People of Faith for Equality in Virginia

President's Blog

Wednesday, 27 February 2013 23:54

The Supremes: What Love Has to Do With It

us-supreme-court It seems as if almost every week we have some significant development in the journey toward LGBT equality to report. This won’t go on forever, of course, but in truth these are good times to be engaged in the cause.

This week, there is an unusual (until now at least) item that shows promise for future gains—and is in itself a gain right now.

POFEV has joined Equality Virginia and equality organizations in 23 “red” states in support of an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief with the United States Supreme Court in two cases that soon will be argued before the justices. The cases are: Hollingsworth v. Perry (the Prop 8 Case from CA) and United States v. Windsor (the case involving the repeal of DOMA, the so-called Defense of Marriage Act). In this case, “red state” does not necessarily mean states that voted for Mitt Romney, but rather states where legislatures and other state leaders are hostile to LGBT equality and rights.

Our alliance across these states is an important antidote to the bigoted amici curiae briefs already filed with the Supreme Court: 16 states, including Virginia, joined the multi-state brief filed in support of DOMA in “Windsor.” Likewise, 20 states, again including Virginia, asked the Court to uphold Prop 8 in ”Perry.”

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A Week of Ups . . . and Downs

vacapitol Social movements, movements for real change, experience a lot of ups and downs. Our mission to change Virginia—to bring about real acceptance of and equality for LGBT Virginians—is no exception.

For instance, it was a real “up” to hear the power and variety of messages delivered in support of SB 701 (Sens. McEachin and Ebbin, to prohibit discrimination in state employment based on many things, including sexual orientation) by many good people on Tuesday at the meeting of the Professions/Occupations and Administrative Process Subcommittee of the General Laws Committee of the Virginia House of Delegates. Speakers included the Executive Vice President of VCU, faculty at several other institutions, a transgender student/activist, POFEV, EV, the AARP, etc. We were uniformly good and on point.

And it was a real “downer” to experience, yet again, the way the subcommittee summarily dismissed the bill, and us and all that we represent. Del. Todd Gilbert (R-Woodstock) persisted in his false claim that no one has ever testified about actual discrimination, and all his colleagues but one sat there silently and voted to “lay the bill on the table.”

But even there we had a bright spot. Del. Delores McQuinn (D-Richmond) spoke from personal experience of knowing how discrimination works and from knowing a lesbian professional (and neighbor and friend of Del. McQuinn’s) who left Virginia due to discrimination. Thus, she voted against the motion to table.

That was Tuesday. Thursday, things looked much better.

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Last Updated on Thursday, 21 February 2013 02:34

Sunday, 10 February 2013 14:41

Our Spiritual Work in the Public Square

Happy_Valentines I don’t know about you, but I am very glad to be alive at this time in the journey toward full equality for LGBT people—in Virginia and everywhere. The struggle is global and there is much to celebrate. How about the British House of Commons voting so strongly for marriage equality? I did not see that coming, so it was a joyous surprise.

Here in Virginia, we have good news, too!

This year, on February 14, people of faith and other friends of equality will gather at five courthouses to make a powerful witness for marriage for all in Virginia. That’s FIVE locations all around the Commonwealth—Arlington, Winchester, Charlottesville, Hampton, and Richmond (where it all began in 2004). Never before have we had more than three! Thanks to Kevin Clay and others at EV for helping to make this possible.

I am so proud of the couples who will march boldly forward and present their marriage license applications—and in more and more cases simply present a copy of their certificate of legal marriage from another jurisdiction—claiming the truth of their love and their clear demand that Virginia join a growing number of states, districts (like D.C.), and nations who recognize same-gender-loving families as every bit as genuine and worthy of respect as different-gender-loving families.

Family is family. Family comes in many different configurations. It’s time to welcome and support all our families.

interfaith_circle_symbols And for us, as people of faith, this struggle also involves religious freedom. That freedom, of course, includes people of no faith to be able to live their lives without having to follow the rules of any faith, AND it also includes the right of those of us of one faith not to have to live under the rules of another faith.

So many of us now practice our faith in traditions which recognize and celebrate same-gender-loving families. My own tradition of Metropolitan Community Churches led the way, but Unitarian Universalism, Reform Judaism, the United Church of Christ, and the Episcopal Church explicitly are now in this camp, and increasingly Conservative Judaism, the Presbyterians, Unity, and others are joining the fold. And even in other traditions, there are many leaders and members who are clear about their support.