APPENDIX NINE - E

LGBT POSITIVE RELIGIOUS /SPIRITUALITY LINKS/WEB PAGES

There are growing numbers of spiritual/religious organizations which are now offering support to their LGBT congregants. In more and more locations there are interfaith gatherings where participants are meeting to discuss how to best support their queer practioners. This list is just the tip of the iceberg, there are many more links and queer-positive spiritual supports out there.

One example was SOROL - Sharing Our Rainbow of Light, which was a successful conference held in the US last November, 1999, which was designed to bring together people of various faiths and religious beliefs to discuss how they could better support their LGBT congregants. The description for the conference asked participants to join the organizers for their biennial one-day conference, where ways were explored to:

• Fill the spiritual gap that exists for religious Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT) persons;
• Assist denominations in providing examples of paths to reconciliation of their beliefs with their GLBT congregants;
• Help mainstream congregations better understand the spiritual needs of their GLBT congregants;
• Provide a forum for those GLBT persons who may have become disenfranchised from their religious heritages to reconnect to affirming religious organizations, and;
• Assist congregations in their journey from exclusion to inclusion of their GLBT congregants.

Following is a list of a few resources, mostly found on the Internet. Local organizations are identified where appropriate. If you do not see one in your local area, don't assume there are none, instead we suggest using this list as a base in which to start your search.

Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches
There are many MCC's throughout North America.
One local MCC is in Vancouver, Christ Alive Metropolitan Community Church. 1155 Thurlow Street, Vancouver, BC, V6E 1X2 Phone: 604.739.7958
Email: camcc@gayvancouver.bc.ca
Web: www.gayvancouver.bc.ca/camcc

Metropolitan Community Church of the Lower Mainland
P.O. Box 245, Maple Ridge, British Columbia, V2X 7G1
Phone: 604.462.9813
Outreach services to lesbian and gay people.

Metropolitan Community Church was founded in 1968, before the Stonewall Riots and the Christopher Street Parades, by the Reverend Troy Perry who founded the Metropolitan Community Church of Los Angeles as a way of providing an environment where homosexual Christians could freely worship God and grow in their spiritual journeys. MCC created an environment where all people are accepted, affirmed, and celebrated because of who they are (children of God in infinite variety. and not in spite of an aspect of who they are (such as their sexual orientation).

Since then, Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches has stood in the face of adversity serving as a safe haven for those rejected by other religious communities and becoming an essential, life-affirming link in the chain of lesbian and gay identity and affiliation.

Local Metropolitan Community churches have been the birthplace of dozens of different gay and lesbian organizations and projects across the world, and have played a vital role in the development of the global gay and lesbian community. MCC is now a denomination of 300 churches all across the world. In cities large and small, these churches frequently play a pivotal role in their communities advocating for justice and fighting homophobia.

The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches plays a vital role in addressing the spiritual needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered community around the world. For those LGBT's who were raised in a religious atmosphere, homosexuality was usually associated with shame and guilt. As a result, many were cut off from the spiritual dimension of their lives. Metropolitan Community Churches provide an opportunity to explore a spiritual experience that affirms who GLBT people are.

Throughout the history of the UFMCC, thousands of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, and heterosexual people have found hope, and have lived the joy, reverence, and excitement of the MCC fellowship and faith in God.

Thousands of individuals have experienced emotional healing and reconciliation from abuse and oppression, and countless members and friends credit their involvement in the Fellowship and its congregations with saving their lives. MCC queer congregants experience their communities of faith as places of healing and hope, places of reconciliation with family, with self-esteem, and with individual spirituality.

Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance (OCRT)
Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance,
PO Box 27026, Frontenac Post Office, Kingston ON Canada, K7M 8W5.
Web: www.religioustolerance.org

Almost unique in the world, the Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance (OCRT) do not focus on one religion over the other, but take an interfaith approach that some spirituality is better than none. To that end, they describe dozens of faith groups, from Asatru to Christianity to Wicca to Zoroastrianism. They cover new religious movements, including dangerous cults and they also describe other belief systems, like Agnosticism, Atheism and Humanism. Based in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, the site is intended to serve the world. This site comes highly recommended! This site doesn't just explain controversial topics from one point of view; they describe all sides of each issue, from abortion, to physician assisted suicide, including capital punishment, evolution & creation science, and homosexuality. They don't just concentrate on the positive facets of religion; they cover negative aspects as well. Their eventual goal is to help people value religious diversity. They are now concentrating on the promotion of religious tolerance. It is a little difficult to encourage people to enjoy the variety of faiths in North America when there is so much religiously based intolerance and hatred.

By religious tolerance:

• We mean accepting the right of others to follow different religious beliefs and practices, even though they seem false to you.
• We do not mean that all religions are the same; they obviously are not.
• We do not mean that all religions worship the same perception of God. They don't. Various religions view God as a unity, trinity, or multiple. Some say that the deity is male, some female, some both.

Religion is a unique force in society. It promotes both good and evil. Historically, it has helped to abolish slavery. It has promoted racial integration, equal rights for women, and equal rights for gays and lesbians. It has motivated individuals to create massive support services for the poor, the sick, the hurting, and the broken. Conversely, it has been used to justify slavery, racial segregation, oppression of women, discrimination against homosexuals, genocide, extermination of minorities, and other horrendous evils.

Religion drives some to dedicate their lives to help the poor and needy. (E.g. Gandhi, Albert Schweitzer, Mother Teresa.. It drives others to exterminate as many "heretics" as they can. Consider the mass murders and genocides in Bosnia, East Timor, India, Korea, Kosovo, the Middle East, Northern Ireland, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tibet, etc. Religion has the capability to generate unselfish love in some people, and vicious, raw hatred in others.

INTEGRITY
Integrity Vancouver
PO Box 2797, Main Post Office, Vancouver, BC V6B 3X2
Phone: 604.432.1230
Web: www.whirlwind.ca/integrity/chapters.phtml (This gives the locations of the four Canadian chapters of integrity, Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver). There are many chapters throughout the US, Canada and Australia. In BC they are celebrating their 20th Anniversary this year.

INTEGRITY is the group which consists of LGBT Anglicans/Episcopalians. They are a family within the church, a place to find close community and support. They "offer an opportunity to find growth, education and prayer. " In over 60 chapters in the United States (plus independent chapters in Australia and Canada. the primary focuses are worship in a supportive environment, emotional support and counseling, spiritual nourishment and Christian education, and service to the Church and the gay/lesbian community. Through their evangelism, thousands of lesbians and gay men, estranged from the Episcopal and other churches, have returned to worship and fellowship.

Dignity Canada Dignité
Dignity Vancouver Dignité
PO Box 3016, Terminal Station, Vancouver, BC, V6B 3X5
For info call Dennis: 604.432.1230
Web: home.istar.ca/~patrickk/Vanc1.htm
Email: Kevin at: dignity.vancouver@canada.com

Dignity Canada Dignité
Box 2102, Stn D Ottawa, ON, K1P 5W3
Email : dignity@canada.com
Web: www.dignitycanada.org
This is a support group for gay, lesbian and bisexual Catholics. Dignity Canada Dignité is Canada's national organization of gay and lesbian Roman Catholics and their friends. They "are not a mission of the Catholic Church to gay and lesbian people, rather we are the mission of gay and lesbian people to the church." For Dignity, "there is no conflict between being gay or lesbian and being Roman Catholic." Dignity Canada Dignité has 10 chapters across Canada, Vancouver, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Regina, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Halifax, St. John's, and Nunavut, their national office is in Ottawa.

Rainbow Community Church
1401 Comox Street, Vancouver, BC Phone: 613.687.5650 (Co-pastor- Peter) This is a non-denominational church that was formed to serve the needs of LGBT persons seeking spiritual support.

World Congress of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Jewish Organisations
Web: www.wcgljo.org
This site has links to media related sites, personal ads, an email discussion list, as well as the biographies of a staggering array of Jewish bisexuals who have made their marks on the world.
The World Congress of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Jewish Organisations consists of more than 65 member organizations in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Mexico, The Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The World Congress holds conferences and workshops representing the interests of lesbian, gay, and bisexual Jews around the world. The focus of these sessions vary from regional, national, continental, to global. They are also a founding member of the International Gay and Lesbian Association (ILGA).

Gay Jews Org
Web: members.tripod.com/~djs28/
GayJews.Org is committed to providing up to date, accurate information for Orthodox Jews who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered. They have links to all other frum GLBT content here on the web as well as a number of features of their own.

Interweave: Unitarian Universalists for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns
Unison: Unitarian Church of Vancouver
949 - 49th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 2T1
Phone: 604.261.7204
Web: www.qrd.org/www/orgs/uua/uu.interweave.html
Interweave: Unitarian Universalists for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns is a membership organization affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association, dedicated to the spiritual, political, and social well-being of Unitarian Universalists who are confronting oppression as lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender persons, and their heterosexual allies; and facilitates the celebration of the culture and lives of its members. Once a year members and friends of Interweave gather for Interweave Convocation (Convo), "a chance to spend a weekend in a safe space, learning, laughing, letting our hair down, celebrating ourselves and rejoicing in our chosen faith".

Affirmation
Affirmation Victoria
P.O. Box 45030, Mayfair Postal, Victoria, BC V8Z 7G9
Web: www.affirmation.org
Affirmation is a fellowship of gays, lesbians, bisexuals, their family and friends who share the common bond of the Mormon experience. Its purpose is to provide a supportive environment for relieving the needless fear, guilt, self-oppression and isolation that LDS gays and lesbians can experience in an era where wilful ignorance about human sexuality is too often a reality. This page has many links to other LGBT positive religious sites and as well a youth resources page. They are also currently (April 2000) hosting a netscape survey on LGBT youth suicide prepared by GLSEN.

The Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists (AWAB)
The Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists
PO Box 2596, Attleboro Falls, MA, 02763.0894
Rev. Brenda J. Moulton, Coordinator
Phone/fax: 508.226.1945
Email: WABaptists@aol.com
Web: members.aol.com/wabaptists/index.html
Members of The Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists (AWAB) are churches, organizations, and individuals who are willing to go on record as welcoming and affirming all persons without regard to sexual orientation, and who have joined together to advocate for the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered persons within American Baptist communities of faith. A Welcoming and Affirming (W&A) congregation is one which reaches out to the LGBT community with the message of the Good News of Jesus Christ and welcomes lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered Christians into full membership and participation. As they say, "We envision that the day may speedily come within American Baptist Churches USA when no one shall feel excluded from God's love in Jesus Christ because of their sexual orientation. Now that's good news".

Affirmation: United Methodists for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Concerns
P.O. Box 1021, Evanston, IL 60204
Phone: 847.733.9590
Email: umaffirmation@yahoo.com
Web: www.umaffirm.org
Affirmation is an independent, not-for-profit organization with no official ties to, and receives no support from, any official body of The United Methodist Church, and is 100% supported by contributions from interested individuals. Affirmation is an activist caucus of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people organized to speak for ourselves. "Together we proclaim a gospel of respect, love and justice. "CORNET, a program of Affirmation, is the Covenant Relationships Network, which is organized to address unjust practices in The United Methodist Church concerning same-gender covenant services and to educate people about this concern.

Seventh-day Adventist Kinship International, Inc.
In the West Coast contact: Brent Lehmann
Phone: 604.669.6976
Web: www.sdakinship.org/ksmainframe.htm
Email: rlehmann@home.com
Seventh-day Adventist Kinship Canada was founded in 1985. SDAKC proclaims the Good News of Christ's love to their lesbian, gay and transgendered brothers and sisters from all faith backgrounds. SDA Kinship Canada feels a special mission to those who come from a Seventh-day Adventist background and offers spiritual support and fellowship to them, their families and friends as they fellowship in Christ. SDA Kinship Canada also serves as a resource to those who are seeking a greater understanding of matters relating to sexual orientation issues and Christianity. SDAKC believe that Christ loves each of us individually and uniquely and desires to share their understanding of God's love in a journey together.

SDAKC has membership in eight out of the ten provinces of Canada. The highest concentrations are in Canada's primary urban centers: Toronto, Vancouver, Halifax, Ottawa and Montreal. SDAKC is currently establishing a network of regional contact persons to facilitate growth and provide the services of Kinship Canada.

Seventh-day Adventist Kinship International, Inc. is a support group which ministers to the spiritual, emotional, social, and physical well-being of Seventh-day Adventist lesbian, gay men, bisexual, and transgendered individuals and their families and friends. SDA Kinship facilitates and promotes the understanding and affirmation of homosexual and bisexual Adventists among themselves and within the Seventh-day Adventist community through education, advocacy, and reconciliation. Founded in 1976, the organization was incorporated in 1981 and has well over a thousand members in 16 countries. Kinship operates solely on contributions from its members and friends.

Lutherans Concerned/North America
Lutherans Concerned Edmonton
PO Box 1109, Edmonton, AB, T5J 3K4
Web: www.lcna.org
Lutherans Concerned/North America stands as a community of faith, modeling the gospel within the church and within the lesbian and gay community. They "seek to employ the Gospel's principles of inclusiveness and justice, celebrating God's gifts of sexuality and diversity". They are an independent membership organization, supported entirely by donations and member contributions, and include members of all Lutheran affiliations as well as other Christian denominations.

Emergence International: Christian Scientists Supporting Lesbians, Gay Men, and Bisexuals
Emergence International
P.O. Box 6061.423, Sherman Oaks CA 91413, USA
Phone: 818.994.6653 toll.free:1.800.280.6653
Web: www.cslesbigay.org/emergence/
Emergence International, Christian Scientists Supporting Lesbians, Gay Men, and Bisexuals is an association of Christian Scientists, their families and friends, who provide spiritual and educational support to lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals as they deal with homophobia and heterosexism. EI is a non-profit, tax-exempt religious corporation, organized in 1986 under the laws of the state of California, USA.

Christian Science Lesbian Connection
Web: link is currently lost
Christian Science Lesbian Connection are a loose network of lesbians in the Christian Science Faith. Some are lifelong Christian Scientists. Some have come to Christian Science only recently. Some are accepted by their branch churches, some are shunned by them, and some have chosen to leave the Church. Some are out, some are not out. Their common bond is that of being lesbians who were raised or who have become students of Christian Science. For more information about their network, including their newsletter, write to cslc@grrltalk.net

Brethren/Mennonite Council for Lesbian and Gay Concerns
Calgary Inter-Mennonite Church
308 Edmonton Trail N.E., Calgary, AB, T2E 3K7
Phone: 403.230.2962 Fax: 403.274.2247
Email: calgaryintermenno@home.com
Web: members.home.net/calgaryintermenno/

Brethren/Mennonite Council for Lesbian and Gay Concerns
P.O. Box 6300, Minneapolis, MN, 55406
Phone: 612.722.6906
Email: BMCouncil@aol.co
Web: www.webcom.com/bmc/welcome.html
The Brethren/Mennonite Council for Lesbian and Gay Concerns was founded in 1976 to provide support for Mennonite and Church of the Brethren gay, lesbian and bisexual people, their friend s and families, to foster dialogue between gay and non-gay people in churches, and to provide accurate information about homosexuality from the social sciences, biblical studies, and theology.

A Common Bond
Vancouver BC
Phone: 604.328.4442 (After 6pm Ask for Mike).
Email: mrmike1972@yahoo.com
Web: w3.to/commonbond
Many active, inactive and former Jehovah's Witnesses that are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transsexual share a common bond. A Common Bond is a social group to share coming out experiences, and dealings in and out of the organization. Though from the look of things, this group operates only in Vancouver and Seattle now, it is nonetheless another necessary lifeline to the conflicted.

Reclaiming Tradition of Wicca (Witchcraft)
PO Box: 14404, San Francisco, CA, 94114
Email: info@reclaiming.org
Web: www.reclaiming.org
Reclaiming is a community of women and men working to unify spirit and politics. Our vision is rooted in the religion and magic of the Goddess - the Immanent Force. We see our work as teaching and making magic - the art of empowering ourselves and each other. In our classes, workshops, and public rituals, we train voices, bodies, energy, intuition, and minds. We use the skills we learn to deepen our strength, both as individuals and as community, to voice our concerns about the world in which we live, and bring to birth a vision of a new culture.

Queer Jihad (Islam)
Email: sulayman@yahoo.com
Web: www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/Heights/8977/
Queer Jihad is the queer Muslim struggle for acceptance: first, the struggle to accept ourselves as being exactly the way Allah has created us to be; and secondly, the struggle for acceptance and tolerance among Muslims in general. 'Jihad' is a misunderstood word: to the educated Muslim, it denotes the struggle with one's self, one's baser, lower instincts, and the struggle to do good, to be good, to put into practice the beliefs and values we claim to possess. Only in a secondary, technical sense does it mean 'holy war'. Thus, the 'queer jihad' is our own struggle with sexuality, with accepting it and dealing with it, and moving on.

GALAH (Atheists and Humanists)
1718 M St. NW # 157, Washington, DC 20036.
Email: klem0@ibm.net
Web: www.serve.com/tgkindc/galah.html
Gay and Lesbian Atheists and Humanists is an organization with four main goals:

1. Support equal rights for lesbians, gays, and bisexuals.
2. Educate people about atheism and humanism.
3. Support separation of church and state.
4. Provide freethinkers with opportunities to get to know each other.

Lazeeza (Arab Lesbians)
Web: www.glas.org/lazeeza.html
Ahlan wa sahlan!!!! This is the home page of Lazeeza, the Arab Lesbian Group. This site is just starting, please be patient and check later. This site is hoping to feature information about our mailing list, news of interest to Arab lesbians, articles, poetry and any other relevant material.

2 Spirited (First Nations, Sudbury)
P.O.Box 953, Capreol, Ontario, Sudbury, ON P0M 1H0
Phone: 705.858.0610
Web: www.gaycanada.com/index.html?/entries/2945.html
A group and resource for 2 Spirited People living in and around the Sudbury region. Healing circle, sweat lodge and information.

Two Spirited People of the First Nations
Suite 201A, 45 Charles Street East, Toronto, ON M4Y 1S2
Phone: 416.944.9300 Fax: 416.944.8381
Web: www.gaycanada.com/index.html?/entries/2945.html
Offering a wide range of programs and services to the gay-positive public including counselling, HIV/AIDS education and prevention, palliative care training, and anti-homophobia education. They also host potlucks, socials and talking circles as well as receive donations towards their Aboriginal People Living with AIDS Fund.

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