Weekend Beach Bum:  

Recently, the word "gay" has been in the news more than the word "Iraq," it almost seems. Each time I turn on CNN, I see my life and the lives of my fellow GLBT people debated, poked, and prodded. With Will & Grace, Queer as Folk, and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, I almost feel like a celebrity every time I turn on the TV. And what do I have to thank for said vicarious stardom? Only my fabulous, natural sexuality. Pat Robertson probably can’t sleep a wink at night, and I bet he’s flipping through channels at warp speed to avoid the news of the return of Sodom and Gomorrah.

As I began this column, a debate was raging to decide if a New Hampshire clergyman would become the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church. The vote is in, and Reverend V. Gene Robinson is now Bishop-elect for the Diocese of New Hampshire. Speaking about out gays in the Church, Rev. Robinson said, "I rejoice with my gay and lesbian brothers and sisters and all those working for full inclusion."

Anyone who reads my column on a regular basis knows how I feel about organized religion. The last time I was in a church was when I studied in London during college. Awestruck by the magnificent opulence of the building, right down to the handcrafted mosaic tile floors, I wondered aloud who physically built such a grand masterpiece. A church tour guide, who happened to be within earshot, strolled over to inform me that the church was built primarily by prisoners and the poor, whom, he gloated, were paid a small wage to decorate the architectural magnum opus. At the time, London was extremely poor and many of its citizens were destitute or nearly so. The tour guide implied that the Catholic Church had done the London poor a favor by offering them a paltry wage to install lavish decorations in a building where they could come and pray for an end to their poverty. The whole notion made me sick and I haven’t set foot in a church of any denomination since.

As much as I loathe the hierarchy and tenets of most organized religions, I do recognize the massive amount of good work done by the lay people of many churches. Feeding and clothing the poor, for example, is perhaps the most noble work one can do, and many churches are wholeheartedly committed to this goal, even opening shelters and soup kitchens in many cities.

The message of Bishop-elect Robinson is that lesbians and gays ought to be able to serve their fellow man without having to sit in the back of the congregational bus. "What binds us together is our faith," he says. "We should not hold any one issue above or higher than our commitment to Jesus Christ." Amen again, Reverend! Jesus did not spend much time hobnobbing with the rich, famous, and powerful of his day—he associated himself with the poor, the diseased, and the socially outcast. The message of Christ was shocking and subversive in his day, just like the message of Rev. Robinson. Jesus never said a word about homosexuality, and if you’re following the "1 in 10" rule, one of the disciples probably flew the rainbow flag.

Conservative Episcopal dioceses are threatening to secede from the Church over Bishop Robinson’s election. In a 1998 conference, Anglican leaders passed a resolution declaring gay sex "incompatible with Scripture." Secession is an unlikely outcome, however. Many conservative dioceses threatened secession over issues such as ordaining women, then stayed in the Church. The Rev. Kendall Harmon, of the conservative Diocese of South Carolina, said, "This will be a symbol of disunity and a source of deep pain for Anglicans worldwide."

Before its current conference adjourns, the Episcopal Church is set to vote on another gay issue—blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples. Gay marriage is the hottest topic around lately, with the cover of Newsweek, heated debates by the Sunday morning pundits, and even the President and the Pope weighing in on the issue. I think it’s high time we follow Ontario’s lead and legalize gay marriage.

We enjoy more freedoms today than GLBT people even dreamed of a few short decades ago. The tide is turning, and we all have to do our part. As the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. often pointed out, you simply cannot stop social progress or deafen the rallying cry of a just cause.

I believe "the good guys" always win, and it just so happens that in this case, the good guy is gay and wears a collar.