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182-605: Save Our Children was the first organized opposition to the gay rights movement , whose beginnings were traced to the Stonewall riots in 1969. The defeat of the ordinance encouraged groups in other cities to attempt to overturn similar laws. In the next year voters in St. Paul, Minnesota ; Wichita, Kansas ; and Eugene, Oregon , overturned ordinances in those cities, sharing many of the same campaign strategies that were used in Miami. Save Our Children

364-557: A failed California ballot question designed to ban gay people or those who supported LGBT rights from holding public teaching jobs. Bryant's campaign attracted widespread opposition and boycotts which put her out of business and destroyed her reputation. From the late 1970s onwards, some conservative Christian organizations such as the Christian Broadcasting Network , Focus on the Family , Concerned Women for America ,

546-521: A sin and hold that its practice and acceptance in society weakens moral standards. Passages in the Old Testament that prohibit man to "lie with mankind as with womankind" and the story of Sodom and Gomorrah have historically been interpreted as condemning sodomy . Several Pauline passages have also been cited against male and female homosexuality. Christians who take a conservative position on homosexuality endorse this reading of these passages in

728-401: A strawberry rhubarb pie in her face. Bryant was stunned and bowed her head as she and Green held hands and prayed for Higgins. She quickly quipped "At least it's a fruit pie." An image of her covered with the pastry appeared on the front page of The New York Times the next day. In December 1977, however, a petition drive was organized by Temple Baptist Church to put St. Paul's ordinance to

910-442: A 1.1. on Hubbard's emotional tone scale , and Hubbard urged society to tackle the issue of "sexual perversion" (including homosexuality), calling it "of vital importance, if one wishes to stop immorality, and the abuse of children." In his book Science of Survival , Hubbard called for drastic action to be taken, saying that: "Such people should be taken from the society as rapidly as possible and uniformly institutionalized; for here

1092-493: A 2012 CNN poll showed that a majority number of Americans are in favor of gay rights, such as same-sex marriage. In late 2015, a poll of Japanese people also found that a majority supported same-sex marriage. Many religions, including ones within the Eastern faiths and Abrahamic faiths , do not support homosexual sex. Evangelical Christianity , Catholicism , Mormonism , Orthodox Judaism , and Islam view homosexual sex as

1274-762: A church that is anchored to a gay and lesbian church." In 2011 the Good Shepherd Parish of the MCC was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame . MCC is led by a Council of Elders (COE) and a Governing Board. The Council of Elders consists of a Moderator and elders appointed by the Moderator, approved by the Governing Board, and affirmed by the General Conference. The COE has responsibility for leading

1456-405: A citywide vote. Volunteers endured below-freezing temperatures to collect more than 7,000 signatures; their leader, Richard Angwin, pastor of Temple Baptist reasoned, "I don't want to live in a community that gives respect to homosexuals." Angwin used the same strategy as the Miami campaign, tapping the resources of Bryant, Green, and their pastor in Miami. Jerry Falwell held a rally where Bryant

1638-469: A counselling and support group called the Support Group and Resource Center on Sexuality Studies (SGRC). The group was meant as a counselling service, resource centre and support group on sexuality and gender issues, especially for LGBT youth and students, who often suffer from abuses, harassment, violence and discrimination regarding their gender and sexuality. SGRC sees LGBT people as human beings who need

1820-501: A crime. Muslim nations insist that such laws are necessary to preserve Islamic morality and virtue. Of the nations with a majority of Muslim inhabitants where homosexuality is criminalized, only Lebanon and Tunisia have organizations which are trying to get homosexuality legalized. Among the religions that originated in India , including Hinduism , Buddhism , Jainism and Sikhism , teachings regarding homosexuality are less clear than among

2002-439: A crusade, delivering speeches that intoned that Dade County's passing of the ordinance "guts the law on the side of the unrighteous. If homosexuals are allowed to change the law in their favor, why not prostitutes, thieves, or murderers?" She specifically connected homosexuals with child molesters, saying "Some of the stories I could tell you of child recruitment and child abuse by homosexuals would turn your stomach." Bryant resented

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2184-477: A few gay organizers invited people to protest her appearance at the Hyatt Regency. An organizer estimated for police that 500 people might participate, but guessed because no gay community had responded to a cause before; police prepared for that number. However, thousands of people swarmed around the hotel chanting loudly enough to drown Bryant's performance; a conservative estimate of the participants' numbers

2366-552: A few incidents of LGBT people being harassed. LGBT groups are now working on setting up safe houses and draw up evacuation plans in case of need. In Yogyakarta , in February 2016, 23 LGBT activists were roughed up by police, who told local media they stopped them from holding a rally to avoid a clash with a hardline Muslim group holding an anti-LGBT protest nearby. The chair of the People's Consultative Assembly , Zulkifli Hasan mentioned in

2548-515: A formal apology from the police. Even the depiction of gay men and lesbians in the local newspaper had changed to that of a silent, oppressed minority. By 1977, Miami was one of nearly 40 cities in the U.S. that had passed ordinances outlawing discrimination against gay men and lesbians. When the news of the ordinance proposal was reported in December 1976, a small ripple of protest spread from local churches. Northwest Baptist Church announced it from

2730-670: A friend and protection. The group, which sought to advocate for those who suffer from gender-based violence, explained that they do not "turn" or "encourage" people to be gay , nor had they tried to "cure" gay people. Amid the heat of the issue, the University of Indonesia refused to be held responsible for SGRC's actions and announced the group was not an officially registered student organisation. Another official pressured smartphone instant-messaging services to drop gay and lesbian-themed emoji, prompting one company to comply. Muhammadiyah , said it would not issue any edict condemning members of

2912-583: A friend, "I didn't know they hated us so much". Another Cuban gay activist named Manolo Gomez was fired from his job and severely beaten, after which he decided to leave Miami. Gay activists in New Orleans tried to discourage Bryant's performance with the New Orleans Pops orchestra by connecting local suicides to her campaign. Bryant responded to violence saying, "It made me sad and shocked me that anyone would think I had anything to do with it, but my conscience

3094-468: A fruit for Anita". According to Florida Atlantic University Communications professor Fred Fejes, mainstream newspapers and magazines in the 1970s were hesitant to cover the issues of homosexuality or Christian fundamentalism in detail. Media prided themselves on objective reporting without Biblical judgment and at the same time, reporting was a homophobic profession that suppressed openly gay reporters and rarely addressed topics involving homosexuality. As

3276-503: A fundamentalist approach to scripture. MCC sees its mission being social as well as spiritual by standing up for the rights of minorities, particularly those of lesbian , gay , bisexual , and transgender ( LGBTQ ) people. MCC has been a leading force in the development of queer theology . Many local churches are also involved with other national and international campaigns, including Trade Justice and Make Poverty History . The MCC supports same-sex marriage , and has performed

3458-485: A letter against the gay rights ordinance, and ordered it to be read aloud in all Catholic churches. The response from Miami's Black community was more conflicted. The Miami Times , a widely respected Black newspaper, called Bryant's tactics "pure bullshit" and urged local Black people not to vote for anything that would discriminate against anyone. However, Black audiences reacted angrily during an appearance featuring Bryant and another with Kunst and white ministers from

3640-455: A letter to the county commission and called Ruth Shack, expressing her concerns. Her most significant objection to the ordinance was that it would allow homosexuals to work in parochial schools ; all four of Bryant's children attended a local private Christian school. She admitted she was largely ignorant of any specific dangers homosexuals presented, but when she was sent graphic images of homosexual acts, and shown photos of child pornography by

3822-618: A local gay political group invited gays and lesbians in Miami to live in Minneapolis—St. Paul. In an act representing Bryant's diminished national public profile, in October 1977 Bryant and her husband were in Des Moines, Iowa , discussing an upcoming concert at a press conference when Thom Higgins, an activist affiliated with organizers in Minneapolis, walked up to her in front of cameras and mashed

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4004-493: A local police sergeant visiting her church, she was horrified. Bryant credited her inspiration later to her 9-year-old daughter suggesting God could assist with her cause; then she decided to take a more public role. At the time of the commission's vote in January, the boardroom was crowded with people who held some kind of interest in the issue. Busloads of churchgoers arrived from as far away as Homestead and picketed outside; there

4186-468: A major personality come out and create a witch hunt. People have lost sight of the issue; the controversy has become personality oriented". In opposition to her, Bob Kunst , who had experience as the publicist of the local municipal soccer team, the Miami Toros , was a familiar name to the local press. Kunst, however, remained determined to act as an individual, often taking opportunities to give his views to

4368-640: A man and a woman, homosexual sex is contrary to the very end of said act. Sodomy is regarded as criminal and forbidden in most Islamic countries , according to Sharia law , and officially carries the death penalty in Saudi Arabia , United Arab Emirates , Iran , Brunei , Mauritania , Nigeria , and Yemen . It carries the death penalty in Afghanistan under the Taliban . In Egypt , openly gay men have been prosecuted under general public morality laws. On

4550-533: A memorial demonstration for him. Mrs. Hillsborough brought a $ 5 million civil suit against Anita Bryant claiming Hillsborough's attackers said "Here's one for Anita". She said, "I didn't think much about Anita Bryant's campaign at first. Now that my son's murder has happened, I think about the Bryant campaign a lot. Anyone who wants to carry on this kind of thing must be sick. My son's blood is on her hands." Bryant, Green, Mike Thompson and Save Our Children were dismissed from

4732-480: A minority and needed no protection. Acknowledging the rights of gays would lead the law to give them rights to marry, and adopt children. Although gay rights advocates worked differently in Eugene, registering many new voters and seeing lesbians significantly working the campaign for the first time, their opposition worked steadily by canvassing neighborhoods. Most of their volunteers were members of conservative churches, and

4914-448: A petition to force the issue to be decided by a county voter referendum. They approved the name "Save Our Children, Inc.", and voted Bryant their president, Bob Green treasurer and a man named Robert Brake—a devout Catholic with a record of civil rights participation, but increasingly concerned with the liberalization of Miami city politics—its secretary. With the assistance of a Republican-affiliated advertising executive named Mike Thompson,

5096-470: A police officer named David Estes learned of the mayor's gesture, he decided to take action. Estes was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and regarded gay men as "mentally disturbed" according to his religious opinion. Estes designed a ballot measure named Initiative Thirteen that would overturn the existing gay rights ordinance, but also allowed the mere accusation of homosexuality to be

5278-426: A rally stating the law would give homosexuals "special rights ... and next you will have thieves, prostitutes and people who have relations with St. Bernards asking for the same rights". The Wichita ordinance was defeated by a five to one margin leaving Ron Adrian ecstatic. Seattle in 1977 was a liberal city that had passed a gay rights ordinance in 1973, and whose mayor had just declared a Gay Pride Week for June. When

5460-559: A referendum vote, which the commission set for June 7, 1977. Mike Thompson discovered in a poll taken in March 1977 that women in Dade County opposed repealing the measure two to one; they saw their gay friends as relatively harmless. Save Our Children's strategy, therefore, worked to prove that homosexuals were amoral, promiscuous, and defiant of traditional gender roles, and that they were a specific danger to children. Bryant took this strategy as

5642-435: A result, during the 1970s fundamentalist Christians began to develop broadcasting over radio and television in the forms of The 700 Club run by Pat Robertson , PTL Club hosted by Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker , and Jerry Falwell 's Old Time Gospel Hour . These shows originated as praise and worship-oriented, but slowly incorporated political themes interspersed with messages of Christian faith. Bryant's appearances on

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5824-552: A result, the Christian right has endorsed smaller government, restricting its ability to arbitrate in disputes regarding values and traditions. In this context, gay rights laws have come to symbolize the government's allegedly unconstitutional "[interference] with individual freedom". The central tenets of Focus on the Family and similar organizations, such as the Family Research Council, emphasise issues such as abortion and

6006-558: A solid case for discrimination; most of the activists were from Minneapolis. Gay activists were also split in strategy, much like in Miami. A more mainstream group named the St. Paul Citizens for Human Rights (SPCHR) opted to treat the issue as one of civil and human rights. A more radical group of gays named the Target City Coalition—those who had arranged the pieing of the archbishop—saw the issue as one of sexual liberation and grabbed

6188-562: A special service at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. on October 29, 2005. She is only the second person, and the first woman, to serve as moderator. In 2003, a scandal occurred involving the flagship of the church, as well as the largest gay church in the world, Cathedral of Hope , when former board member Terri Frey accused minister Michael S. Piazza of financial impropriety, an accusation that prompted

6370-463: A statement that, "As a movement, the existence of LGBT must be opposed. We must limit its room to move. However, as individual people, they must be protected like any other citizen.” Anthropologist Sharyn Graham Davies commented that the main focus of this opposition was that sexual and gender diversity may be tolerated but as long as LGBT people remain invisible in the Indonesian society and did not form

6552-453: A suspect who turned out to be a young black boy with an intellectual disability. The black community was furious with Falk, and transferred their anger to Initiative Thirteen. The tone of the Seattle campaign against Initiative Thirteen was different from those in Miami and St. Paul; it focused consistently on privacy and civil rights. Instead of educating the public about different subcultures in

6734-468: A television variety show. She was replaced after 10 years of hosting the Orange Bowl Parade by Rita Moreno , who was older and who had recently performed in a gay-themed film, The Ritz . Bryant and Green held a press conference and claimed Bryant was being blacklisted , and that a national conspiracy was underway by the nation's homosexuals to deprive her of her livelihood. Time magazine called

6916-713: A visible movement. On the other hand, amid fierce hostilities, some officials – including former Governor of Jakarta , Basuki Tjahaja Purnama and former Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Panjaitan — have defended the LGBT community. "Whoever they are, wherever they work, he or she continues to be an Indonesian citizen. They have the right to be protected as well," Panjaitan said. President Joko Widodo has also expressed support for LGBT rights and has called on an end to discrimination. Opposition to LGBT rights in Poland comes mainly from right-wing politics, such as

7098-478: Is a Spanish citizen and can only perform ceremonies in which at least one participant is a Swedish citizen. Later that year an MCC congregation finally opened in Madrid. As of 2020, the MCC website describes their “emerging” congregation in Madrid as thriving and expanding. When or if this congregation has performed any LGBTQ weddings is unclear however. In 1972 Freda Smith became the first female minister in MCC, and

7280-590: Is administratively divided into seven regions, each of which are represented by an elder on the Council of Elders. Since the 2000s, many are further divided into sub-regional networks. Each affiliated member church of MCC is a self-governing, legally autonomous body, is vested in its congregational meeting which exerts the right to control all of its affairs, subject to the provisions of the UFMCC Articles of Incorporation, bylaws, or documents of legal organization, and

7462-550: Is clear. I can't be responsible for how people react to what happened in Dade County. My stand was not taken out of homophobia, but of love for them." The economic response to the vote was swift and decisive. Bryant worked only twice during 1977, and lost most of her paid appearances after that. She had recently finished an album named There's Nothing Like the Love Between a Man and a Woman ; record companies chose to not distribute it. Singer Sewing Machines canceled negotiations for

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7644-431: Is not extended towards the LGBT rights movements, which has faced fierce condemnation in the public sphere from Indonesian authorities. A wave of anti-LGBT rhetoric began in January 2016 when Higher Education Minister Mohamad Nasir said LGBT people should be barred from university campuses. The Minister called for a ban on gay groups on university campuses after a group of University of Indonesia (UI) students established

7826-455: Is required to celebrate the Eucharist at least once a week, and to practice open communion , meaning that recipients need not be a member of the MCC or any other church to receive the Eucharist . Beyond that MCC allows its member churches independence in doctrine , practice, and worship as worship styles vary from church to church. The MCC is considered to be Bible-based and many pastors take

8008-797: Is right that gay people should be able to get married too". As of 2010, the largest voice against LGBT equality in the UK came from the Church of England over the issue of same-sex marriage. Labour passed into law in 2005 the ability for same-sex couples to enter civil partnerships, but they could not take place in a church or be called a "marriage". The Church of England opposed the-then coalition Government's plans (this government came to an end in May 2015) to extend this to "full marriage rights." The British National Party has shifted its platform from recriminalisation to an extension of section 28 -style legislation, i.e. making it illegal to portray homosexuality positively in

8190-526: Is the level of the contagion of immorality, and the destruction of ethics; here is the fodder which secret police organizations use for their filthy operations." A 2004 article in the St. Petersburg Times reported that the Scientology defines marriage as the union between a man and a woman. After 35 years of being a Scientologist, film producer and director Paul Haggis publicly quit the Church of Scientology over

8372-640: The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy , " natural law theory offers the most common intellectual defense for differential treatment of gays and lesbians". Dag Øistein Endsjø , Norwegian scholar and professor of Religious studies , and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief have stated that religious belief underlies most forms of LGBTQ rights opposition . The first organized gay rights movement arose in

8554-624: The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi . However, President Putin assured that all athletes would be respected, regardless of their sexuality and in the event, no boycott occurred. The law passed has been described as taking Russia's LGBT community "from being a stigmatized fringe group to full-blown enemies of the state ", and has been described as a major contributor to a wave of anti-gay violence by several neo-Nazi organisations (such as Occupy Paedophilia ), which target gay teens online and meet up with them, posting on YouTube their acts of assault against

8736-596: The 700 Club and the PTL Club netted the Save Our Children campaign $ 25,000 in donations, and assured her a position as a national spokesperson for traditional Christian values. However, when addressing a secular audience, Bryant was not as successful. During debates with Kunst and Shack she rarely made points that went beyond Bible quotes, and prayed when pressed to provide statistics on homosexuals as child molesters. At another appearance, she broke into " The Battle Hymn of

8918-714: The American Family Association , and the Christian Coalition of America , along with right-wing Christian hate groups such as the Westboro Baptist Church , have been outspoken against LGBT rights. Late in 1979, a new religious revival among conservative Evangelical Protestants and Roman Catholics ushered in the Republican coalition politically aligned with the Christian right that would reign in

9100-647: The Cold War politicians frequently described homosexuals as "subversives" who undermined national security and patriotism, and described them as Communist sympathisers or a Communist Fifth column . During the Lavender Scare , Joseph McCarthy used accusations of homosexuality as a smear tactic . Senator Kenneth Wherry publicized fears that Joseph Stalin had obtained a list of closeted homosexuals in positions of power from Adolf Hitler , which he believed Stalin intended to use to blackmail these men into working against

9282-600: The Congressional Club , and wrote in his column that he was proud of Bryant: "I have pledged my full support to her ... She is fighting for decency and morality in America—and that makes her, in my book, an all-American lady". Pastor Jerry Falwell from Lynchburg, Virginia , lent his support during visits and with the appearance of B. Larry Coy, who served as a marriage counselor to Bryant and Green. Coy and Green took over management of Bryant's ministries. Two months before

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9464-502: The Conservative Party , who were in government at the time , enacted Section 28 which stated that local authorities must not "intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality" and that maintained schools should not "promote the teaching [...] of the acceptability of homosexuality", describing families with gay parents as being in a "pretended family relationship". Research on

9646-614: The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), abortion , and pornography were among the issues most central to the Moral Majority's priorities until it folded in 1989. For many gay people, the surprise at the outcome of all the campaigns in 1977 and 1978 instilled a new determination and consolidated activism and communities in many cities where the gay community had not been politically active. Despite its success, Save Our Children brought widespread opposition and boycotts towards Bryant by

9828-634: The Metropolitan Community Church . All America and all the world will hear what the people have said, and with God's continued help, we will prevail in our fight to repeal similar laws throughout the nation which attempt to legitimize a life style that is both perverse and dangerous. Anita Bryant , upon the overwhelming vote that defeated Miami's gay rights ordinance Due to the intensely closeted nature of Miami's gay community at that time, many voters who were not swayed by Bryant's rhetoric were persuaded instead by her campaign's point that

10010-660: The San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade , including men in leather harnesses kissing each other, dancing drag queens , and topless women. The commercial's announcer accused Miami's gay community of trying to turn Miami into the "hotbed of homosexuality" that San Francisco had become. Full-page newspaper ads were run in The Miami Herald , showing collections of headlines announcing teachers having sex with their students, children in prostitution rings, and homosexuals involved with youth organizations, followed by

10192-578: The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches ( UFMCC ), is an international LGBT-affirming mainline Protestant Christian denomination . There are 222 member congregations in 37 countries, and the fellowship has a specific outreach to members of the LGBTQ community. The fellowship has Official Observer status with the World Council of Churches . The MCC has been denied membership in

10374-406: The "self-appointed conscience of American society". During the 1980s, the movement was largely dismissed by political pundits and mainstream religious leaders as "a collection of buffoonish has-beens". Later, it re-emerged, better organized and more focused, taking firm positions against abortion, pornography, sexual deviancy, and extreme feminism. Influential Christian right organizations were at

10556-488: The 1970s, conservative Christian protests against promiscuity began to surface, largely as a reaction to the " permissive Sixties " and an emerging prominence of sexual rights arising from Roe v. Wade and the LGBT rights movement . The Christian right proceeded to make sexuality issues a priority political cause. Anita Bryant organized Save Our Children , a widespread campaign to oppose legislation prohibiting discrimination on

10738-468: The 1970s. Societal attitudes towards homosexuality vary greatly in different cultures and different historical periods, as do attitudes toward sexual desire, activity and relationships in general. All cultures have their own norms regarding appropriate and inappropriate sexuality ; some sanction same-sex love and sexuality, while others disapprove of such activities. According to The 2007 Pew Global Attitudes Project, "Throughout Western Europe and much of

10920-674: The Abrahamic traditions. Unlike the Abrahamic religions, homosexuality is not a 'sin' in Hindu philosophy, while in Buddhism, the Dalai Lama has stated that male-female relationships are intended by nature, though without condemning same-sex relationships. Gender-specific Temples like Aravan worship are dedicated to celebrate the non-heteronormative diverse Indigenous gender & sexuality in Hinduism. In 2005,

11102-566: The Americas, there is widespread tolerance towards homosexuality. However, the United States, Japan, South Korea, and Israel stand apart from other wealthy nations on this issue; in each of these countries, fewer than half of those surveyed say homosexuality should be accepted by society. Meanwhile, in most of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, there is less tolerance toward homosexuality." However,

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11284-675: The Bob Hope Christmas tour, entertaining troops serving overseas, and sang at President Lyndon Johnson 's funeral in 1973. Since 1969 she had been employed regionally by the Florida Citrus Commission endorsing Florida orange juice in television commercials. She also advertised for Coca-Cola , Tupperware , Kraft Foods and Holiday Inn . Bryant's talent agent was married to Ruth Shack; Bryant had contributed $ 1,000 to her campaign. Initially Bryant kept her concerns low-key, despite her pastor's pleadings to become involved. She wrote

11466-469: The Catholic Church , the theory of natural law has been employed by philosophers and theologians to justify its condemnation of homosexual behaviour. The theologian Thomas Aquinas maintained that homosexual practice was contrary to natural law, arguing that the primary natural end of the sexual act was procreation, and since said procreation is carried out from a process of sexual fertilization between

11648-753: The Children filed an injunction in July 1977 against the Miami coalition to prevent them from using the name, and Bryant from using it as a title for a book she was writing; Save the Children lost donations due to the confusion between the names. Two weeks after the Dade County vote, a gardener who worked for the City of San Francisco named Robert Hillsborough was stabbed 15 times in his face and chest while his attackers chanted " Faggot " at him. Hillsborough's mother and San Francisco mayor George Moscone blamed Bryant's rhetoric for his death and 200,000 San Francisco residents joined

11830-616: The Dade County Coalition for the Humanistic Rights of Gays, that was less than a year old. The group was headed by three gay activists: Jack Campbell, an owner of 40  gay bathhouses across the United States, political and gay activist Bob Basker , and Bob Kunst , a local publicist and enthusiast of the Human Potential Movement . The general attitude about homosexuality in Miami mirrored many other cities across

12012-766: The Dade County vote as a warning advising gay men and lesbians there to "Get off Your Butts". More than 300 people held a vigil at the American embassy in the Netherlands , accusing the U.S. government of failing to protect their citizens' human rights. Four thousand marchers in Spain were dispersed by rubber bullets. Gay activists in Paris and London also warned that similar challenges could occur in their cities. In The New York Times , conservative columnist William Safire wrote that Miami's gay activists had been justifiably defeated: "In

12194-407: The ERA, fearing it would legalize same-sex marriages , force people to use unisex bathrooms, and that it would harm laws meant to protect families. National Organization for Women founder and ERA proponent Betty Friedan expressed her disdain, saying "suddenly you have this red herring in Anita Bryant. Suddenly you have this wave of anti-gay hysteria and then that was preempting the air waves behind

12376-491: The General Conference. An ordained pastor provides spiritual leadership and administrative leadership as the moderator of a local church administrative body. In the United States and Canada the local church administrative body is usually called "board of directors". Each local congregation is required to send a tithe or assessment of income to UFMCC, currently set to reduce from 15% of income to 10% by 1% every two years stating in 2005. Each local church elects its own pastor from

12558-419: The German Folk. [...] medicine was to join in the great national healing mission, and the advance image of what Nazi doctors were actually to become: the healer turned killer. [...] Sterilization policies were always associated with the therapeutic and regenerative principles of the biomedical vision: with the "purification of the national body" and the "eradication of morbid hereditary dispositions." Sterilization

12740-461: The Head Cleric of the Akal Takht condemned same-sex marriages. Hinduism is diverse, with no supreme governing body which allows people of diverse SOGIESC communities to marry under Hindu Marriage Law 1951. Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard classified homosexuality as a mental illness and paraphilia (then known as "sexual perversion"), citing contemporary psychiatric and psychological textbooks to support his view. Gay people are designated

12922-470: The Humanistic Rights of Gays who were present were stunned, as was Ruth Shack, at the number and force of the hundreds of protesters who filled the commission room, and held placards and pickets outside. The ordinance passed by a 5–3 vote. After the ordinance passed, over thirty conservative political professionals and ministers from various faiths met in Bryant and Green's home to discuss a plan to raise publicity and attempt to get at least 10,000 signatures on

13104-497: The LGBT community and its supporters in the entertainment industry, tarnishing her reputation and ending her career as an entertainer. On January 18, 1977, the Dade County Commission approved a law that would outlaw discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in employment, housing, and public services. Commissioner Ruth Shack proposed the bill on December 7, 1976, at the request of a gay lobbying organization, named

13286-453: The LGBT community were regularly targeted by the security forces and brought in for questioning. The authorities threatened to stigmatise them by informing their colleagues, families, or friends of their sexual orientation. Gay clubs in Minsk and Vitebsk were raided, and those present were filmed and had their details collected. The clubs were then closed down. Gay Pride week in Minsk was disrupted by

13468-502: The LGBT rights movement is very prevalent in Russia , including within the Kremlin . President Vladimir Putin enacted laws in 2012 which criminalised education about LGBT issues, calling it " gay propaganda ". It banned telling minors that homosexuality was normal or natural. This was opposed by some nations with many members of the public in the U.S. and Western Europe calling for a boycott of

13650-734: The LGBT teens, which have even resulted in the death of several LGBT teens in Russia, which are rarely investigated by the authorities, defining them as "civil movements fighting the sins of society". On July 8, 2023, over 2,000 anti-LGBTQ+ protesters violently disrupted the LGBTQ+ Pride festival in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi. Homophobia remains widespread in Georgia, and several journalists were attacked during similar protests in Tbilisi two years ago. In 1988,

13832-461: The Republic " to take up time after she had read a pre-written statement. As California was experiencing a drought, Bryant connected it to their tolerance of liberals and homosexuals, and suggested that other morality laws should be enforced, such as those against adultery and cohabitation out of wedlock. Mike Thompson and Robert Brake soon restricted her to primarily religious shows. At the same time,

14014-567: The U.S. In the weeks before the vote, almost $ 55,000 was raised outside of Florida to oppose Save Our Children. Foreshadowing the effectiveness of the Save Our Children campaign, on April 13, 1977, the Florida Legislature voted not to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), to the astonishment of those anticipating the vote. The connection between the ERA and ordinance 77-4 was obvious to many. Florida Senator Dempsey Barron vocally opposed passing

14196-593: The U.S. for the Soviet regime. In the 1950 report produced by a Senate subcommittee titled "Employment of Homosexuals and Other Sex Perverts in Government" said that "the pervert is easy prey to the blackmailer... It is an accepted fact among intelligence agencies that espionage organizations the world over consider sex perverts who are in possession of or have access to confidential material to be prime targets where pressure can be exerted." Along with that security-based concern,

14378-565: The UFMCC to open an investigation. However, the investigation ended when the cathedral's membership voted to disaffiliate from UFMCC with 88% support. In 2006, the Cathedral of Hope was received into membership in the United Church of Christ . The split cost UFMCC 9% of its membership, and 7% of its annual operating budget. Church members, including copastor Mona West, claimed that the vote was less about

14560-544: The US National Council of Churches , but many local MCC congregations are members of local ecumenical partnerships around the world and MCC currently belongs to several statewide councils of churches in the United States. The MCC has also been considered to be non-denominational. MCC bases its theology on the historic creeds of the Christian Church, such as Apostles' and Nicene creeds. Every church

14742-454: The United States between the years 1970s and 1980s, becoming another obstacle for the progress of the LGBTQ rights movement . During the HIV/AIDS epidemic of the 1980s , LGBTQ communities were further stigmatized as they became the focus of mass hysteria , suffered isolation and marginalization , and were targeted with extreme acts of violence . The Christian right champions itself as

14924-498: The aspect gay visibility, and the dangers of gays as role models for children: "There is a real danger that homosexual teachers, social workers or counselors, simply by public acknowledgment of their lifestyles, can encourage sexual deviation in children." In comparison, the very small and closeted gay community raised only $ 6,000; the National Gay Task Force was so pessimistic they offered no assistance at all. Bryant attended

15106-617: The association's Mental Health and Mental Disorder Diagnostic Guidelines, the PDSKJI categorises homosexual and bisexual Indonesians as "people with psychiatric problems" and transgender people as having "mental disorders". Some military figures have used conspiracy theory rhetoric. Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu called the LGBT movement a " proxy war " to brainwash Indonesians, and claimed that it received "foreign funding", pointing to funds from United Nations organisations like UNAIDS or Western governments and foundations. There have been

15288-455: The authorities who forced owners of venues, where events were due to be held, to withdraw at the last minute. Those events that did take place were raided by the police, and a request for a march through the city was turned down by the authorities. Same-sex relationships in Malaysia are criminalised . In 2018, Malaysian LGBT people faced government-enforced clampdowns. On October 6, 1860, sodomy

15470-454: The basis for dismissal from a job or eviction from a residence. Also included in the proposed law was the prospect of shifting the responsibility of enforcing Initiative Thirteen to a city department already overtaxed with investigating claims of bias against blacks and women. Estes's organization attracted a $ 3,000 donation from Anita Bryant, and her pastor traveled to Seattle to give advice on Estes' campaign. However, where Estes planned to use

15652-680: The basis of sexual orientation in Miami-Dade County, Florida . The group argued that gay people were " recruiting " or " molesting children " in order to make them gay. Bryant infamously claimed that "As a mother, I know that homosexuals cannot biologically reproduce children; therefore, they must recruit our children," and also claimed that "If gays are granted rights, next we'll have to give rights to prostitutes and to people who sleep with St. Bernards and to nail biters." The Bryant campaign achieved success in repealing some city anti-discrimination laws, and proposed other citizen initiatives such as

15834-638: The belief that God is against same-sex sexual activity, while Christians who take a liberal position believe that these same passages refer to more specific situations, such as pedophilia, rape or abuse, and not homosexuality. The largest Christian body, the Catholic Church , condemns homosexual acts as "gravely sinful" and "intrinsically disordered". The second-largest Christian body, the Eastern Orthodox Church , also condemns homosexual behaviour, as do many denominations of Protestantism . Within

16016-532: The blaze. The MCC has grown since then to have a presence in 37 countries with 222 affiliated churches. The largest presence is found in the United States, followed by Canada. The denomination continues to grow: In 2010, El Mundo reported that the first MCC congregation in Spain would be established in Madrid in October. If successfully established, the MCC would’ve been the first recognized church in Spain to officially solemnize same-sex marriages. An MCC congregation

16198-649: The building was destroyed by what the Fire Department called a fire "of suspicious origin". During this early period of expansion, a congregation of the MCC formed in New Orleans. Services were initially held in the UpStairs Lounge , a well-known gay bar. The church was struck by tragedy when the UpStairs Lounge suffered an arson attack in 1973. The Reverend Bill Larson and a number of parishioners were killed in

16380-418: The campaign. The vote results of the special 7 June election were overwhelming. It was the largest turnout in any special election in the history of Dade County. Voters supported repealing the gay rights ordinance by a margin of more than two to one (202,319 votes for repealing and 89,562 for retention of the ordinance). Bryant danced a jig when the response was announced, and told reporters "All America and all

16562-399: The charge "unlikely", and network executives denied gay pressure was behind their decision. Bryant's claim of being blacklisted brought a tide of condemnation against the perceived pressure by gay organizations. Three major newspapers supported Bryant's right to free speech . Years later, she admitted that some of the statements made about her cancellations were exaggerated for effect, but that

16744-579: The church moved first to the Embassy Auditorium, and then a United Methodist Church for two weeks. The church ended up renting out the Encore Theatre in Hollywood from 1969 through 1971. Within months of the first worship service, Perry began receiving letters and visits from people who wanted to start Metropolitan Community Churches in other cities. MCC groups from eight U.S. cities were represented at

16926-471: The church was made up of born again believers. In 1969 the congregation had outgrown Perry's living room and moved to rented space at the Huntington Park Women's Club. It was at this point in time membership in the church grew to about 200 people. Due to discrimination the church was forced to move, and had a hard time finding a permanent place. During this period during the spring and summer of 1969

17108-485: The city. Bryant actively campaigned to the Cuban community, telling them at a rally, "You came here to get away from one sin ... and it breaks my heart that if Miami becomes another Sodom and Gomorrah you may have to leave here, too." A Cuban social worker suggested the cause was representative of an older generation of Cuban émigrés , worried that their children were being lost in the depravity of Miami. Miami's archbishop wrote

17290-552: The civil rights issue. Reverend Angwin stumped Spear and his cohorts by showing them an advertisement placed by the Target City Coalition in a local gay paper appealing to gay teenagers, that offered them "free prostate rubs." St. Paul's special election day was April 25, 1978. Again, more than the usual number of voters appeared for a special election, who again, overturned the city's gay rights ordinance by more than two to one. The ordinance that had recently passed in Eugene

17472-418: The coalition eschewed subtlety. They held a press conference where Bryant held a pamphlet about homosexuality she claimed was being distributed at area high schools (a statement she later retracted), and said Dade County homosexuals "are trying to recruit our children into homosexuality". Far exceeding the required number of signatures, the coalition delivered more than 64,000 signatures within six weeks demanding

17654-405: The commission extended their $ 100,000 annual contract with Bryant, they did not renew it in 1980. In the weeks after the Dade County vote, Fort Lauderdale , Gainesville , and Palm Beach, Florida , and Austin, Texas , all rejected ordinances to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development overturned its own rules they had set earlier in

17836-599: The commission; at one point the United States Postal Service installed bomb detection equipment for the mail collected for delivery to the Florida Citrus Commission. The publicity director for the Florida Department of Citrus told a reporter from the Associated Press , "The whole Anita thing is a mess. No matter what we decide, we're only going to lose. I wish she would just resign." Although in 1979

18018-569: The continental United States, in places such as Sydney, Australia , and Toronto , Ontario and Calgary , Alberta in Canada . The 2010 General Conference was held in Acapulco, Guerrero , with future conferences occurring every three years. The 2013 General Conference was held in Chicago, Illinois, US. followed by Victoria, British Columbia, Canada in 2016 and Orlando, Florida, US in 2019. The worldwide church

18200-700: The core documents of MCC, separate from its bylaws, as it is part of MCC formation and identity, but not part of its governance policies. The first congregation was founded in Huntington Park, California , by former Pentecostal pastor Troy Perry on October 6, 1968. This was a time when Christian attitudes toward homosexuality were almost universally unfavorable. The first congregation originally met in Perry's Huntington Park home. The church first gained publicity by ads taken out in The Advocate magazine. Perry declared

18382-565: The country. Although gay nightlife in the city had enjoyed the same boisterous existence as other forms of entertainment in the 1930s, by the 1950s, the city government worked to shut down as many gay bars as possible and enacted laws making homosexuality and cross-dressing illegal. From 1956 to 1966, the Johns Committee of the Florida Legislature actively sought to root out homosexuals in state employment and in public universities across

18564-429: The crowd with a bullhorn: "This is the power of the gay community. Anita's going to create a national gay force". The day after the vote, Jean O'Leary and NGTF co-director Bruce Voeller said Bryant was doing "an enormous favor" for the gay community by focusing national media attention on discrimination against them. Several weeks later at the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade , 250,000 people attended, becoming

18746-451: The decade, many lesbians in the U.S. were unable to see themselves as part of the same community with gay men. Accusations from Save Our Children were almost all directed at the behavior of men. As a result, much of the response by gay men was angry and many lesbians took issue with the misogynistic tone gay men used. However, with Bryant representing a common adversary, for the first time in years, gay men and lesbians united to work together on

18928-428: The early-2020s, an anti-LGBT movement occurred in the United States. This conservative political backlash against LGBT rights included bathroom use restrictions , bans on gender transition , “don't say gay” laws , laws against drag performances , book bans , boycotts , and conspiracy theories around grooming . Metropolitan Community Church The Metropolitan Community Church ( MCC ), also known as

19110-420: The effect of suppressing information about sexuality awareness in schools showed a correspondence with increases in the level of homophobic bullying by peers, as well as increased incidence in depression and suicide amongst LGBT people trying to come to terms with their sexuality. In 1987, Thatcher also declared that "hard left education authorities and extremist teachers" were indoctrinating the nation by teaching

19292-507: The effort in Wichita, which was led by a minister named Ron Adrian. They used a similar strategy, printing a full-page ad in The Wichita Eagle with newspaper clippings connecting gays to child molestation. They raised approximately $ 50,000 and used the network of churches, local media, and a highly organized grassroots voter registration and mobilization drive. Campaign literature focused on

19474-582: The enactment of laws making same-sex marriage legal, the passage of anti-discrimination laws aimed at curtailing anti-LGBTQ discrimination , including in employment and housing, the passage of anti-bullying laws to protect LGBTQ minors, laws decriminalizing same-gender relationships, and other LGBTQ rights-related laws. These groups are often religious or socially conservative in nature. Such opposition can be motivated by homophobia , transphobia , bigotry , animosity, religion , moral beliefs , political ideologies , or other reasons. According to

19656-527: The eyes of the vast majority, homosexuality is an abnormality, a mental illness, even—to use an old-fashioned word—a sin. Homosexuality is not the 'alternative lifestyle' the gay activists profess; it may be tolerable, even acceptable—but not approvable." Safire, however, tempered the column (titled "Now Ease Up, Anita") cautioning against Bryant's promised nationwide crusade designed to lead to further repeal of homosexuals' "legitimate civil rights". A Connecticut -based charity for unprivileged children named Save

19838-759: The fellowship in the areas of public and community relations; provide oversight of and support to congregations; consult with churches on issues related to church development; and fulfill other ecclesial and ceremonial duties. In July 2019, a new Moderator and Governing Board were elected at the MCC General Conference in Orlando, Florida. The Moderator is Rev. Elder Cecilia Eggleston . The Governing Board consists of Rev. Marie Alford-Harkey, Rev. Alberto Nájera, Rev. Elder Diane Fisher, and Rev. Paul Whiting, representing Clergy, and Chad Hobbs, Clare Coughlin, James Chavis, and Mark Godette, representing Laity. Internationally,

20020-804: The fellowship on matters of spirituality , mission development, and Christian witness. The Governing Board is made up of the Moderator, 4 Lay members and 4 Clergy members elected by General Conference, and is the legal corporate board of the denomination, handling responsibility for financial and fiduciary matters. As of 2016, the Council of Elders includes Rachelle Brown ( Moderator ), Nancy Wilson , Ines-Paul Baumann, Pat Bumgardner, Tony Freeman, Darlene Garner , Hector Gutierrez, Dwayne Johnson, Nancy Maxwell, Margarita Sánchez de Léon, Candace Shultis, and Mona West. The Governing Board includes Rachelle Brown (Interim Moderator and Chair ex officio ), Joe Cobb, Victoria L. Burson, Miak Siew, and Dr. David L. Williams. The elders serve as official representatives of

20202-530: The fight would not end in Miami if the gay community lost, as did the local gay-focus newspapers of Boston's Gay Community News and San Francisco's Bay Area Reporter . Goodstein also suggested Bryant's primary motivation in her actions was furthering her career, or the beginning of "an organized conspiracy to turn (gays) into America's scapegoats". Suddenly you have this red herring in Anita Bryant. Suddenly you have this wave of anti-gay hysteria and then that

20384-517: The first General Conference in 1970: Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Costa Mesa, California ; Chicago, Illinois; Phoenix, Arizona; Kaneohe, Hawaii ; and Dallas, Texas. An MCC group existed in Miami, Florida, but did not send a delegate. The church had its final move to a building it purchased at 2201 South Union Avenue in Los Angeles in early 1971. The building was consecrated on March 7, 1971. MCC worshiped there until January 27, 1973, when

20566-485: The first church-based weddings for same-sex couples in the United Kingdom . MCC's founder, Troy Perry , performed the first public same-sex marriage in the United States in Huntington Park, California , in 1969. In 1970, he filed the first lawsuit in the U.S. seeking legal recognition for same-sex marriages. Perry lost that lawsuit but launched the debate over marriage equality in the U.S. Today, MCC congregations around

20748-437: The first gay civil rights bill in U.S. Congress in 1974, was awoken at 2 am by people in the street chanting her name. "It was hard not to feel sad for this crowd", Abzug said of the several hundred people below her window. She was optimistic, telling them the defeat would develop a maturity and determination in gay activism. About the same time that evening, about 3,000 gay men and lesbians spontaneously gathered in what had become

20930-473: The forefront of the anti-gay rights movement in the United States in the 1990s and 2000s, including Focus on the Family, Family Research Council, and the Family Research Institute . An important stratagem in Christian right anti-gay politics is in its rejection of "the edicts of a Big Brother" state, allowing it to profit from "a general feeling of discontent and demoralization with government". As

21112-529: The gay community promoted their causes using specialty magazines and newspapers. The Advocate , a bi-weekly magazine, dedicated every issue starting in April 1977 to raising awareness of the battle taking place in Miami. It was run by David Goodstein , a friend of Jim Foster's who had worked with Foster to create the first gay Democratic club in the U.S. in the Alice B. Toklas Memorial Democratic Club . Goodstein warned that

21294-511: The gay community, they printed effective posters showing an eye peeping through a keyhole and a family living in a fishbowl. High-profile liberal figures, labor unions, and other large organizations including the Church Council of Greater Seattle opposed Initiative Thirteen. David Estes did not have the enthusiasm and momentum modeled by Bryant and other communities though his campaign used many of their tactics. On election day, Initiative Thirteen

21476-414: The government of the UFMCC is vested in the tri-annual General Conference, subject to the provisions of the fellowship Articles of Incorporation, its bylaws, or documents of legal organization. The General Conference is authorized to receive the reports from the various boards, committees, commissions and councils of the fellowship. Throughout its history the General Conference has met both in and outside of

21658-640: The historic shift in German society (that started with Westphal , and developed through Krafft-Ebing to Magnus Hirschfeld , of homosexuality being seen as having a neurological, endocrinological or genetic basis), were treated for homosexuality as a medical rather than criminal matter. After the Second World War , the United States became more intolerant of homosexuality, but many gay men and lesbians decided to reveal their gay identities after meeting others in

21840-759: The homosexuality of Ernst Röhm and his followers, many gay men were purged from the Nazi Party following the Night of the Long Knives and the Section 175 Laws began to be enforced again, with gay men interned in concentration camps by 1938. Under the Nazi rule in Germany, the dismantling of rights for LGBTQ individuals was approached in two ways. By strengthening and re-enforcing existing laws that had fallen into disuse, male homosexuality

22022-460: The investigation and more about the congregation's long-simmering frustration with the denomination, including the opinion that the denomination was focused too much on gay issues and hampered their desire to reach out to Dallas residents disaffected by conservative churches; as church member Michael Magnia explained: "The tie with MCC was more about gays and lesbians. You're going to have a difficult time getting even progressive heterosexuals to come to

22204-766: The largest attendance at any gay event in U.S. history to that point. The largest group of the parade held large placards of Joseph Stalin , Adolf Hitler , Idi Amin , a burning cross , and Anita Bryant. Other cities also saw greater participation in Gay Pride events. People marching in New York's Gay Pride observance shouted "No more Miami's". Thousands of people attended events in Seattle , Boston , Cleveland , and Atlanta . Kansas City observed its first Gay Pride demonstration with 30 people. The largest gay newspaper in Australia used

22386-561: The largest gay demonstration in Canadian history when she appeared at a Toronto religious performance. Although she performed and spoke only at revivals and other religious shows, audiences were often less than half the expected number, and many would leave when she came on stage. In Houston Bryant was invited to perform for the Texas State Bar Association two weeks after the Dade County vote. With no cohesive political community,

22568-622: The largest gay neighborhood in the United States— Castro Street in San Francisco—furious at the loss in Dade County. The crowd marched around the Castro District, chanting "We Are Your Children!" pulling people out of gay bars to cheers. Local gay activist and future supervisor Harvey Milk led marchers through a 5-mile (8.0 km) course through the city, careful not to stop for too long lest rioting began. He addressed

22750-814: The largest number of its citizens for homosexuality. Since the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, the Iranian government has executed more than 4,000 people charged with homosexual acts. Even though homosexuality is widespread amongst the Pashtun ethnic group in southern Afghanistan, after the fall of the Taliban, homosexuality went from a capital crime to one that is punished with fines, prison sentences, and vigilante violence. Most international human rights organizations, such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International , condemn laws that make homosexual relations between consenting adults

22932-537: The late 1960s. In 1969, the Stonewall riots occurred in New York City , marking the start of the gay rights movement . Although gay life in Miami was intensely closeted, and bars were subject to frequent raids, Christ Metropolitan Community Church —a congregation for gay and lesbian Christians in Miami—was founded in 1970 as a religious outlet, attracting hundreds of parishioners. The 1972 Democratic National Convention

23114-537: The late nineteenth century in Germany. In the 1920s and into the early 1930s, there were LGBTQ communities in cities like Berlin; German-Jewish sexologist Magnus Hirschfeld was one of the most notable spokespeople for LGBTQ rights at this time. When the Nazi party came to power in 1933, one of the party's first acts was to burn down Hirschfeld's Institut für Sexualwissenschaft , where many prominent Nazis had been treated for perceived sexual problems. Initially tolerant to

23296-413: The law was unnecessary; they were unable to see the problem of discrimination. Unlike Black people or Cubans, gay men and lesbians were able to find jobs, although they faced dismissal upon their supervisors learning of their sexual orientation. In order to see a complaint through, they would have to remain out, and many lived in constant fear of exposure. Since the advent of second wave feminism earlier in

23478-876: The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, Muhammadiyah's secretary-general, Abdul Mukti said. Muhammadiyah considered LGBT expression immoral, but that publicly condemning people affiliated with those identities and orientations would not help them return to normalcy. Other religious groups, such as Christianity and specifically Roman Catholicism , have expressed their rejection of LGBT rights in Indonesia. Indonesian Catholic authorities have reiterated that Catholicism does not recognise same-sex marriage but assured that, despite their perceived transgressions, LGBT people should be protected and not harmed. The Indonesia Psychiatric Association (PDSKJI) classifies homosexuality, bisexuality and transgenderism as mental disorders . Referring to Law No.18/2014 on Mental Health and

23660-495: The media depiction of her as hateful, saying that her inspiration came "out of love—not only love for God's commandment and His word, but love for my children and yours. Yes, and even love for all sinners—even homosexuals." The Save Our Children campaign produced a local television commercial showing the "wholesome entertainment" of the Orange Bowl Parade (which Bryant hosted), contrasting that with highly sexualized images of

23842-627: The media. In 1999, the Admiral Duncan pub , a gay bar in London 's Soho , was targeted up as part of a terrorist campaign by a former National Socialist Movement and British National Party (BNP) member, David Copeland ; three people were killed, and seventy maimed or injured by a nail bomb detonated in the pub. In the 1950s in the United States , open homosexuality was taboo. Legislatures in every state had passed laws against homosexual behavior well before this, most notably anti-sodomy laws . During

24024-473: The message was similar to recent campaigns: "Keep it straight. Our children come first," but the Eugene campaign lacked the sensational aspect as those in Miami and St. Paul. Once more in nearly a two to one margin, the gay rights ordinance was defeated in Eugene. A poll taken after the vote showed that liberal voters who were not gay simply declined to show up and vote, and those who opposed the ordinance were much more motivated. Anita Bryant lent her support to

24206-453: The military. Many gay bars and villages were created, and a whole gay subculture formed. Campaigns for gay rights began to develop, initially in the UK. Towards the end of the 1960s homosexuality began to be decriminalised and de-medicalised in areas such as the UK, New Zealand, Australia, North America and Europe, in the context of the sexual revolution and anti-psychiatry movements. Organized opposition to gay and lesbian rights began in

24388-470: The ministry of both men and women, seeing them as equal, and the past election of Nancy Wilson as Moderator makes MCC one of a small number of communions with female senior leadership. The MCC also believes that abortion should be legal. In 2016, a new statement of faith was passed, almost unanimously, and was adopted at the 26th General Conference in Victoria, British Columbia. It is now considered one of

24570-458: The most media attention by highlighting some of the more flamboyant parts of the gay community. The Advocate wrote that they were "the most stoned-out, off-the-wall, bona-fide crackpots yet to appear in the gay rights cause." The Target City Coalition invited Bob Kunst to St. Paul, where he spoke of sexual liberation and the need to reach out to gay youth. Allan Spear, supportive ministers, and other members of SPCHR went on local television to debate

24752-573: The necessity of gender roles. A number of organizations, including the New Christian Right, "have in various ways rejected liberal America in favor of the regulation of pornography, anti-abortion legislation, the criminalization of homosexuality, and the virtues of faithfulness and loyalty in sexual partnerships", according to sociologist Bryan Turner . During the presidency of Donald Trump , some Christian conservatives refrained from engaging in debates about sexual morality. However, beginning in

24934-487: The network of conservative churches in the city, many members were discouraged from working with him because he was a Mormon. The tone of the advertising for the campaign was more dire than in Miami; ads claimed homosexuals were responsible for half the murders and suicides in major cities and half the cases of syphilis . Perhaps the most significant factor of the campaign was Estes' co-chair, a police officer named Dennis Falk. Two months before election day, Falk shot and killed

25116-648: The organization's position on gay rights and a showdown with the Church's spokesperson over the 2008 California Proposition 8 on same-sex marriage. A 2014 report prepared by the United Kingdom , under the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government of 2010–2015, raised concerns about LGBT treatment in Belarus : The LGBT community suffered increased harassment from the [Belarusian] regime in 2013. The Ministry of Justice denied registration to LGBT groups, and members of

25298-456: The other hand, homosexuality has been legal in Turkey since 1858. In Saudi Arabia, the maximum punishment for homosexuality is public execution, but the government will use other punishments – e.g., fines, jail time, and flagellation – as alternatives, unless it feels that LGBT individuals are challenging state authority by engaging in LGBT social movements . Iran is perhaps the nation to execute

25480-500: The press that were not condoned by the Dade County Coalition on the Humanistic Rights of Gays. He took the view that it was the sexually enlightened stance to pass the ordinance, and those who opposed it were uptight, including, near the end of the campaign, Florida Governor Reubin Askew . He gave interviews addressing sexual liberation for gay and straight people, in which he freely spoke about oral and anal sex . The gay community in Miami

25662-492: The protest had the same result in Houston as the Stonewall riots . The Florida Citrus Commission reiterated its commitment to Bryant by stating that it "wholeheartedly support(ed)" her right to free speech, praising her "courageous leadership on a moral issue that it is tearing up religious and other organizations which have become involved". The commission received thousands of letters both supporting Bryant's stance and condemning

25844-544: The pulpit. The news worried one of the church members named Anita Bryant , who was a 36-year-old singer/celebrity. Bryant began her career as a local child star on a television show in Oklahoma City and on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts . Her young life was marked by frequent moves; her parents divorced each other twice, and she often lived in poverty conditions, but she became a born again Christian at eight years old, and counted her faith and her participation at church as

26026-463: The question "Are all homosexuals nice? ... There is no 'human right' to corrupt our children." Although Miami was not the first community to overturn a sexual orientation civil rights law, the Save Our Children campaign became a national political cause. Bryant became the focus of the campaign, as noted by her husband that she was the "first person with a name" to become vocal about homosexuality; gay activists agreed, saying that other cities "haven't had

26208-540: The referendum vote, Bob Green, speaking for Bryant, vowed to lead her cause in all cities in the United States that protected sexual orientation from discrimination, saying that gay activists waged a "disguised attack on God", and Bryant would "lead such a crusade to stop it as this country has not seen before". As information was distributed against the referendum, as much literature was spread expressing local dissatisfaction with Bryant. T-shirts and campaign buttons were produced, showing "Anita Bryant Sucks Oranges" and "Squeeze

26390-435: The report found homosexuals unsuitable for government employment because "those who engage in overt acts of perversion lack the emotional stability of normal persons. In addition, there is an abundance of evidence to sustain the conclusion that indulgence in acts of sex perversion weakens the moral fiber of an individual to a degree that he is not suitable for a position of responsibility." McCarthy and Roy Cohn more often used

26572-544: The right" existed prior to the campaign, "the new right struck pure gold in Anita Bryant. A mother, celebrity singer, former Miss America ... the chirpy Bryant was the ideal model for its antigay crusade." Within two years Jerry Falwell developed a coalition of conservative religious groups named the Moral Majority that influenced the Republican Party to incorporate a social agenda in national politics. Homosexuality,

26754-467: The roster of MCC credentialed clergy . Each local congregation is free to determine matters of worship, practice, theology and ministry providing they meet certain basic requirements involving open access to communion and subscription to the traditional Christian creeds. Styles of worship include liturgical, charismatic, evangelical, traditional and modern — diversity is an important part of MCC. The Metropolitan Community Church of Baguio solemnized

26936-542: The ruling in 2015-2023 Law and Justice party, and from the Catholic Church in Poland , in which a majority of Poles are members. According to ILGA-Europe 's 2020 report, Poland ranks the lowest of European Union countries for LGBT rights. According to some opinion polls, opposition to LGBT rights has been diminishing, with support for civil partnerships rising from 52% in 2017 to 60% in 2019. The number of Poles who say that homosexuality should not be accepted in society dropped from 41% in 2001 to 24% in 2019. Opposition to

27118-521: The same language that many Miami citizens faced during the Holocaust . Twenty-eight of Miami's 34 rabbis agreed with Bryant and her campaign–the president of the Miami Beach B'nai B'rith served as an officer of the Save Our Children coalition. Miami's Cuban community came together as never before for the campaign, taking the opportunity to register thousands of voters who had never taken part in politics in

27300-405: The scenes". Washington, D.C., mayor Marion Barry , Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley , President Jimmy Carter all expressed support for the ordinance. In the Miami Herald , 51 members of Dutch Parliament , ministers, and civil rights advocates from the Netherlands ran a full-page ad stating "We, from the land of Anne Frank , know where prejudices and discrimination can lead to", advising

27482-406: The secrets of closeted gay American politicians as tools for blackmail than did foreign powers. The modern roots of the Christian right 's views on sexual matters were evident in the years 1950s–1960s, a period in which many conservative Christians in the United States viewed sexual promiscuity as not only excessive, but in fact as a threat to their ideal vision of the country. Beginning in

27664-485: The stabilizing influences in her life. As a child, she asked God to make her a star. She was, by her own admission, remarkably driven and ambitious. In her older teens she became a beauty pageant contestant, winning Miss Oklahoma and second runner-up as Miss America . In 1960, she married a Miami disc jockey named Bob Green and became a professional singer, finding some success with three gold records featuring popular, patriotic, and Gospel standards. She performed with

27846-426: The state would work against local gay men and lesbians. Ruth Shack saw the issue simply, as one of civil rights ; Geto and Foster agreed. Bob Kunst soon broke away from the campaign to promote the orange juice boycott , and his views were often printed in the newspapers to Geto's alarm. Save Our Children also received help from outside the area. North Carolina senator Jesse Helms offered his staff and funding from

28028-459: The state, publishing the inflammatory " Purple Pamphlet ," which described homosexuals in Florida. In the 1960s, The Miami Herald ran several stories implying the life of area homosexuals as synonymous with pimps and child molesters , and CBS aired a documentary entitled "The Homosexuals" in 1967, warning viewers that young boys were in danger from predatory men. The public image of homosexuals changed with liberalized social attitudes of

28210-429: The suit in November 1977. Several suicides were connected to the campaign, including a Cuban gay activist in Miami named Ovidio "Herbie" Ramos, who was stunned at the vehemence against homosexuals. He and several other Cuban gay activists participated in a radio call-in show to hear people say homosexuals should be deported, forced into concentration camps , or executed. Ramos shot himself a few days later after telling

28392-559: The tactic worked against her, as more organizations and companies canceled her performances. Bryant became the butt of jokes on television shows and film, even by former colleague Bob Hope . Everywhere she went in the days after the vote she was met with noisy protests: Norfolk, Virginia —where demonstrators interrupted her presentation so forcefully she began crying— Chicago , and dozens of other cities. The Ku Klux Klan appeared at one of Bryant's appearances in Huntington, West Virginia , claiming they were there to protect her. She attracted

28574-438: The union of one gay couple and seven lesbian couples at a bar called Ayuyang Bar. This is the first MCC Baguio ceremony that has agitated the Philippines' mainstream evangelical churches. MCC Baguio is a local chapter of the MCC in Quezon City , which ministers to homosexuals. Pastor Myke Sotero of MCC Baguio stated that the service was a "Christian celebration of love and relationship". The rites are not considered marriage since

28756-456: The very liberal Eugene, Oregon , to pass gay rights ordinances. Only three weeks before the voter referendum in Dade County, a state gay rights law to protect homosexuals from discrimination in employment, public services, and housing in Minnesota was defeated. The loss was due in large part to the efforts of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis , and once more, caught gay activists completely by surprise. The Twin Cities' gay community

28938-450: The vote by throwing a chocolate cream pie at him as he spoke to receive the National Brotherhood Award from the National Conference of Christians and Jews . Following the pie attack on the archbishop, two of Allan Spear's colleagues invited Anita Bryant to come to St. Paul to overturn their three-year-old gay rights ordinance, and announced Save Our Children would be opening a branch there. Local activists did not think much of their chances;

29120-488: The voters of Miami-Dade to uphold the ordinance to protect the rights of homosexuals. California Assemblyman Willie Brown and San Francisco sheriff Richard Hongisto campaigned respectively for Miami's black community and law enforcement. Hongisto returned to California saying that Save Our Children made an issue of the existence of San Francisco when Thompson referred to the city as "a cesspool of perversion gone rampant" and Bob Green expressed doubt that saving San Francisco

29302-505: The world perform more than 6000 same-sex union/marriage ceremonies annually. Brent Hawkes and the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto were key players in the legal action that ultimately brought same-sex marriage to Canada. A notable aspect of MCC's theology is its position on homosexuality and Christianity where it fully embraces and welcomes LGBT people. Indeed, the majority of members are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, with many clergy being openly LGBT. MCC fully affirms

29484-492: The world will hear what the people have said, and with God's continued help, we will prevail in our fight to repeal similar laws throughout the nation which attempt to legitimize a life style that is both perverse and dangerous". National Gay Task Force (NGTF) co-director Jean O'Leary said that the result was "all the evidence anyone could need of the extent and virulence of prejudice against lesbians and gay men in our society". In New York City, Bella Abzug , who had introduced

29666-465: The year to allow unmarried and same-sex couples federally financed housing. Newsweek reported that a county government employee who had worked in her position for 15 years had been fired. An openly gay aide to future U.S. senator Paula Hawkins had also been dismissed. Despite the success of the Dade County campaign, activists worked quietly in liberal towns of Aspen, Colorado ; Champaign-Urbana, Illinois ; Iowa City, Iowa ; Wichita, Kansas , and

29848-436: The younger generation "political slogans", "anti-racist mathematics" and telling their pupils that they have an "inalienable right to be gay", rather than "taught to respect traditional moral values". She then went on to say that "all of those children are being cheated of a sound start in life—yes cheated!" In 2003, despite opposition from socially liberal Conservatives such as later prime minister David Cameron , Section 28

30030-404: Was 2,000. The audience inside could not hear Bryant, and at one point attorneys working with the American Civil Liberties Union walked out and joined the protesters. One of the organizers said that he had never seen so many gay people in one place before, and then made a speech thanking Bryant: "If God in his infinite wisdom had not created Anita Bryant, we would have had to invent her". He claimed

30212-423: Was advertised to appear, but Green replaced her at the last minute. At the rally Angwin told the audience "Homosexuality is a murderous, horrendous, twisted act. It is a sin and a powerful, addictive lust." Gay activists in St. Paul also borrowed from Miami, taking Jack Campbell's donor list and some strategies. However, similar to Miami, many gays and lesbians in St. Paul were hesitant to come out and could not make

30394-479: Was also involved in Seattle, Washington , where they were unsuccessful, and heavily influenced Proposition 6 , a proposed state law in California that would have made the firing of openly gay public school employees mandatory, which was rejected by California voters in 1978. Historians have since connected the success of Save Our Children with the organization of conservative Christian participation in political processes. Although "occasional antigay appeals from

30576-517: Was considered part of "negative eugenics" [...] It is argued that the number of gay people who perished in the Holocaust was quite low in comparison to other Holocaust victims , and confined to Germany itself, based on estimates that of 50,000 gay people who came before the courts, between 5,000 and 15,000 ended up in concentration camps. However, many of those who came before the courts were directed (or volunteered) to undergo sterilisation/castration; they would be included with others who, in line with

30758-410: Was effectively re-criminalised; homosexuality was treated as a medical disorder, but at a social level rather than individual level intended to reduce the incidence of homosexuality. The treatment was a program of eugenics , starting with sterilisation , then a system of working people to death in forced labour camps, and eventually refined by medical scientists to include euthanasia . The driving force

30940-422: Was held in Miami, featuring, for the first time, a public speech about the rights of gay men and lesbians by openly gay San Francisco political activist Jim Foster . Jack Campbell opened the Miami branch of Club Baths in 1974. When it was raided, he made sure that all charges against those arrested were dropped, filed a lawsuit against the Miami Police Department prohibiting further harassment, and received

31122-442: Was legally forbidden in India according to Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. This was ruled unconstitutional in 2009 by the Delhi High Court, but reaffirmed on 11 December 2013 by a Supreme Court ruling. It was again legalised by the Supreme Court on 6 September 2018. Traditionally, Indonesians are quite tolerant towards LGBT people who keep quiet and stay discreet about their private lives . However, this level of tolerance

31304-417: Was met with a different strategy of opposition. Eugene was a college town so liberal the Grateful Dead spent their summers there. A housewife named Lynne Greene rejected the Biblical rhetoric offered by Bryant and instead argued that since gays already had the protection they needed under the law further legislation was unnecessary. Since homosexuality was a chosen lifestyle, they reasoned, homosexuals were not

31486-399: Was much more active than Miami's; both Minneapolis and St. Paul had passed gay rights laws three years before. State senator Allan Spear —the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in the U.S.—served in St. Paul. Spear called it a "victory for bigots" on the senate floor, then went into his office and cried. A group of guerrilla activists struck Archbishop John Roach a week after

31668-411: Was no corresponding organized show of support for the ordinance. Inside the boardroom, supporters and opposers took the entire allotted time to speak. Bryant reflected most of those opposing the law, telling the Dade County Commission, "The ordinance condones immorality and discriminates against my children's rights to grow up in a healthy, decent community". The few members of the Dade County Coalition for

31850-447: Was not permanently established in Madrid in 2010, it is unclear why however. In 2018, the first religiously affiliated same-sex wedding recorded in Spain was performed by a vicar of the Lutheran Church of Sweden . The Lutheran Church of Sweden and the MCC are in partial communion with each other and the vicar is stationed in Spain on a long term 5-year mission. Despite these facts he cannot legally officiate any wedding wherein either party

32032-517: Was not well-connected or experienced enough to combat the coalition led by Bryant, so they invited two political organizers to the city: Ethan Geto from New York City and Jim Foster from San Francisco , both of whom were gay. Foster and Geto faced battles not only with the Save Our Children campaign, but the disjointed and often closeted gay community in Miami. When organizations outside of Florida promoted boycotting Florida orange juice, Jack Campbell disagreed, worried that an economic backlash in

32214-719: Was possible. Reverend Jerry Falwell spoke at a rally as the vote neared, telling the audience, "I want to tell you we are dealing with a vile and vicious and vulgar gang. They'd kill you as quick as look at you." Foster and Geto set the public tone of the campaign battling Save Our Children and were determined not to "get down in the gutter with them", refusing to run an ad showing Bryant in a revealing outfit she had worn while performing in 1971, nor run commercials to point out that child molesters were primarily heterosexual. However, they also encountered difficulty when local newspapers refused to run ads that were designed to appeal to Miami's sizable Jewish community, equating Bryant's rhetoric with

32396-604: Was preempting the air waves behind the scenes. Betty Friedan , on the failure of the ERA in Florida Bryant's star power and her extreme views were highlighted in national news stories. Mainstream news outlets such as The New York Times , Associated Press and Washington Post reported weekly updates on campaign progress, with smaller local newspapers across the country weighing in their editorial opinions on which side should prevail. Bryant appeared on Good Morning America and The Phil Donahue Show . Her tone and accusations united gay men and lesbians in cities all over

32578-624: Was rejected by 63%. LGBT rights opposition Opposition to legal rights for lesbian , gay , bisexual , transgender and queer ( LGBTQ ) people exists throughout the world. LGBTQ rights opponents may be opposed to the decriminalization of homosexuality ; laws permitting civil unions or partnerships or supporting LGBT parenting and adoption , LGBT military members , access to assisted reproductive technology , and access to gender-affirming surgery and gender-affirming hormone therapy for transgender individuals. Organizations influential in LGBTQ rights opposition frequently oppose

32760-466: Was repealed by the Labour government under Tony Blair . In June 2009, Cameron, whilst campaigning for the 2010 general election, formally apologised for his party introducing the law, stating that it was a mistake and had been offensive to gay people. In 2013, same-sex marriage was legalised under Cameron's premiership (despite his government voting against it) which Cameron described as "an important step forward" and said that he thought that "it

32942-402: Was the elimination of perceived degeneracy at various levels – genetic, social, identity and practice, and the elimination of such genetic material in society. Lifton wrote about this in his book The Nazi Doctors : [...] sexology and defense of homosexuality [...] were aspects of "sexual degeneration, a breakdown of the family and loss of all that is decent," and ultimately the destruction of

33124-399: Was the first woman elected to the Board of Elders in 1973 at the fourth general conference in Atlanta, when the Board of Elders was expanded from four members to seven. Later MCC adopted gender inclusive language in its worship services. Perry served as moderator of the fellowship until 2005, when Nancy Wilson was elected moderator by the General Conference; she was formally installed in

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