MCC UPDATE: Prop. 8, California, Marriage Equality & MCC

WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2009 . Los Angeles
_____________________________________

AN UPDATE
from the MCC Communications Department

The following reports and info received as of 3 PM Pacific Time on Wednesday.

See "A Brief History of MCC and Marriage Equality" at the end of this message.

-- The major breaking news today came in a joint press conference in West Hollywood by well-known lawyers Ted Olson and David Boies. They have filed a lawsuit in the U.S. federal courts seeking a ruling that California's Prop. 8 violates the U.S. constitutional rights of California's LGBT community. That these highly successful and polar opposite attorneys have joined to fight for LGBT rights is especially significant -- Olson is a former Bush administration Solicitor General who represented the Bush campaign before the U.S. Supreme Court in the 2000 presidential election, and Boies represented by Gore campaign in the same Supreme Court case. It will be interesting to follow this case; activists are divided on whether the timing is right to put this case in the federal courts.

-- More than 5000 people took part in a public rally in West Hollywood last night, including Rev. Troy Perry, Rev. Neil Thomas and numerous MCCers. The rally shut down streets throughout Los Angeles and the crowd marched from West Hollywood to Hollywood.

-- Three MCC clergy -- Rev. Leah Brown, Rev. Jeff Bert, and Rev. Dr. Penny Nixon, along with members of MCCSF, were arrested during a peaceful, civil disobedience demonstration on Tuesday. Rev. Brown, pastor of MCC San Francisco, was also quoted in the San Francisco Chronicle and on KCRA TV. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/26/BAT817R2QD.DTL&tsp=1 and http://www.kcra.com/politics/19565488/detail.html. MCC will release a public media statement in support of the arrested protestors on Wednesday afternoon.

-- Resurrection MCC (Houston, Texas), where Rev. Dwayne Johnson is pastor, held a public rally on Tuesday evening in support of marriage equality. http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2009/05/prop_8_houston_protest.php

-- MCC El Paso (Texas), where Rev. Kati Houts is interim pastor, took part in a public rally in solidarity with California's LGBT community. The story was covered by the El Paso press. http://www.newspapertree.com/features/3866-gay-marriage-supporters-rally-in-downtown-el-paso

-- Rev. Clinton Crenshaw was a featured speaker at the Day of Decision Rally in New Orleans on Tuesday evening. Rev. Crenshaw is pastor of Big Easy MCC in New Orleans; the church's motto is "Be celebrated... not tolerated!"

-- MCC San Jose (California), where Rev. Michael Patrick Ellard is pastor, opened the doors of their church on May 26 and 27 for the LGBT community to gather for prayer and support.

-- Rev. Lisa Heilig, interim pastor, and Church of the Trinity MCC (Sarasota, Florida) organized a Day of Decision event at which MCC's Moderator, Rev. Nancy Wilson, was a featured speaker.

-- Members of MCC of San Diego, where Rev. Dan Koeshall is pastor, took part in the city's peaceful Day of Decision Rally and March last night.

-- MCC's press statement included quotes by Rev. Nancy Wilson, MCC moderator, and Rev. Pat Bumgardner, chair of MCC's Social Justice Team. Thanks to Rev. Jim Merritt, MCC's marriage equality coordinator, for his excellent work on this project.

-- Rev. Dr. Neil Thomas, president of the statewide, interfaith California Faith for Equality, has been providing a public face and voice for people of faith who support marriage equality. He took part in a press conference and public events throughout the day on Tuesday, and released a public statement to the media through California Faith for Equality. http://cffenewsblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/california-faith-for-equality-decision.html (Our special thanks and congratulations to Neil, who also received his doctoral degree from San Francisco Theological Seminary this past weekend. RevNeil@mccla.org)

-- Rev. Troy Perry took part in a press conference at the offices of attorney Gloria Allred, was interviewed by the Associated Press and Religion News Service, and took part in public rallies and events on Tuesday. On Wednesday evening, he will participate in a public demonstration at the Beverly Hills Hilton where U.S. President Obama will be attending a private fundraising event and will be a speaker at the "Meet in the Middle" rally in Fresno, California, on Saturday..

-- The California Supreme Court released its decision upholding Prop. 8 at 10 AM Pacific Time on Tuesday. The denomination of MCC released its public response to the media at 10:08 am and Rev. Troy Perry's media response at 10:12 am.

NOTE: If you know of other MCC congregations that participated in Day of Decision rallies, or which received media coverage of such events, please send details to the MCC Communications Department at info@MCCchurch.net.


A BRIEF HISTORY OF MARRIAGE EQUALITY AND MCC:

For 40 years, MCC has been at the forefront of the marriage equality movement. In 1969, MCC's Founder Rev. Troy Perry performed the first public same-sex marriage in the United States in Huntington Park, California. In 1970, he filed the first lawsuit in the U.S. seeking legal recognition of same-gender marriages. That case was dismissed, but it served to launch the marriage equality movement in the United States. In 1975, Rev. Freda Smith performed the first U.S. same-sex wedding conducted with a civil marriage license in Denver, Colorado, for Richard Adams and Anthony Sullivan. Their marriage is still listed on the Colorado Bureau of Records website. In 1994, MCC's Rev. Roberto Gonzalez performed the first mass lesbian-gay blessing of couples in South America at the ILGA in Rio. In 2001, Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes of MCC Toronto performed Canada's first legal same-sex wedding under Canada's ancient law of the Reading of the Bann's. In 2003, Supreme Court of Ontario upheld MCC Toronto's legal case -- making same-gender marriage legal throughout Canada. Rev. Troy Perry and his spouse, Phillip Ray De Blieck, were legally married under Canadian law in July of 2003. In 2002, MCC members Alejandro Soria and Oscar Benitez became the second couple in Latin America -- and the first clergy couple -- to be united under Buenos Aires' Civil Union provision. In 2004, Rev. Troy Perry and his spouse sued the County of Los Angeles seeking the specific legal recognition of their Canadian marriage and the general recognition of same-gender marriages under California constitutional law. On December 21, 2005, Rev. Debbie Gaston and her spouse, Elaine, became the first same-sex couple married under England's civil partnership law. In 2008, the California Supreme Court ruled in favor of Rev. Perry's lawsuit, making marriage equality the law in California. 18,000 same-sex couples were legally married before California voters revoked marriage equality in the Prop. 8 vote in November of 2008. Rev. Dr. Neil Thomas serves as president of the interfaith California Faith for Equality, which represents 6000 faith leaders and organizations in California. MCC members have been at the forefront of the marriage equality movements in Argentina, Australia, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Scotland, South Africa and the United States.
________________________________

For Additional Information, Contact:

Jim Birkitt
Communications Director
Metropolitan Community Churches
P. O. Box 691728
West Hollywood, California 90069
E-mail: info@MCCchurch.net