A good friend of mine, Jimmy Creech, is now executive director of a group called Faith in America (http://www.faithinamerica.info/). His organization has been going into smaller US communities, particularly in the midwest, to put a face on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues. In addition to public events, they also run advertisements in local media in an attempt to remind folks of how religious bigotry has been used to suggest that women and African Americans are inferior, and that interracial couples should not be able to marry. In each case, scripture was used as a basis for the bigotry.
Faith in America recently held an event in Greenville, SC, where they were greeted by some sign-carrying “Christians”:
As the press release noted, these protesters were surprised by the number of straight allies who challenged them.
Also present at the event was a young woman, Erin Davies, who has been the victim of two recent attacks. The first was a defacement of her VW Bug. Instead of trying to repair the damage, she has allowed it to remain on the car, and is now taking the car to various events around the country. See her story at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLMR7Nre4x4.
I am thankful for the continued work of Jimmy Creech. If you don’t know his story, you need too; he lost his ordination in the United Methodist Church because of his refusal to treat LGBT Christians as second-class members of God’s beloved community. I still think of him as one of my pastors. Thank you, Jimmy.
I am also thankful for Erin. Her courage is empowering. As she says, her actions are holding up a mirror to the world. People cannot avert their eyes from overt homophobia directed at her – and so many others. Thank you, Erin.
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