LGBT story report
Gays & lesbians in American religion — Three charts on the surprising data
By Tobin Grant — March 24, 2015
How many people in your church are gay? Way more than you think
Black lesbian bishop Yvette Flunder is ‘using my energy to find peace’
By Adelle M. Banks — March 20, 2015
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) While strangers paint her as a one-issue woman, Bishop Yvette Flunder has been hailed by those who know her as a leader with a “radically inclusive” agenda of compassion, aimed at getting everyone -- gay, straight, black, white, immigrant and native -- at the table.
Jayne Ozanne, Church of England evangelical activist, comes out as a lesbian
By Trevor Grundy — February 3, 2015
CANTERBURY, England (RNS) Jayne Ozanne subjected herself to a form of conversion therapy where clergy tried to cast out a sexual orientation they deemed demonic.
Churches now more accepting of gays and lesbians as members, less so as leaders
By Tobin Grant — January 9, 2015
A national survey of local congregations find that half of local churches accept LGBT members, but only one-in-four would allow LGBT members to be leaders.
Miami judge weds gays and lesbians after ruling against ban
By Rick Neale — January 6, 2015
(RNS) Florida is now the 36th U.S. state where same-sex marriages are legal statewide. The addition of its 19.9 million people means 70 percent of Americans now live in states where gay marriage is legal.
“I hasten to assure you, sweetheart that I affirm you,” a letter from a Christian father to his lesbian daughter
By Eliel Cruz — December 12, 2014
This letter is exactly how Christian parents should respond to their LGBT child.
Vatican stuns Catholic world with greater openness toward gays and lesbians
By Josephine McKenna — October 13, 2014
VATICAN CITY (RNS) The document -- and the real or implied changes that may or may not materialize -- stunned church conservatives.
Firing of lesbian teachers at St. Louis Catholic girls’ school draws outcry
By Jessica Bock — September 3, 2014
(RNS) The lesbian couple was asked to resign after the school said it received a copy of a mortgage application with both their names.
Farm owners fined for saying no to lesbian wedding
By Sarah Pulliam Bailey — August 19, 2014
NEW YORK (RNS) A court ruled that a family farm qualifies as a public accommodation because it regularly collects fees for space, facilities, services and meals, so it cannot be considered “distinctly private.”
Amid widespread discrimination, he ministers to Nairobi’s gays and lesbians
By Fredrick Nzwili — April 30, 2014
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) The Rev. John Makokha ministers to sexual minorities and counsels family members who find their loved ones’ sexual orientation disturbing. His passion is to see an end to what he calls “religious homophobia.”
Mountain States Mennonites take step toward gay ordination
By Elizabeth E. Evans — February 3, 2014
(RNS) On Sunday (Feb. 2), a Denver congregation of Mennonites licensed the first lesbian in a committed same-sex relationship, the first step toward ordination.
Vatican’s illegal downloads include ‘Billy Elliot’ and ‘Lesbian Hair Salon’
By Eric J. Lyman — January 10, 2014
ROME (RNS) "Usually, you see a lot of downloads of the latest blockbusters or new television series," said TorrentFreak founder Ernesto Van der Sar. "But there is almost none of that at the Vatican.”
Bishop John Schol of Greater New Jersey United Methodist Conference Speaks Out on Gays and Lesbians in the United Methodist Church and the Frank Schaefer Trial
By Religion News LLC — December 23, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Ocean, NJ) – On Friday, December 20, Bishop John Schol of the Greater New Jersey United Methodist Conference responded to the United Methodist Church’s decision to remove the credentials of Reverend Frank Schaefer for conducting the marriage ceremony of his gay son. In an emotional video statement, Bishop Schol first addresses gay […]
Did Pope Francis change church teaching on homosexuality?
By David Gibson — July 29, 2013
(RNS) Pope Francis said nothing that would indicate that there would be any change in the tenet that homosexuality is, as the Catholic catechism states, “objectively disordered.” But he appeared to push back against a policy that gay men cannot be ordained.
Evangelical Ministry to Gays and Lesbians Admits It Caused Harm
By Martin E. Marty — June 24, 2013
Since the simple declaration that homosexual activity is a sin used to be the first and last word, for Christians who made it basic to their understanding of faith, a declaration like Alan Chambers’ is the latest shakeup in the ranks of the formerly completely self-assured evangelical leaders.
