PUBLIC STATEMENT
by The Rev. Nancy L. Wilson
Moderator of Metropolitan Community Churches
www.MCCchurch.org
Head of Denomination of Metropolitan Community
Churches Decries California's Prop 8 Vote
"Sad Day For LGBT Families, Sad Day for Justice and Fairness,"
says Rev. Nancy L. Wilson, Moderator of World's Largest
Predominantly LGBT Christian Denomination
STATEMENT:
The passage of Proposition 8 marks a sad day for California's LGBT families, and a sad day for justice and fairness.
By a narrow difference of only 5% of the votes, the citizens of California voted to take away the legal right to marriage from gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender persons – a constitutional right that the California Supreme Court had already ruled was guaranteed in this state. That right, misrepresented by opponents as forcing faith communities to abandon their commitments or traditions, or robbing heterosexual couples of the sanctity of their vows, in reality left unchallenged the separation of Church and State guaranteed in this nation's Constitution, and perhaps even more importantly, made good on the promise we hold dear: that human equality is self-evident.
Though we lost this particular vote, our hope for the future remains strong. The number of Californians who support anti-gay laws continues to decline and the percentage of citizens who support fairness and equality continues to rise.
On behalf of the friends and members of Metropolitan Community Churches, I am adding my strong support to the court challenges announced by the ACLU, Lambda Legal and the National Center for Lesbian Rights, as well as the court challenge filed by long-time MCC friends Robin Tyler, Diane Olson, and attorney Gloria Allred.
Even as LGBT people across California and this nation are experiencing pain and loss, sadness, grief, and even anger, we are also in touch with our strength and the legacy of our history and our pioneers -- leaders such as Rev. Troy Perry and Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon -- who steadfastly held to the conviction that we shall, indeed, overcome.
I call on my LGBT brothers and sisters to honor that legacy and to do what we have always done in the face of every setback in our struggle for human rights: take our anger and grief and rage and channel it in ways that will advance equality for all people.
Our reality is this: the journey toward justice in this world is seldom an easy one; too often it moves too slowly. We encounter roadblocks and detours, but never permanent delays. We already know the heights of great achievement, including that pinnacle moment in May of this year when California's Supreme Court ruled in favor of marriage equality, and we know the depths of disappointment with the outcome of Proposition 8.
Our struggle, like all human rights struggles, has always involved steps forward and occasional steps backward. Through it all, we have prevailed and we will do so again, for we believe in the prophetic vision of justice rolling down like a mighty river and human equality prevailing.
As a religious leader, I have been heartened by the way many of our ecumenical partners engaged deeply held disagreements with great civility and respect, and equally dismayed by the vitriolic way some colleagues in the faith used religion as a wedge to divide us. Misleading claims and the use of fear only serve to inflame bigotry and bias between those of differing sexual orientations, and among people of racial and economic divergences.
In my faith tradition, I find strength in these words from the Christian Scriptures:
"Let us not grow weary in well-doing
for in due season
we shall reap
if we faint not."
(Galatians 6:9)
We must not -- we will not -- faint or fail in our quest for equality!
This vote is not the end of the story. Now we open a new chapter in the ongoing quest for full equality. Once again, we will tell our stories. We will talk about this loss and what it means. We'll write letters; we'll talk to the media. We'll attend vigils. We'll renew our commitment to participate in political organizations and community groups, and we'll educate those who were swayed by a misleading campaign that promoted fear and hysteria at the expense of the truth. We will honor the legacy of leadership that brought us to this place in history, and "act up" and "fight back" in ways that promote justice and combat the strategies of division.
The English poet, John Dryden, wrote:
"I am wounded,
but I am not slain.
I shall lay me down
and bleed awhile.
Then I shall rise
and fight again."
On Tuesday, we lost a battle.
Today, we grieve our loss.
Now, we must "rise and fight again," until justice and equality prevail for all of us.
Momentum, time, the arc of history and hope are in our favor.
/signed/
The Rev. Nancy L. Wilson
Moderator
Metropolitan Community Churches
www.MCCchurch.org
For Additional Information, Contact:
Jim Birkitt
MCC Communications Director
Metropolitan Community Churches
Los Angeles, California
E-mail: info@MCCchurch.net
The statement prepared in conjunction with the Global Justice Team of
Metropolitan Community Churches, Rev. Pat Bumgardner, chair, and the
MCC Communications Department, Rev. Jim Birkitt, communications director.
