October 1976 [HTML]

INTEGRITY

GAY EPISCOPAL FORUM

Vol. 2 No. 10 October 1976

INTEGRITY: Gay Episcopal Forum is the official newsletter of Integrity, Inc., a nonprofit religious charitable, educational and literary organization of Gay Episcopalians and our friends. Integrity, Inc., maintains a national office with The Rev. Ron Wesner, President, 5014 Willows Ave., Phila., PA 19143, tele. 215-748-2118. Membership and subscription correspondence should be sent to Forum Business Manager Dave Williams, INTEGRITY, P.O. Box 891, Oak Park, IL 60303, tele. 312-386-1470. Editorial correspondence should be sent to Louie Crew, 701 Orange St., No. 6, Fort Valley, GA 31030, tele 912-825-7287.

Signed articles represent the views of contributors. The editor reserves the right to review all sexist language.

Copyright 1976 by INTEGRITY, Inc. 10 issues per year. Membership subscriptions are $10; subscriptions without membership are $12. Add $3 for all subscriptions that require a plain envelope; Canadians add $2 if paying in Canadian currency. Couple rates are $13 for one newsletter.

President................................ The Rev. Ron Wesner

Vice-President................................. John Lawrence

Treasurer............................. The Rev. John Lenhardt

Editor............................................ Louie Crew

Business Manager.............................. David Williams

Trustees: Ernest Clay, Louie Crew, Julie Peterson,

The Rev. Richard Younge

Consultants: The Rev. Malcolm Boyd, The Rev. Robert Cromey,

The Rev. Norman Pittenger.

MEMBER: COSMEP (Committee of Small Magazine Editors and

Publishers, San Francisco, CA.)

TWO ITEMS FOR SALE FROM CHICAGO CHAPTER

IN CELEBRATION

The full text of the first National INTEGRITY Convention at St. James Cathedral in Chicago, edited by Jim Wickliff, for $3 postpaid.

________

THE INTEGRITY MEDAL

NICKEL SILVER PLATE OVER BRONZE

OUTLINED IN BLUE ENAMEL

$10 Postpaid:

Order From: INTEGRITY

P.O. Box 891

Oak Park, IL 60303

TWO ITEMS FOR SALE FROM CHICAGO CHAPTER

INTEGRITY T-SHIRTS

White BVD Shirts

Piped with Red at Collar and Sleeve

INTEGRITY Cross on the Front

S, M, L, and IL

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CONVENTION SERVICE BOOKLET

A Eucharist for the Second Annual

National Convention of INTEGRITY, INC.

Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, 1976

75 cents incl. postage

ORDER FROM: INTEGRITY/San Francisco

P.O. Box 6444

San Jose, CA 95150

SUNSPOTS

A VOLUME OF POEMS BY LOUIE CREW

Glaring Visions

For Christians and Pagans, Gays and Nongays

64 pages. Paper. $23.50. ISBN 0-916418-0605

Order from:

Lotus Press

P.O. Box 601

College Park Station

Detroit, MI 48221

ACCORDING TO THE PRESIDING BISHOP

Minneapolis. The Convention Daily gave this account of the remarks of The Rt. Rev. John Allin, Presiding Bishop, in his opening statements at General Convention:

Allin raised questions about some other issues coming before this Convention but did not attempt to provide answers. He asked whether the Church is "better informed" that non-Christians when it comes to human relations: "heterosexual, homosexual, family, social, economic, political, ecclesiastical, ecumenical -- you name it."

Allin criticized the Church as too often having been "hindered and rendered ineffective by naivete, pseudosophistication and preoccupation with some limited system or popular fad" in its mission.

He said the Church has often reacted to "guilt feelings" instead of "acting in faith."

"Permissiveness and self-indulgent license often masquerade under the name of freedom," he said. "Reconstruction of self-image frequently becomes the substitute for renewing faith. Misunderstanding and mis-information lead to distrust and to disagreement. Our ability to develop plans and strategies has too often and too long been neglected."

INTEGRITY ON ATLANTA TV PRIME TIME

Atlanta. Forum editor Louie Crew debated The Rev. Bob Spencer here on the popular series "Confrontation" at WAGA-TV (CBS affiliate) on 20 September at 7:30 p.m. Mr. Spencer, a pastor of the Metropolitan Baptist Church [he stressed that his is not to be confused with "that MCC group"], has been active in the opposition to local mayor Maynard Jackson for his proclaiming Gay Pride Day this past summer. Mr. Spencer supplied the debate statement: "Homosexuality is Sin," which Crew opposed.

INTEGRITY'S SECOND BIRTHDAY

Publication of this issue of Forum marks the end of the second full year of our organization, begun on October 8, 1974, when the editor took out a bank account to begin deposits of orders for subscriptions. Vol. 1, no. 1 was published in November 1974. We rejoice in the growth of this ministry, and we pray for a day when the full concern of the whole state of the Church will make our efforts redundant.

THE NEW WITNESS

Chicago. "I don't want anything more to do with masks," Fr. Malcolm Boyd told syndicated religion writer Roy Larson, in speaking of his earlier disclosure of his Gaiety at the Second National INTEGRITY Convention in San Francisco this August.

In Chicago to work on a new foundation-sponsored research project, Fr. Boyd explained to Roy Larson that for a long time he had been counseled by liberal friends that public declaration would place "limits on my usefulness as a spokesperson for other causes I am identified with."

Since his decloseting, Fr. Boyd attests that he disagrees with the "limits-of-usefulness argument."

"I'm tired now," he told Larson, "of all the preoccupation with public-relations packaging. I'm tired of politicians and churchmen who are liars and hypocrites. In the post-Vietnam, post-Watergate period the Church won't have any credibility unless it is prepared to be extraordinarily honest, abandoning its former deception, lies and games."

Fr. Boyd further elaborated on his disappointment with liberals. "This [Gay movement] is a human struggle for liberation we're engaged in. I would like to say to those people who said they were liberal -- where are you on this question? Quit posing as a liberal or learn to get with it."

CARTER A ~QUEER-LOVER"?

Plainfield, NJ. The National Courier, a tabloid national evangelical rightist publication with wide circulation, published here a highlighted report by William Willoughby suggesting that many evangelicals formerly strongly in Carter's fold may now defect to the ranks of Episcopalian Jerry Ford because Carter seems to be soft on Gays.

"Many evangelicals, particularly among charismatics, are talking in terms of 'anybody but Carter' because of recent developments which indicate he will move, once he is in office, to clear up the question of discriminatory laws against homosexuals and other minorities," Willoughby reported.

Willoughby made much of the support claimed for Carter reported in The Advocate, himself breaking the unwritten rule of Church journals hitherto to ignore even the existence of a Gay voice of any kind.

OUR CONTACTS

Forum regularly exchanges publications with the following newsletters for national Gay religious groups. If you know of others with whom we should be in communication, please contact the editor ln Fort Valley:

Contact, Jason King, Ed.

Newsletter of Evangelicals Concerned

P. 0. Box 4622

Arlington, VA 22204

Dignity (National Newsletter) (Roman Catholics)

755 Boylston Street, Rm. 514

Boston, MA 02116

Friends Caucus of Gay Concerns Newsletter

Arthur Gross, Editor (Quakers)

P. 0. Box 541

Oneonta, NY 13820

The Gay Christian and

In Unity, National papers of MCC

The Rev. R. R. Mickley, Editor

1046 South Hill Street

Los Angeles, CA 90015

The Gay Lutheran

Howard Erickson, Editor

Box 19114A

Los Angeles, CA 90019

Gay World

Unitarian Universalist Gay Community and Friends

1423 Whittier Street, NW

Washington, DC 20012

News Releases

Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches

The Rev. Roy Birchard and The Rev. Adam DeBaugh, Editors

110 Maryland Avenue, NE

Washington, DC 20002

Ortho (an Old Catholic group)

P. 0. Box 1273

Anderson, SC 29621

Presbyterian Gay Caucus Newsletter

P. 0. Box 2073

Chicago, IL 60690

Newsletter of Quaker Bisexual Group

Bob Martin, Clerk, CFB

723 Hastings Hall

Union Theological Seminary

NYC 10027

REACH Newsletter (Ecumenical Group)

27 Blackfriars Road

Salford, M3 7AQ

ENGLAND

United Church of Christ Gay Caucus Newsletter

Nancy E. Krody

P. 0. Box 6315

Philadelphia, PA 19139

ALSO:

Chris Koff

4310 Almidor Avenue

Woodland Hills, CA 91364

United Methodist Gay Caucus Newsletter

P. 0. Box 520521

Miami, FL 33152

Forum is also regularly in touch with each of the following publications or organizations. Again, if you know of others seeking similar exchanges, please contact the editor. Also, the editor will supply addresses for any of the following if specific requests are made.

The Abbey Letter; Advance, (IL); The Adventure (TX); The Advocate (CA); Albatross (NJ); American Church Review (CA); American Library Association Social Responsibilities Roundtable (PA); The Barb (CA); Board for Social Responsibility, Church of England; Canadian Churchman; Central Gulf Coast/Line; Chicago Gay Life; The Christian Challenge; Christianity and Crisis; The Churchman (MI); The Churchman (FL); Churchwork (LA); Come Unity (FL); Context (IL); Convent of St. Helena; Connexion (NYC); De-Liberation (IA); Diocese (At); The Drew Gateway (NJ); Dustbooks (CA); Engage/Social Action (DC); Empty Closet (NY); Episcopal Evangel (MT); The Episcopalian (PA); Evangelism News (PECUSA); Fellowship Magazine (NY); Fifth Freedom (NY); Focus (CA); Focus (MA); Free Spirit Fellowship (IL); Friends Journal (PA); Gamaliel (DC); Gaiety (TN); Gay Blade (DC); Gay Christian Movement (England); Gay Community News (MA); Gay Scene (NYC); GPU News (WI); GYS (Gay Yellow Sheet--CA); Grapevine (NYC); Homosexual Information Center (CA); Hummingbird (CA); Illinois Churchman; IDOC North America (NYC); Institute for Sex Research (IN); interCHANGE (National Gay Student Center--DC); Interim (MO): Journal of Homosexuality (NYC); Just Before Dawn, KCHU (TX); Katallagete (TV); Lesbian Connection; Lesbian Front (MS); Lesbian Voices (CA); The Living Church (WI); Long Time Coming (Canada); Margins (WI); Metanoia (CA); Mountain Echo (VT); National Gay Task Force Religious Committee (NYC); New Asia News (NYC); New Life (CA); Northwest Gay Review (OR); Program (NY); Plumbline (WI); Radical Religion (CA); RAUCH Newsletter (NYC); The Record (MI); Religious News Service (NYC); Resources (MA); The Rhode Island Churchman; The Rio Grande Episcopalian; Salvatorians; The Sentinel (CA); Sex News (MO); Sexualawreporter (CA); Social Questions Bulletin (NY); Sojourners (DC); Spiritual life (DC); Transfiguration Quarterly (OH); Vector (CA); Theology Digest (MO); Virginia Churchman; The Witness (PA); Yellow Ribbon (IL).

Note well: All diocesan editors have been repeatedly asked to exchange with us. If you do not see your own diocesan paper listed above, we would appreciate your making a personal appeal on our behalf. All exchange publications should be sent to the editor's address: 701 Orange St., No. 6, Fort Valley, GA 31030.

NATIONAL COURIER REJECTS INTEGRITY

Plainfield, NJ. The National Courier has refused to run an ad for INTEGRITY which it had accepted with full knowledge of our purposes. On 22nd July the paper cashed INTEGRITY's check for the classified advertisement, but on 16th August, Mildred Hrynyk of their advertising department wrote another check to INTEGRITY for the same amount, saying "After careful consideration, our advertising committee has declined your classified advertisement." When editor Crew refused to accept the check, explaining that a full explanation of INTEGRITY had accompanied the original check which they had cashed, the paper advised Crew that their attorney said they had not forfeited their right to review their initial decision. The newspaper stressed as its privilege "the right to refuse classified ads that are contrary to the Christian philosophy or ideals of the organization."

CREW TO READ HIS POETRY IN NYC

NYC. On Friday, 22nd October, at midnight, Forum editor will read from his new book Sunspots and other collections at The Glines. Also appearing will be Ron Schreiber and Ian Young. The event is sponsored by Mouth of the Dragon Press, publisher Andy Bifrost.

GAY REFORMATION HYMN

Tune: Ein' Feste Burg, No. 551 in the Hymnal 1940

Two thousand years we feared our love,

Condemned "unnatural sinners";

Now stepping forth from heaven above

Christ makes Gays special winners:

This world is filled with hate;

It seems almost too late

For God to interfere

Again to bring love here,

But that's what God is doing.

No more can foes God's plans decide

Nor obfuscate God's choosing.

God's love for Gays they cannot hide.

Their puppetry is losing.

The Lord of heaven and earth

Affirms Gays' priceless worth:

Our ransom has been paid:

Joint heirs with Christ we're made:

Let homophobes take notice!

The Church once asked to have us killed

Our blood has writ this witness

All ignorant minds must now be filled

With sexual truth and fitness

The pressures still are strong

To work on Gays much wrong

We're called to persevere

Endure our holy fear

For Christ commands our army.

Our strength is not in guns or laws

Our weapon is but meekness

We can forgive our foes their flaws

Gay might is just such "weakness"

More friends will join this fight

Because the Lord is right

Gay bodies house God's spirit

But only through Christ's merit

God's love will triumph through us.

--Louie Crew

LEDA IN THE CITY

By Laura Dennison

With red and blue rays

Merlin interwove

a magic castle, stars,

and a bird in

red and delicate flight.

From the audience came

a few jeers, a chuckle,

a man got up and stonily left.

They do not have castles and birds

created from rays

any more now than they have

Leda's babies poking

their egg prisons ad stepping onto

soft planes of grass.

In the city of science swans simply do not wed

olive and oval faced auburn haired young girls.

1 SUPPORT RESOLUTIONS BEING COLLECTED

Boston. DIGNITY/International is collecting a packet of Church statements or policies regarding homosexuals, civil rights for homosexuals, etc.

The Rev. C. Robert Nugent is coordinator of this project, and he would welcome copies of any such statement, DIGNITY, 755 Boylston Street, Room 514, Boston, MA 02116.

Fr. Nugent stresses that he wants only "official church statements rather than committee reports, recommendations, or other statements that have not been accepted and approved by the official church body."

DIGNITY will share a copy of the final results with all who request it.

A GAY IDENTITY

By Sister Jeannine Gramick, SSND

Sister Jeannine Gramick is a Chaplain for DIGNITY/Baltimore and co-author of Homosexual Catholics: A Primer for Discussion (Dignity, 1976). This article first appeared in the June issue of DIGNITY/Baltimore's newsletter, and is reprinted here with Sister Gramick's kind permission.

Before one can accept any identity, one must form a conception of the nature of identity. Society imposes tidy images of various identities; feminine, masculine, black, religious, gay, etc. In the forties and fifties women were told that their identities consisted of fulfilling the roles of wife and mother. Women who failed to conform to the societal expectations were labelled bizarre or masculine. If women espoused their "proper" roles, only to discover that something undefined was missing, psychiatrists diagnosed that they were experiencing an identity crisis. Society has established an analogous male mystique. The prejudice still felt by many whites towards blacks is based on the black stereotype. The religious woman is boxed into a religious identity as the "good sister." Society likewise has marked preconceptions of a gay identity.

What expectations has society placed on the gay person? In a country which exalts the traditional husband-wife relationship, any lesbian couple is judged in reference to this model. A lesbian is characterized as "butch" if she possesses stereotypical masculine characteristics or as "femme" if she possesses stereotypical feminine characteristics. Male homosexuals are thought to be effeminate in mannerisms and dress. Being viewed as inferior to the heterosexual male, male homosexuals and women are often described with similar words. Both are referred to as "girls," for example. Such an epithet reflects society's conception of each group as dependent, immature, and helpless.

Society expects that sexual promiscuity is another ingredient of a gay identity. One-night stands or genital behavior after a first, second, or even tenth meeting are considered part and parcel of gay life. Heterosexuals frequently complain, "Homosexuals are unstable; their relationships do not last."

In seeking an identity, a gay person is prone to fall victim to the syndrome of the self-fulfilling prophecy. Sensational news stories or popular magazines portray gay people as preoccupied with sex. Witness the ads in most gay newspapers, the decorations in some gay bars, or the dehumanizing experiences of the baths. With sex being exalted as such a prominent feature of a gay identity by large segments of the gay subculture, it is little wonder that adult gays have absorbed this atmosphere and have made sex the pivotal component of their lives. Immersed in the promiscuous gay subculture, they have been robbed of their potential for true intimacy.

Without healthy role models to emulate, it is understandable that many gay persons succumb to the trap of complying with society's expectations or of embracing the values of the subculture. The "coming out" of the healthy, mature, gay personality contributes to the growth not only of the individual, but also of the community. Gay persons, as well as straight people, must become aware of the fact that accepting a gay identity is not synonymous with being "butch" or "femme," with mimicking a masculine or feminine mystique, with promiscuity or a preoccupation with sex. Gay persons who have integrated their sexuality into the fabric of their lives by demonstrating that spiritual, psychological, affective, and intellectual dimensions are as important as the sexual, must be visible.

If forming a gay identity does not mean conforming to societal expectations or to the values of the subculture, what does it mean? Forming a gay identity means growing into the freedom of expressing one's uniqueness. To form a gay identity, one must be critical of oneself. Values of others must not be adopted unquestioningly; the individual must make judgments. Situations in which society or the subculture is being manipulative must be detected. Each person must evaluate her or his own life. The gay person must ask, "Have I achieved the gay identity that God and I want?"

Once a gay individual has decided on the person that she or he is called to be, acceptance of a gay identity means being happy and comfortable in the knowledge of one's same-sex orientation. Gay is good, and gay people are no exception. Accepting a gay identity means being proud of being gay; there should be no self-contempt, no self-pity. Gay people are part of God's plan. A gay person can contribute to the human community what no straight person can. A gay person is a witness to the transcendence of the family of humanity over the biological family. For the most part, gay people are freer to devote themselves to the service of the community. Gay couples can contribute to the building of a healthier, non-sexist society by demonstrating that sex-role stereotyping is limiting human potential. Gay people can help heterosexuals to be comfortable with their own sexual identity and their own same-sex inclinations, to whatever degree these are felt.

Before acceptance of a gay identity is complete there will be pain, suffering, and misunderstanding. That pain, which is a participation in Christ's suffering, can sensitize the gay person to the oppressed and the rejected. That misunderstanding can contribute to the healing of others.

The sexual aspect is but one dimension of the human personality. Whether one is predominantly same-sex or opposite-sex oriented, one must be comfortable and grateful for this dimension of God's gift. Acceptance means saying, "Thank you, God. You have made me good, and I rejoice ln my sexual orientation."

CALLING AN INDEXER

Fort Valley, GA. The Editor of Forum is looking for a volunteer willing to donate the many hours needed to compile an index of the first two volumes of the publication. An extensive index will be invaluable to subscribers who have preserved their copies (and to libraries) for future reference in locating vital information about Gay and Gay-related activities in our Church.

THE EXCHANGE OF VOWS BETWEEN FRIENDS

ORDER OF SERVICE

By The Rev. Malcolm Johnson

At the day and time appointed for "The Exchange of Vows Between Friends," the two parties concerned shall come into the body of the Church with their attending witnesses and friends, and there standing together,

The Officiant shall say:

In the presence of God we have come together to pray for N---- and M----, who desire to dedicate their lives afresh to God asking for grace and help in fulfilling the pledge of mutual fidelity which they are to make to one another here today. In this service we remind ourselves of our human vocation which is to love God and to love our neighbor. God has created us to love. We are to respond in many ways, always remembering that in our relationships with others the hallmarks of true love should be self-sacrifice, commitment, respect, hopefulness of all the best possible, mutuality in giving and receiving, and the absence of coercion, exploitation and superficiality. From the earliest times solemn vows have been made in the sight of God and before witnesses. The story of David and Jonathan reminds us of one such vow, solemnly made before God, calling on God to witness and bless their love they swore to each other forever.

We have come here today in order that N---- and M---- can bear witness to their love and give themselves to each other wholeheartedly and without restraint. We share in their happiness and witness this exchange of vows because we believe that God, who is love and truth, sees into our hearts, recognizes our humanity, and accepts the offering we are making.

The Officiant addresses the couple:

You are about to make a solemn vow. You will swear to remain faithful to each other in a unique relationship of total love. Your bond will then be marked by the glad acceptance of mutual self-giving. This vow will be a mutual declaration of your love for each other, and a promise that until death you will never allow any other relationship to come before the one you are now to affirm in the presence of Almighty God and those here present.

Then the Officiant shall say, to N---- and M---- in turn:

Will you, N----/M----, give yourself wholly to M----/N----, sharing your love, and your life, your wholeness and your brokenness, your success and your failure, in the redemptive love of God who, alone of all, knows the love which is completed only in heaven?

Each will in turn reply:

I will.

Then they shall give their vows to each other in this manner, holding hands:

I, N----/M----, vow to you, M----/N----, in the sight of God and before these our chosen witnesses, that I shall love, honor and cherish you all the days of my life, until death divides us.

Then the Officiant shall bless the rings to be exchanged and each shall say:

With this ring I signify that I seek to share with you all my worldly goods. Receive and treasure it as a token and a pledge of the love that I have for you.

The Officiant shall say:

Let us pray.

Father of all mercies and giver of all grace, we commend to you these your servants, N---- and M----, who desire your help and guidance for the new life which they begin together this day. Grant them the grace of love and forbearance; grant them your pure and peaceable wisdom to enlighten them in all perplexities, and the power of your Holy Spirit in their hearts to keep constant their trust in you and one another, through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.

O, Holy Spirit, Lord and giver of life, author of all goodness and giver of all joy, we pray for N---- and M----, who desire to offer their lives to you. Grant them in simple trust and love to keep their vows made between them this day, knowing always that they are dependent on your grace and help. AMEN.

Then shall the Officiant join their right hands together and say:

Those whom God hath joined, let no one put asunder.

Then the Officiant shall add this blessing:

Almighty God, who has given you the will to do all these things, grant you strength to perform the same, and may the blessing of God Almighty, The Creator, The Redeemer, and the Sustainer, be upon you to strengthen and protect you both, this day and forevermore. AMEN.

Then shall all sit for the reading:

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge; and though I have faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profiteth me nothing. Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Love never faileth; but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. But when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see, through a glass darkly; but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, love; these three. But the greatest of these is love.

Then shall follow an address.

If there is to be a Communion, this now follows. If not, final prayers are said, and the Blessing is pronounced.

-----

[Editor's note: Fr. Johnson serves at St. Bartolph's Church, Aldgate, London.]

KKK REACTIVATES IN MIDDLE GEORGIA

Fort Valley. Over 250 persons gathered near here on August 26th for a revival of the Southern Institution of the KKK. Before joining the larger crowd in nearby Byron, GA, the Fort Valley conclave, dressed in unhooded sheets, met just one block away from the apartment where Forum editor Louie Crew and his spouse Ernest Clay live openly as a racially integrated Gay couple.

KKK youth leader Andy Harrison told the gathering that "our public schools are on a level with Russia's since integration with them nigger animals." Blacks and communists were the main targets of all speakers, including the Grand Dragon Robert Shelton of Tuscaloosa, AL.

Many speakers also stressed that the KKK is made up of "peaceful people of moderation" and people who "encourage family activities." They stressed that the KKK does not exclude anybody, but noted that the Jews had excluded themselves by hating Jesus Christ.

In incidents hopefully unrelated, the Clay-Crew couple have suffered an increasing barrage of hate calls, unrestrained heckling in the public streets, and other threats of violence. In one episode two would-be male hecklers banged for over an hour at the back door of the next apartment mistakenly, thereby severely frightening the lone woman therein. In another, the service employees of the local Ford dealer, Peach County Motor Company, whistled and catcalled Crew as he routinely passed on foot, and when a colleague complained to the manager, the manager said, "Well, he deserves it for making public his very unpopular views." Stones are thrown often at their home.

On all similar occasions in the past when Crew has sought the peace-making mediation of his priest or his bishop he has either been ignored or accused of trying to "disturb the peace and good order of the Church."

FORUM

Webster's Seventh New Collegiate vas superseded three years ago by Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, the eighth in this series. On page 476 of the latter book you will find: "gay... 4A: homosexual B: being a socially integrated group oriented toward and concerned with the welfare of the homosexual." The first sense covers combinations like "gay men and women" where the word modified has a human referent; the second covers combinations like "the gay movement" where the referent is abstract.

Actually, the first sense was worked into the Seventh Collegiate by plate change in 1970. Both senses were recorded as early as 1961 in Webster's Third New International Dictionary but were not sufficiently widespread in print in the early 1960s (when Webster's Seventh New Collegiate was edited) to justify their being put into a much smaller desk dictionary.

In passing, you may be interested to know that our editors read quite closely the issue of College English, which you [Louie Crew] co-edited [with Rictor Norton, November 1974] and sent 62 examples of word usage therein to our files....

Frederick C. Mish

Joint Editorial Director

G.& C. Merriam Company

I have been so blessed since our Convention, not least by my opportunity to hear Fr. Wesner when he came to preach in Portland at St. Michael and All Angels afterwards. I imagined that there might be not only a number of Gays there. However, of only a fair number, there was no one who knew me.

Ron gave a truly fine sermon on what he had been doing since his departure. He manages so beautifully to present the Gay life as a very natural way of life. The congregation was most attentive and I understand that they were loving and charitable at the coffee following the service.

Daran

It has been some seven years since I have made contact with any part of my Church, and I do so now with some hesitation. However, a combination of events in the last month makes me feel that some of the people of God, and perhaps through them the Holy Spirit, are offering me the opportunity to re-establish some of the lines of broken communication. Without wasting your time unduly, those events include Malcolm Boyd's visit to San Francisco to speak to Gay Episcopalians and a letter from a classmate at C.D.S.P., the first communication from a Priest in seven years which suggested anything other than relief that I had accepted deposition when I could no longer accept the dichotomy of being Gay and being a priest in the Church of God. Perhaps, also, it is only now that I have pulled the pieces of a shattered life together well enough to have enough security and strength to seek some replacement for those areas of existence which are still missing.

No, I am not ready to become a member of INTEGRITY, but I am ready to make some contact and to ask a question or two. I don't know what INTEGRITY stands for, what its purpose and philosophy are --I'd like to know. I don't know if there is a contact or group available in this area -- I'd like to know. I don't know what activities and responsibilities INTEGRITY members engage in -- I'd like to know. With some knowledge of this sort I can consider whether I should interest myself further.

I would be pleased to hear from you.

Les

I'm sure you'll survive your "discipline" from Bishop Sims. At least the Episcopal bishop, unlike the Grand Inquisitor, can't place you in bondage. You'd think the Episcopal Church would have higher goals than persecuting homosexuals.

Mac

I got the Seabury Press Male and Female and was thoroughly disgusted by most of what I read in it. Imagine publishing anything by Socarides! And that Muehl! What really outrages me most is not so much their conclusions (they're entitled to those) but the fact that they obviously haven't bothered to read any of the really considerable work that's been done recently. Obviously Muehl hadn't read Bailey even, and his argument wouldn't be acceptable in Logic 101; yet the Church will use it as authority, I'll bet. Fie on it. Who needs it? Not I.

At the same time I find I need and am fulfilled by Christ's presence in my life more and more, and at virtually every single level. His absolute Truth has become the very energy that pumps my blood! I realize how childish and silly and seriously unChristian it is, but at the moment I am unable to forgive the Church for betraying Him (as when a child I found it impossible to feel charitable towards Judas, although I have long since managed to resolve that!) I'm working on it, but I confess it hasn't the highest priority right now.

Jamie

I have just read Stringfellow and Town's biography of Bishop Pike [The Death and Life of Bishop Pike, Doubleday, NYC, 1976], which gives the bishop a great deal of adulation, mentions the details of his son's suicide, but not a word about Pike's persecution of Gay clergy in his diocese. I respect Pike and his memory a great deal, but I don't think a biography which calls itself "candid" should omit that chapter in Pike's attitudes, even if they did ultimately change.

Fr. Morris

These are lines which I wrote during Bishop Pike's days lost in the desert, near the end:

Would it be presumption

to assume the assumption

of the blessed Jim, Bp. Pike?

Or, did he abscond

to the Great Beyond

to escape from his third

and last wife?

Whatever the reason

hell will be frozen

before we'd expect

his return,

to foster illusion

and cause confusion

and all orthodoxy

upturn.........

I hereby nominate Bp. Pike to be the Patron or presiding spirit of INTEGRITY.

don Roberto

WHERE THE SUPPORT IS -- A LUTHERAN VIEW

Los Angeles. LUTHERANS CONCERNED here has received guarded responses from presidents of two of the three largest Lutheran Churches in the USA. Last June LUTHERANS CONCERNED circulated to all three presidents a Gay Ministry Statement which reported that many "doors of Lutheran parishes ... have opened wide to Gay Christians" in recent years and called on national Lutheran executives to provide leadership in extending these supportive ministries, by cataloging them and developing models to guide other pastors.

Dr. Robert J. Marshall, president of the 3.1-million-member Lutheran Church in America, said: "While I cannot claim to be in complete agreement with all the points made in the Gay Ministry Statement it is easy to see that most of them are consistent with the official position of the LCA."

Dr. David W. Preus, head of the 2.4-million-member American Lutheran Church, wrote simply that he referred the statement to the ALC's Division for Theological Education and Ministry, from which a major study on theology and Gay ministry is expected late this year.

Both men said nothing that might appear even remotely supportive of LUTHERANS CONCERNED. The third president--Dr. J.A.O. Preus of the conservative-dominated, 2.8-million-member Lutheran Church Missouri Synod -- did not reply at all.

"This pattern seems to be typical of what's happening in most other denominations, too," commented Howard Erickson, editor of The Gay Lutheran. "At the top, Church officials are gunshy about doing or saying anything about so controversial a question -- almost as if they wished we'd go away. But the closer we get to the grassroots, the more warmth, affirmation and acceptance we find from a growing number of pastors."

INTEGRITY: GAY EPISCOPAL FORUM SUBSCRIPTION FORM

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MINNEAPOLIS.

THE BRIDE OF CHRIST ABANDONS THE TENTS OF THE HOMOPHOBES!

Gay resolution OK'd

Homosexuals would gain full acceptance

The House of Deputies passed by voice vote Tuesday a resolution calling for acceptance of homosexuals as full members of the Church, while tabling a measure calling for homosexual equal protection laws.

The question of repeal of sodomy laws and whether or not homosexuals can be canonically ordained to the priesthood and the episcopate may come later.

The acceptance resolution said "it is the sense of this General Convention that homosexual persons are children of God who have a full and equal claim with all other persons upon love, acceptance and pastoral concern and care of the Church."

Two attempts to soften the revolution were overwhelmingly defeated.

The first sought to remove the word homosexual from the resolution completely. The second sought to add a forgiveness Clause.

As to the first proposed amendment the Rev. Earl Brill of Washington DC said it was "so incredibly innocuous that even this august body (Deputies) could pass it unanimously."

"Homosexuals have been rejected as unloved by all churches," Brill said, adding that General Convention has an opportunity to "affirm homosexuals with love and acceptance.

The Very Rev. Harold F. Lemoine of Garden City, N.Y., agreed. "It is time this Church speaks up on one of the great issues, not only for the Church, but for the nation as a whole," he said.

Some delegates appeared to fear the acceptance resolution would mean homosexuals could be officially ordained.

The Rev. Samuel C. W. Fleming of Charleston, S.C. called the for the defeat of the resolution and its amendments. "We have offered acceptance (to homosexuals) in the past, we ought not to raise this question."

Fleming said the acceptance resolution opened the possibility of ordination to homosexuals, "and that is something which we ought not even to contemplate."

Before the vote to table on equal protection, Richard Anderson of Charleston Heights, S.C., denounced the "scholarship done on homosexuality" in the last 10 years. He said it "is at best spurious and at worst, falsified."

Anderson said the church is "groping in the darkness" on this issue and should limit itself to sa study resolution passed Monday.

Cautious optimism was the mood of Integrity secretary-treasurer Richard York.

"We had enough support to pass pro-homophile resolutions," he said, "but the repeal of sodomy laws and ordination have yet to be discussed.

"We've got the support," he said, "but our supporters didn't get a chance to speak today."

Monday the house of Deputies passed a relation resolution calling for the "serious study of human sexuality (including homosexuality) as it pertains to various aspects of life, particularly living styles, employment, housing and education."

From The Convention Daily, Minneapolis, 14 Sept. 76

-----------

Minneapolis. As this issue is being prepared, General Convention is still in session. A full report from our President The Rev. Ron Wesner and his many staff persons will appear in our November issue. For now Fr. Wesner has asked us to report that our witness is being extremely well received and opportunities for its further nurture after GC opening up rapidly. Especially encouraging has been the great outpouring of gratitude for our positive visibility as expressed by many Gay delegates who have been too vulnerable themselves to be open. Many sisters and brothers who have feared us at a distance have come to rejoice in our presence. Also, many nonGay Christians have approached us in love and respect. Thanks be to God!

THE HETEROSEXUAL MODEL

Nearly one million U.S. females under age 20, married or unmarried, became pregnant in 1975; one female in four has a baby before she is twenty, and half of those babies are conceived out of wedlock -- according to the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Another study says that three out of ten teenagers who have premarital sexual intercourse become pregnant. Moreover, while the fertility rate for many groups of women has dropped, it has increased among girls fifteen and under ... some as young as ten or twelve.

The Anglican Digest

ATTENTION HOMOPHOBES:

PRACTICE BIRTH CONTROL:

Do not engage in any sexual activity risking Gay offspring whom you could not love.

ATTENTION ALL CONTRIBUTORS

NEW DEADLINES FOR FORUM

Ft. Valley, GA. For the most efficient production of our newsletter, all copy for Forum must reach the editor as follows: news items, by the 20th of the month prior to publication; all other items, by the 15th of the month prior to publication. Of course, even earlier submissions are most welcome.

The editor is particularly concerned to have more by-lines and more coverage of the chapter activities. Gleanings from chapter newsletters too often causes material to be out of date, and convenors are urged to appoint interested persons to assume the tasks of reporting.

SEND ME YOUR POOR, YOUR GAYS...

NYC. "The fact that a petitioner for naturalization is or has been a practicing homosexual during the relevant statutory period is not, in itself, a sufficient basis for finding that he lacks the necessary good moral character." So said Sam Bernsen, General Counsel to the Immigration and Naturalization Service, in response to a recent letter to Attorney General Edward Levi from the National Gay Task Force.

This statement of current INS policy is a direct reversal of the policy enunciated by Bernsen two years ago in a letter responding to NGTF and other groups including the American Psychiatric Association, ACLU, and NOW.

Although no reason was given for the policy change it is thought to be the result of recent court decisions in Oregon and elsewhere in which the judges refused to accept the idea that homosexuals cannot be also persons of good moral character.

--NGTF release

REP. ELAINE NOBLE HONORED

NYC. Rep. Elaine Noble of the Massachusetts' State Legislature will receive the first annual award of Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc. at a dinner here on 4th October.

Rep. Noble was the first openly Gay person to be elected to a State Legislature, and she has become a nationally prominent advocate on behalf of Gay civil rights.

Lambda was incorporated in October, 1973, as a charitable corporation to help secure the civil rights of Gay people by providing legal services in those matters likely to be of significance to Gay people as a group either directly or through the force of precedent.

NOTICES

Anglican Theological Review. Supplementary Series No. 6, June 1976, carries Ruth Tiffany Barnhouse's article "Homosexuality" (pp. 107-134), which was originally delivered to the Conference of Anglican Theologians earlier this year. Psychiatrist Barnhouse makes her living trying to "cure" Gay people -- i.e., to make them heterosexuals. She states: "The growing opinion that homosexuality is perfectly normal and does not constitute an immaturity or any other term by which we may designate evidences of original sin --that opinion is positively harmful and it is most important that it be categorically rejected." She spends much effort trying to show Gay scholarship as always distorted. She counsels: "Homosexuals have the responsibility to minimize it [their condition] as far as lies within their power." The journal printed no other point of view.

INTEGRITY/Twin Cities. The new newsletter of the chapter by the same name, from August 1976. One year (12 issues) for $4.50.

Northwest Gay Review, September 1976, carries the interview "Ronald Wesner: Giving Episcopalians Integrity," pp. 19ff. Order a copy of the issue for 50 cents plus postage from NWGR, 118 W. Burnside, Portland, OR 97Z09.

"Resource Packet on Gay Issues and Ministry," available from Task Force on Gay Issues and Ministry, Commission on Women in the Ministry, National Council of Churches of Christ, 475 Riverside Dr., NYC 10027, Room 770; for $3.50 postpaid. The packet includes materials from Parents of Gays, Gay Activists Alliance, MCC ecumenical materials, Fr. John McNeill, the ALA Gay Bibliography, and several other important items. Very valuable for all study commissions.

NUN AIDS GAY PRISONER

Cincinnati. Sister Evelyn Ancilla of the Episcopal Convent of the Transfiguration here has been very supportive of John Gibbs, organizer of the National Coalition of Gay Prisoners and frequent contributor to Forum.

In the successful hearing to remove John Gibbs from the harassment of the federal prison in Illinois, Sister Ancilla was present. She had also complained to the federal prison wardens, notlng that their claim that the staff is "well-trained, proud, and dedicated" could also have been said of officers in the Nazi camps.

Mr. Gibbs is now in Washington state, as reported in our last issue (p. 11).

NO MARRIAGES, NO MINISTERS!

Phila. The Episcopalian (Sept. 76) released the results of a poll taken of their readership on many subjects of concern to the Church. Better than 3 percent returned the poll from their copies of the July issue, a rate considered high by most statisticians.

The reactions to Gay subjects were reported thus:

Many people did not answer the multiple-choice questions on homosexuality. Of those who did, 49 percent say homosexuals are "children of God"; 313 percent say homosexuality is "sinful behavior"; 23 percent say homosexual behavior is an "abomination to God"; and 10 percent say homosexual relationships can be "healthy, responsible."

Seventy-four percent think the Church should not recognize homosexual unions, and 59.4 percent think the ministry should not be open to all regardless of "sexual orientation." Only 21.8 percent say homosexuality is a "divisive, embarrassing subject and has no place in church discussions."

GAYS SUE POPE PAUL

Rome. Four members of the Italian Gay organization FUORI! are suing the Pontiff on grounds that he insulted homosexuals "using slanderous and spiteful expression" instead of only a simple denial when earlier Pope Paul had been accused of having had a Gay relationship with a young actor.

After the Vatican statement on homosexuality, three journalists pretended to be Gay and visited a number of priests and confessed to imaginary "sex-sin" in order to compare reactions. The Pope excommunicated all three.

ACCEPTANCES

By Robert F. Riordan

For Bill Hartman

Against the black roof shingle,

through twisted branches

stars highlight maple leaves;

through constellation and

against moon, branches lift

and fall, rise and moan

creaking when there is no wind.

Accept what is offered:

A black rose still shines in the night.

DREAMING

By Robert F. Riordan

For Roy Wald

You say you are happy, content.

The leaves of trees against your window

glow with sunlight all night long.

The moon is always full. You bury

your face in my chest, sighing.

At night you change from dream

to dream; like summer clouds

shifting from rose to white.

Sometimes you are leaving;

without saying goodbye, simply

throwing your hand up out there

like that of a man drowning

and me unable to swim.

I wake up running for help.

In others we are old, and have been

many places; still we hold hands,

kiss in doorways, make love

in the mornings. With these

I stay sleeping, touching my face

to your beard, breathing softly

through your hair.

R.I.P. ‑‑ Adolph Julius Rinnander, father of Los Angeles Integrity Chairman Jon Rinnander, d. August 16, 1986 in Philadelphia. The funeral was conducted by the Reverend Jon Lenhardt, Co-Convener of Integrity/Philadelphia.

ON THE SURVIVAL OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH

By Dick Sheppard

The following article is reprinted from the Pentecost issue of The Manifest, newsletter of INTEGRITY/Los Angeles, where Dick Sheppard is convenor.

According to the latest issue of Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches, our Church lost about one-quarter of a million members between 1970 and 1973. The six fastest-growing denominations are all conservative. They are (with their percentage of growth rate in parentheses): The Mormons (21.5%), Jehovah's Witnesses (14.09%), Assemblies of God (5.27%), Church of God (4.9%), Seventh Day Adventists (3.3%) and Nazarenes (3.0~Z). These figures are particularly distressing in these quarters because, to all of the above-mentioned, Gay people are anathema. As for the Episcopal Church: our loss rate apparently slowed to .33% in 1974 and our total membership is now put at 2.9 million. Accounting for the fact that many parishes still list deadwood that hasn't been seen in a church since Grover Cleveland graced the White House, it means we are just about 1% of the entire population of this country. In these circumstances, continual battles over the brands of churchmanship, at a time when opportunities to practice any of them have shrunk drastically, might strike the impartial observer as just a trifle idiotic.

"We've always exercised an influence out of proportion to our numbers," a clergy friend told me reassuringly, doubtless thinking back to the halcyon days of George Washington and the crew. Yes, friend, but that was 200 years ago. The plain fact is that the Episcopal Church could vanish tomorrow -- the world would stay on its axis and the United States would somehow find a way to survive. Watergate is only the most recent and notorious proof of our impotence -- indeed, of the importance of all who profess belief in God to exert any decisive influence on the conduct of affairs in this country. That fact is reinforced by a Gallup Poll released in April.

The question was put: "Do you think people in general today lead as good lives -- honest and moral -- as they used to?" In 1952 those who responded divided almost equally: 49% yes, 46% no. In 1965: 39% yes, 52% no. Last March: 30% yes, 66% no. Thus two-thirds of those queried were of the opinion that people today, in the only area that has any eternal value, are going to hell in a handbag. Here's the clincher: a whopping 80% voted for moral education in the schools in contravention of our cherished national belief in the separation of church and state. Why? Because they're obviously not getting moral education anywhere else. What a judgment! -

So we are perceived as impotent and irrelevant. The only question now -- are we to become extinct? What has brought us to this pass? Liturgical controversy, you say? The uproar over sacerdotal sexuality? Hooey! If the Diocese of Los Angeles can be accepted as a microcosm of the Church General, the following items may be of some passing interest. They can be attested to by those who personally witnessed them.

• Two strangers leave a Eucharist and the Rector trumpets: "Visitors! Visitors!" A parishioner dutifully pins them with little identifying crosses. They gm out on the patio for coffee, crosses twinkling, and are totally ignored.

• A clergyman mounts the pulpit and launches into a lengthy, conventional every-member canvass pitch, and this in a church where one could jump blindfolded out of the balcony and be sure of hitting an empty pew .

• At the principal service, Rite I (with interpolations) is conducted for 15 people for a numbing 90 minutes, featuring a lector who reads perfunctorily and inaudibly and a celebrant who might be better off in Braille. At coffee hour afterwards, visitors stand awkwardly at the edges of a festive group gaily rehashing the details of what a peachy meal they had at a local restaurant last night.

• In the same deanery there are four churches within ten minutes of each other. They are not in communication and know nothing of each other. Never mind that they are the merest fragment of that 1% nationwide. Apparently each is a competitive little fiefdom in the real estate business. What that has to do with the effective communication of Jesus Christ is not explained.

• At one of the above churches the median age of the dwindling congregation is about 50. At announcement time, the news that one of their number has died is received with the same apprehension felt by encircled pioneers, nervously aware that the Indians are moving in fast. Visitors to coffee hour are anesthetized by a lengthy recitation concerning the glories of the church scene in New York City in 1933.

Enough. These examples are offered to give point to the following question, to wit: Why on earth shouLd any stranger take a Sunday morning (particularly in good weather) to expose herself or himself to any part of that? It is certainly any congregation's privilege to become a clubby little "in" group who meet periodically to catch each other up on weekly doings. But that they should continue to pose as any portion of the Body of Christ is absurd, a fact so recognized by the multitudes that shun them.

Some things one sees are merely witless, e.g., at Communion time, an impeccably-attired usher, carnation in buttonhole, moves solemnly to the front pews to do his thing for a total of 20 communicants on the way to a communion rail that accommodates 25. Some things are more fundamental, e.g., at weekday Eucharists, five people go to Communion and each scurries from the rail individually. Apparently the regrettable fact that the volume at Sunday's principal Eucharist mandates such a traffic pattern has not occurred to them. Nor has anyone pointed lt out to them. The fact that the word communion is a combination of common and union likewise has no meaning. Certainly they would be shocked if someone at the family meal bolted from the table before all were finished. But, then, this isn't a family meal, is it? No -- it's a reassuringly familiar and beautiful ceremony in which the priest functions like a kindly nanny, rocking the cradle with the exact same cadences and movements each time -- a gentle, soothing antidote to the world with all its flux and its demands for growth and change. What have other people to do with such a pretty dream? The idea that the Peace be instituted, even in so lamentably restricted form as a perfunctory handshake, is threatening principally because to touch someone else is to risk waking up.

If you have been patient with me thus far, let me tell you that "cursing the darkness" is not my bag. Herewith some candles to light it:

• At St. John's one turns at the Gospel procession and notes with amazement that there are people in the pews all the way to the narthex. Attendance is rising at special musical events, the outreach is vigorous, pledges are up. St. John's is coming back. You can see it and feel it. One rejoices.

• The congregation at All Saints, Pasadena, worships in a building that is the perfect quintessence of Episcopal Victorian architecture. As an example, the main figure in the "Suffer the Little Children" window over the high altar is so bundled in bulky clothing (you know how the Victorians felt about bodily display) that it is impossible to be sure whether it represents Our Lord or Our Lady. How tempting under the circumstances to pretend that it is 1896 and the only issue tearing at us all is the Gold Standard. There is Holy Eucharist, Morning and Evening Prayer, Rock masses and Folk masses, Festival Eucharists with everything laid on, various workshops and projects, a glorious music program that runs the spectrum. Progressive. Often controversial. And alive.

• At St. Mark's, Altadena, the coffee hour is warm and welcoming, and several parishioners are having individual raps with certain visitors. They may neither fully understand nor approve what they are hearing, but they are listening. After all (their attitude plainly conveys) we are members one of another, aren't we?

• At St. Mark's, Van Nuys, the Rector, who plainly is not affirmative on the Gay issue, nevertheless opens the adult forum after Eucharist to a discussion of it. The four visitors get a fair chance to put their viewpoints, in turn are welcomed and asked courteous but probing questions. The discussion with several parishioners is lively and continues long after the forum.

Our nattering solemnly and endlessly about skirts (female) in the sanctuary, and about the relative merits of "you" and "thou' are two issues of about as much ultimate importance as who won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 1936, or the Presidential election of 1884.* For our Church will not live or die on the question of priestly sexuality (whether male heterosexual or homosexual, female heterosexual or homosexual, male or female bisexual, or asexual and/or celibate across the boards), or whether the Blue Book is accepted or rejected. Or even whether

-- surprise -- there is loving acceptance of basic sexual orientation.

Our Church will survive as fruitful leaven for the larger Christian community if, and only if, at the local parish level, person to person, we are actively communicating Jesus Christ -- loving God, ourselves and our neighbor -- all stops out, no holds barred. In that situation those oh-so-important issues, and all the other diversions and distractions with which The Enemy constantly bombards us, will vanish into the abyss prepared for that cursed one who is behind them all.

"...today I set before you life and prosperity, death and disaster.... I set before you life or death, blessing or curse. Choose life." Peace.

_____

* Gale Sondergaard and the ever-popular Grover Cleveland

BISHOP SIMS CHANGES THE CHARGE

Atlanta. The Rt. Rev. Bennett Sims, Bishop of Atlanta, who used the newspaper to summon Forum editor Louie Crew here "for discipline" and for "confrontation" (see June-July Forum, p. 2) now characterizes the session as "more pastoral than disciplinary," according to his statements to the editor of Virginia Churchman. The meeting is scheduled for 28th Sept. here.

ATTENTION TEACHERS OF ENGLISH!

Chicago. The National Council of Teachers of English meeting here over Thanksgiving (25-27 Nov.) will host a Gay Caucus and a Gay Panel on "Towards a Healthy Gay Presence in Textbooks and Classrooms in Colleges and Secondary Schools."

The Caucus is petitioning the Council, one of the largest professional organizations in the world, to recognize the contributions of Gays as students and teachers and to establish an appropriate body to investigate discrimination Gays face.

For more information contact either Caucus convenor: Prof. Julia Stanley, Department of English, University of Nebraska, Lincoln 68508; or Prof. Louie Crew, Fort Valley State College, Fort Valley, GA 31030.

BISHOP VANDUZER EVICTS GAYS FROM CHURCH

"LET THEM MAKE BRICKS WITHOUT STRAW!"

New Brunswick. On September 1st, The Rt. Rev. Albert W. VanDuzer, Bishop of New Jersey, informed The Rev. Thomas Albert Kerr, Jr., vicar of St. Michael's Chapel here, that he was "issuing a directive to the officers and members of [The Gay Liberation Task Force] to discontinue their meetings [at the Chapel] immediately."

The action came with little or no warning to the group, who had been allowed to hold their meetings at the Chapel for over a year and had not evoked any complaints from Fr. Kerr or others at the chapel, according to veteran Black scholar Jon L. Clayborne, who had organized The Gay Liberation Task Force two years ago. The notice came on the night of the Force's second birthday.

The only reason suggested for the action was the rumor that complaints had come from a nearby parish in Plainfield. The Bishop's letter to Fr. Kerr suggested urgency:

"Although I did think it might be possible to wait until the next meeting of our Procter Foundation before taking action on the use of Church property by The Gay Liberation Task Force, I have concluded that I must act now." No reasons were given.

The group is a small secular group with a maximum of about 25 members, who had met regularly at St. Michael's every Monday. They now have no place to meet.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN IN SCHOOL TODAY?

The 1977 Peace Calendar and Appointment Book

Provocative statements, excerpts and quotations about how and what we teach our kids and the better, more creative ways that we could be teaching them.

Over 50 contributors ‑‑ from John Holt to Doris Lessings, from Ralph Waldo Emerson to Bob Dylan ‑‑ criticize the status quo, argue with each other and help you to understand why our education system fails our children and the steps we need to take to raise kids for a creative, just and peaceful future.

More than a practical Calendar, this is a book that will be treasured long after the year is over.

Its 128 pages have a page for every week of the year, facing pages of quotations and graphics, and include listings of peace organizations and periodicals, American and foreign important dates in the history of the movement for social change are noted.

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