was issued.
Ehlers was offered a R150 000 settlement, which she refused, stating that she wanted to be reinstated in her position, for which she earned R243 700 a year.
In their opposing statement to the Labour Court, Bohler Uddeholm Africa argue that Ehlers “at the date of appointment did not disclose that he intended or had commenced on the process of a sex change. When this was disclosed later it was agreed between the parties that the applicant would hide the effects of the process by dressing as he used to in a male fashion when visiting customers to protect the image of the respondent.”
After Ehlers’ ID book was changed to reflect her new name, and when a psychiatrist had written a letter to her company saying that she needed to wear women’s clothes “to aid the transformation process”, Bohler Uddeholm Africa argued that: “As a result of the above, the respondent was forced to implement the second option of personal redundancy. Through her actions, the applicant had created a situation where her continued presence in the office had become impractical and where the respondent’s image in the industry had become compromised.”
Ny Times Article: Gay Pastors Welcomed Into The Lutheran Church.
Lutherans Offer Warm Welcome to Gay Pastors
The Rev. Sharon Stalkfleet, center, was one of seven gay pastors at a welcoming ceremony Sunday at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in San Francisco.
By LAURIE GOODSTEIN
Published: July 25, 2010
Noah Berger for The New York Times
The Rev. Dawn Roginski, center, in white, one of seven gay pastors at a welcoming ceremony Sunday at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in San Francisco.
The ceremony at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in San Francisco was the first of several planned since the denomination took a watershed vote at its convention last year to allow noncelibate gay ministers in committed relationships to serve the church.
“Today the church is speaking with a clear voice,” the Rev. Jeff R. Johnson, one of the seven gay pastors participating in the ceremony, said at a news conference just before it began. “All people are welcome here, all people are invited to help lead this church, and all people are loved unconditionally by God.”
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, known as the E.L.C.A., with 4.6 million members, is now the largest Protestant church in the United States to permit noncelibate gay ministers to serve in the ranks of its clergy — an issue that has caused wrenching divisions for it as well as for many other denominations.
Since the church voted last summer to allow noncelibate gay clergy members to serve, 185 congregations have taken the two consecutive votes required to leave the denomination, said Melissa Ramirez Cooper, a spokeswoman for the church, citing a tally that she said was updated monthly. There are 10,396 congregations nationwide.
The Episcopal Church and the United Church of Christ also allow gay ministers. And the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s general assembly voted at its convention earlier this month to do so, though the vote will become church law only if is ratified by a majority of the church’s 173 regional presbyteries. Two smaller Lutheran denominations, the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod and the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, do not ordain ministers in same-sex relationships.
The seven ministers welcomed at the ceremony on Sunday had already been ordained and have been serving at churches or outreach ministries in the San Francisco Bay Area, but they had not been officially recognized on the clergy roster.
“The effect of them being brought onto our roster is they will now be part of our national database of pastors who are available for service in any of our 10,500 churches,” said Bishop Mark W. Holmerud, who leads the Sierra Pacific Synod, which includes San Francisco. He noted that while some congregations were open to consider hiring openly gay ministers, others were not — and each congregation is free to choose.
The Evangelical Lutherans designed Sunday’s special “rite of reconciliation” to mark the formal inclusion of gay ministers who were ordained in “extraordinary rites” that were not recognized by the church but were conducted by a group called Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries. Three more gay pastors will be welcomed at ceremonies in September and October, two in the St. Paul-Minneapolis area and one in Chicago, Ms. Cooper said.
Amalia Vagts, executive director of Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries, said, “It’s been a long and hard journey for a lot of people, and it feels like this is a new beginning in the history of the E.L.C.A.”
She said that all together, there were 46 openly gay ministers who had previously been excluded from the church’s clergy roster and would now be accepted.
The change was made possible after the Churchwide Assembly, the Evangelical Lutherans’ chief legislative body, voted at its meeting in 2009 to allow the ordination of noncelibate gay pastors who are in monogamous relationships. The denomination appointed a task force to study the issue in 2001, and spent the next eight years in debate. In the end, the proposal to permit openly gay clergy members won just two-thirds of the votes, the minimum required for passage.
Some who opposed it are now poised to leave. The Rev. Mark Chavez, director of Lutheran CORE, a coalition of theologically conservative Lutheran churches, said his group expected to form a new denomination, the North American Lutheran Church, in August.
He said of the ceremony on Sunday, “It’s just another steady step taken by the E.L.C.A. to move the denomination further and further away from most Lutheran churches around the world and from the whole Christian church, unfortunately.”
Before the ceremony, one of the gay pastors, the Rev. Megan M. Rohrer, said it had been a long journey from her home in South Dakota — where fellow Lutherans regarded her sexuality as a demon to be exorcised — to being finally welcomed as a minister in the Lutheran church.
“It’s an invitation,” she said of the ceremony, “to join us in the pews every single Sunday, where not a single one of these pastors will care if you agree with us or if you think our families are appropriate. We’ll serve you communion, we’ll pray with you and we’ll visit you in the hospital.”
Gayblackcanada 