Category: Gay

Same-Sex Weddings – Differing Opinions

Flashback to October 25, 2022, from the Ahwatukee Foothills News

Original article by By Jeff Grant and Eric Mungenast – Daily News-Sun and Tribune (read the entire article as a PDF)

Joe Connolly and Terry Pochert

….. Saying no to a couple has consequences beyond forcing them to look for another church. It can cause conflict within a couple who wants to be part of a faith community or house of worship. It may ultimately may result in them leaving, noted Terry Pochert, who married his husband, Joe Connolly, in California in 2008.

“When a church says ‘we don’t want you here,’ what you’re finding is mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers are no longer attending that church. In churches that are affirming (of same-sex couples), not just gay people are being welcomed but extended families are starting to come back to church,” Pochert said.

Pochert and Connelly filed suit, Connolly v. Roche, to have their out-of-state wedding recognized by Arizona. Their case, along with Majors v. Jeanes, led to U.S. District Court judge John Sedwick to rule against the state’s ban in October. The defendants in the Connolly case filed an appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in November 2014. …..

May 1, 2023
Arizona Men of Leather Help Support Mulligan’s Manor
Although donations come from all sorts of individuals, groups, and companies, it is always encouraging to know that even events at local social gatherings can collect much needed funds for Mulligan’s Manor.

Mulligan’s Manor is the Only LGBTQIA+ Non-Profit Group Home in Arizona. There are approximately 18,000 youth in the Child Protective Services system in Maricopa County, which means that likely there are hundreds of LGBTQ children in need of respectful housing. They are the only Non-Profit(501c3) LGBTQ home in AZ. They pride themselves on the fact that 98% of every dollar goes directly to helping our kids.

The Arizona Men of Leather (AML) raised $527 dollars for this worthy cause on April 22, 2023, during a festive bar night at the Anvil Bar in Phoenix. The event was called the Inquisition.

References:
April 24, 2023
Disparaged by the Republican Party?

There Is Hope

For those that may seem disparaged by the “Christian” White Nationalists and the Republican Party, please find a little solace in the song by Elton John and Rina Sawayama.

Lyrics:
Where do I belong?
Tell me your story and I’ll tell you mine
I’m all ears, take your time, we got all night
Show me the rivers crossed, the mountains scaled
Show me who made you walk all the way here

Settle down, put your bags down
(Ooh) You’re alright now

We don’t need to be related to relate
We don’t need to share genes or a surname
You are
You are
My chosen
Chosen family
So what if we don’t look the same?
We been going through the same thing
You are
You are
My chosen
Chosen family

Hand me a pen and I’ll rewrite the pain
When you’re ready, we’ll turn the page together
Open a bottle, it’s time we celebrate
Who you were, who you are
We’re one and the same, yeah, yeah

We don’t need to be related to relate
We don’t need to share genes or a surname
You are
You are
My chosen
Chosen family
So what if we don’t look the same?
We been going through the same thing
You are
You are
My chosen
Chosen family

I, I chose you
You chose me
I chose
(Chosen family)
I chose you
You chose me
We’re alright now

We don’t need to be related to relate
We don’t need to share genes or a surname
You are
You are
My chosen
Chosen family
So what if we don’t look the same?
We been going through the same thing
You are
You are
My chosen
Chosen family

We don’t need to be related to relate
We don’t need to share genes or a surname
You are
You are
My chosen
Chosen family
So what if we don’t look the same?
We been going through the same thing
You are
You are
My chosen
Chosen family

February 16, 2023
Christian Nationalists Hate this Book
Available from Amazon.com

If God Is Love, Don’t Be a Jerk: Finding a Faith That Makes Us Better Humans

Thou Shalt Not Be Horrible. – Imagine for a moment what the world might look like if we as people of faith, morality, and conscience actually aspired to this mantra.

What if we were fully burdened to create a world that was more loving and equitable than when we arrived?

What if we invited one another to share in wide-open, fearless, spiritual communities truly marked by compassion and interdependence?

What if we daily challenged ourselves to live a faith that simply made us better humans?

John Pavlovitz explores how we can embody this kinder kind of spirituality where we humbly examine our belief system to understand how it might compel us to act in less-than-loving ways toward others.

This simple phrase, “Thou Shalt Not Be Horrible,” could help us practice what we preach by creating a world where:
- spiritual community provides a sense of belonging where all people are received as we are;
- the most important question we ask of a religious belief is not Is it true? but rather, is it helpful?
- it is morally impossible to pledge complete allegiance to both Jesus and America simultaneously;
- the way we treat others is the most tangible and meaningful expression of our belief system.
In If God Is Love, Don’t Be a Jerk, John Pavlovitz examines the bedrock ideas of our religion: the existence of hell, the utility of prayer, the way we treat LGBTQ people, the value of anger, and other doctrines to help all of us take a good, honest look at how the beliefs we hold can shape our relationships with God and our fellow humans—and to make sure that love has the last, loudest word.
February 10, 2023
Learning about God’s love from hooking up by Brian G. Murphy

Pixaby

For too many of us, sex was something to be avoided or ashamed of (despite living in a culture telling us how much we should be having and how awesome it should be).

February 4, 2023