Keeping the faith: after years of being left behind by most organized religions, many gays and lesbians are fighting to reclaim their deeply held beliefs.When Jason Warner Jason Warner is a 22 year old hardware store worker who won a World Series of Poker bracelet in the 2007 $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em short handed. Warner does not like playing poker online, preferring to play at the River Rock Casino near Vancouver. , now 29, began his freshman year at Lee University--a liberal arts liberal arts, term originally used to designate the arts or studies suited to freemen. It was applied in the Middle Ages to seven branches of learning, the trivium of grammar, logic, and rhetoric, and the quadrivium of arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music. school in Tennessee owned by the Church of God--he had not yet told his parents he was gay. After all, they'd raised him in a very rigid Pentecostal world where homosexuality was said to condemn a person to hell. Warner readily suppressed his attraction to men. He was touring with Christian rock Christian rock (occasionally abbreviated CR) is a form of rock music played by bands whose members are Christian and who often focus the lyrics on matters concerned with the Christian faith. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands. groups across the country, and he dreamed of being a solo artist. But after his first year of college Warner tired of living two lives and worked up the nerve to come out to his bandmates. "They looked at me as a completely different person from the moment that I told them the truth," he says. "I was invited to get out of the band real quick." What could have been a devastating dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. moment instead placed Warner on his own religious quest to make peace with the fact that he was a gay man raised in a conservative faith that shunned his lifestyle. He attended a service at the Sunshine Cathedral in Fort Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale (lô`dərdāl), residential, commercial, and resort city (1990 pop. 149,377), seat of Broward co., SE Fla., on the Atlantic coast; settled around a fort built (c.1837) in the Seminole War, inc. 1911. , Fla., one of the first churches in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. founded for the express purpose of ministering to gay men and lesbians. He reread Verb 1. reread - read anew; read again; "He re-read her letters to him" read - interpret something that is written or printed; "read the advertisement"; "Have you read Salman Rushdie?" the Bible, poring over Old and New Testament verses that mention homosexuality. "So much of what we believe, especially in the Christian faith, is because it's what we've been taught, and it's not because of what we've personally searched for," says Warner, who met deMarco DeCiccio in 2001 and formed the successful Christian music Christian music is music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding the Christian life, as well as (in terms of contemporary music) to give a Christian alternative to main stream secular music. duo Jason & deMarco. The pair, who are also a committed couple, preach religious tolerance for gay men and lesbians wherever they appear. "When you get into the actual facts of the Bible and you start showing Christians, it starts opening their eyes and they start realizing they haven't researched it." DeMarco, who goes by only his first name, was raised Catholic (he describes Catholicism as a culture and a religion), though his family attended services only a few times a year, not daily like some devout Catholics. "Ever since I was a little kid I had a relationship with God. I always knew there was someone up there governing our lives," he says. "I truly believe, growing up, if I had gone to the priest and said 'I'm gay,' he'd have probably said, 'Let's ask for forgiveness, and just keep it to yourself.' I don't think they would have gone to the extent that Jason's religion did." He adds, "I didn't even know what I was struggling with was being gay. There was not any kind of outlet for gay people. I came out in 1999, then moved to Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , and all of a sudden I fit in somewhere." Like Warner and deMarco, a growing number of gay men and lesbians are returning to religion after many years outside the fold. For many, who never gave up their faith but stopped going to services, it's been a lengthy spiritual quest that is becoming easier with more and more churches welcoming their presence. The trend is especially pronounced in Christian faiths, many of which are working to address the needs and roles of their gay and lesbian members--especially as the same-sex marriage Noun 1. same-sex marriage - two people of the same sex who live together as a family; "the legal status of same-sex marriages has been hotly debated" couple, twosome, duet, duo - a pair who associate with one another; "the engaged couple"; "an inseparable debate rages. Even some of the most faithful and conservative members, it seems, are now coming out in support of gay congregants. "Churches and other religious institutions are simply reacting to what is happening in the larger culture," says J. Terry Todd, professor of American religious studies at Drew University in Madison, N.J. "In a sense, they should have acted sooner, particularly when lesbian and gay visibility is so high." Still, gay and lesbian Christians have a long way to go to convince a majority of Christians that they belong. A little over half of all adults in the United States still believe gay men and lesbians are living in sin. That belief is held by a startling star·tle v. star·tled, star·tling, star·tles v.tr. 1. To cause to make a quick involuntary movement or start. 2. To alarm, frighten, or surprise suddenly. See Synonyms at frighten. 76% of those who describe themselves as religious, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a November 2003 survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. The same survey finds 39% of respondents claiming that homosexuality is spoken of in a negative context when mentioned in their church. Americans are even more at odds with the idea of allowing gay men and lesbians to marry, especially in a religious ceremony. Nearly two thirds oppose legalizing marriage for gay people, according to the Pew survey. "People have a high moral objection to homosexual behavior but feel committed to civil rights for homosexuals, and they are increasingly comfortable with people who are identified as homosexuals," says Luis Lugo, director of the Pew Forum. "But when it comes to civil unions and, particularly, gay marriage, a lot of hesitation clearly exists among religious respondents." Last August, in a 12-page set of guidelines approved by the pope, the Roman Catholic Church Roman Catholic Church, Christian church headed by the pope, the bishop of Rome (see papacy and Peter, Saint). Its commonest title in official use is Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. said it had a "moral duty" to oppose gay marriage, which it termed "deviant," and deemed homosexual acts "against the natural moral law." The Vatican further vilified homosexuals who adopt children. Schisms have developed in other denominations as well. A number of congregations in the worldwide Anglican Communion Anglican Communion, the body of churches in all parts of the world that are in communion with the Church of England (see England, Church of). The communion is composed of regional churches, provinces, and separate dioceses bound together by mutual loyalty as and its U.S. branch, the Episcopal Church Episcopal Church, Anglican church of the United States. Its separate existence as an American ecclesiastical body with its own episcopate began in 1789. Doctrine and Organization , remain furious over the ordination of an openly gay man, V. Gene Robinson The Right Reverend Vicki Gene Robinson (born (May 29 1947) is the ninth bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America . , as Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire New Hampshire, one of the New England states of the NE United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts (S), Vermont, with the Connecticut R. forming the boundary (W), the Canadian province of Quebec (NW), and Maine and a short strip of the Atlantic Ocean (E). . And in a highly publicized battle this spring, openly lesbian Methodist minister Karen Dammann of Seattle went to trial to fight for her job after admitting to being in a committed relationship A committed relationship is an interpersonal relationship based upon a mutually agreed upon commitment to one another involving exclusivity, honesty, or some other agreed upon behavior. with a woman. Despite the difficulties of her case, ultimately decided in her favor, and the United Methodist Church's subsequent ruling to uphold its prohibition against the ordination of sexually active gays, Dammann remains hopeful that gays and lesbians can reconcile their sexuality with their religious beliefs. "I want to emphasize that people should trust their own experience of God and not what some conservative person who has a different interpretation says," she advises. "Trust your own experience of God and don't get discouraged." The religious strictures on homosexuality derive from both the Old and New Testaments, with about seven contexts in which homosexuality is mentioned, experts say. Three of them are dubious, they say, as the passages seem to refer to male prostitution Male prostitution is the sale of sexual services by a male prostitute (commonly called a "hustler" or "rentboy"; see below for other expressions) with either male or female clients. or foreign customs rather than homosexuality in particular. The two most extreme mentions occur in Leviticus. One warns men not "to lie with mankind as with womankind wom·an·kind n. Women considered as a group. womankind Noun all women considered as a group Noun 1. ." The second recommends death by stoning as punishment for the act. "Before people start quoting Leviticus [as justification for homophobia], they should read the rest of it," says John S. Spong, the former bishop of the diocese of Newark Diocese of Newark may refer to two different organizations:
Citings of the seven scriptures have led many gay and lesbian Christians to seek refuge in such groups as the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, a denomination founded by the Reverend Troy Perry in 1968. Counting about 42,000 congregants across the globe, UFMCC UFMCC Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches has a particular focus of ministering to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered transgendered adjective Relating to a person who has undergone genital/sexual reassignment surgery Transgender health issues Hormonal therapy, cosmetic surgery, fertility options–eg, egg and sperm banking. See Sexual reassignment. Cf Transsexual. people. Inclusion is also the stated goal of groups within other religious bodies, as Dignity USA (Catholic), Integrity (Episcopalian), and Congregation Beth Simchat Torah (Jewish). "These groups have been the reason why many LGBT LGBT Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender people have stayed connected or become connected again with their roots," says Mary Hunt Mary Hunt (1830-1906) became one of the most powerful women in the United States temperance movement promoting Prohibition of alcohol. As Superintendent of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union’s Department of Scientific Temperance Instruction she worked from the grass , a visiting scholar A visiting scholar, in the world of academia, is a scholar from an institution who visits a receiving university that hosts him where he or she is projected to teach (visiting professor), lecture (visiting lecturer), or perform research (visiting researcher at Harvard University Harvard University, mainly at Cambridge, Mass., including Harvard College, the oldest American college. Harvard College Harvard College, originally for men, was founded in 1636 with a grant from the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. and codirector of the Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics, and Ritual. Thirty years ago Louie Crew Louie Crew is an English professor emeritus at Rutgers University in Newark. He is best known for his long and increasingly successful campaign for the acceptance of gay and lesbian people by Christians in general, and the Episcopal Church in particular. , a founder of Integrity and now a professor emeritus of English at Rutgers University Rutgers University, main campus at New Brunswick, N.J.; land-grant and state supported; coeducational except for Douglass College; chartered 1766 as Queen's College, opened 1771. Campuses and Facilities Rutgers maintains three campuses. in Newark, N.J., had just entered a new gay relationship as he pursued a postdoctoral degree at the University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley is a public research university located in Berkeley, California, United States. Commonly referred to as UC Berkeley, Berkeley and Cal . He called Grace Cathedral Grace Cathedral can refer to:
For Crew, joining a gay denomination like UFMCC was not an option. He says he felt it was his mission to enlighten other Episcopalians about gays by remaining a part of the church that was ostracizing him. Crew acknowledges that this is no easy task and that it is certainly not for everyone who is religiously inclined. "I say people should not be part of a church that hates them unless they realize they are the church themselves, bringing the news to those who hate them," he says. "Otherwise you pick up on the hate yourself." Some nondenominational non·de·nom·i·na·tion·al adj. Not restricted to or associated with a religious denomination. Adj. 1. nondenominational - not restricted to a particular religious denomination; "a nondenominational church" groups, like Soulforce of Lynchburg, Va., are devoted to helping gays and lesbians realize that they serve valuable roles in their congregations. "We empower people to stand up against their own oppression," says Laura Montgomery Rutt, a Soulforce spokeswoman. "People telling their story--this is all part of the healing process that all has to take place to reconcile sexuality with religion, because religion has so demeaned gay and lesbian people for so long." In the case of Judaism, where various branches take different stands on homosexuality, Orthodox Jews have struggled to accept gay men and lesbians. "For the past 10 to 20 years there has been a much richer response from liberal Judaism This article covers the Jewish denomination of progressive synagogues in the United Kingdom. The term Liberal Judaism is also a synonym for Progressive Judaism. For information on the beliefs and practices of liberal Jews, please see Progressive Judaism. to this question," says Rabbi Steven Greenberg Steven Greenberg may refer to:
New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. and author of Wrestling With God & Men: Homosexuality in the Jewish Tradition. The return of gay men and lesbians to organized worship is not limited to Judeo-Christian faiths, says Faisal Alam Faisal Alam is a gay Pakistani American who founded the Al-Fatiha Foundation, an organization dedicated to advancing the cause of gay, lesbian, and transgender Muslims.[1] , the founder of Al-Fatiha Foundation The Al-Fatiha Foundation is an organization which advances the cause of gay, lesbian, and transgender Muslims. It was founded in 1998 by Faisal Alam, a Pakistani American, and is registered as a nonprofit organization in the United States. , a Washington, D.C.-based religious organization for gay and lesbian Muslims with about 1,500 members among 14 chapters in the United States and abroad. "They have found a way in their own lives to reconcile these two aspects--their sexuality and their faith--that they always thought [were incompatible], and because of that they are able to return to mainstream mosques and institutions and be comfortable going there." For the Reverend Gengetsu Jana Drakka--a priest at the San Francisco Zen Center San Francisco Zen Center (SFZC) is the largest Sōtō Zen temple and practice organization in the United States and possibly anywhere outside of Japan. SFZC is made up of three temples:
tr.v. daunt·ed, daunt·ing, daunts To abate the courage of; discourage. See Synonyms at dismay. [Middle English daunten, from Old French danter, from Latin task. The 51-year-old never quite found a place in her native Church of Scotland Church of Scotland Noun the established Presbyterian church in Scotland or in other faiths, such as Wicca. But about 15 years ago Drakka found Buddhism, studying first at the San Francisco Zen Center then at the Zen Buddhist Noun 1. Zen Buddhist - an adherent of the doctrines of Zen Buddhism Zen, Zen Buddhism - school of Mahayana Buddhism asserting that enlightenment can come through meditation and intuition rather than faith; China and Japan monastery in Tassajara, Calif. At the time no one around her identified as gay, but three years later, she says, about 25% did. The percentage of gay adherents at the San Francisco Zen Center is similar. "Sexuality is not a barrier at all here," she says. "No one has ever been turned away because of it." Acceptance of gays and lesbians by mainstream places of worship is still far from certain. Consider the union of Jennifer and Cheryl McKettrick. The Reverend Stephen Van Kuiken, a straight pastor at Mount Auburn Mount Auburn is the name of several places in the United States:
tr.v. or·dained, or·dain·ing, or·dains 1. a. To invest with ministerial or priestly authority; confer holy orders on. b. To authorize as a rabbi. 2. as leaders and deacons," says Jennifer, elaborating on her decision, along with her partner, Cheryl, to leave the Presbyterian Church and join a nondenominational house of worship Noun 1. house of worship - any building where congregations gather for prayer house of God, house of prayer, place of worship bethel - a house of worship (especially one for sailors) last year. "We are not happy being in the closet." New Yorkers Charles Allen III and Tod Roulette, who have been partners for about three years, have had a much more positive experience. They worship at St. Philip's, one of the oldest African-American Episcopal churches in the United States. The average age of the congregants is around 60, and they're mostly straight. Allen describes himself as a lifelong Episcopalian; Roulette says he shunned religion for a long time. Raised in a devoutly religious Pentecostal household in Kansas, Roulette was forced to leave home as a teen by his stepfather, who found out he was gay. "I was in high school and grappling with what I knew was my innate nature," Roulette says. "The church was telling me what was innate was a sin and it was demonic forces in my life, when I was just Tod." Through the urging of Allen, a former Connecticut state senator, they both found a spiritual home at St. Philip's and were to be joined in the first same sex holy union sanctioned both by the church board and the bishop of the diocese. But tragedy struck two weeks before the ceremony was scheduled to take place. Allen was diagnosed with life-threatening renal cancer and has been hospitalized since then, enduring nine surgeries in the interim. Faith and their church continue to support them, they say, as they go through this very difficult time together. Allen says that while the planned holy union ceremony was controversial within the church, his illness has changed opinions. "My continued illness and setbacks [may] make it impossible for me to do a commitment ceremony at all," Allen says. "But it has forced a lot of people [in the congregation] to think hard about their opposition, and I have had more than one person come up to me and say, 'I did not know what I thought about this, but now I realize you have to do it.'" COVER STORY RELATED ARTICLE: Singing for God and gays: what happens when two male Christian singers fall in love? If they're Jason & deMarco, they sing even better, Archbishop Bruce Simpson meets the gay couple who have created "spirit pop". If Queer as Folk' s Justin took up singing and fell in love with the Wallflowers' Jakob Dylan, the result might resemble gay Christian pop duo Jason & deMarco. Jason, 29, the Randy Harrison look-alike, says he answered God's call to minister through his music when he was still a child in Baltimore; in the 1990s he toured with Christian groups Truth and the Sound. That ended in 1998 when Jason came out as gay, although he has continued to include music from those groups in his solo projects. In 2001 he met fellow singer deMarco. But Jason declined to leave behind his ministry, a determination shared by deMarco, who grew up in an Italian-Canadian home singing songs he'd learned from the Roman Catholic nuns who schooled him. On their first date--July 4, 2001--Jason says, "we connected on a spiritual plane that was much deeper than sexual attraction." Three years later, Jason & deMarco (both use only their first names) are in the middle of their third national tour. Including stops at many Metropolitan Community Church locations, the open-ended tour will promote their second self-distributed CD, financed with donations solicited via their Web site. They call their music "spirit pop," a sound that blends melody and message to engage the soul and a phrase that gives their new album its title. "It's not Christian music," Jason says. "It's pop with a spiritual message. It has nothing to do with religion; it's about love, life, and the journey that we are all living. It's about one's own spirit." Advocate contributor Bruce Simpson, who also serves as archbishop of the Benedictine Order of St. John There are several orders of chivalry called the Order of Saint John, which claim as their origins the Knights Hospitaller Christian crusading order. These are the:
Simpson: Jason, what effect did your evangelical Christian background have on your music? Jason: I wouldn't be where I am today if it were not for the evangelical music. My Pentecostal background forms the foundation of my morals, spirituality, and ideals. I have always loved music that had a message that crosses over boundaries--it could be you singing to God or you singing to a loved one. Being from an evangelical background has also enabled me to understand the hardship people have when it comes to reconciling their sexuality with their spirituality. Tell me about that. Jason: I knew since I was a child that God had a plan for me, and when I realized that I might be gay I thought it was a ploy from Satan to prevent me from [pursuing my ministry]. I felt I needed to get past this thing and just fight it, and for years I lived that way. I finally realized that I couldn't fight it and accepted that this is who I am. I fell in love at 21 and realized then what being gay was all about and the purity of that love. When I was with [deMarco] I never felt any perverted per·vert·ed adj. 1. Deviating from what is considered normal or correct. 2. Of, relating to, or practicing sexual perversion. feelings or nasty feelings; I felt it was right. deMarco: I never had to reconcile my faith and my being gay because I never cared what the Catholic Church thought about my being gay. My relationship with God was not through the church but was very personal. Do you have any regrets over giving up your previous careers to work in this ministry with your life partner? Jason: It has been hardest for me in some ways because I created this ministry as a result of having been kicked out of a Christian singing group that I traveled with when they found out I was gay. Suddenly bringing a partner into [my ministry] was really difficult. I had to let go of total control. deMarco: I could never do this by myself; when we do this together, it's like having a piece of home with you wherever you go and it makes you feel safe. People have told us in e-mails and in person that separately we were good, but when we come together and sing we go to a whole different level. Jason: It's amazing how well we get along together. Is there a central message to your music? deMarco: Love. It is the most powerful thing that God can give to you and that we can give to each other. Jason: And first and foremost, that we can give to ourselves. If we can see ourselves as children of God as whole and complete with all of our faults--and, through our music, if others can see that they are still loved by God--then our message has gotten through. What effect do you hope your music will have on the GLBT GLBT Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered community, and especially on GLBT youth? deMarco: It's not just the music, it's who we are--we are an out couple who are singing pop music. We want to be an example to gay and lesbian youth that it is possible to be gay, out, and have a career; it's possible to be spiritual; it's possible to love yourself and be in a relationship and function within society. People come up to us after our concerts [and they're] filled with hope, and that's what we hope to share. Jason: I wish the gay community could realize that it isn't God coming against them but humankind coming against them on the gay issue. For more info on Jason & deMarco, including a link to their Web site, and to read Archbishop Simpson's advice and commentaries, go to ww.advocate.com. COVER STORY RELATED ARTICLE: How Christian are Christian churches? Gay and lesbian Christians have gained some acceptance in mainstream churches, but none of the largest denominations yet embraces gay lives fully. Here's a scorecard on some of the largest groups. Southern Baptist Members: 16,315,050 Churches: 43,024 Stand on gays: Being gay is considered an abomination, but gays can become members of the church as long as they realize they can change their sexual orientation sexual orientation n. The direction of one's sexual interest toward members of the same, opposite, or both sexes, especially a direction seen to be dictated by physiologic rather than sociologic forces. . As a Southern Baptist Convention Noun 1. Southern Baptist Convention - an association of Southern Baptists association - a formal organization of people or groups of people; "he joined the Modern Language Association" Southern Baptist - a member of the Southern Baptist Convention Web site says, "The term 'homosexual' must be viewed as a descriptive adjective, not a fixed noun that can never change." Stand on same-sex unions and gay clergy: Both are prohibited. Evangelical Lutheran Members: Approximately 5 million Churches: Approximately 11,000 Stand on gays: Welcomes gay and lesbian members. Stand on same-sex unions: No uniform policy on unions. Stand on gay clergy: Clergy are expected to refrain from any sexual relationship outside marriage. The church may consider whether sexually active gay clergy can be ordained in 2005. Support groups for gay people: Lutherans Concerned supports gay, lesbian, and transgendered Lutherans. Episcopalian (U.S. Anglican) Members: 2,320,221 Churches: 7,305 Stand on gays: The church is still wrestling with full inclusion of gays and lesbians in the denomination. In 1997 the church repented for its sins against gay and lesbian people. Stand on same-sex unions: A number of bishops implicitly allow the clergy of their diocese to bless same-sex unions, which church law allows. No diocese yet permits same-sex marriage. Stand on gay clergy: In 1994 the church passed a resolution saying gays and lesbians could be ordained into the clergy. A flurry of controversy resulted when V. Gene Robinson, who is openly gay and partnered, was named bishop of New Hampshire, splitting conservative and liberal dioceses. Support groups for gay people: Integrity is a nonprofit group of gays and lesbians and their supporters that focuses on making the church more inclusive. United Methodist Members: 8,249,579 Churches: 35,275 Stand on gays: Finds homosexuality to be incompatible with Christian teaching but welcomes all people to the church. Stand on same-sex unions: Prohibited, and clergy are not to perform unions. Stand on gay clergy: Sexually active gay clergy are not to be ordained, but that rule has recently been bent. Presbyterian Members: 2,405,311 Churches: 11,064 Stand on gays: "Persons who manifest homosexual behavior must be treated with the profound respect and pastoral tenderness due all people of God," according to the Web site. Stand on same-sex unions: "It is not proper for a minister to perform a same-sex union ceremony that the minister determines to be the same as a marriage ceremony. Similarly, a session should not allow the use of church facilities for such a ceremony," according to the Web site. Stand on gay clergy: Deacons, elders, or ministers are required to be single and celibate or be in a monogamous relationship with a member of the opposite sex. Roman Catholic Members: 66,407,105 Churches: 19,484 Stand on gays: In theory, welcomed into the church, but should be celibate. Out gays have recently been refused communion. Gay sex regarded as a sin. Stand on same-sex unions: Lobbying heavily in favor of antimarriage constitutional amendment; bans all same-sex union ceremonies. Stand on gay clergy: Clergy pledged to celibacy regardless of sexual orientation. Some bishops bar celibate gay clergy. Support groups for gay people: Dignity is the largest; local groups also active. Seventh-Day Adventist Members: Approximately 1 million Churches: 4,958 Stand on gays: Believes being gay is wrong but welcomes all people into the church. Stand on same-sex unions: Does not support same-sex unions of any kind; believes in only monogamous heterosexual unions. Stand on gay clergy: Prohibited. Jehovah's Witnesses Members: 1,029,652 Churches: 11,930 Stand on gays: May become Jehovah's Witnesses but must refrain from any sort of gay or lesbian sex. Stand on same-sex unions: Does not support same-sex unions of any sort. Stand on gay clergy: Prohibited. Reported by Steven Harbaugh. All statistics based on nationwide figures. Quittner has also written for The New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Times and Business Week. |
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