INTEGRITY FORUM
A JOURNAL FOR GAY EPISCOPALIANS AND THEIR FRIENDS
c Integrity, Inc. 1978 ISSN: 0095-2184
Vol. 4 No. 3 February - March 1978
INTEGRITY FORUM: A JOURNAL FOR GAY EPISCOPALIANS AND THEIR FRIENDS is the official newsletter of Integrity, Inc., a non-profit religious, charitable, educational and literary organization of gay episcopalians and their friends. Integrity maintains a national office at 3601 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104, phone 215/386-5430, if no answer 215/629-1309. Membership and subscription correspondence should be sent to Integrity Treasurer, Raymond Conti, Integrity, P.O. Box 3681, Central Station, Hartford, CT 06103. Editorial correspondence should be sent to Integrity Forum Editor, William Doubleday, c/o Episcopal Divinity School, 99 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, phone 617/723-4336.
Signed articles represent the views of the contributors. The editor reserves the right to revise all sexist language.
Copyright 1978 by Integrity, Inc. 10 issues per year. Memberships are $10 per year; subscriptions without memberships are $12 per year. Add $3 if you would like your copy of Integrity Forum mailed in a plain envelope; Canadians remit in U.S. funds.
President................................ The Rev. Ron Wesner
Vice President................................. John Lawrence
Secretary...................................... Donn Mitchell
Treasurer...................................... Raymond Conti
Editor..................................... William Doubleday
Publisher..................................... David Williams
Publisher's Assistants........... Jerry Vogt, William Landram
& Integrity/Chicago
WESNER RESIGNS APRIL 7TH
by W.A. Doubleday
The Rev. Ron Wesner, National President of Integrity, has resigned effective April 7, 1978. Citing weariness and the need to find a real job with a real salary, Wesner expressed joy at the accomplishments of Integrity during his period of leadership. His letter of resignation is published elsewhere in this issue of Integrity Forum.
John Lawrence, National Vice President of Integrity, will assume the full responsibilities of the office of President at a meeting of Integrity's National Officers and Regional Representatives scheduled for the second weekend in April in Chicago. A transition process has already begun to insure that the leadership and momentum of the organization will continue unabated. A statement by John Lawrence is also included in this issue of Integrity Forum.
John Lawrence has been involved in the gay movement for many years. He is a founder and former education director of the Homophile Community Health Service in Boston, a member of the Steering Committee of Integrity/Boston, and a National Coordinator of the Gay Nurses Alliance. Lawrence has been serving on the Human Sexuality Commission of the Diocese of Massachusetts. He has published articles in the area of gay health care issues. His depth of experience and commitment will be a valuable asset to Integrity at this critical period in the organization's development.
JUNE 7TH SET FOR COMMEMORATION DAY
The national officers of Integrity have designated June 7, 1978 as Commemoration Day. The event is aimed at commemorating the Stonewall riots, the emergence of annual gay pride activities throughout the country, and the Dade County Referendum in 1977. Although our history as gay men and lesbians has been marked by critical events throughout the years, no month has been as significant as June. Every Integrity chapter has been asked to conduct a special service during the week of Commemoration Day. Chapters have also been encouraged to plan some major fund-raising event which might aid Integrity's national ministry. Donn Mitchell, the National Secretary of Integrity is coordinating this effort.
GETHSEMANE, MINNEAPOLIS WILL HOST '78 CONVENTION
Minneapolis, MN ‑‑ Integrity/Twin Cities has announced that the 1978 National Integrity Convention to be held in Minneapolis is being planned for August 17-20, 1978. The Convention will be held at Gethsemane Episcopal Church in downtown Minneapolis with hotel accommodations being available nearby. Integrity/Twin Cities also hopes to be able to provide some accommodations in private homes.
Co-Deans Martha Winslow and Mike Suhr say that they are pleased to be able to use the meeting space at Gethsemane Church and that getting permission to use it was less trouble than expected. Integrity/Twin Cities representatives met with the Rev. Jack Eales, rector of Gethsemane. Eales said to them, "Gethsemane is open to any bonafide interest group within the [Episcopal] Church. If the weekend you request is available, you are free to meet here." So plans have been set to use Gethsemane Church on the weekend of August 17-20.
Further Convention plans are being made by co-Deans Winslow and Suhr along with committee members. Watch next month's Integrity Forum for further developments.
CONSTITUTION COMMITTEE MET IN WORCESTER IN MID-FEBRUARY
The Constitution and By-laws Committee of Integrity/National met in Worcester, Massachusetts, over the weekend of February 11-12. Seven of the eight members of the committee were able to attend. The committee includes members from seven chapters from various sections of the country. Both documents were further revised and will shortly be prepared in final form for publication in the next issue of Integrity Forum. The By-laws will be voted on by mail ballot, article by article. The Constitution will be printed in the final version and action will be taken on it at the Integrity convention to be held in the Twin Cities this summer.
Hospitality for the meeting was provided in Worcester at George Casper's Guest House. There was a very positive exchange of ideas, information and experiences at the meeting. Several members of Integrity/Boston prepared meals for the group.
Funds were provided to two members of the committee who had to travel the greatest distance. $100 was allocated from the Integrity/National treasury, Integrity/Richmond and a private donation from one of its members provided $50, Integrity/Boston gave $50, and John Lawrence made up the difference of $15.
The emerging documents represent a great deal of hard work and many hours of time and energy on the part of the members of the committee. After debate and some compromise, ratification may follow, providing Integrity/National with governing documents which are sound, well-written, and a solid base for organizational growth and development.
DIRTY LINEN AND CLOSET, FRESHENERS
Grant M. Gallup
Appearing on the Phil Donohue Show March 21, originating in Chicago, homophobe robot Anita Bryant declared that all homosexuals, when they get to a certain age, turn into child molesters or "have to pay for it." Phil Donohue: "Anita, it's because of this kind of generalization that you've got the pickets." The Stepford Wife's manager-husband whispered frequent directions to her, but got in his own licks, too; his parting shot to Donohue was that he not only believed but knew that gays could be changed into heterosexuals. ··· Susan C. Weeks of the Queens Bench Foundation (San Francisco rape victim advocacy center) told the California Medical Association that more men are getting raped, or at least reporting it, than ever before. "There have been more cases of male-to-male raped reported (in San Francisco) in the past two months than in the previous six years," she said, and that the physical and psychological trauma in the male victim is identical to that in the female victim of rape. ··· Allan P. Bell, one of the authors (with Martin S. Weinberg) of the "Kinsey Institute's" new publication, Homosexualities: A Study of Diversity Among Men & Women, is a former Episcopal priest. (The 46-year old psychologist renounced the ministry when he married his second wife, who is Jewish.) The plural of the book's title is intended to show that homosexual life-styles vary in the same way as those of heterosexuals. The main point of the book is that gays who have come to terms with themselves "are no more distressed psychologically than are heterosexual men and women." Newsweek's writer David Gelman notes: "Well-adjusted homosexuals, they seem to say, are the happiest, and the maladjusted are the least happy ‑‑ a deduction that scarcely requires ten years of research." ··· Jane O'Reilly, writing in the Washington Star quotes Marie Peters, member of the City Council of Trenton, Michigan, on why our children cannot read: "I speak to a lot of college students and I am a person who listens. They tell me over and over again that the reason they can't read is because their teacher was a homosexual or a lesbian." [My first grade teacher, a Lesbian, taught me that a reason is never because. ‑‑ GMG+] Jan O'Reilly says she thought Anita Bryant was a joke until she heard this, and the folks she met in Houston protesting the National Women's Conference; they held signs reading "God and Me and Anita B." and 'Follow Jesus Christ, Your Pastor, and Your Husband." Now Jane O'Reilly says, "People who can blame poor reading scores on homosexuals are just a step away from blaming inflation, pollution, Communism and the divorce rate on homosexuals. So persuaded, how could they avoid connecting a cure with a witch hunt?" ··· Wire Services reported March 22 that the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, noting that one in seven of the city's 680,000 residents is gay, voted 10 to 1 to ban discrimination in employment,housing and public accommodations in that city. ··· The world noted the demise of the Chicago Daily News last month, but it wasn't so concerned that another newspaper ‑‑ Gay Chicago News also died recently, victim of hardening (or freezing?) of the arteries of circulation in the arctic winter. The publisher was Ralph Paul Gernhardt, fellow Episcopalian and former member of Integrity/Chicago. He and his lover had designed the original version of the Integrity Cross, for the banner we used at the first national convention. ··· Harper & Row is to publish "Is the Homosexual My Neighbor?" by Letha Scanzoni and Virginia Ramey Mollenkott, which argues that Christianity teaches acceptance, not rejection, of homosexuals. The authors are said to have "impeccable evangelical credentials." ··· Leslie Torrey, the 21 year old factory worker in Jackson, Michigan who wounded 17 coworkers with a shotgun may have been reacting to harassment and remarks by his fellow workers that he was a homosexual, Torrey's wife told reporters. ··· The Presbytery of Chicago adopted a resolution asking a group opposed to the ordination of "avowed, practicing homosexuals" to change its name from "The Chicago Plan," to avoid confusion with the official action of the Presbytery, which is also opposed to the ordination of "avowed, practicing homosexuals." Confusing? ··· "An Aunt Who Cares In Paterson New Jersey" recently wrote to Ann Landers expressing concern about her 10 year old nephew who dropped out of basketball, soccer, Cub Scouts and has taken to hanging strings from his head and pretending it's long hair. Ann replied that he may be "going through a stage." ··· The poem by James Kirkup that got the British Gay News a fine for blasphemy last year has been republished by a group of more than a hundred leading writers, academics and publishers in England, and is available only to those who ask for it. A statement attached says it is being republished to "vindicate the general principle of free speech." ··· March McCall's magazine reported results of its polling of 4,000 school principals (1300 responded) on the question of homosexual teachers. 154, or 11% reported complaints ‑‑ from parents and students ‑‑ about homosexual teachers. But only 7% reported complaints of actual homosexual contact between teachers and students, and 90% of these were "isolated occurrences." 13% of the sample reported complaints of heterosexual contact between teachers and students. Only 2% reported instances of teachers discussing their homosexuality in class. 42% of the principals said they would automatically dismiss a homosexual teacher; 51% would not. Of principals who had actually heard complaints about homosexual teachers in their schools, only 36% said they would fire the teacher automatically, 59% said they would not. ··· Phyllis Chesler's new book "About Men" (Simon & Schuster, $10.95) is reviewed by Margo Jefferson in March 13 Newsweek: "(Her) overworked formula allows Chesler to make absurd, often infuriating pronouncements ... all male relationships, including those of the tyrant to the slave, are fueled by repressed homosexuality." ···
CHAPTER NOTES
David Maulsby of Integrity/Albuquerque has been appointed to the Human Sexuality Commission of the Diocese of Rio Grande. The Integrity chapter in Albuquerque is meeting at St. Michael's and All Angels Episcopal Church with the unanimous approval of the vestry. ··· Integrity/South Florida now meets at Holy Cross Episcopal Church, 123 N.E. 36 Street, Miami, on Sundays at 7 p.m. Sung Masses were scheduled throughout Lent. Malcolm Boyd and Ellen Barrett have been among recent visitors with the chapter. ··· Dignity-Integrity/Rochester recently received an anonymous gift of two metal alloy chalices and a matching plate. The editor of the chapter newsletter was snowbound, so Kevin Scahill edited the February mailing. ··· Integrity/San Francisco is trying to build its membership. Although the mailing list is over 200, only 25 people have paid dues. ··· Women members of Dignity have formed a Women's Caucus. They may be contacted at: Women's Caucus of Dignity, P.0. Box 15136, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53215. Perhaps this movement will be of interest to women in Integrity? ··· Malcolm Boyd's new book, Take Off the Masks, will be published in May by Doubleday and Company. If you are interested in helping to promote the book through your chapter, write to Malcolm Boyd, c/o Mary Yost Associates, 141 E. 55th Street, New York, NY 10022. ··· Integrity/Central Indiana undertook some serious Bible study on February 13th. Their meeting was devoted to a discussion of Homosexuality and the Bible. ··· Louie Crew has mailed in a flier which states: "Gay Men and Women: If you believe organized religion is your greatest enemy, we want to hear from you. Write: Gay Atheists, P.0. Box 14142, San Francisco, CA 94114." Louie writes: "I believe that we should note these people and their address in the Forum. Our hierarchy cannot love or understand us until they understand this counter thrust." ··· Integrity/Richmond attended a recent meeting of Integrity/Washington. ··· Members of Integrity/Washington provided hospitality to Bill Doubleday when he was in Washington to testify on behalf of Integrity at the National Hearings of the Urban Bishops Coalition. ··· Wayne and John Fortunato-Schwandt are scheduled to speak to Integrity/Philadelphia in March. Their topic: Gay Relationships. ··· On a recent visit to Chicago, the Rev. Canon Clinton Jones, recipient of the 1977 Integrity Award, was primary celebrant at the Holy Eucharist which members of Integrity/Chicago attended in St. Andrew's Chapel. Canon Jones joined the group afterwards for social hour and supper.
CHICAGO TASK FORCE ADVISES EQUAL TREATMENT FOR GAYS
Sexuality commissions and task forces in dioceses around the country are beginning to file reports for consideration or implementation at the local and national levels. In the Diocese of Chicago, the Rev. Grant Gallup chaired the Task Force on Homosexuality of the Bishop's Advisory Commission on Social Concerns. The majority report of that Task Force, dated November 1977, is presented here in full:
"Sexuality is the Creator's ingenious way of calling people constantly out of themselves into relationship with others." [1] The various expressions of human sexuality are to be considered in light of their creative and integrative capacities, and not only in the shadow of their destructive and exploitive uses.
"The Covenant Community's rediscovery of this truth has been slow and painful. Much of today's thinking about human sexuality, like that of the Old and New Testament communities, is a reaction to an environment in which human sexuality is grossly misused.
"This Task Force has been charged with considering some issues concerning the inclusion of homosexually oriented persons in the Church's life. For example, questions have arisen about the use of church property for meetings and worship of homosexual groups; administration of the sacraments (including the sacrament of ordination); the employment of homosexual persons (clergy and lay) in Parishes, agencies and organizations; and the blessing of homosexual unions.
"The Task Force is aware of considerable disagreement, and is convinced of the existence of invincible doubt as to whether homosexuality is either sick or sinful. An invincible doubt, whether of law or of fact, permits one to follow a true and solidly probable opinion in favor of liberty." [2]
"We would advise Bishops and others responsible for the education and ordination of persons to the sacred ministry to judge the fitness of homosexually oriented persons by the same standards as others. Such standards should include for all persons a responsible, creative and integrative use of sexuality.
"The precedent set for the use of the Cathedral by responsible groups has for several years included the gay and lesbian communities, and should serve as an example for the use of other church properties in the Diocese.
"We believe that it is inappropriate and misleading in our ecclesial tradition to celebrate a relationship between two persons of the same sex as if it were Holy Matrimony. However, we agree with the study commissioned by the Catholic Theological Society of America, that 'prayer, even communal prayer, for two people striving to live Christian lives, incarnating the values of fidelity, truth and love, is not beyond the pastoral responsibilities of a Church whose ritual tradition includes a rich variety of blessings.'"
[1] p. 85, Human Sexuality -- A Study commission by the Catholic Theological Society of America. New York: Paulist Press, 1977. CTSA Committee on the Study of Human Sexuality: Anthony Kisnik, Chairperson; William Carroll, Agness Cunningham, Ronald Modras, James Schulte, members.
[2] p. 216, op. cit.
FORUM:
Observations from some of our readers, and others.
I want to share with you some of my deepest feelings about Integrity, only because I never seem to have the opportunity to discuss "deep" feelings during church, meetings or social interaction before and/or afterwards with any of you. Perhaps I can, somehow, reach you through this newsletter in lieu of personal conversation although I wish I could sit down with each one of you and discuss your feelings and mine.
I am having trouble finding the words that nearly describe my overwhelming pride in seeing my name and Kenny's on the back of the National Newsletter. I am honored and deeply moved that God sees fit to put me in the position of Convenor of Integrity/Hartford. I am the only woman convenor that I know of, and that alone is a source of great pride. Let me explain a little:
The way I see it, God has been moving in my life over the years in an overwhelming and powerful way. When I was eight years old I received a calling and wanted to be an Episcopal priest ‑‑ unheard of way back then! I was told the Congregational Church had one or two women ministers ‑‑ I loved my church, however, so abandoned the idea. Again at age 17 came the calling ‑‑ again I abandoned the idea ‑‑ I ignored God, I fought Him, turned my back on Him and proceeded to do things my way. By age 22 my life was collapsing and God was still waiting for me ‑‑ I wanted none of it, I wasn't listening. By 24 I was the great cynic of all times. My faith in people had crumbled and I was consumed by hatred for friends, family but most especially self. At 25, 1 gave up ‑‑ one miraculous day I took that giant step of faith over the abyss of pain and darkness. God didn't disappoint me ‑‑ He was there eager to enfold me in a father's warm embrace.
Shortly thereafter I met Lynn, confronted my own sexuality and made adjustments in my life. With God always beside me now I can work doing His will. His will, I believe with my whole heart, is to unite all of us in love and fellowship; to educate our fellow humans as to the "Christ-love" within us all, gay or straight, man or woman.
You can see why I'm proud to be your Convenor ‑‑ why I rejoice in the love and fellowship we've either found or are striving for. I want so much to share this joy with all of you It's hard when there are six or seven, even eight in church ‑‑ fourteen at the meeting ‑‑ where are you? Where is your spirit of love and commitment? Dedication and worshipful obedience to God's will? God needs you, Integrity needs you.
‑‑ Bonnie Gray, Convenor, Integrity/Hartford
-- Reprinted from the November issue of Integrity Informer newsletter of Integrity/Hartford.
REFLECTIONS ‑‑ C.C.
"What is 'Integrity'?" is a question asked by our members as well as other Episcopalians. As a relatively new member and one of only two women in the group, I am in a position yielding fresh impressions, direct observations and a somewhat unique perspective.
In a recent discussion Integrity members attempted to define some of the purposes of the organization and it became readily apparent that its nature is multi-faceted. One function is that of a support group where gay Episcopalians can meet for companionship, exchange of ideas, and Christian celebration ‑‑ all in an atmosphere conducive to openness and complete acceptance. This personal, growth-oriented function has been challenged by some heterosexual Episcopalians who say that homosexuality is too controversial or unexplored a phenomena for the Church to sponsor, an act which is often interpreted as outright encouragement.
A homosexual group is justified for the same reason that any common interest/background group is justified, whether it be the Altar Guild or a singles group ‑‑ we are homosexual and Episcopalian. Although gay people come from all different social, economic and family backgrounds, and often discover our homosexuality at different periods in our lives, we share a common culture (neither sub nor counter) and a core of inner experiences that distinguish a sexuality from mere sexualness. Such a special bond, as the Greeks well knew, is in itself justification for affiliation. I find the members of L.A. Integrity to be genuinely warm and open, and capable of relating to me on a variety of levels. If anything it is the subtle difference between being welcome and feeling "at home."
Another function of Integrity is what is often described as being a "witness" to the Church. Through visitations to parishes in the area, L.A. Integrity hopes to change negative attitudes, break down stereotypes, and bridge the gap of human experience. The emphasis, however, seems to be unconvincing heterosexual Episcopalians that our group is worthy of existence and that we as individuals are worthy of accepting the Holy Sacraments. What we fail to recognize is that the word "witness" implies a passive and stationary position outside the Christian center as opposed to a participatory and dynamic relationship within that center. We do not seek superficial acceptance, but true validation, the acknowledgement that Christian homosexuals share the same road as heterosexuals towards religious fulfillment and psychic wholeness. We are not making unreasonable "demands" for legislative rights, but we are asking to be met honestly and directly with open hearts and open minds.
A third function of Integrity would involve the transformation from an active influence to a catalyst for change within the Church. For example, a lesbian theology student recently brought to our attention examples of linguistic sexism and paternalism within the liturgy ‑‑ a potential area of reform. Whatever the specifics, it will be a challenge for all in the Church regardless of sexual preference. Ultimately the spiritual survival of us all rests on our ability to adapt to social and theological evolution.
Reprinted from The Manifest, the newsletter of Integrity/Los Angeles.
A VOICE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS
Many of the members of Integrity live in circumstances which include a high degree of fear, loneliness, and isolation. Not infrequently, some of these individuals cry out for help, for advise, or for insight ‑‑ often these cries are directed towards the Rev. Ron Wesner, the President of Integrity. The following letter is adapted from a reply written by Ron Wesner, the President of Integrity .
Dear X:
Your cry for help arrived yesterday. Please note my new address: 3601 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104.
Yes ‑‑ I know what you're talking about ‑‑ sexual compulsiveness and pre-occupation are old and familiar companions of mine ‑‑ now by and large diminished ‑‑ but sometimes occasional visitors. Some thoughts? Sometimes they visit me when I am bored and angry at myself ‑‑ they are great conspirators when I am in such a mood ‑‑ especially if I want to make myself miserable ‑‑ they delight in that prospect. And they love the tussle ‑‑ they delight in a fight, especially with me. The best way I can get rid of them is to choose the direction I am already going in. (Please mark, read, and inwardly digest this.) Do you remember your instruction from driving lessons ‑‑ about driving on ice and going into a skid? The manual says, and says it correctly, when you are in a skid, drive in the direction of the skid ‑‑ and only then can you start assuming control. The more you fight it, the more out-of-control you are. But steering in the direction of the skid allows you to control the driving and pull out before danger has done its damage. Now ‑‑ this doesn't mean that you have to go all the way with it ‑‑ at all. Just as with driving you don't have to go into the ditch ‑‑ but you steer towards the ditch and experience what that is doing. For instance ‑‑ if I want to cruise in a public place, or make a pass in a dangerous situation ‑‑ instead of denying what I want to do, I experience what I want to do, and then go beyond that and experience (in my head) why I want to do what I am about to do ‑‑ and carry the scenario beyond the immediate goal. I always find that what I was after was not genitals, or a feel or an ejaculation (although that was my assumption) but rather I was either lonely and wanted companionship, or bored and wanted diversion, or angry and wanted punishment ‑‑ it wasn't sexual after all, but a confusion of the other dynamics for the sexual.
You mention your fear of doing some dumb, outrageous thing ‑‑ especially for a man of your years, skills and intelligence. Yes, I know those fears as well. Relax, you are totally in charge of your actions. Whatever you are doing you are choosing to do that ‑‑ it is really no more complicated than that ‑‑ quite simple. How often we try to fool ourselves by being victims. Because what is going on is that we are choosing to be victims, choosing to be out of control. And therefore ‑‑ we are not victims but choosers ‑‑ and knowing that we are choosing ‑‑ we know that we are in charge. The victim was a cover-up, a lie. You won't do an outrageous thing ‑‑ unless you want to. And if you want to, then continue the scenario in your mind ‑‑ let your imagination carry the experience all the way through and then find what your goal is. The end result of the scenario was what you were choosing. That will tell you what your goal is, and also give you some insight on what you thought was "compulsive behavior."
I welcome your response to this.
Love,
Ron
EIGHT INTEGRITY REGIONS SET UP
At the recent meeting of the national officers of Integrity in Hartford, December 9-11, 1977, eight Integrity regions were created. The regions will serve as a basis for regional representation on the National Executive Committee.
Eight temporary regional convenors have been appointed by President Ron Wesner to organize the regions and to arrange for the initial election of regional representatives. The next meeting of the Executive Committee is scheduled for April 7-9 in Chicago and it is hoped that every region will be represented at that time.
The region boundaries are as follows:
New England ‑‑ comprises the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut.
Mid-Atlantic ‑‑ comprises the Dioceses of New York, Long Island, Albany, Pennsylvania, Bethlehem, Central Pennsylvania, and the states of New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.
Southeast ‑‑ comprises the states of Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, West Virginia and Kentucky.
Gulf Coast ‑‑ comprises the states of Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, (except that part of Texas in the Diocese of Rio Grande).
Great Lakes ‑‑ comprises the Dioceses of Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, Erie, Pittsburgh, and the states of Michigan, Ohio and the City of Toronto.
Midwest ‑‑ comprises the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, North and South Dakota.
Mountain States ‑‑ comprises the states of Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico (Diocese of Rio Grande), Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.
Pacific ‑‑ comprises the states of Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Alaska and Hawaii.
European ‑‑ at present (Fall 1977) any European chapter shall be in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Canadian chapters shall relate to the closest USA region, until there are sufficient numbers for a separate region.
WESNER RESIGNATION LETTER
Dear Friends,
Effective at Integrity's national officers meeting in Chicago, April 7-9, 1978, 1 shall resign as President of Integrity/National. At that time I shall have served on the national level for two years ‑‑ first as coordinator of our presence and witness at the 1976 General Convention and then soon after as president. It was my intention, at this past National Integrity convention in Philadelphia to serve until 1979. But my intention has since changed. I am tired and want now to look for work which will pay me a salary and which will not require my being as visible a public person as I have been. In short, quixotic as it may sound, I want to seek the normal life. My version of the normal life is one in which I can regard my sexuality as a healthy part of a healthy life, not as the singularly most important aspect of me.
For three years I have been willing to share with the Church the struggles, agonies, joys, and tears of being a gay person, priest and Christian. My strength as a spokesperson for Integrity and the gay movement has been my willingness to be candid and share on a far more intimate level the personal issues of this struggle than most people are called to. I feel that I have done a faithful and honest ministry. This has cost me and I have been willing to bear the cost.
Three years ago I came out of the closet. (Some described it "as a champagne cork.") As an interpreter of this experience I have chosen to stay at the closet door and to describe that process over and over again. At the same time I have continued to grow and move beyond the closet door. Now I wish to honor that movement and discover where I am, not only related to my gayness (which I still regard as a gift) but to the other facets of my life.
For three years I have been unemployed in the traditional sense of the word. During 1976 I earned such little money that my combined federal and state income tax was $70.00. I have no strong urgency to give to the government more than that, but I would at least relish the opportunity. I want to earn a salary appropriate to a 39 year old, well educated person. I have few regrets about my past financial situation, but greater hopes for my future.
Integrity has grown during my presidency and I feel very good about that. The Church on a national level has recognized that ours is a voice which must be heard. At times we have wondered about this, but nevertheless we are being heard, listened to, and conversed with. The conversations will continue, the ministry will go on, but with different leadership.
I have some hopes for Integrity/National which I want to share with you.
With more than forty chapters around the country, Germany, and Canada we have grown to the point where regional representation is essential. The president can no longer supervise the development of new chapters and the relationship with established chapters from a single office. There are too many peripheral, local issues, for one person to coordinate these effectively. Steps are already underway to elect representatives from eight regions. This process must continue.
The national office must be funded by the local chapters and members. In one way (I hope only one) I have served Integrity very poorly. I have been willing to serve at full-time with no salary or remuneration. I doubt that anyone else would be willing to take over this office without a minimum salary of $12,000.00. The money is available and must be raised. A campaign is currently underway to raise that money and it must be supported on all levels within the organization.
One of the most difficult issues in raising money is that the established chapters generally have little need for assistance from a national office. The new chapters, isolated individuals and the Church at large need very much to have a national office but they are not able (or willing) to offer financial support. The chapters which need us the least are the chapters which must provide the greatest amount of financial support.
Our presence and witness at the next General Convention are crucial if decisions to be made there are intelligent and informed. Organizing for that convention will cost at least $4,000.00.
The Forum continues to be an excellent medium but it needs much more funding and support. The editorship of that newspaper requires at least a half-time commitment. Louie Crew and Bill Doubleday have given sacrificially of their time and energy so that it continues to be edited with professional quality. Bill is not paid to do this. He too needs our financial support.
Gay organizations throughout the country have not been famous for unity and singleness of purpose. Although Integrity has sometimes been threatened with divisiveness, it has never occurred to the degree of most other groups within the movement. Yet we need even more to commit ourselves to harmony and concord which will transcend local perspectives.
And finally, we need more and more people to come out of the closet. A recent poll in California showed that non-gay people who knew gay people personally were much more supportive of the goals of gay liberation than were those who thought they knew no gay people at all. The figures were 70%/30%. A friend recently said that "coming out is simple. It's the thinking about it that is so damned hard." Too many of you have spent too much effort thinking about coming out, and too few of you have done much about it.
I am glad for everything I have experienced in the past three years. This time has been an invaluable gift. I thank you for letting me share this time with you. I want to acknowledge the loving and courageous support which you have offered. Without it we would not be where we are today.
It is time for me to move on and I ask your support for me and for John Lawrence, Donn Mitchell, Ray Conti, Bill Doubleday and David Williams, faithful workers who continue to give sacrificially of their time and energies. Please keep in touch.
I love you,
Ron
A MESSAGE FROM OUR NEW PRES.
Brothers and Sisters of Integrity:
No one was more surprised or sorry to learn of Ron Wesner's resignation as Integrity's President than I. Ron has served Integrity faithfully and well for several years. His commitment of time, energy and spirit has led to new and consistent growth for our organization. There are not enough words to express thanks to him for his tireless efforts.
I have thought at length, with mixed emotions, about succeeding to the Presidency and undertaking the responsibilities and tasks at hand. Clearly this is not an optimum time to completely change leadership, so with a spirit of cooperation, Donn Mitchell, Ray Conti and I have decided to continue in leadership roles for the remainder of our terms which run until 1979.
I intend to invoke some changes in the governance of the organization based on necessity and realism. Integrity/National cannot be all things to all people. We cannot do everything that needs to be done and do it all well. We must be always aware of our immense potential, but also recognize our limitations.
I, with my more than full-time job in the secular world and with active involvement in other organizations, cannot be a 60 hour per week President of Integrity. I believe it would be a rare person, as Ron has been, who could make a full-time commitment to Integrity for little or no salary on an indefinite basis. I also will be unable to travel as extensively as Ron did. Such financial commitments to salaries and travel would require a large treasure chest of resources we do not have. With limited resources, we must carefully prioritize expenditures. This is especially necessary since our financial status is not likely to rapidly improve.
Mine will be a participatory Presidency. We needed a Ron Wesner to pull Integrity together, to establish a foundation of strength, and to make us publicly visible on a large scale. Ron accomplished those goals to a substantial degree. Now is a time to decentralize; to delegate responsibilities to others and create a larger, working group of people from various parts of the country. With more people involved, the tasks will be made easier and the work will be spread around. As a benefit of such a system, I believe we can achieve a greater sense of cohesiveness and unity of purpose. We will be able to know and support each other better. The election of regional representatives, a process already underway, is the first step in this direction.
We must also prioritize our goals and objectives. A concentration of our energies is needed. Each chapter and each member must keep in mind the purposes of Integrity. Being a voice and an advocate for gay people with the hierarchy of the Church is one of those purposes. Sometimes the benefits are not very tangible to members and chapters, but with greater communication perhaps we can better demonstrate their usefulness.
I have three major objectives for the remainder of my term. The first is a commitment to a powerful and positive presence at General Convention in 1979. Much preparation and coordination will be required if we are to be even moderately successful there. I hope that our efforts will not be confined to beating back negative resolutions. There are obstacles to be faced, but we should strive to achieve progress towards our goal of full and equal participation for gay people in every aspect of the life of the Episcopal Church. In large measure a successful program will depend upon educating the delegates and reaching the rank and file laypeople of the Church. We must convey to them that we, too, are the Church.
Secondly, it is essential that we have as a major concern the financial stability of Integrity/National. At present, our fiscal status is grim. Donn Mitchell has organized a fund raising program in which we are asking all of the chapters to participate. We need the support of all of our chapters on a regular basis. What is clear is that we must have some steady sources of revenue. It would be heartening if each chapter and each member would initiate a program of stewardship in support of Integrity/National. There is a bottom line level of funding required to operate any organization and we are already below that line. New income must be forthcoming! Our effectiveness depends on that possibility!
Thirdly, it is essential that we continue to foster Integrity's growth by establishing new chapters, assisting weak ones to survive, and in developing larger, more stable, chapters to their maximum potential. The concerns and needs of chapters vary immensely, but we share certain objectives in common. There are certain roles which the National organization can fulfill which will benefit all. The common ground must be clarified, the rules need to be defined, and a dialogue established to maximize communication and complementary functioning between Integrity/National and Integrity chapters.
I would appreciate hearing your suggestions, comments, and ideas. I would also like to hear your complaints, but only in a constructive context. I believe we should only talk about problems and difficulties in terms of solutions. One reason I assumed the Presidency is to provide continuity and a measure of stability between now and when we face the challenge of General Convention in Denver. We can ill afford the luxury of internal turmoil in the coming year. I hope that a sense of cooperation and trust will continue to develop which will enable us to work together in harmony and unity, not always without disagreement, but always in a spirit of Christian love. If we don't care for and nurture ourselves and each other, it is apparent that no one else will. Such nurturance and peer support is a primary purpose for Integrity's existence.
In this spirit, I ask your support and prayers, and a commitment to the whole of Integrity ‑‑ as an individual member, or as a participant in a local chapter, but also as a vital part of a hopefully viable and effective national organization.
‑‑ John C. Lawrence
President
A PASTORAL LETTER TO OUR CHURCH FROM INTEGRITY/TWIN CITIES
January 1978
Grace to you, and peace as brothers and sisters in Christ.
We write to you inviting your reflection and response, in light of the Pastoral Letter from the House of Bishops, October 1977.
We, too, are deeply aware of the presence of hurt and anger within our Church at this time. We are also aware of the fear which accompanies change and uncertainty ... especially in regard to the human expressions of sexuality. We do recognize and understand this fear, which many of the Bishops and members of the Church are now experiencing, and are saddened that it separates us from one another.
We would wish, rather, to relate to you in an atmosphere of dialogue ... and on which is inclusive of our mutual uncertainties, and our mutual talents and strengths. We see no need to relate to one another as fearful enemies.
We acclaim with you our common experience:
• Our struggle for identity, affirmation, and commitment;
• Our baptism into the Body of Christ;
• Our eucharistic prayer;
• Our sexuality as a gift for the expression of love; and
• Our ministry into all areas of human endeavor.
Our mutuality with you is shared in these holy ways.
We acknowledge also the importance of the Community of the Faithful, as God's visible family in which we share these mutual strengths. We believe that we are called to relate to one another in ways that are respectful of individual character and uniqueness.
Throughout the more than two years of our organization, we have responded to the call of our ministry:
• To love God, ourselves, and our neighbor;
• To reach out to brother and sister gay and lesbian people;
• To respect and work for the Kingdom of God in the Church and in Society.
We now invite you to rejoice in this Ministry with us.
We invite you to dialogue and share our strengths as part of God's divine plan. As we are present with you at the Sunday Liturgy in our home parishes, we now invite you to our Eucharistic celebrations as brothers and sisters. We further invite you to join us in our "daily ministries" as community members and leaders in business, arts, government, labor, social services; and finally, we invite you to join with us in our "parish ministries" as clergy, vestry members, Christian educators and committee members.
We are concerned that to dialogue with each other only on the basis of sexuality tends to fortify those mutually limiting and exclusive stereotypes of "them" and "us." We are willing to speak from the perspective of our experience, and to work with you in areas of ministry within the Church which are focused outside the concerns of "sexuality." We have strengths from our personal, professional and spiritual lives that would enhance shared efforts in departments of finance, Christian education and planning (among others). We also have that common ground on which to know one another respectfully as members of such groups as the Episcopal Community Center, the Diocesan Council, Episcopal Church Women, the Brotherhood of St. Andrew, and the Cursillo Community to name a few. Our need is not to be "ministered to," but rather we want to acknowledge and extend our ministry with you.
We respect the differences of opinion now existing within the Body of Christ regarding human sexuality; but we also believe that the ministry of the Spirit involves a calling to task, a release of uncomfortable feelings, and an accountability to the whole of Christ's community. We respect our own strengths and invite you to share with us as God's Holy people.
NOMINATIONS SOUGHT FOR VICE-PRESIDENT
As a result of Ron Wesner's resignation and John Lawrence's assumption of the office of President, there now exists a vacancy in the office of Vice President. Constitutionally it is the President's responsibility to fill such a vacancy by appointment for the unexpired term. John Lawrence has decided to leave the office vacant until the Twin Cities Convention, at which time an "advisory" election will be held. Lawrence will then appoint the person selected by the convention to serve as Vice President until the next scheduled elections at the 1979 Integrity Convention.
If you wish to nominate yourself or another individual, please forward your nominations to John Lawrence at 10 Mercier Av, Dorchester, MA 02124. Please include a short autobiographical or biographical statement and a short position statement if you wish to submit one. Nominations will close May 15, 1978, and the nominees will appear in a forthcoming issue of Integrity Forum prior to the convention. If you nominate an individual other than yourself, please ascertain that she/he is willing to serve if elected.
LET'S LEAVE "THE WITTENBURG DOOR" CLOSED!
The October-November 1977 issue of The Wittenburg Door, the Evangelical satire magazine, is entitled: "Behind Closet Doors ‑‑ The Door Looks at Homosexuality." The magazine includes interviews with the Rev. Malcolm Boyd and Anita Bryant. The issue is heavily unbalanced in the direction of an anti-gay perspective and some of the humorous material is down-right offensive. Included in the magazine is a "Homosexual Aptitude Test." Here are two sample questions:
#2. You are a male and discover you are seated on an airplane next to a male homosexual. What do you say?
a. "I'll give you thirty minutes to take your hand off my knee!" b. Anything (as long as you say it with a deep voice).
c. "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life."
d. "God loves you and has a wonderful man for your life."
e. "God loves you and has a wonderful man for your wife."
#6. Which of these verses might indicate that homosexuality is scriptural?
a. James 2:3 "Have respect to him that weareth gay clothing."
b. Luke 12:2 "That which ye have spoken in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops."
c. Rev. 18:7 "I sit here a queen ... and shall see no sorrow."
d. Song of Solomon 7:13 "At our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits, new and old."
e. Ecc. 1:15 "That which is crooked cannot be made straight."
We may laugh at such treatment, but it is really far from funny.
The homophobia which is rampant in The Wittenburg Door needs and deserves our prayers for redemption. ‑‑W.A.D
D.C. CHAPTER VISITS, OFFERS SPEAKERS' BUREAU
Around the country, Integrity chapters are reaching out to parishes and clergy in a variety of ways. Several chapters have undertaken parish visitation programs with varying degrees of success and strain. Several offer the services of speakers bureaus which service parish and community groups. Wayne Fortunato-Schwandt, the Convenor of Integrity/Washington sent a letter to all of the Episcopal priests in the Washington, D.C., area outlining many of the issues and programs involved in offering better ministerial services to gay people. The letter is reproduced here as an example of what other chapters or other gay groups can be doing by way of education and outreach:
How to minister more effectively to its homosexual members has been called "the next major challenge of the Episcopal Church." We are writing to bring to your attention an organization that can help you in this ministry: Integrity, a non-profit religious, educational, and literary organization of gay Episcopalians and their friends.
Several recent events point to a general probing of the Church's traditional position on homosexuality: General Convention's passage of three important resolutions pertaining to homosexual people last Fall; the gathering of diocesan and national commissions to study human sexuality; and some recent actions which focussed the Church's attention on the issues of ordaining homosexual persons and sanctioning stable relationships between them. These specific activities as well as a gradual opening up of discussion on this matter indicate a growing consensus that the Church's approach to homosexuality needs to be more pastoral.
With the emergence from secrecy of many members.of the gay Christian community, and the growing awareness among human rights workers of the myriad unmet needs and oppression of gay people in our society, the Church is beginning to embrace its call to truly minister to homosexual people, not simply to respond from afar to a theoretical minority about which certain assumptions can be made and moral conclusions drawn. Ultimately, the Church must help the pastor answer questions like:
• How do I help a constitutionally homosexual parishioner live out his or her life in a way that is consonant with Christ's teachings?
• In light of all we know about homosexuality ‑‑ historically, sociologically, psychologically, and theologically ‑‑ how can a minister help a gay person perceive God's will and become who God intends him or her to be?
• How can we help the Christian community achieve a more loving and understanding attitude toward its homosexual sisters and brothers (i.e., how do we mitigate the paranoid fear and violent hatred toward homosexual people which still runs rampant in American society)?
These are not easy challenges; there will be no overnight solutions. The exploratory journey on which the Church is embarking will unquestionably be a long one. To begin with, there is a tremendous volume of data to be collected and scrutinized. Beyond that, the impact of such data on systematic, scriptural and moral theology will need to be carefully assessed. Finally, there will be educational materials to develop and disseminate. An overarching concern must be to ensure that the Church is not left behind. Dealing with such a delicate subject area will require great sensitivity and patience; at the end of the journey. we must still be a unified church.
What do you do in the meantime? It is here that Integrity can help. We offer a multi-faceted program that can provide you with many kinds of resources:
A Support Group. We meet twice monthly for a business meeting, fellowship and worship. We are also beginning to organize discussion and encounter groups. So often, simply meeting other gay people in a church-related setting gives an emerging homosexual Christian a greatly needed sense of well-being and "belonging." We also sponsor social events and plan community service activities which provide our members with opportunities to minister as a group.
Counselling. We have within our group several people with credentials in pastoral counselling. If you feel you could use assistance with counseling in this area, we can provide that resource. If an individual is seeking the help of a professional psychotherapist, we are also in close contact with several psychologists and psychiatrists who have dealt extensively with the issues confronting homosexual people.
Education. Few ministers have at their disposal good media resources about homosexuality. What could you give a parishioner to read who was just beginning to grapple with the possibility that he or she was homosexual? Or to a heterosexual parishioner whom you perceived to need some basic data on the subject? We have methodically collected a wide assortment of appropriate materials which could be of great use to you in your ministry. We would be glad to share them with you. What is more, several people in our group have done extensive public speaking and have also put together workshops on homosexuality and other related issues. If a committee or study group in your parish has raised the question of homosexuality and wants to deal with it more fully, we would be pleased to come speak with them. A more extensive endeavor along the lines of a Saturday or weekend workshop is also within our capability.
Enclosed is a poster about us. Putting it up somewhere in your building may open a door to someone who is too frightened to reach out in any other way. If you would like more information about us or can use our assistance in any way, please feel free to call or write me at the address and telephone number listed above.
Sincerely,
Wayne Fortunato-Schwandt
Convenor
UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH'S REPORT
ON HOMOSEXUALITY AND ORDINATION
Now Available from Integrity's National Office
3601 Locust Walk
Philadelphia, PA 19104
This is an excellent study manual and is highly recommended to our chapters and members ‑‑ not only for our own use, but also for distribution to those who are not yet convinced.
$2.50 Post Paid
EDITORIAL
As Editor of Integrity Forum, I regularly wrestle with the questions: What is Integrity Forum? What are we trying to accomplish with it? Who is our readership? What does our readership want from us?
The answers to these questions are not easy ones. There are diverse constituencies in Integrity. Long-time Episcopalians and individuals who have come into the Church only recently through Integrity. Clergy and lay people, men and women, gays and non-gays. Radicals, moderates, and traditionalists. Revolutionaries and conservatives.
There are diverse readers of Integrity Forum. Committed members of Integrity. Bishops and other church people searching for answers to the gay "question." Anti-gay clergy and journalists looking for something more to hold against us. Friends of yours and friends of mine. We are a very mixed bag.
As Editor I have tried to tread a middle ground. I have endeavored to turn out a product which could speak to many constituencies, without offending too many or leaving too many people out. I suppose the models which I have had in mind have been The Episcopalian, The Living Church, The Witness, and Dignity's excellent Insight. I have hoped that we might speak both to one another and to the Church. I am not certain that we, or I, have succeeded in doing either.
Each time we gain a new member (and thus a subscriber), we seem to also watch as another old member lapses. While the feed-back from non-gay clergy, diocesan sexuality commission members, long-time readers of The Living Church, and some of the less radical gays has been generally positive, I have also heard a great deal of negative feeling and criticism about the Integrity Forum under my Editorship.
I have been told: "It's boring!" "It's too academic!" "It lacks any kind to heart!" "I would never bother to read it now!" "You write for a straight audience!" "It's not GAY enough!" "Louie Crew's Forum was much better!" etc., etc.!
I am sincerely asking the question, what do you readers want from Integrity Forum? What are you pleased with? What do you want changed? I am sincerely asking whether there may be another editor who might express what you are looking for. This is not sour grapes from a tired volunteer, but a genuine concern that Integrity Forum should be of service to you, responsible and responsible to your needs ‑‑ YOU -- the readership and membership to Integrity. Please let me hear from you about these concerns.
‑‑W. A. Doubleday
BOOK REVIEW
The Sexual Outlaw by John Rechy. New York: Grove Press, 1977
"The most grotesque ‑‑ heavily rationalized ‑‑ reflection of the heterosexual world's hatred of the gay is the proliferation of sadomasochism. This proliferation is the major internal threat to gay freedom, comparable only in destructiveness to the impact of repressive laws and persecution by cops. The basis of both is the same: self-hatred. Gay S&M is the straight world's most despicable legacy."
In what is one of the most powerful parts of his book Rechy takes on Gay S&M, the deliberate acting out of violence and humiliation and the infliction of pain in Gay sexual relationships. Any moderately aware observer of the Gay scene within recent years cannot have failed to notice that there has been a proliferation of Gay S&M. It is being talked about more, written about more, and filmed more, and thriving businesses have sprung up whose stock in trade are the tools, toys, costumes, and how-to-do-it manuals of sadomasochism. In addition there has been a proliferation of apologists for S&M as well. These tell us that S&M simply is art imitating nature, the eternal conflict of the weak against the strong; or that there is no real hatred or pain involved, but rather a new dimension of love and pleasure which transcends apparent violence, or again that the S&M fantasy helps people act out their destructive impulses in a controlled, nondestructive way. Rechy refutes these arguments one by one. What is desirable, he asks, about imitating that which is cruel and destructive in nature? What is honest (or redemptive) about inverting terms and denying the obvious? Why should Gay people wish to sublimate their anger in the first place, and why should they act it out against one another, rather than against those who oppress and do violence to them in the non-Gay world?
It is this last question which lies at the heart of Rechy's attack, and which serves to focus our attention on what is really wrong with much Gay S&M as commonly experienced. For it is probably true that S&M fantasy may serve as a "safe" way of expressing anger and destructive impulses. But "safe" must be put in quotation marks, precisely because so often S&M is physically unsafe and emotionally unhealthy. The fantasies, as Rechy points out, incorporate every hateful and oppressive and degrading symbol and action from the traditional treatment of Gay people: the brutal policeman, the swaggering Nazi, the hooded executioner, the whip, the chain, the pincers, the fire, the contemptuous name. And in Gay S&M, Gay people (or more precisely Gay men) recreate these horrors, using their brothers as victims. To argue that consent is given is beside the point. What is important is that violence and oppression are ritualized, and consciously affirmed as appropriate responses to another person's Gayness. What is also important is that the traditional oppressors and perpetuators of violence are not confronted and resisted; they are accorded that sincerest form of flattery, imitation. Rechy suggests that this sort of S&M fantasy is wrong morally, wrong politically, wrong emotionally ‑‑ and it would be difficult to refute him.
But ... even here there is ambivalence. In one of the sexual encounters of the book, he writes, "Jim feels the powerful rush of wayward excitement triggered disturbingly; the excitement aroused by another's total submission, implied." And speaking in his proper person, "I am not a stranger to the world of violent sexual power ... I have worn the leather costume, have felt the surge of humiliating another ... And I still feel the great rush when another submits. But I want to explore thoroughly what is really at play; and knowing that much of what is called S&M is not, to separate and differentiate between the feeling of power implicit in virtually all sex relations, and the substitution of sex for pain, the humiliation of real S&M ‑‑ to purge myself, because of my very real self-love, of the need for externalized hatred and contempt, thrust onto another."
Here Rechy suggests that there may be something else at play in S&M fantasy, or perhaps that there may be another kind of S&M fantasy which still lies little explored. That is a fantasy which involves not violence and humiliation and self-hatred, but rather the experience and enjoyment of power; not the need to displace anger because one feels powerless to express it, but the need to explore responsibly the power which is implicit in loving and being loved. Though he would probably be the last to admit it and they would likely be the last to suggest it, Christians might have some useful insights to offer here ... insights which might serve to counterbalance in some constructive way the contributions which Christians have made in the past to the tools, toys, costumes, and how-to-do-it manuals of Gay oppression.
For central to the Christian story lies the experience of a love so great that it was willing to surrender absolutely, and go to the farthest experience of humiliation and pain for the sake of the Beloved; and on the flip side of the record, there is the experience/revelation of an omnipotence which limited and controlled itself, which knew frustration and disappointment because it loved and did not give up but was strong and patient and pursuing until it had accomplished its will and vindicated its power. Somewhere in that myth, however uncomfortable it may be for John Rechy and for John and Mary Christian to admit it, there is a paradigm of an S&M fantasy, one which does not have to do with pain and violence per se, but with love and surrender and endurance. Rechy sees Gay SM as a threat to Gay liberation and wishes to eliminate it. But as he himself admits, that would be to destroy a part of himself, and perhaps of every person. A more radical solution to the threat of Gay SM might be to redeem it; that seems a fitting challenge for a liberated Gay Christian.
To sum up, Rechy's Sexual Outlaw is a book which asks disturbing questions, and suggests some equally disturbing answers to them. The questions are not abstract; they arise in the midst of an intense, compulsive, sweaty, groaning sex hunt, and they are very basic questions about human sexuality, politics, morality, and a host of other matters. They are the same questions which arose in the midst of drunkards and lepers and harlots, tax collectors, fishermen, and thieves long centuries ago. One man loved greatly enough to live the answers to these questions; we who claim to be his friends and who call him Lord can dare do no less.
‑‑R. G. Younge
Reprinted from SFI, the newsletter of Integrity/San Francisco.
AN APOLOGY
It is with regret that I note that the combined December-January issue of Integrity Forum did not emerge until early March. I hope that this combined February-March issue may get us back on schedule. A combination of factors ‑‑ illness of editorial and publishing staffs, blizzards, dependency on volunteer typesetters, logistical problems in having the editor in Boston and the layout editor, typesetter, and publisher in Chicago, and a collection of other problems ‑‑ seemed to block our progress whenever we were about to get back on track. Fortunately our chapters have been getting some communications from the national office, but I especially apologize to individual members who may have felt abandoned.
The format which we adopted last June for the Integrity Forum has involved a more complicated publication process. I am currently considering the possibility of revising our organizational publications. We might consider adopting a monthly xeroxed letter to all members and put Integrity Forum on a quarterly schedule. This is what Dignity does with their publications. Thereby we might maintain the possibilities and quality of a typeset professional publication, but also expedite regular communication. I shall be asking the National Executive Committee to consider this possibility in early April. I shall also be asking them to consider whether it continues lo be feasible to have the Editor and the Publisher separated by a thousand miles. Some sort of staff changes may be in order. Please bear with us and keep us and Integrity Forum in your prayers.
‑‑W.A. Doubleday, Editor
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If you are interested in starting an Integrity chapter in your area, contact our President, Rev'd Ron Wesner, Integrity, Inc. 3601 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104 Telephone 215/386-5430, if no answer 215/619-1309.