Christians criticise New York rejection of gender equality in marriage

-08/07/06

The M


Christians criticise New York rejection of gender equality in marriage

-08/07/06

The Metropolitan Community Church of New York, part of a denomination which works especially with lesbian and gay people, has reacted with ìdeep disappointmentî to the New York Court of Appealsí recent denial of equality for same-gender couples and families.

In a 6 June 2006 judgement, the stateís highest court decided against same-gender couples receiving full legal recognition. In a verdict, the Court of Appeals ruled New York can deny civil marriage licenses to same-gender couples.

The Rev Pat Bumgardner, senior pastor of the Metropolitan Community Church of New York and chair of the denominationís Global Justice Team, questioned the decision’s rationale, which denies the constitutionally-protected equality and dignity of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals and families.

“While the Church will continue to honour the sacred nature of all relationships by celebrating weddings of both opposite-gender and same-gender couples, the state has shirked its responsibility to equally protect and privilege all citizens. The confusion of sacred rites with equal rights is a deeply disturbing trend in the United States, as reflected in the rhetoric of those who oppose equality,” said Ms Bumgardner.

A similar point has been made in Britain by the UK Christian think tank Ekklesia, which has recently suggested that civil ceremonies, legal partnership arrangements and religiously-grounded marriage should be considered as distinct practices ñ rather than being lumped together in a ëone-size-fits-allí approach.

In New York, Judge Robert S. Smith concluded the right of same-gender couples to marry is not “deeply rooted” in history and tradition and, therefore, does not qualify as a fundamental right worthy of state constitutional protection. The opinion relied heavily on contested language such as “intuition,” “universal understanding,” “natural tendency,” “common-sense premise” and “accepted truth.”

“While no community of faith should be forced to perform any marriage, neither should any marriage be denied in the civil arena because of the dictates of particular and partisan religious communities,” said Ms Bumgardner.

She also noted that “the language of the court punishes same-gender couples for providing stable homes for children of choice. While the court has ruled it is ëuntenableí to read the Domestic Relations Law as permitting equality in marriage, Metropolitan Community Churches continue to hold that it is untenable to read history as excluding our relationships, untenable to purport a ëuniversal understandingí that discriminates against those relationships, and untenable to suggest that fear, hatred and prejudice against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people pales in comparison to other social evils.”

In her dissent, Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye characterized the majority’s decision as an “unfortunate misstep.”

In addition to the 44 couples involved in the cases, thousands of couples across New York, including the Rev Bumgardner and her spouse, must now look to the state legislature for the rights, responsibilities, and benefits of marriage.

New York Metropolitan Community Church and its partner organizations are actively involved in the movement for marriage equality in New York State. Metropolitan Community Churches have led the fight for marriage equality since 1970, when the Rev Dr Troy Perry, the churchís founder and moderator emeritus, filed one of the first marriage equality lawsuits in the United States.

The Metropolitan Community Church ìprovides a spiritual home for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities and for all who choose to join us through practicing the gospel of Jesus Christ in worship, prayer, social action, education, fellowship, and generosity so that all people might experience God’s liberating love, wholeness, and justice; come to live in right relationship with God and all creation; and have the courage to change the world.î

[See also: What future for marriage? (17 June 2006) – Ekklesia says that a radical new approach may be needed]


Christians criticise New York rejection of gender equality in marriage

-08/07/06

The Metropolitan Community Church of New York, part of a denomination which works especially with lesbian and gay people, has reacted with ìdeep disappointmentî to the New York Court of Appealsí recent denial of equality for same-gender couples and families.

In a 6 June 2006 judgement, the stateís highest court decided against same-gender couples receiving full legal recognition. In a verdict, the Court of Appeals ruled New York can deny civil marriage licenses to same-gender couples.

The Rev Pat Bumgardner, senior pastor of the Metropolitan Community Church of New York and chair of the denominationís Global Justice Team, questioned the decision’s rationale, which denies the constitutionally-protected equality and dignity of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals and families.

“While the Church will continue to honour the sacred nature of all relationships by celebrating weddings of both opposite-gender and same-gender couples, the state has shirked its responsibility to equally protect and privilege all citizens. The confusion of sacred rites with equal rights is a deeply disturbing trend in the United States, as reflected in the rhetoric of those who oppose equality,” said Ms Bumgardner.

A similar point has been made in Britain by the UK Christian think tank Ekklesia, which has recently suggested that civil ceremonies, legal partnership arrangements and religiously-grounded marriage should be considered as distinct practices ñ rather than being lumped together in a ëone-size-fits-allí approach.

In New York, Judge Robert S. Smith concluded the right of same-gender couples to marry is not “deeply rooted” in history and tradition and, therefore, does not qualify as a fundamental right worthy of state constitutional protection. The opinion relied heavily on contested language such as “intuition,” “universal understanding,” “natural tendency,” “common-sense premise” and “accepted truth.”

“While no community of faith should be forced to perform any marriage, neither should any marriage be denied in the civil arena because of the dictates of particular and partisan religious communities,” said Ms Bumgardner.

She also noted that “the language of the court punishes same-gender couples for providing stable homes for children of choice. While the court has ruled it is ëuntenableí to read the Domestic Relations Law as permitting equality in marriage, Metropolitan Community Churches continue to hold that it is untenable to read history as excluding our relationships, untenable to purport a ëuniversal understandingí that discriminates against those relationships, and untenable to suggest that fear, hatred and prejudice against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people pales in comparison to other social evils.”

In her dissent, Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye characterized the majority’s decision as an “unfortunate misstep.”

In addition to the 44 couples involved in the cases, thousands of couples across New York, including the Rev Bumgardner and her spouse, must now look to the state legislature for the rights, responsibilities, and benefits of marriage.

New York Metropolitan Community Church and its partner organizations are actively involved in the movement for marriage equality in New York State. Metropolitan Community Churches have led the fight for marriage equality since 1970, when the Rev Dr Troy Perry, the churchís founder and moderator emeritus, filed one of the first marriage equality lawsuits in the United States.

The Metropolitan Community Church ìprovides a spiritual home for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities and for all who choose to join us through practicing the gospel of Jesus Christ in worship, prayer, social action, education, fellowship, and generosity so that all people might experience God’s liberating love, wholeness, and justice; come to live in right relationship with God and all creation; and have the courage to change the world.î

[See also: What future for marriage? (17 June 2006) – Ekklesia says that a radical new approach may be needed]