“The Miracle of Sochi” (A Christmas Fable)

A gay couple and their lesbian surrogate mother escaping Russia during the Sochi Olympics.

“The Miracle of Sochi” was written to correlate with the Advent sermon series “Do You See What I See: Christmas Through Many Eyes,” as preached by the Rev. Dr. Neil. G. Thomas of Founders Metropolitan Community Church in Los Angeles. The themes of the five-part series are:

·      Through the Eyes of Doubt (Matthew 1: 17-25)

·      Through the Eyes of Longing (Luke 1: 5-38)

·      Through the Eyes of Wonder (Luke 2: 1-7)

·      Through the Eyes of Anger (Matthew 2: 1-10)

·      Through the Eyes of Worship (Matthew 2: 11-14)

Abbreviated versions of the five acts were performed during worship services at FMCC. Videos excerpted from those services will be posted as they become available … or see the archived Sunday worship services beginning with December 8^th at mccla.org.

Read the complete play at Scripped.com!

Day of Decision Op-ed: Looking Before I Leap for Joy | Advocate.com

Day of Decision Op-ed: Looking Before I Leap for Joy | Advocate.com

Commentary

Day of Decision Op-ed: Looking Before I Leap for Joy

We asked readers for personal stories about how the U.S. Supreme Court's highly anticipated ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act has consequences for their own lives. The marriage equality establishment won't be able to sway this longtime activist's thoughts and actions.

BY Lucia Chappelle

June 07 2013 8:00 AM ET

19

On the Day of Decision, I'll be looking very hard before I do any leaping for joy. I plan to be studying up beforehand, because the one thing I know for certain is that the legalities involved have multiple layers, and that in those first hours the court's ruling will get as many interpretations as there are players invested in painting the outcome in a way most flattering or threatening, depending their own agendas.

 

As the titans of the pro- and anti-LGBT industries vie to dominate the spin, I'll be working on my own analysis. Not that I'm not trusting; a wise person once told me that the important thing was knowing what to trust someone for. 

 

It's just that when the Proposition 8 case was first floated, a lot of experts weren't nearly as confident about its chances as the Boies-Olson-AFER axis. They warned the result could become a major setback. It no longer seems that we're likely to get a decision that totally nullifies any rights queer couples have won, but there could be worse things than "no." If "yes" to California comes at the price of a long and torturous state-by-state "maybe" for the rest of the country, we could be arguably worse off.

 

I'm old enough to remember what it was like to leave the relatively benign Northeast to summer in Jim Crow America — and never kid yourself into believing that the lack of rights in one part of the country didn't degrade the rights supposedly secure elsewhere. 

 

On the Day of Decision, when I've gotten a handle on what exactly the decision is, I'll take to the streets since I'm that kind of person. When we were organizing the United for Marriage: Los Angeles demonstration on the eve of the Supreme Court hearings earlier this year, even key figures in the marriage equality struggle asked "Why?" They questioned what would be the purpose. "What were we protesting against?" "Why would people come out to such an event?"

 

I'm an old-fashioned activist. Some of the best political education I ever got came from going to demonstrations. It's not just about the target: Demonstrators aren't just talking to "the enemy" and they aren't just posing for the press. Information is shared, opinions start to form, word is spread, contacts are made, participation is inspired, the seeds of future strategies germinate.

 

After the Supreme Court has spoken, there will be a lot of work ahead. If we want to chart our direction as a broad-based community rather than put our fate in the hands of an elite few, the Day of Decision will be the time to present our critical, public response to whatever the Court rules. It will also be the time to begin talking among ourselves about just what has happened and how to proceed.

 

On the Day of Decision, I'll be lighting a candle for my friend Richard Adams, who passed away last December. Legally married to Tony Sullivan, an Australian citizen, in 1975, Richard was a pioneer in the issue now considered a cornerstone of LGBT liberation — then treated as barely worth mentioning for both political and cultural reasons — bringing the first federal lawsuit for the right to be treated equally as a couple. Richard would be happy at the progress we've made. He'd also be keenly aware that a states' rights-affirming ruling would give off the same rotten stench that's rising from the betrayal of binational same-gender couples in the current immigration reform negotiations. He'd be reminding us as well that our equality doesn't begin or end with marriage. On the Day of Decision, Richard would be demanding to know, "So, what are you going to do now?"

 

LUCIA CHAPPELLE was a minister in Metropolitan Community Church and a journalist in alternative media. In the 1970s and '80s, she worked as interim pastor of All Saints MCC in West Hollywood, dean of Samaritan Theological Institute, and pastor of the radical lesbian feminist DeColores MCC. Lucia helped start the Gay Radio Collective that has produced IMRU on KPFK-Pacifica, Los Angeles since 1975, and is currently the associate producer of This Way Out, an internationally syndicated, weekly LGBT radio program. She also was KPFK's program director from the mid-'80s to mid-'90s, and was part of the original news team at PlanetOut. Lucia is now the social justice minister at Founders MCC in Los Angeles.

Tonight's Rally for Marriage Equality at LA City Hall

United for Marriage Los Angeles:
Light the Way to Justice!
Public Rally and Candlelight Vigil for Marriage Equality
Los Angeles City Hall . Sunday, March 24, 2013 . 6:30 pm

P R E S S   R E L E A S E
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 24, 2013


Tonight's Rally for Marriage Equality at LA City Hall
Mirrors Growing Public Support of Same-Sex Marriage
Public Rally in Downtown LA Comes on Eve
of U.S. Supreme Court Cases on Same-Sex Marriage


Los Angeles--To see just how far U.S. public opinion has shifted in favor of same-sex marriage, you need look no further than the iconic west entrance of Los Angeles City Hall tonight.

As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments in two same-sex marriage cases, supporters will gather for a rally and candlelight vigil to demonstrate public support for marriage equality.

"The growing list of groups and organizations supporting tonight's marriage equality rally in Los Angeles is a reflection of the shift in public opinion," says Jane Wishon, a self-described "straight, married, Christian mother of three," who is an elder in her Presbyterian Church and serves on the board of Marriage Equality USA.

The Los Angeles rally is sponsored by United for Marriage Los Angeles, a broad coalition of 25 organizations, representing faith communities, including The Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, churches, temples, and clergy groups, a labor union, parent support groups, Latino and Asian service organizations, LGBT rights coalitions, community-based advocacy groups, and families and individuals who support equality and fairness for all people.

Public opinion polls in 1996 showed 25% of Americans supported civil marriage rights for LGBT couples. A recent 2013 Washington Post poll shows public support has climbed to an all-time high of 58%.

"A decade ago, this was controversial," notes Wishon, while surveying the City Hall site in final preparations for tonight's rally. "Who would have guessed that marriage equality would be the issue that brings us together?"

Groups supporting tonight's "Rally and Candlelight Vigil for Marriage Equality" at LA City Hall include: ANSWER Coalition LA, API Equality LA, California Faith for Equality, The Center Long Beach, Christ Chapel of the Valley, Congregation Kol Ami, The Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, Equality California, Family Equality Council, Founders Metropolitan Community Church of LA,  GetEQUAL, GLAAD, Good As You, Human Rights Campaign, LA Gay & Lesbian Center, Latino Equality Alliance, Los Angeles Queer Interfaith Clergy Council, Love Honor Cherish, The New Organizing Institute, PFLAG National, PFLAG-Los Angeles, PFLAG-Pasadena, The Task Force, Transgender Law Center, UNITE HERE Local 11.


You will find additional details about the United for Marriage Los Angeles event at: https://www.facebook.com/UnitedforMarriageLosAngeles?ref=ts&fref=ts


FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, OR TO ARRANGE MEDIA INTERVIEWS, CONTACT:
Ari Gutierrez |  communications@LatinoEqualityAlliance.com  | 213-220-5530
Jim Birkitt      | JimBirkitt@aol.com                                                      | 310 272-3046


#  #  #

Los Angeles United for Marriage, Mar 18 Press Release

MEDIA ADVISORY: March 18, 2013

CONTACT:
Jim Birkitt | JimBirkitt@aol.com | (310) 272-3046

Southern California LGBT and Allied Groups To Hold
Candlelight Vigil for Marriage Equality at LA City Hall
March 24th Event Comes on Eve of
Supreme Court Arguments on DOMA, Prop. 8
LA Vigil Is One of More Than 150 Nationwide Events

Los Angeles – Forty hours before the U.S. Supreme Court  hears arguments in the first of two cases about whether lesbian and gay couples deserve the same freedoms as other Americans, Southern California supporters of marriage equality will hold a candlelight vigil  on the steps of Los Angeles City Hall.

Speakers will include gay and lesbian families who will be impacted by the court's ruling, along with celebrities, elected officials, faith leaders and community activists.

Organizers anticipate especially strong turnout by faith communities, LGBT families and straight supporters of marriage equality.

The event, sponsored by the United for Marriage Coalition, will demonstrate the deep and diverse support for all Americans to enjoy fundamental freedoms – including the freedom to marry the person you love. Members of the Coalition have scheduled more than 150 events  in support of marriage equality, to take place across the U.S. over a three-day period.

Organizations participating in the United for Marriage Coalition include Founders Metropolitan Community Church of Los Angeles, the Family Equality Council, GetEQUAL, GLAAD, Good As You, the Human Rights Campaign, Marriage Equality USA, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, and the New Organizing Institute.

WHAT:
A candlelight vigil in support of fundamental freedoms for all Americans, including same-sex couples.

WHEN:
Sunday, March 24, 2013,  6:30-7:30 pm

WHERE:
Los Angeles City Hall, West Steps on Temple and Spring Streets

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
To learn more about the United for Marriage: Los Angeles event, visit: https://www.facebook.com/UnitedforMarriageLosAngeles?ref=ts&fref=ts

To learn more about the national United for Marriage Coalition, visit: www.unitedformarriage.org.

The United for Marriage Coalition is a group of LGBT and allied organizations working to elevate the broad support for marriage equality through more than 150 public events across the U.S. in advance of the Supreme Court rulings on two marriage cases. Groups leading the United for Marriage efforts include Founders Metropolitan Community Church of Los Angeles, the Family Equality Council, GetEQUAL, GLAAD, Good As You, the Human Rights Campaign, Marriage Equality USA, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, and the New Organizing Institute.

###

Happy International Women's Day!

Light the Way to Justice! Equality Action Video!

Just released by Light the Way to Justice ...

Make history happen!

Come to the LA planning meeting!

Los Angeles Equality Action Planning Meeting

The US Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments in the two marriage equality cases on March 26 and 27.  Los Angeles equality advocates are organizing to participate in nationwide in demonstrations at sunset on Monday, March 25th and throughout the week.

Come to a meeting to plan and coordinate a broad spectrum of local events!

Monday, February 18, 2013 7pm
Founders Metropolitan Community Church
4607 Prospect Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90027 
map

Suggestions welcome!!! Post your ideas and/or RSVP in the comment section below ... or email justice@mccla.org!

Find out more about the National Equality Action at  

Light the Way to Justice!

Lucia's Latest Venture!

Dear Family and Friends All,

Hope your 2013 is off to a rollicking start! Mine seems to be taking several interesting turns at once. I've been busy with radio as usual (thiswayout.org), I've been organizing some exciting programs at church (mccla.org), and there are some writing projects in the works (right here at Eclectic LuciaLand in the coming days). As long as I can do it from home and don't have to do it for very long, I do pretty well -- but that makes it hard to earn a living! My Workers Comp benefits have run out and my case won't settle for some time, so "now for something completely different!"

I'm launching a natural products distribution business! The umbrella title will be "Natural Orders," and it all begins with my brand new Watkins Naturals web page:

Natural Orders: The Watkins Connection 

http://www.watkinsonline.com/chappelle

The JR Watkins Company was founded in 1868 -- before there was something other than "natural" for stuff to be -- and includes personal care and home remedies, cleaning products, gourmet spices and extracts, soup and dip mixes, and more. I'm liking their products a lot, but selling is a new thing for me so I'm asking for your support!

Your good wishes for this project (or words of warning, if you'd prefer) are welcome in the comments section. Do you have any experience with Watkins products? Some of my initial favorites are mentioned in a version of my web page intro letter below.

I'd really appreciate it if you could pass the word to your networks. Of course it'd be great if you could buy something … and take it from me, it could become a habit!

More/Later/Soon!

Wow! When I received my Watkinize Your Home assortment, it was hard to know where to begin! But I had been squeezing the last few drops out of a bottle of dishwashing liquid in anticipation of the new arrival, so I started with the Orange Citrus Dish Soap. Far more powerful than my old "natural" brand!

Maybe you should call me a "child at hand," because the next thing that grabbed me was the Juicy Sweet Apple Kids' Foaming Hand Soap. These Foaming Hand Soaps are new, so check 'em out, you long-time Watkins fans! And speaking of hands, the Mango Shea Butter Hand Cream gets a round of applause from me!

Normally I don't much care for air fresheners, but the Watkins Room Fresheners, especially the Aloe & Green Tea, might just make a convert of me!

Life isn't much worth living without good cinnamon, and the Saigon Cinnamon I just got makes my morning cereal sing! The Garlic Powder (may not be available right now … I'll let you know) is also very rich in flavor, and the Coarse Sea Salt is definitely a cut above. Want to know the secret to the highly-praised lentil dish I made for Kwanzaa? Just a pinch of Chipotle Chile Pepper!

Have lots of fun browsing the catalog … and be sure to visit http://www.watkinsonline.com/chappelle
often, because there'll be lots of news, information, recipes and more! If you have any questions or suggestions or whatever, my special Watkins phone line is 213-842-5906, and my Watkins email address is chappelle@watkinsonline.com.