May 29, 2010 by Pastor Dan.

I know “criminals.” They are people who have been convicted of crimes. All of us break laws, but criminals are those who are caught.

I recently learned (where have I been?) what a RAP sheet is.  It is an acronym for Record of Arrests and Prosecutions. It is part of my continuing education about crime and justice, especially in light of our congregation’s emerging Mariposa Ministry, its outreach to prisoners and parolees. We have developed relationships with more than a dozen current and former inmates in California prisons. And this year we expect to help –spiritually and tangibly– at least three men who will be paroled in Los Angeles County.

So I know criminals. But what I also know is that many ordinary people, who break laws, are never arrested or prosecuted largely because of privilege or good luck. It is sad to admit that the world is not divided between “good” people and “bad” people, but between privileged and lucky people and under-privileged and un-lucky people.

Decades ago, when I was dating, it was still a crime for two persons of the same gender to have sexual relations. This was long before Lawrence v. Texas, and the sodomy laws in almost every state had the authority to put decent, upstanding people behind bars. I was one of the privileged and lucky ones. Knowing my gay brothers who are in prison, I realize I could have been in prison myself in the 1970s and 1980s, simply for being who I am.

But our entire world is still struggling to enlarge its understanding of human diversity and to stop using laws as a moral bludgeon to punish or destroy what it does not understand or does not want to see.

This spring, as we have watched the blunt force of African nations, specifically Uganda, trying to blame perceived social ills as a Western degradation, with a proposed death penalty for homosexual acts, I have been encouraged that sane voices have spoken up world-wide.  Thank God for the likes of Anglican Bishop and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Desmond Tutu for leading this fight in Africa (see: Desmond Tutu leads fight to halt anti-gay terror sweeping Africa.”

The battle is not over. But at least two gay men in Malawi have now been spared a near-certain death sentence (14 years of hard labor) for pledging their love to one another.  Their pardon came about, apparently, because of world moral pressure in the form of a meeting of the Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

The CNN story released today quotes the White House as saying that gay people are “not criminals and their struggle is not unique.”

We are still mid-struggle in America for LGBTQI rights, and one of the battles we fight is with other oppressed peoples (including but not limited to African-American people) who don’t want to bestow the honored label of “civil rights struggle” on our movement. All it would take, I know, for our Black brothers and sisters to stop being protective of their struggle is for more Black gay men and lesbians to come out to their families and their communities. African-American sexual minorities, who have very little to fear by way of criminal conviction in this country for their sexual orientation or gender identity, could put their faces on the world-wide struggle for dignity, purpose and freedom. I hope the example two brave gay men in Malawi, Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, will encourage them.

—Pastor Dan Hooper

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May 24, 2010 by Dan Hooper.

I am passing this on from my colleague Kerry Chaplin. I’m sorry I couldn’t be in Sacramento for this. – Dan Hooper

You honor Harvey Milk’s memory on what would have been his 80th birthday. Harvey Milk would be proud of your courage. And yes, I believe God is proud of you too.

— Pastor Wilk Miller, First Lutheran Church of San Diego

Sacramento faith leaders, Rev. Brian Baker, Rev. Jason Bense, Rev. Doretha Flournoy, and Rev. Lindi Ramsden, mark the legacy of California’s first Harvey Milk Day on the Capitol steps.

What a meaningful weekend!

Over 30 congregations, from Riverside and San Diego to Vallejo and Stockton, honored the legacy of Harvey Milk in their worship services to mark California’s first ever Harvey Milk Day.

In San Diego, East and Downtown Los Angeles, Fresno, San Jose, San Francisco, and Sacramento, clergy inspired canvassers and activists to take Harvey’s message of hope to the streets.

In Los Angeles, Rev. Neil Thomas met with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, emphasizing the unique role that people of faith play in our LGBT Movement.

I believe Harvey would be proud of our work. And as Rev. Miller has said, our Divine Power(s) is proud of us too.

Help us to continue to make sure LGBT seekers know that they are supported by people of faith, and to make sure Californians know that Divine Power(s) and equality for ALL people are symbiotic.

To Harvey’s Legacy,

Kerry Chaplin, Interfaith Organizing Director

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May 22, 2010 by Pastor Dan.

Today is the first official observance of Harvey Milk Day in California.  Below is the press release from the Mayor’s Office.—Pastor Dan Hooper

MAYOR VILLARAIGOSA HONORS HARVEY MILK WITH FIRST ANNUAL DAY OF SERVICE IN HIS HONOR: Commemorates the Late Activist for Work Building Coalitions, Breaking Down Barriers; Asks Angelenos to Serve Their Own Communities

LOS ANGELES – On the eve of the first annual Harvey Milk Day of Service, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa honored the late activist for his public service, unwavering championship of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues (LGBT), and dedication to social change across a wide-range of issues including education, low-income housing, and public transportation. In anticipation of tomorrow’s day of service in Milk’s honor, Mayor Villaraigosa today met with a coalition of LGBT community leaders and activists, including Academy Award-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black (Milk), Equality California Marriage Director Marc Solomon, and Rev. Dr. Neil Thomas Senior Pastor of the Metropolitan Community Church of Los Angeles and President of the Board, California Faith for Equality.

“Harvey Milk had the courage to stand up, live his life openly, and challenge people to judge him first on his ability to get the job done,” said Mayor Villaraigosa. “What he accomplished in his few years in public office remains nothing short of extraordinary, and tomorrow I encourage all Angelenos to celebrate his life and legacy by giving back to their own communities.”

“All of the Abrahamic faiths teach us that it is our responsibility to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with our God,” Rev. Dr. Neil Thomas said. “Let us commit ourselves to follow Milk’s example and do all in our power to make hope a reality for all our oppressed brothers and sisters in this world.”

“Harvey Milk believed in the power of personal stories to change hearts and minds,” said Equality California Marriage Director Marc Solomon. “That’s why we call on all those who stand for equality to join us on Saturday—the first-ever Harvey Milk Day of Recognition—as we take to the streets and engage Californians in personal conversations about why LGBT people deserve the freedom to marry.”

To commemorate the first annual Harvey Milk Day in California, community and LGBT organizations from across Los Angeles will join together tomorrow, May 22, for a day of service and action to honor Milk and his legacy. Projects include a community garden clean-up,

neighborhood canvasses, and a “Coming Out” rally.

Throughout his life, Milk worked to find common ground with others and demonstrate the positive effect that this had on the greater community. He initiated programs that benefited underserved and minority communities, workers and the elderly. He was also the driving force

behind the passage of a gay rights law that prohibited discrimination and/or unequal treatment on the basis of sexual orientation in housing and employment.

“At a time when the forces of hatred and bigotry caused many to live their personal lives in secret, and far too many Americans feared for their safety and even their lives if they let the world see their true selves, Harvey Milk inspired people to work for social change,” Villaraigosa said. “He was a true pioneer whose message of love and acceptance should never be forgotten.”

Mayor Villaraigosa, in partnership with Councilwoman Jan Perry, Gay for Good, LA Neighborhood Land Trust and the LA Garden Council, will be holding a day of service by helping to clean-up and rebuild the Vermont Square Community Garden with other community stakeholders.

To ensure Harvey Milk’s legacy of community engagement and service lives on, Mayor Villaraigosa pledged to hold a day of service every year to commemorate Harvey Milk and urged the LGBT leaders and organizations present, as well as his fellow Angelenos, to join him in giving back each year on this day. In 2008, the California State Legislature and Governor designated May 22 as Harvey Milk Day in the State of California. In 2009, President Obama posthumously awarded Milk a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.

There are lots of Google hits on Harvey Milk Day.  Thanks especially to GSAAragon a.k.a. Jason for posting his lively youtube coming out clip — the “big surprise” in it is not his coming out, though. You will get a kick out of it.

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