The California Supreme Court has ordered San Francisco to halt issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples. At the same time, liberal Massachusetts legislators gave preliminary approval to a state constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. Voters will decide the issue.
On the national front, gay Republicans have launched ads against George W. Bush’s proposed federal amendment banning gay marriage. Watch the ad here.
On the religion front, The Rev. Karen Oliveto, a United Methodist minister in San Francisco, could loose her status as a clergy person for performing same-sex marriages in San Francisco.
The Rev. Karen Oliveto conducted seven ceremonies at San Francisco City Hall and an eighth in the sanctuary at Bethany United Methodist Church during the Feb. 15 worship service. Oliveto, Bethany's pastor, said she was acting on requests by the eight gay or lesbian couples after City Hall announced it would issue the marriage licenses. The pastor, who knew all the couples, said she took the requests as "an opportunity to extend pastoral care" to her parishioners.Her district superintendent, the Rev. Jane Schlager, informed her Feb. 19 that a complaint has been filed against her for "disobedience to the order and discipline of the United Methodist Church." A pastoral and administrative supervisory meeting in early March with Bishop Beverly Shamana of the California-Nevada Annual (regional) Conference will be the next step in the complaint process.
Next week United Methodists in Washington State will witness the church trial of The Rev. Karen Dammann. Damman came out as a lesbian and may also loose her ordination.
"The case has become much bigger than me now, and I hope it will give the church an opportunity to grow," she said. "The ultimate act of trying someone for being gay is bound to shake the tree - I hope in the direction of inclusiveness."
These are interesting times.