(including additional significant events and related actions in the UMC and other religious bodies and in the United States)
1738 The Methodist movement begins following transforming religious experiences of brothers John and Charles Wesley (Discipline, 2000).
1760 Methodism begins in America (Philadelphia) as a lay movement (Discipline, 2000).
1773 The first conference of Methodist preachers is held in Philadelphia, and a system of regular conferences is created (Discipline, 2000).
1784 The ‘Christmas Conference’ of preachers is held in Baltimore (Lovely Lane Chapel), and the movement is organized as The Methodist Episcopal Church in America (Discipline, 1976).
1785 The first Discipline is published (Discipline, 2000).
1789 The Methodist Book Concern, the first church publishing house in America, is established (Discipline, 2000).
1792 The first quadrennial General Conference is held (Discipline, 2000).
1808 The Methodist constitution is drafted (Discipline, 2000).
1816 Richard Allen, an emancipated slave and Methodist preacher, leaves the Methodist Church and organizes the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church (Discipline, 2000).
1821 Another split occurs, and the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church is created (Discipline, 2000).
1828 A division occurs in the Methodist Church when a group of persons who insist on lay representation separates and becomes the Methodist Protestant Church (Discipline, 1976). (The 2000 Discipline says this occurred in 1830).
1830s-40s Ongoing debates occur regarding lay representation and the role of women, including full clergy rights (Discipline, 2000).
1844 The Methodist Church splits over issues of slavery and the power of bishops, thus forming the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church, South (Robinson, n.d.b; Discipline, 1976). The ME Church, South, creates its own Discipline and hymnal (Discipline, 2000).
1869 Women’s division of the Methodist Church begins.
1889 The United Brethren Church approves ordaining women (Discipline, 2000).
1908 The Methodist Episcopal Church expresses its concern about social issues and adopts a Social Creed (Discipline, 2000).
1937 Methodist campus ministry begins at a conference in St. Louis in the form of the Methodist Student Movement (UMSM, n.d.).
1939 The Methodist Episcopal Church, the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and the Methodist Protestant Church merge to become the Methodist Church, which is divided into five white jurisdictions and a Central Jurisdiction for the black Methodist conferences.
The Central Jurisdiction is opposed by the black conferences because 1) it segregates them and 2) the segregated jurisdiction is added to the denomination’s Constitution (Discipline, 1976).
Methodist clergy are forbidden to use alcohol and tobacco (Moore, 2000c).
1941 The U.S. enters WWII, and the US Surgeon General says that gay relation-ships in the armed forces should be tolerated as long as the relationships remain private (Swade, n.d.).
1943 Harry Emerson Fosdick (founder of Riverside Church, New York City) "calls attention to the poor preparation of clergy to deal with homosexuality." He is the first well-known church leader to say this (Comstock, 1996, p. 241).
1946 George Hyde, a youth minister in the independent Catholic Movement, forms a church in Atlanta. This church is considered the first American church organized primarily for gay people (GLINN (n.d.); Comstock, p. 241).
1948 Sexual Behavior in the Human Male is published by Alfred C. Kinsey, Wardell B. Pomeroy, and Clyde E. Martin (1948). In this volume, Kinsey suggests that sexual orientation exists in a continuum and that homosexual behavior is more common than once believed (pp. 638-39, 656).
The UM Discipline says that Methodist pastors are not allowed to perform weddings for divorced persons; some bishops require that divorced pastors turn in their credentials (Moore, 2000a).
1952 US Congress enacts laws that forbid entry to the US to gays and lesbians. It is not repealed until 1990 (Swade).
1953 Sexual Behavior in the Human Female (Kinsey, Pomeroy, Martin, and Gebhard, 1953) is published.
Christine Jorgensen makes news with her transsexual surgery (Sears, n.d.).
An executive order of President Dwight Eisenhower prohibits the employment of gays in federal positions (Sears).
1955 Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin form Daughters of Bililtis, the first gay organization for women (PlanetOut, n.d.; Comstock).
People begin to talk about sex and sexuality more, and the taboo on such conversation seems to be easing.
1956 The Methodist Church grants full clergy rights to women (Discipline, 2000, p. 19).
1957 The Wolfenden Report is published in Great Britain (Power, 1996), and it suggests that private homosexual relationships between consenting adults should not be subject to criminal law and should be removed from criminal statutes. The report also points out that homosexuality exists among "all callings and at all levels of society" (Wolfenden, p. 36).
1960 UCC clergyman Reverend Robert Wood is the first gay person to use his real name and church affiliation when he publishes Christ and the Homosexual (Some Observations). His book is the first to claim that people don’t have to be heterosexual to be Christian (Comstock, p. 243).
1961 "Illinois is first U. S. state to decriminalize homosexual acts" (Swade; Power).
1962 The Young Adult Project of San Francisco Methodist Union is established to study the nature and needs of young adults (IASHS, 1995; IASHS, n.d.). It is part of a cooperative venture of the Methodist, United Presbyterian, American Baptist, and Southern Presbyterian churches and the United Church of Christ (IASHS, 1995; McIlvenna, 1994; Moore, 2000a).
Rev. Ted McIlvenna is appointed to the Young Adult Project by the Methodist Church and is later charged with developing a program to determine and provide what people in the helping professions need to know about human sexuality (IASHS; McIlvenna, 1977, p. 9).
UM Bishop Donald Harvey Tippet appoints Lew Durham as Director of Glide Foundation, Glide UMC, San Francisco (Moore, 2000a).
1962 (cont.) Cecil Williams and Ted McIlvenna begin a ministry to "castoffs" in San Francisco’s Tenderloin as part of the Young Adult Project of San Francisco Methodist Union. This work is funded by grants from Glide Foundation, the
Methodist Women’s Division and others (Ted McIlvenna, personal communication, February 6, 2002; McAdams, 1999; Comstock; Moore, 2000a).
Ted McIlvenna develops programs for gays and artists (Intersection, a Center for Religion and the Arts), and young adults with mental health and drug problems (Baker House) (Moore, 2000a).
McIlvenna, director of the Young Adult Project, reports that many lesbians and gays sense a division between themselves and the church (McAdams, 1999).
1963 Glide Urban Center is established (Shewey, 1996; McIlvenna, 2002a).
1964 Toward a Quaker View of Sex is published by the Friends Home Committee, one of the first religious organizations to speak out in support of the lesbian and gay community (McAdams).
The Methodist General Conference adds a statement about "Sex in Christian Life" to the Social Creed. It read in part: "We believe that sexual intercourse within holy matrimony with fidelity and love is a sacred experience and constitutes a needed expression of affection. We also believe that sexual intercourse outside the bonds of matrimony is contrary to the will God . . . " (Moore, 2000a).
Ted McIlvenna organizes and holds "A Consultation on the Church and the Homosexual," a four-day San Francisco event for clergy, to address the subject of the church and homosexuality. Half of the participants are gay and lesbian activists, the others heterosexual/protestant ministers (Methodist,
Episcopal, Lutheran, Quaker) (McAdams; McIlvenna, 1994; Comstock, p. 244).
Shortly after the Consultation (see above), participants create the Council on Religion and the Homosexual (CRH) "to promote continuing dialogue between the church and the homosexual," with McIlvenna as one of the founders. This group is made up of gay, straight, lay, clergy, men, and women, and is housed at Glide Urban Center, Glide Methodist Church, San Francisco (GLINN; McAdams; Comstock, p. 244).
CRH meets with leaders and decision-making bodies of major denominations, including the Methodist Church (Comstock, p. 244). Until 1974, CRH is the "main organization for educating clergy and introducing them to concerns of gay Christians" (IASHS).
1965 The Council on Religion and the Homosexual (CRH) co-sponsors the Annual Gay Ball in San Francisco, a non-violent challenge to the way police treat
1965 (cont.) gays and lesbians; it ends with arrests (McAdams; Moore, 2000a; Ted McIlvenna, personal communication, February 6, 2002; Comstock, p. 244).
CRH publishes "A Brief of Injustices: An Indictment of Our Society in Its Treatment of the Homosexual" (McAdams; Comstock, p. 244).
Methodist clergyman John Moore (California) preaches three sermons at Glide Church on "The Gospel and Sexuality" (Moore, 2002a).
The Council on Religion and Homosexuality (CRH) holds workshops on homosexuality in which many Northern California pastors and laity participate (Moore, 2000a).
1966 A Consultation on Theology and the Homosexual is held in San Francisco, sponsored by the Glide Urban Center and the CRH (Martin and Lyon, 1971, p. 15).
Additional consultations are held at the Nashville headquarters of the Methodist Church, at the National Institutes of Mental Health in Washington, DC, and in London. These gatherings reveal that professionals lack knowledge about human sexuality and that a training center for professionals is needed (McIlvenna, 1994, pp. 310-311 ).
The National Council of Churches sponsors a seminar entitled "The Church and Homosexuals" for 36 participants. The media is not informed, and no report is made (Comstock, p. 245).
Methodist clergyman H. Kimball-Jones calls for the church [organized religion] to recognize the validity of mature homosexual relationships without endorsing homosexuality in his book, Toward a Christian Understanding of the Homosexual (Comstock, p. 245).
Evangelical UM clergyman Charles Keysor’s "The Silent Minority" is published in The Christian Advocate (Heidinger, 1997). Keysor describes the beliefs of "orthodox"/evangelical Methodists (Keysor, 1966). This article leads to the formation of the evangelical Methodist group now known as the Good News caucus (Heidinger).
1964 – 66 In San Francisco, Glide Foundation interns work with the gay and lesbian community. An associate at Glide Church organizes and meets with gay street youth (Moore, 2000a).
1967 The Glide Methodist Church and Glide Foundation boycott companies that discriminate against homosexuals by not buying their goods and services and encouraging others to do the same (GLINN).
1967 (cont.) In Bloomington, Indiana, a Consultation at the Institute for Sex Research is attended by representatives from the Methodist Church, the United Church of Christ, the United Presbyterian Church, the American Baptist Church, the Southern Presbyterian Church, the National Institutes of Mental Health, and the Glide Foundation (IASHS, 1995).
The National Sex Forum is created at the Consultation in Bloomington, Indiana. They decide to house it at the Glide Foundation in San Francisco (IASHS, 1995, 2002; McIlvenna, 1994).
A Task Force on Homosexuality is appointed by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and charged with reviewing "the current state of knowledge regarding homosexuality in its mental health aspects and to make recommendations for Institute programming" (Task Force, 1969).
First issue of Good News magazine is published (Heidinger, 1997, paras. 2, 3).
Good News is incorporated as "A Forum for Scriptural Christianity" (Heidinger, 1997, para. 8).
McIlvenna concludes from the Young Adult Project that homosexuality can’t be understood without first understanding human sexuality (McIlvenna, 2002; IASHS, 1995).
1968 UM General Conference meets in Dallas, Texas
The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church merge to create The United Methodist Church (Williams, 1994a, p. 7; Robinson, n.d.b; Discipline, 2000, p. 9).
The Central Jurisdiction of black Methodist annual conferences is dissolved, and the black conferences become members of the six geographical jurisdictions in which they are located (Discipline, 1976).
General Conference removes the prohibition on tobacco and alcohol (Moore, 2000b). From this point on, the Discipline "affirms" abstinence from alcohol and "recommends" total abstinence from the use of tobacco (Discipline, 2000, paras. 162 J and K, pp. 107-108 and Para 306.4f, footnote 2).
Rev. Troy Perry, a gay Pentecostal minister, conducts a worship service for twelve people in a house in California. This marks the start of a new church that will later be known as United Fellowship of Metropolitan Community
Churches (MCC), a nondenominational church for the gay community (GLINN).
The National Sex Forum officially begins as part of the Glide Urban Center, Glide UM Church, San Francisco with the goals of determining what people
1968 (cont.) in helping professions need to know about sexuality and developing the methods and materials for teaching that information.
By the end of the first year, the National Sex Forum (NSF) learns that specific training in human sexuality is needed, that there is a lack of educational material, and that the available sexuality information had not been organized in any specific way (IASHS, 1995; McIlvenna, 1994).
The Methodist Student Movement is disbanded in favor of an "ecumenical endeavor" and will not regain formal organization status until 1996, although campus ministry will be continued through campus Wesley Foundations and other local groups (Lear, 1997b).
Late 1960s The UMC appoints UM clergyman Ted McIlvenna to develop a sexuality education program (and the materials) for people in the helping professions (McIlvenna, 1977, p. 9).
The UM Board of Christian Social Concerns gives McIlvenna $1100 for sexuality educational materials (Ted McIlvenna, personal communication, September 28, 2002).
The NSF of the (Methodist) Glide Foundation and UM clergyman Ted McIlvenna develop an experiential "sight and sound" program for sex education (Institute, n.d.). This program will subsequently become known as SAR (Sexual Attitude Reassessment / Sexual Attitude Restructuring; see Glossary) and will be used by religious and secular organizations for sex education programs.
1969 Stonewall, several days of violent confrontation between New York police and lesbians/gays, occurs. This is a turning point in the legal and civil rights struggle of lesbians and gays (GLINN; Moore, 2002a).
"Resolution on Homosexuals and the Law" is adopted by The Church of Christ's Council on Christian Social Action. The resolution calls for decriminalization of homosexual activities between consenting adults. This is the first social policy statement about homosexuality by a religious denomination (GLINN; Comstock, p. 246).
"The first denominational religious organization for homosexuals begins as a [discussion] group for gay and lesbian Catholics in San Diego" (GLINN).
The final report of the Task Force on Homosexuality, appointed in 1967 by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), recommends that a Center for the Study of Sexual Behavior be established for research, training, education,
disease prevention, and treatment. The Task Force also questions social policy
regarding sexual behavior, notes that research is needed, and recommends
1969 (cont.) that the NIMH include research of public/social policy regarding homosexuality in their work (Task Force, 1969, pages unnumbered).
Robert W. Anderson gives an address on "Gay Marriage" at a Symposium on the Life-Style [sic] of the Homosexual sponsored by the Council on Religion and the Homosexual in San Francisco (Martin and Lyon, 1971, pp. 207-208).
MCC has over five hundred members (GLINN).
Twelve people (two clergy, three physicians, three therapists, one child psychologist, and three sex educators) begin a formal study of sexology using the materials being developed by the National Sex Forum. Six of these will later become the core faculty of the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality (McIlvenna, 1994, p. 311).
Late 1960s – early 1970s
McIlvenna conducts sexuality education and training workshops for United Methodists in Nashville. Participants include members of the Boards of Evangelism and Education and the Chaplaincy Corps (Ted McIlvenna, personal communication, September 28, 2002).
Upon request, McIlvenna places sexuality materials in the UM’s Nashville offices, in 144 Universities and colleges, and in 73 other UM institutions (Ted McIlvenna, personal communication, September 28, 2002).
Leon Smith, UM clergy, sex educator, sex therapist, and staff member of the UM Board of Discipleship, helps the UM denomination produce sex education materials for all ages. He is quoted saying that in addition to biological information, the materials contained "attitudes and values affirming sexuality as a gift from God" (UMNS, 2001a).
Sexuality materials from the National Sex Forum, including a "Glide Foundation film," are used in the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries’ US-2 training program (a two-year mission program for young adults; see glossary for more information) (Jeanne Audrey Powers, personal communication, August 30, 2002).
Jeanne Audrey Powers, Associate General Secretary of the UMC’s General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns from 1972-1996, works with Ted McIlvenna and others using sexuality education materials created by McIlvenna’s National Sex Forum (Jeanne Audrey Powers, personal communication, August 30, 2002).
The National Sex Forum works in conjunction with the University of Minnesota Medical School Program in Human Sexuality and the University of
Late 1960s – early 1970s (cont.)
California Medical School Program in Human Sexuality (IASHS). UM
clergyman Ted McIlvenna is listed among the faculty (Maddock and Dickman, Vol. 1, 1972, pages unnumbered; fifth page after title page, faculty listing).
1970 The Catholic group for gay and lesbian Catholics in San Diego (begun as a discussion group in 1969) moves to Los Angeles and becomes the first chapter of Dignity (GLINN).
The American Library Association is the first American professional association to include a lesbian/gay group (Sears).
The Lutheran Church of America adopts a statement "opposing prejudice, discrimination, and laws against homosexuals and claiming that homosexuals are ‘entitled to understanding justice in church and community’" (Comstock, p. 247).
The Unitarian Universalist Association opposes legal regulations against homosexuals and bisexuals and initiates sex education programs in their churches as a way toward ending discrimination (Comstock, p. 247).
The first national Good News convocation is held (Heidinger, 1997). (Good News is an unofficial caucus of Evangelical United Methodists.)
1971 The First National Conference on Religion and the Homosexual is held at the Interchurch Center in New York, with eight to eleven denominations participating (Comstock, p. 247; Lyon and Maurer, 1971, p. 15). Secular media cover the event.
Publication of motive [sic], a UM magazine founded in 1941 by the Methodist Student Movement, is shut down when the UM Division of Higher Education of the Board of Education reduces funding following controversy around the July publication of a special issue on women (Furies, 1972, p. 1). Some sources say this occurred in 1972 (Johnston, 1979; Periodical, n.d.).
1972 motive [sic] magazine (see above) reorganizes as MOTIVE, Inc. [sic] and publishes two last issues for and about gay men and lesbian women (Furies, p. 1; Mark Bowman, personal communication, September 3, 2002).
UM General Conference is held in Atlanta.
From this point on, the UM Social Creed is known as the Social Principles (Moore, 2000a).
The UMC’s debate over homosexuality begins publicly (UMNS, 2001d).
1972 (cont.) General Conference adopts a statement affirming the sacred worth and civil rights of lesbians and gays but adds that "the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching" (Moore, 2000a; UMNS, 2001d).
In revising the Social Principles, a statement about same-gender unions is included: "We do not recommend marriage between two persons of the same sex" (RCP, 2000b, p. 8; UMNS, 2001d).
Gay UM clergy Earnest Reaugh of New York and Gene Leggett, Texas, witness at General Conference in Atlanta (RCP, p. 8).
Gay UMs begin organizing in a number of areas, including the San Francisco Bay Area, Kansas City, and Texas (RCP, 2000b, p. 9).
Ralph Blair, an evangelical Christian minister, publishes An Evangelical Look at Homosexuality, a pamphlet in which he argues that Christian evangelism and homosexuality are not contradictory (Comstock, p. 249).
The National Sex Forum’s "sight and sound program for sex education" (SAR) forms the basis of a "Program in Human Sexuality" at the University of Minnesota Medical School (Maddock and Dickman, Vol. 1, 1972, Part II, Course Information; pages unnumbered; in first para. on second page of section titled ‘overview’).
The Program in Human Sexuality at the University of Minnesota Medical School becomes part of the medical school curriculum. The program is developed through grants from the United Methodist Church (Board of Social Concerns) and others (Maddock and Dickman, 1972, Vol. 1, pages unnumbered, in note at bottom of first page of preface).
The University of Minnesota’s Medical School Program in Human Sexuality is required for medical students. It is also an elective for seminarians at United, Luther, and Northwestern Theological Seminaries (Maddock and Dickman, Vol. 1, 1972, Part II, Course Information; pages unnumbered; in first para. under title ‘overview’).
East Lansing, Michigan, becomes the first city to ban sexual orientation discrimination in city hiring practices (Swade).
The first openly gay person (William Johnson) in the history of the Christian church is ordained by a major Christian denomination (United Church of Christ) (Sears; Comstock, p. 248; Johnston, 1979).
1973 At a three-day meeting, the UM California/Nevada Conference Board of Ministry, the bishop, and cabinet discuss human sexuality issues, including
1973 (cont.) homosexuality, using the educational format (including sexually explicit films and discussions) developed by Ted McIlvenna and NSF (Moore, 2000a).
The American Psychiatric Association removes homosexuality from its list of mental disorders (ApsychA; APA, 1997). From this point on, homosexuality does not appear in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) (Sears; APA, 1997; Hereck; APsychA; Francoeur, 1991, p. 442).
1974 Beth Chayim Chadishm is chartered on July 19 by the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, making it not only the first gay and lesbian synagogue, but also the first gay religious organization of any kind to be officially recognized by a national religious body. In 1977 the congregation acquires its own building (GLINN).
The first gay civil rights legislation is introduced in the U.S. Congress (Sears).
A SAR (Sexuality Attitude Reassessment; see Glossary) is conducted for UM Board of Discipleship employees and spouses at Scarritt College, Nashville (Hoyt Hickman, personal communication, September 2, 2002).
Nine people with the National Sex Forum complete a sex education study program, and six of them become core faculty at IASHS (IASHS).
1975 The American Psychological Association (APA) passes a resolution supporting the American Psychiatric Association’s 1973 decision to remove ‘homosexuality’ from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (KQED).
The first documented meeting of a gay UM caucus, later to be known as the Gay United Methodist Caucus (GUM), and ultimately named Affirmation: United Methodists for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Concerns, is held in Nashville, TN (Kristula, 1991, p. 2).
The United Methodist Gay Caucus is formally organized in Wheadon UMC, Evanston, IL and begins planning for a presence at the 1976 UM General Conference in Portland, OR (RCP, 2000b, p. 8; Kristula, 1991, p. 2).
As a result of political and economic pressures surrounding the UM relationship, the sponsorship of the National Sex Forum is transferred to the Exodus Trust, a California nonprofit trust for educational, scientific, and literary functions in relation to sexual, emotional, mental, and physical health (IASHS; McIlvenna, 1994, 2002a).
The Good News board adopts the Junaluska Affirmation, a "clear statement of ‘Scriptural Christianity’ which would remain faithful to the Methodist and Evangelical United Brethren traditions" (Heidinger, 1997). See Appendix K.
1976 The Rev. Harvey Chinn, pastor of Faith United Methodist Church in Sacramento, publishes a series of articles in the UM Reporter promoting the mental illness view of homosexuality as a basis for maintaining the ‘incompatibility’ clause in the UM Discipline (RCP, 2000b, p. 9; Kristula, 1991, unpublished, pp. 3, 4).
Good News, the unofficial evangelical caucus within the UMC, "campaigns actively to exclude homosexuals from the life of the church" (Kristula, 1991, unpublished, p. 4).
UM General Conference (GC), 1976 is held in Portland, Oregon. The focus is on language surrounding homosexuality and the use of UM funds.
At GC, "Efforts . . . to rescind the official condemnation of homosexual practice failed;" the 1972 position is retained (Williams, 1994a, p. 11; UMNS, 2001d).
In other GC action, an unsuccessful motion is also filed to change the language to say, "we condemn the practice . . ." (RCP, 2000b, p. 9; Perkins, n.d.).
GC also changes the Social Principles’ wording on gay unions to read, "We do not recognize a relationship between two persons of the same sex as constituting marriage" (UMNS, 2001d; RCP, p. 9).
GC adopts other petitions that create a UM funding ban for gay-related programs. The petitions stipulate that 1) no agency funds can be given to ‘gay’ organizations and funds cannot be used to promote the acceptance of homosexuality; 2) agency funds can only be used in support of programs consistent with the Social Principles; and 3) funds cannot be used for projects "favoring homosexual practices" (Williams, 1994a; UMNS, 2001d).
A GC motion calling for a national human sexuality study is defeated (RCP, p. 9).
A motion authorizing voluntary local church studies (and the denominational production of resources for the study) is approved (Carter, 1986, p. 8).
A "footnote" is approved "to restrict ordination of gays and lesbians" (RCP, 2000b, p. 9; Moore, 2000a). It is not printed in the 1976 Discipline but does appear in later versions of the Discipline (1984 Discipline, p. 192; 2000 Discipline, p. 188).
The Gay Caucus joins with the Women’s Caucus, the Young Adult Caucus, and the Methodist Federation for Social Action and holds worship services and other events for GC attendees (RCP, p. 9).
Doonesbury’s main character comes out as gay(Sears).
1976 (cont.) The Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement is founded (Power, 1996).
The Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality (IASHS) is incorporated as a private nonsectarian graduate school in San Francisco. President is UM clergyman Dr. Ted McIlvenna. This school grew out of the cooperative venture of the Methodist Church and other protestant churches to
study the needs of persons in early adulthood (IASHS; McIlvenna, 1994, p. 310).
1977 Christianity & Crisis, an ecumenical magazine, devotes an issue to homosexuality (RCP, 2000c, p. 16).
Ellen Barrett is first out lesbian to be ordained as an Episcopal priest (Swade).
Fundamentalist Anita Bryant successfully leads a campaign to repeal a Gay Rights law in Dade County, Florida (Swade; Sears).
Charles Keysor, a top staff person of Good News, attacks the article, "One of Our Family is Gay," in the UM publication The Christian Home, saying that the article violates para. 906.12 of the Discipline (UM funding ban) because it doesn’t point out that homosexuality is wrong (Carter, 1986, p. 8,9).
An unsuccessful attempt is made to challenge an educational conference ("Homosexuality and the United Methodist Church") sponsored by Washington Square UMC (NYC) and Gay United Methodists as a violation of the Discipline. The charges were unsuccessful, because this was a local church and no denominational funds were involved (Carter, 1986, p. 9).
Ted McIlvenna publishes Meditations on the Gift of Sexuality through Specific Press; it is distributed by Glide Publications (McIlvenna, 1977). Within a year, the book is banned by the UM denomination (Ted McIlvenna, personal correspondence, February 6, 2002).
Harvey Milk is elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He is the first openly gay candidate elected to public office in California (Power, 1996).
The American College of Sexologists is formed (Ted McIlvenna, personal communication, February 6, 2002).
1978 The UM Gay Caucus renames itself Affirmation: United Methodists for Lesbian/Gay Concerns. Two staff people are hired to travel throughout the country until the 1980 General Conference (RCP, 2000b, p. 10).
As a result of the traveling Affirmation staff, local Affirmation chapters are formed and new leaders emerge (RCP, 2000b, p. 10).
1978, (cont.) Good News conducts a fund-raising campaign to undergird their efforts to retain UMC’s stance on homosexuality (Kristula, 1991, unpublished, p. 7).
The Other Side, a justice-oriented Christian magazine, publishes its first issue addressing homosexuality. The issue results in angry mail, cancelled subscriptions, and lost advertising. In addition, the magazine’s founders cut off all connections with the organization (OS).
UM seminaries exclude gay seminarians because of homosexuality (Carter, 1986, p. 9):
• Garrett Evangelical Seminary (Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois) expels UMs James Mason and Terry Colbert because they are "self-avowed homosexuals;"
• Iliff School of Theology (Denver) refuses to admit Lucius Allen Grooms, an MCC candidate for ministry;
• St. Paul School of Theology (Kansas City, MO) puts five students on probation (in 1979) because they distributed "a pamphlet that seminary officials claimed could be interpreted as the school’s approval of homosexuality."
Harvey Milk, openly gay member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, is assassinated by Dan White, Milk’s political opponent and a former police officer (Sears; Power, 1996). White also shoots Mayor Moscone. Six months later White is tried and given a 7.66 year sentence, and a riot breaks out in San Francisco (Power).
The Moral Majority is founded (Sears).
1979 The UM Reporter charges that the General Board of Discipleship "promotes homosexuality" with its packet of homosexuality study materials produced for local church study (approved by the 1976 GC). As a result, the study packet is revised and a "pro-gay" pamphlet published by the Gay Activists’ Alliance is removed (Carter, 1986, p. 9).
Deaconess Joan Clark is fired by the UM Women’s Division of the Board of Global Ministries after she comes out as a lesbian. She had worked for the agency for seven years (RCP, 2000b, p. 10).
The Women’s Division of the UM Board of Global Ministries sponsors human sexuality workshops for its directors and staff after Joan Clark’s firing (see above) (Carter, p. 9).
The first National March on Washington for Gay and Lesbian Rights draws between 100,000 and 200,000 marchers (Swade; Sears).
1979 (cont.) A demonstration in response to the verdict and sentence of Dan White, Harvey Milk’s murderer, becomes a riot. Police cars are burned and ground floor windows in San Francisco’s City Hall are broken. Police trash a gay bar and beat up people in the gay Castro District. The night becomes known as the "White Night Riot," the first gay riot since Stonewall (Power, 1996).
Leon Smith, UM clergyman, sex educator, and sex therapist, speaks to UM sex educators in Houston. Smith, staff member of the UM Board of Discipleship from 1961 to 1980, challenges attendees to help create a safe space in the church where human sexuality can be openly discussed. He also helps the UMC produce sex education materials for all ages (UMNS, 2001a).
Leon Smith conducts a sex education workshop at a meeting of the UM Board of Discipleship in Nashville in order to apprise board members of the content and importance of the sex education programs (Hoyt Hickman, personal communication, September 2, 2002).
Leon Smith experiences pressure from some UM factions to end the sexuality education programs (Ted McIlvenna, interview, August 28, 2002).
1976-1980 Support for the UM Council on Youth Ministries declines because "officials saw it as subversive." The Council on Youth Ministries had responded sympathetically to the early gay caucus organizers (RCP, 2000b, p. 9).
1980 UM General Conference is in Indianapolis: The focus is on ordination issues.
The Women’s Division of the UM General Board of Global Ministries makes three recommendations to GC, requesting that 1) the funding ban be deleted, 2) the negative Social Principles statement be deleted, and 3) that their document on Human Sexuality be adopted for study (Carter, 1986, p. 9).
Good News says that the Women’s Division study document violates the Discipline. The group also claims that the 1979 human sexuality workshops offered by the Women’s Division for its directors and staff after Joan Clark was fired violated the Discipline (Carter, 1986, p. 9).
Marjorie Matthews becomes the first woman to be elected bishop in the UMC (Discipline, 2000, p. 20). By 2002, there are 11 female bishops (Discipline, 2000).
At the UM GC, a futile attempt is made to include in the Discipline the phrase "no self-avowed practicing homosexual therefore shall be ordained or appointed in the United Methodist Church" (UMNS, 2001d; Perkins, n.d., p. 3).
GC adopts a statement saying, "The United Methodist Church has moved away from prohibitions of specific acts, for such prohibitions can be endless.
1980 (cont.) We affirm our trust in the covenant community and the process by which we ordain ministers" (Perkins, p. 3; UMNS, 2001d).
The UM GC removes specific reference to same-gender unions from the Social Principles but adopts a statement that says, "We affirm the sanctity of the marriage covenant, which is expressed in love, mutual support, personal commitment, and shared fidelity between a man and a woman" (UMNS, 2001d).
". . . a Texas Conference terminates the conference membership of a pastor who acknowledged that he was gay" (Moore, 2000a).
Leon Smith, UM clergy, sex therapist, and sex educator, leaves the UM Board of Discipleship (Ted McIlvenna, personal correspondence, August 28, 2002; William Stayton, personal correspondence, June 12, 2002; UMNS, 2001a).
The UM gay caucus Affirmation experiences internal conflict. According to some, it nearly folds in the years following the 1980 GC (RCP, 2000b, p. 10).
John Boswell’s Christianity, Social Tolerance and Homosexuality is published (Sears).
Ken Horne, the known first person with AIDS, reports to Center for Disease Control (CDC) with Karposi's sarcoma (KQED).
1981 Affirmation protests gay and lesbian clergy being removed from churches and charges the UMC with witch-hunting (Morris, n.d.b, citing Good News).
Forty-one gay men are diagnosed with Kaposi's Sarcoma (Swade).
Gay-Related Immune Deficiency (GRID) is identified by the CDC (Sears).
The CDC reports that high numbers of gay men are hit with Pneumocystis Carinii Pneumonia. This report is the first public recognition by a known medical agency that a potentially dangerous health problem is developing (Mathison and Fraher, n.d.).
1982 The Reconciling Congregation Program begins as Affirmation makes plans for organizing churches in support of full church inclusion of gays if there are legislative defeats at the 1984 GC (RMN, select 1982-83, para. 1).
Bishop Melvin E. Wheatley (Denver area) appoints gay pastor Julian Rush as associate pastor of St. Paul's UM Church in Denver, and three Georgia churches file charges against Wheatley for doing so. An investigative committee finds no "reasonable grounds" for the charges (Morris, n.d.b, in chronological order, citing Good News as his source).
1982 (cont.) The UM Judicial Council rules (Decision 513) that nothing in church law prohibits ordination of homosexual persons and that Wheatley acted in accordance with the Discipline in appointing Julian Rush to a church. Decision 513 also states, "The Annual Conference decides whether to ordain eligible persons and admit them to full membership." (Moore, 2000a; JC Decision 513).
Bishop Jack Tuell places Affirmation leader and UM pastor Morris Floyd on involuntary leave of absence after Floyd requests a special appointment to Gay Community Services of Minneapolis (Kristula, 1991, unpublished, p. 8).
Dr. James Curran of the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta uses the word "epidemic" for the first time to describe the AIDS situation. Curran heads a national task force researching the problem. In one year, 413 cases are reported and 155 victims die (Mathison and Fraher, n.d.).
The Gay Men's Health Crisis, a non-profit AIDS organization, is established (Sears).
Wisconsin is the first state to establish a gay rights statute (Sears).
The Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality is granted accreditation by the National Association of Private Nontraditional Schools and Colleges (McIlvenna, 1994, p. 310).
1983 The UM Judicial Council upholds Bishop Jack Tuell’s decision to place pastor Morris Floyd on involuntary leave of absence, saying that it is legal, under UM law, to do so (JC Decision 524).
Coretta Scott King and other black leaders support gay civil rights (Swade).
The HIV virus is identified (Sears).
According to the UMNS "Backgrounder" on homosexuality, the UM Judicial Council (JC) rules that there is nothing in the Discipline to prevent ordination and/or appointment of gay/lesbian clergy (UMNS, 2001d, para. 12 following heading "History . . ."). (In the JC archives, Decision 513 stating this is dated October 30, 1982.)
1984 UM General Conference, Baltimore: Ordination issues are at the forefront again, but no changes are made in the Social Principles (UMNS, 2001d).
GC adopts a new standard for ordained clergy that calls for "fidelity in marriage and celibacy in singleness" (Discipline, 1984, Para 402.2, page 189, and Para 404.4, p. 192; UMNS, 2001d).
1984 (cont.) GC also adopts new language about homosexuality: "Since the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching, self-avowed practicing homosexuals are not to be accepted as candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve . . . " (Moore, 2000a; Discipline, 1984, Para 402.2, p. 189; Oliveto, p. 1; UMNS, 2001d).
In a GC debate over the wording change, Moore quotes UM clergyman David Seamands (Kentucky) as saying that "celibate gays and lesbians could be ordained," that the new wording only excludes " those who are both self-avowed and practicing" (Moore, 2000a).
Leontine Kelly is elected as UM Bishop. She is the first African-American (and third female) UM Bishop.
The California/Nevada Annual Conference challenges the constitutionality of the ‘incompatibility’ language before the Judicial Council, and the Council finds the language constitutional (Moore, 2000a; JC Decision 544). This approval of the ‘incompatibility’ language creates a legal stance on sexual orientation.
The UM Judicial Council states in Decision 542 that "neither ordination nor appointment of self-avowed practicing homosexuals is necessarily precluded by the words ‘fidelity in marriage and celibacy in singleness.’" In the decision, the JC also reiterates that annual conferences can decide whether candidates meet the disciplinary requirements for ordination (JC 542).
The first Reconciling Congregations are formed shortly after the end of GC: Washington Square UMC in New York City and Wesley UMC in Fresno, CA (RCP, 2000b, p. 11; select 1984, para. final). By the end of the year, nine churches are Reconciling Congregations (RMN, select 1984, last sentence).
The Other Side, an ecumenical magazine, publishes a special issue on homosexuality (RCP, 2000c, p. 16).
The Unitarian Universalist Church is the first modern Christian denomination to perform gay and lesbian union ceremonies (GLINN; Swade).
Roy Howard Beck (a reporter for the national UM newspaper, The United Methodist Reporter) says homosexual activity and extra-marital heterosexual activity are widespread in the upper levels of the UMC. He also says that, at the 1984 GC, heterosexual morality appears to be as big (or bigger) a concern as homosexuality issues (Beck, 1988).
Good News says that a 3,500-member church in Colorado Springs ‘publicly censured’ Bishop Melvin Wheatley for his active support of homosexual
1984 (cont.) persons as UM ministers (Methodists Concerned, Inc.; Morris, n.d.b). (Other sources say this happened in 1983.)
Berkeley is the first city in the US to institute a domestic partner policy for city employees (Swade).
Editorial policy at The Wall Street Journal is changed to allow the word gay to be used as an alternative to homosexual. Prior to this, policy called for gay to be placed in quotes. Gay continues to be banned by The New York Times and the Associated Press except when meaning happy or when in quotes (Mathison and Fraher, n.d.).
The probable cause of AIDS (the HTLV-III virus) is announced by federal officials. Scientists create a clone of the AIDS virus, an important achievement toward treating the disease (Mathison and Fraher.).
1985 Beth Richardson and Mark Bowman start the quarterly magazine Manna for the Journey for the RC program (RCP, 2000b, p. 11). The first printing is 1000 copies (RCP, 2000c, p. 16). It is renamed Open Hands in 1986; in 1992-93, it becomes an ecumenical resource for the welcoming movement (RCP).
A resolution is adopted by the California/Nevada UM Annual Conference commending the RCP program and encouraging its local churches to become Reconciling Congregations (RCs) (RMN, select 1985, para. 4 ).
Actor Rock Hudson dies of AIDS (Sears).
1986 Pope John Paul II issues a fourteen page letter in which he calls gay people ‘intrinsically disordered’ and states that "homosexuality can never be reconciled with church doctrine" (GLINN).
The Northern Illinois UM Annual Conference adopts a resolution to become a "Reconciling Conference" (RMN, select 1986, para. 4).
The Wisconsin Annual Conference adopts a resolution recommending that Wisconsin churches become RCs (RMN, para. 5).
University UMC in Madison, Wisconsin, adopts a policy that approves Covenant Services between same-gender couples (Seamands, 1992).
The Rocky Mountain Annual Conference's Board of Ordained Ministry dismisses the Julian Rush case (Morris, n.d.b). Wheatley had been sued for appointing Rush, a gay pastor, to a UMC in Denver and later censured by a Denver church.
1987 An "ecclesiastical trial" is held in St. John’s UMC, Dover, New Hampshire, for Rose Mary Denman, a forty-year-old ordained United Methodist minister charged with being a ‘self-avowed, practicing homosexual.’ The jury votes 12 to one to suspend her until the 1988 General Conference. She considers the outcome a success, for she didn’t lose her ordination. The prosecution also thought the trial was a success, because the trial did not become a debate over church policy (N. Miller, 1989, pp. 211–227; Denman).
California-Nevada, New York, and Troy UM Annual Conferences vote to become Reconciling Conferences (RMN, select 1987, para. 6).
Forty-eight UM evangelical clergy meet in Houston and issue the Houston Declaration which states, "It is not acceptable . . . that persons engaging in homosexual practices should be ordained to the ministry or continue in representative positions within the Church" (Houston; Good News, 1988; Heidinger, 1997). See Appendix L for text of Houston Declaration.
The UM General Commission on the Status and Role of Women (COSROW) approves a $1000 grant to assist RCP with its planned summer Convocation in Chicago, and others within the denomination protest. The 1976 funding ban is cited by the General Council on Finance and Administration, and the grant is rescinded (RMN, select 1987, para 2.).
RCP invites the Board of Discipleship and other general church boards and agencies to send observers to its first Convocation. The invitation causes conflict and debate, and after two tie-votes by the Board of Discipleship, Bishop George Bashore breaks the tie by voting against the Board’s participation. In spite of this, supportive Board members send someone to the convocation as an unofficial observer (RMN, select 1987, para. 3).
The first RCP Convocation in Chicago has 125 participants from Reconciling Congregations. The program focuses on worship, training, sharing, and celebration (RCP, 2000b, p. 11).
The AIDS Quilt is displayed in Washington DC (Sears). Each square represents a person who had died of AIDS (Mathison and Fraher).
UM Bishop Finis A. Crutchfield dies at age 70 of AIDS (Methodists Concerned, Inc.; Morris, n.d.b; Beck, 1988).
US Congressman Barney Frank (Massachusetts) ‘comes out’ and is the first gay House member to publicly and voluntarily announce his orientation (Sears; Mathison and Fraher).
Gay American Indians (GAI) is founded in San Francisco.
1987 (cont.) The Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality is granted full accreditation by the state of California (IASHS; McIlvenna, 1997, p. 310).
The gay activist group ACT-UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) is formed (Sears).
At the end of 1987, there are 30 Reconciling Congregations (RMN, last sentence).
1988 UM General Conference convenes in St. Louis.
GC actions recognize the "differing opinions on the issue [of homosexuality] in the church and . . . the basic good faith of United Methodists on all sides of the controversy." The body also recognizes that the "interpretation of homosexuality has proved to be particularly troubling to conscientious Christians of differing opinion" (UMNS, 2001d).
General Conference mandates the General Council on Ministries to study homosexuality (Perkins, n.d., p. 4; Williams 1994a; UMNS, 2001d).
A change in the Social Principles statement is made with the addition of the italicized phrase and sentence: "Although we do not condone the practice of homosexuality and consider this practice incompatible with Christian teaching, we affirm that God’s grace is available to all. We commit ourselves to be in ministry for and with all persons" (UMNS, 2001d).
The UM Evangelical Renewal Fellowship in the California/Nevada Conference forms the "Transforming Congregations" program. This program is modeled after RCP (RMN), but its primary purpose is to affirm God’s love for all and "that the Holy Spirit is available to transform all persons, including homosexual persons" and to change homosexuals to heterosexuals (Green, 1996; TC, n.d.).
After GC, the Committee to Study Homosexuality is established and is directed to report back to the 1992 General Conference (DCA April 30, 1988, pp. 183-184, Calendar Item 348, Petition 31).
Open Hands, the RCP magazine, wins two awards from the Associated Church Press: an Award of Merit for "in depth coverage of a current issue" for the magazine’s "Living and Loving with Aids" issue, and honorable mention
for overall General Excellence (RCP, 2000c, p. 17; RMN, select 1989, para. 3).
Phyllis Jean Athey, candidate for deacon in the UMC, commits suicide. Bishop J. R. Dewitt implies that those who opposed her ordination on Biblical grounds are responsible for "causing this tragic act." Alan Morris, in The Church in Bondage (n.d.a), says a breakup with her partner caused her suicide (Morris, n.d.b, following the phrase "Good News 1988").
1988 (cont.) Jimmy Creech invites persons to join the Raleigh Religious Network for Gay and Lesbian Equality, a group of concerned laity and clergy organized in 1987 to support efforts to adopt a North Carolina anti-discrimination ordinance regarding sexual orientation (Morris, n.d.b, in chronological order.)
Opposition grows for the Northern Illinois UM Conference’s partial funding of Kinheart Women's Center in Evanston, Illinois; opponents believe the center advocates for homosexuality (Morris, in chronological order.)
The Episcopal Diocese of Newark, NJ, is the first mainline denominational unit to support ministers and congregations who bless relationships between gay and lesbian couples (Mathison and Fraher).
1988-1992 Four year study by the UM Committee to Study Homosexuality
1989 Christian Methodist Newsletter publishes an article entitled "Homosexual Endorsement and Affiliation by United Methodist Clergy." The article reports that Roy H. Beck’s book, On Thin Ice, implies that not only is sexual (both hetero- and homo-) misconduct by the clergy and members of the national boards and agencies tolerated but there also seems to be an agenda to promote the tolerance of homosexuality (Morris, in chronological order).
"Two separate studies by the US Department of Defense conclude there is no reason to ban gays and lesbians from military service" (Swade).
Denmark legalizes gay marriage (Swade; Sears).
Bishop C. P. Minnick (North Carolina Annual Conference) endorses a two-day meeting sponsored by the Raleigh Religious Network for Gay and Lesbian Equality and chaired by Rev. Jimmy Creech, pastor of Fairmount UMC) (Morris, in chronological order.)
The American Psychiatric Association says there is no published scientific evidence supporting the success of reparative therapy (see Glossary) to change a person’s sexual orientation (KQED; ApsychA).
Student Forums, UM national leadership training events, begin annual gatherings (Don Shockley, UM Campus Ministry Section, in an article on the UMSM website). From these roots, a new UM Student Movement will emerge in 1996.
1990 In July, the Reconciling Congregation Program becomes a non-profit organization with a board of directors (RMN, select 1990, para. 2).
The UM General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns votes to become a Reconciling Commission, the first national UM board or
1990, (cont.) agency to take this step (RMN, select 1990, para. 4). This action is later challenged.
Allen O. Morris of Methodists Concerned, Inc., reports that the UM Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns voted to include homosexuals (Morris, n.d.b, in chronological order).
Covenant Ceremonies become issues:
Dumbarton UMC, Washington DC, adopts a policy affirming Covenant Ceremonies. The new policy is written about in the Washington Post (RMN, select 1990, para. 5; Seamands, 1992).
DC area UM Bishop Joseph Yeakel writes that the policy does not agree with UMC law (Seamands, 1992).
Dumbarton UMC decides not to allow a Covenant Ceremony (Morris, n.d., in chronological order; Seamands, 1992).
The publicity created by the Dumbarton Covenant Ceremony policy and decision to not allow Covenant Ceremonies results in the discontinuation of such ceremonies at University UMC (Madison, WI), which had adopted a similar policy in 1986 (RMN, select 1990, para. 5; Seamands, 1992).
Theologian Richard John Neuhaus describes "a pro-homosexual campaign to change church teaching through the premise that Christian doctrine and morality are ‘fundamentally in error’" (Morris, in chronological order).
Congress passes the Hate Crime Statistics Bill with a requirement that data be collected on crimes motivated by prejudice regarding sexual orientation. Prior to this, the only data collected was related to crimes motivated by racial, ethnic, or religious prejudice (Mathison and Fraher).
The 101st Annual Conference of American Rabbis approves a resolution stating that, "All Rabbis, regardless of their sexual orientation, [should] be accorded the opportunity to fulfill the sacred vocation which they have chosen" (Mathieson and Fraher).
1991 The UM Judicial Council unanimously upholds the decision of the General Council’s Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns to become a Reconciling Commission (RMN, select 1991, para. 7; JC 665).
A Minneapolis UMC pastor is told by her bishop that she can’t hold covenant ceremonies in her church (Walker Community UMC), even though the congregation supports such services (RMN, select 1991, para. 4).
1991 (cont.) The report of the Study on Homosexuality is released (UMNS, 2001d). The General Council on Ministries (GCOM) receives the report and forwards it to the 1992 General Conference delegates. The GCOM takes no other action (UMNS, 2001d).
Lotus becomes the first major US publicly held company to extend same-gender partner benefits (Sears).
Boy Scout leader James Dale (New Jersey) learns that the Boy Scout Council of Monmouth, NJ, has revoked his adult membership after learning that he is gay and that he advocates for gay rights. The Council says the Boy Scouts "specifically forbid membership to homosexuals." Dale subsequently files a complaint with New Jersey’s Superior Court, claiming that the Boy Scouts violated the state’s public accommodations statute (Resnick, 2000; Legal Information Institute, 2000).
Wheadon UMC (Evanston, Illinois) amends its reconciling statement to include bisexual persons and asks the RCP board to become more inclusive by doing so as well (RMN, select 1991, para. 2). While not changing official RCP policy, the board agrees to be more inclusive of bisexual persons in its resource materials.
1992 Eighty UM evangelical clergy and laity meet in Memphis and issue a declaration in which they spell out items needing support at the 1992 General Conference. They call for a reaffirmation of "Christian sexual morality and the current provisions of the United Methodist Discipline (Para. 71f, 402.2, 906.12)," "rejection of the report and recommendations of the Committee to Study Homosexuality," and no further official study of homosexuality (Memphis). See Appendix M for complete Memphis Delcaration.
Good News Magazine publishes an article by Thomas Oden, a UM theologian at Drew University in New Jersey, in which Oden criticizes the Report of the Committee to Study Homosexuality. He describes the Homosexuality Report as unfair and misleading (Oden, 1992).
UM General Conference, meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, reaffirms its 20-year stance on homosexuality (UMNS, 2001d).
The Report of the Committee to Study Homosexuality to the 1992 General Conference (Report Number 16 of the General Council on Ministries) is "received" but not "accepted" (Williams, 1994a, p. 6; UMNS, 2001d).
In a majority report, the Committee to Study Homosexuality asks GC to remove the language in the Social Principles "condemning homosexual practice and replace it with an acknowledgement that the church ‘has been
1992 (cont.) unable to arrive at a common mind’ on the issue." GC delegates vote 710-238 to retain the ‘incompatible’ language (UMNS, 2001d).
GC adopts a statement acknowledging equal rights for homosexuals (section H, para 162 of the Social Principles) and opposing violence and coercion against gays and lesbians and former homosexuals.
GC also votes to retain the previous years’ changes regarding ordination, the ban on church funding to "promote the acceptance of homosexuality," and the Social Principles statement (Williams, 1994a, p. 12).
The Reconciling Congregation Program establishes a national office in Chicago. Mark Bowman continues full-time as coordinator (RCP, 2000b, p. 11).
The Wesley Foundation at UCLA becomes the first Reconciling Campus Ministry (RMN, select 1992, para. 8).
An antigay local referendum is adopted in Colorado (RMN, select 1992, ninth paragraph; UMNS, 1996).
"United Methodists Against Discrimination" is formed and presses to have the UMC move its 1996 General Conference out of Colorado. The UMC, however, decides to keep its meeting in Colorado (RMN, select 1992, para. 9) and instead hold a 90-minute prayer service that focuses on both sides of the amendment (Purdue, 1996).
Bruce Hilton, UM clergyman and parent of a gay child, publishes the book, Can Homophobia be Cured? (Hilton, 1992).
The Metropolitan Community Church’s (MCC) application for observer status in the National Council of Churches is voted to not be acted upon. The UMC joins with the United Church of Christ and the Swedenborgian Church in support of the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) (GLINN).
The University of Iowa and the University of Chicago extend health benefits to domestic partners of lesbian and gay employees (Mathison and Fraher).
"Margarethe Cammermeyer, former Colonel of the Washington State National Guard, is dishonorably discharged solely on her admission that she is a lesbian" (Swade).
A letter is signed by 100 clergy and laity in Michigan in support of "holy union" services for gays and lesbians (Morris, in chronological order).
UM Bishop M. G. Talbert requests that President-elect Bill Clinton ". . . lift the military ban on homosexuals" (Morris, n.d.b, in chronological order).
1992 (cont.) The United Methodist News Service reports that Saralyn Chesnut has been named to head the new office of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Student Life at (UM) Emory University (Morris, in chronological order).
Bill Clinton recognizes gay and lesbian civil rights as a serious and important national issue, is vocal about his support of gay and lesbian civil rights, and appoints open gays and lesbians to government positions. He is the first US president to do this (Mathieson and Fraher).
1993 The UM Judicial Council rules that any definition of the word status or the phrase self-avowed practicing homosexual has to come from General Conference or annual conferences (Williams, 1994b, p. 9; JC Decision 702).
The Legislative Committee of the Minnesota Conference votes to give "reconciling congregations the right to offer services of blessing and celebration of committed relationships of couples of the same gender," but the bishop rules that this violates the Discipline (Wood, 2000, p. 22).
The Troy Annual Conference makes a distinction between covenant and marriage services and says if they wish, "clergy . . .may participate in a ‘Covenant Service,’ which is the celebration of a relationship in which God’s love is affirmed" (Wood, 2000, p. 23).
The Judicial Council rules that GC is the only body that has authority to designate rites and rituals in the UMC (Wood, 2000, p. 23, JC Decision 694), thus countering the Minnesota and Troy decisions regarding union ceremonies.
The first ecumenical issue of Open Hands is published (RCP, 2000c, p. 17).
The North Carolina UM Annual Conference votes to discontinue funding to the North Carolina Council of Churches (NCCC) because it accepted the Universal Fellowship of the Metropolitan Community Churches as a member. Earlier in the year, UM clergyman Ben Sharpe, Jr. had written a letter to the North Carolina [UM] Christian Advocate in which he described "the doctrinal basis of incompatibility of the MCC with true Christianity" (Morris, in chronological order).
Allen Morris, author of the electronic publication, The Church in Bondage, states that UM money is funneled through the IMPACT Organization to help support the Gay March on Washington (Morris, in chronological order).
Apple Computer is denied tax breaks by Williamson County, Texas, due to its domestic partner policy (Sears).
1993 (cont.) Massachussetts passes the first law to protect lesbian/gay students in public schools (Sears).
In November, a multi-denominational ‘Re-Imagining’ Conference is held. Allen O. Morris (n.d.b, in chronological order) of Concerned Methodists, Inc., says this conference "affirmed lesbians, bisexuals, and ‘trans-gendered’ [sic] people, and . . . was supported in part by UM money."
1994 Deborah Batts is the first openly gay person to be appointed federal judge (Sears).
The American Medical Association opposes medical treatment to "cure" homosexuals (Sears).
The UM "Confessing Movement" is launched in Atlanta by 102 United Methodists who say they reaffirm "the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ as revealed in scripture and asserted in the classic Christian tradition and historic ecumenical creeds" (UMNS, 1997). Good News (n.d.) places this in 1995.
1995 Jeanne Audrey Powers, Associate General Secretary of the UMC’s General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns since 1972, comes out at the RMN Convocation (MNAC, 2000; Powers, 1995).
Coach Diana Chalfant is fired from UM-affiliated Lindsey Wilson College in Kentucky because of her sexual orientation (Bloom, 1996).
The Confessing Movement of UMs is formed, and The Confessional Statement is signed by 900 participants at the movement’s first national gathering in Atlanta (Good News, n.d.). (The UMNS, 1997, places this in 1994.) Statement signers say they "repudiate[s] [sic] teachings and practices that MISUSE [sic] principles of inclusiveness and tolerance to distort the doctrine and Discipline of the Church. We deny the claim that the individual is free to decide what is true and what is false" (Good News, 1994). For text, see Appendix N.
1996 In January, Jeanne Audrey Powers is ‘silenced’ by the denomination (Early, 1996). The word ‘silenced’ comes from the headline of the news story.
General Conference convenes in Denver.
Seventy-five RCP members and supporters are in Denver for GC and physically hold the doors open for GC delegates (RMN, select 1996, para. 4).
RCP’s "Open the Doors" campaign focuses on proposed legislative change that will ban UM discrimination based on sexual orientation. The group hosts a press conference where stories of discrimination are told (Bloom, 1996).
1996 (cont.) Transforming Congregations hold a press conference in which they share that "God can change lives. God offers hope. God can transform people from the homosexual lifestyle" (Green, 1996).
GC legislation includes a ban on same-gender union ceremonies (Burton, 1996b). "Ceremonies that celebrate homosexual unions shall not be conducted by our ministers and shall not be conducted in our churches" (Discipline, 1996, Para 65G, p. 87; Oliveto, p. 2; Wood, 2000, p. 23; UMNS, 2001d).
An attempt to replace the "incompatibility" clause with one acknowledging that UMs are not able to arrive at a "common mind" fails (Burton, 1996a; UMNS, 2001d).
GC calls for the US military not to exclude persons from military service on the basis of sexual orientation (Burton, 1996b; UMNS, 2001d).
GC delegates maintain the UMC ban on funding groups that "promote" homosexuality (Burton, 1996b).
A minority proposal that would state that the funding ban does not apply to AIDS education or research/discussion of human sexuality issues is not approved (Burton, 1996b).
The ban on ordination of homosexuals is left in place, and clarifying words are added to the Discipline that define "self-avowed, practicing homosexual" as one who "openly acknowledges to a bishop, district superintendent, district committee of ordained ministry, board of ordained ministry, or clergy session that the person is a practicing homosexual" (Lear, 1996b; UMNS, 2001d):
Fifteen UM bishops hold a press conference during the GC to announce their disagreement with the denomination’s official stance on homosexuality (Lear, 1996b; McAnally, 1996a).
GC delegates do not approve "an effort to have ‘clear and convincing evidence’ of the practice of homosexuality used as the basis for prohibiting ordination or appointment" (UMNS, 2001d).
MoSaic, Methodist Students for an All-Inclusive Church, is formed in reaction to ongoing denominational homophobia (RMN, select 1996, para. 7).
A judge rules that state of Hawaii failed to show compelling reasons to ban same-sex marriages and finds the statue prohibiting same-sex marriage unconstitutional (Bennett-Alexander, 1997).
1996 (cont.) The UM Judicial Council rules that the Wisconsin Annual Conference (AC) resolution that designates the AC as a Reconciling Conference does not violate the Discipline (JC Decision 794).
Over 300 students attend the UM Student Forum Plus! and vote to begin the UM Student Movement (UMSM).
The school district in Salt Lake City eliminates all non-academic clubs to keep a gay club from meeting at East High. Federal Courts uphold the action ("Judge rules. . .," 2000 ).
The US Supreme Court holds that "Amendment 2" passed in Colorado’s 1992 referendum is unconstitutional (UMNS, 1996). This occurred after General Conference.
1997 Jimmy Creech, UM pastor of First UMC in Omaha, conducts a covenant ceremony for two women. Charges are brought against him for violating church rules. Social Principles statements are cited (Wood, 2000, p. 97; Ostling, 2000), and Creech is suspended from his appointment.
Indiana State Senator Patricia Miller is elected executive director of the unofficial UM Confessing Movement (UMNS, 1997b).
A group of 15 United Methodist clergy release and circulate a "Statement of Conscience" about the denomination’s position on homosexuality. Entitled "In All Things Charity" (IATC), the statement asks supportive clergy to sign it and pass it on (IATC, 1997a). Lay recipients are asked to forward it to clergy (Bloom, 1997b; Baker, 1997; IATCb). See Appendix P for text.
Forty-seven evangelical UM clergy and lay persons release a statement, "The More Excellent Way: God’s Plan Re-Affirmed," in response to "In All Things Charity" (UMNS, 1997c; Concerned). (See Appendix R for statement.)
The Board of Trustees of Emory University (Atlanta) votes unanimously to allow same-sex ceremonies in the university chapel if the couple's faith permits it, and if the ceremony is conducted by a clergy person of that faith who has a direct tie to the university. The board includes five UM bishops. (Morris, n.d.b, in chronological order, crediting Alice Smith, Executive Director of the Georgia UM Communications Council; Swade).
In a letter sent to thousands of United Methodists in May, the Rev. James V. Heidinger II, president and publisher of Good News, says "if ‘unbiblical standards’ such as same-sex unions should become church law and/or practice, they would split the church" (UMNS, 1997d).
1997 (cont.) Transforming Congregations holds its first conference on transformational ministry for homosexuality in January at North Clairemont United Methodist Church in San Diego, California (UMNS, 1997e).
Use of the UM trademark "Cross and Flame" becomes an issue (Purdue, 1997).
Reports of three separate studies (one each from Britain, Belgium and the US) presented at the Washington, D.C., conference of the Society for Research in Child Development confirm that lesbian parents raise healthy, well-adjusted children (Swade).
By a two-vote margin, the Wisconsin Annual Conference votes to remain a Reconciling Conference (Green, 1997).
California-Nevada, New York, and Oregon-Idaho also reaffirm/retain their Reconciling Conference status (Green, 1997).
The Detroit Annual Conference, considering the options of becoming a transforming or reconciling conference or remaining an unaffiliated conference, chooses to remain unaffiliated (Green, 1997).
The Illinois-Great Rivers Conference approves a resolution on "Inclusiveness and Homosexuality in the Church" and invites congregations to explore becoming reconciling and transforming congregations (Green, 1997).
The Southern New Jersey Annual Conference endorses the transforming congregations movement (Green, 1997).
The Northwest Texas Annual Conference urges ministerial candidates to uphold the Discipline and calls for "ministry, healing and transformation to, and integration of, homosexuals in the church" (Green, 1997).
West Virginia urges the UMC to "‘speak the truth in love concerning the sin of homosexuality;’ affirm the ‘sacred worth of homosexuals;’ ‘reach out in love and compassion to persons who want to escape a homosexual lifestyle’" and says same sex unions are "unthinkable" (Green, 1997).
The Alabama-West Florida Conference becomes a "‘Confessing Conference’ seeking ‘a new level of integrity in upholding our historic doctrinal standards in a thoughtful, serious and principled way’" (Green, 1997).
Five other annual conferences face the homosexuality issue by placing discussions on hold; adopting a resolution supporting a State Initiative prohibiting employer discrimination; conducting a panel discussion; and sending petitions to the 2000 General conference (Green, 1997).
1997 (cont.) At a gathering of the newly-formed UM Student Movement, a motion to become a "‘Reconciling Movement’ affirming the full participation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people" fails to acquire the two-thirds majority needed for approval (Lear, 1997a, 1997b).
The Covenant Relationships Network (CORNET) is formed to support the right of UM clergy to celebrate same-sex covenant relationships (Bloom, 1997b).
Ellen is the first prime-time television program in which its main character comes out as a lesbian on May 7 (Swade; Sears).
Ten UM clergy sign the "Madison [Wisconsin] Affirmation: On Homosexuality and Christian Faith." The statement calls for an end to practices and policies that limit full participation of gay and lesbian Christians. Other signers include clergy from the American Baptist, Episcopal, and Unitarian Universalist Churches, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Society of Friends, Moravian Church in America, Presbyterian Church (USA), United Church of Christ, and Reform Judaism (Bloom, 1997a).
A New Jersey judge grants a gay couple the right to adopt a foster child who has been in their home for nearly two years (Swade).
New Hampshire and Maine pass gay rights laws (Sears).
1998 In March, a trial is conducted for Jimmy Creech, who argues that the Social Principles are not binding law. Only eight jurors vote for conviction, and Creech is acquitted of violating the order and discipline of the church. (The Discipline requires a minimum of nine votes to convict. Creech’s suspension is lifted, and he returns to his church (Wood, 2000, p. 97; UMNS, 2001d).
The UM Council of Bishops issues a statement pledging to uphold the UM Discipline, "including the statements on homosexuality . . . contained in the Social Principles, including the prohibition of ceremonies celebrating homosexual unions by our ministers and in our churches." They also affirm their "pastoral responsibility to all peoples, including those who feel excluded from the church" (UMNS, 1998a).
"Conservative groups that have been most vocal about issues related to homosexuality in the church . . . expressed guarded praise" for the UM Bishops’ pastoral statement (UMNS, 1998a).
In June, UM Nebraska Bishop Joel Martinez chooses not to reappoint Creech to his Omaha Church and gives him three choices: take another Nebraska appointment; look for an appointment in another church; or take a leave of absence. Creech takes the leave of absence (Wood, 2000, pp. 97-98).
1998 (cont.) Maine revokes its gay rights law passed in 1997 (Sears).
Dr. Maxie Dunnam, president of Asbury Theological Seminary, writes, "If the practice of same-sex marriages is allowed to stand . . . our beloved denomination will be seriously fractured if not completely divided. . . . [I]f we have to call a special session of the General Conference to prevent such schismatic action, let's do so. My heart is heavy. I am grieving for the church" (Historical . . . , in chronological order).
Thirty UM clergy publicly declare that they will "celebrate rites of union with all couples, regardless of gender." The "Proclaiming the Vision Committee" invites UM clergy to sign such a statement (Newscope, 1998; Morris). (See Appendix Q for text.)
The Gay and Lesbian Historical society presents its annual award to the clergy and laity that organized the Council on Religion and Homosexuality in 1964. Methodist clergymen Ted McIlvenna, Lew Durham, Cecil Williams, and Fred Bird are among those honored (Moore, 2000a).
The UM Judicial Council reverses its earlier rulings and says that conferences "may not identify themselves with or take on the label of an unofficial body or movement" (UMNS, 1998c). This action retracts earlier JC Decisions 794 and 665 that allowed the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns and the Wisconsin Annual Conference to call themselves ‘Reconciling’ (JC 847, 1998; RCP, 2000b; Floyd, 1998; UMNS, 1998c).
When asked for an interpretation of JC Decision 847 regarding the use of the word ‘Reconciling,’ UM Bishop Joe Sprague says local UM Churches are included in the decision, thus meaning that local UM churches cannot call themselves ‘Reconciling’ (Sprague, 1998; RMN, n.d.)
Bethany UMC in San Francisco adopts a statement saying they will allow Holy Unions to be conducted in their building. The California-Nevada UM Annual Conference staff, including the bishop, support Bethany UMC, noting that the Social Principles "are not law" (Morris, n.d.b, in chronological order; Bethany, 1998).
The South Central Bishops ask the Judicial Council to rule on the legal status of the Social Principles (UMNS, 1998b).
In August, the Judicial Council rules in Decision 844 that the Social Principles statement regarding same-sex unions has the force of law and that "clergy who conduct such ceremonies could be charged with disobeying the order and discipline of the church and could lose their ministerial credentials" (UMNS, 1998b; Wood, 2000, p. 98; UMNS, 2001d).
1998 (cont.) In September, 500 UMs meet in Texas for a "day of listening" to discern "God’s will" regarding the newly defined church law about same-sex unions. Less formal discussions are held across the country (UMNS, 1998b).
Two weeks later, less than a month after the JC ruling, Greg Dell, pastor of Broadway UMC, Chicago, holds a union ceremony for two men from his congregation (UMNS, 2001d; Methodists Concerned, Inc.).
Washington State becomes the 27th state in the United States to ban same-sex
marriages when the legislature overrides the governor’s veto of the bill (Swade).
After five seasons, ABC cancels Ellen, Ellen Degeneres’ history making sitcom. Ellen was the first sitcom with a gay lead (Swade).
US President Clinton secretly signs a federal bill denying federal recognition of same-sex marriages (Swade).
Gay college student Matthew Shepard, 21, is found critically beaten and tied to a fence post outside Laramie, Wyoming. He dies five days later as a result of his injuries. Two are charged with murder (Swade).
Voters in Hawaii approve an amendment to the state constitution that bans gay marriages (Christensen, 1999).
A Baptist church in Winston-Salem, N.C., decides to let its ministers bless same-sex couples, but not marry them. Ministers taking such action, however, risk expulsion from the Baptist State Convention (Swade).
1999 Controversy intensifies around homosexuality issues within the UMC.
Lay and clergy leaders of the California-Nevada UM Annual Conference (AC) perform a Holy Union ceremony for Jeanne Barnett and her partner, Ellie Charlton, both active leaders in the AC. Sixty-eight clergy (now known as the Sacrament 68) participate. Seventy additional UM clergy participate in absentia (Sacramento 68 web site; Wood, 2000, p. 98; UMNS, 2001d).
A complaint and charges are filed with Bishop Melvin Talbert against the 68 clergy who participated in the Charlton-Barnett Union ceremony. The 70 who participated in absentia and the lay participants who were present were not charged (Sacramento 68 web site).
In addition, 184 formal complaints are filed against the clergy who performed the ceremony by Reverend Mike Goodyear and members of the First United Methodist Church in Orangevale, California (Morris, in chronological order).
1999 (cont.) A UM trial court finds Rev. Greg Dell "guilty of disobedience to the order and discipline of the United Methodist Church" for holding a union ceremony for two men, and he is suspended from his ministerial duties. Dell is given a two-year leave of absence (Wood, 2000, p. 98; UMNS, 2001d).
In April, Jimmy Creech performs a union ceremony for two men in North Carolina (UMNS, 2001d).
In Canada, a landmark gay rights ruling is made by the Supreme Court when it rules that Ontario's legal definition of a spouse as someone of the opposite sex is unconstitutional (Swade).
In Georgia, UM pastor Dr. Charles Sineath is not re-appointed after 22 years at First UMC, Marietta. Church members say this is politically motivated and punitive because the church withheld funds from the conference in protest of the denomination’s stance on homosexuality and other social issues. In response, the church withholds more funds. (This comes Appendix E of Allen O. Morris’ electronic publication, The Church in Bondage, where he credits Tucker McQueen of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Alice Smith, Executive Director of the Georgia UM Communications Council for the information).
The Rocky Mountain UM Annual Conference passes a resolution calling for the conference to be in ministry for, and with, all persons regardless of race, age, gender, marital status, ability, sexual orientation, social or economic condition, ethnicity, or any other real or perceived separating condition (JC 870, 1999).
Upon request of the legislative committee handling the resolution, Denver area UM Bishop Mary Ann Swenson rules that the resolution regarding inclusiveness is in accordance with the UM Discipline. Her ruling is referred to the Judicial Council for clarification (JC Memorandum 870, 1999).
The Judicial Council affirms Bishop Swenson’s ruling and says "ministry ‘for and with’ persons regardless of their sexual orientation cannot be perceived as promoting the homosexual lifestyle" (JC Memorandum 870, 1999).
A complaint is filed against Bishop Mary Ann Swenson for not responding to complaints about a local clergy person conducting union ceremonies (Morris, in chronological order; Bloom, 1999).
The UM Board of Church and Society supports a bill to give homosexuals "the same federal civil rights protections in the workplace as are given women, minorities, people with disabilities, and religious persons" (UMNS, 1999c).
The board of Southern Methodist University approves adding ‘sexual orientation’ to the University’s nondiscrimination policy but votes against extending benefits to same-sex domestic partners (UMNS, 1999b).
1999 (cont.) The Open Hands Advisory Committee and the Reconciling Congregations Program begin planning for the magazine to become an independent publication (Open Hands, 2000c, p. 17).
Twenty annual conferences (ACs) vote to support the denomination’s position on homosexuality and same-sex unions and either against changing Discipline language or to add more restrictive language (Tanton, 1999).
The South Georgia AC refers a petition to General Conference that supports the prohibition of union ceremonies, but the AC does not vote for or against the petition (Tanton, 1999).
Seven annual conferences vote to remove the Discipline language regarding homosexuality and/or change it to be more accepting. (Tanton, 1999).
Fifteen other ACs addressed the homosexuality issue in some form (Tanton, 1999).
Both Troy and New York ACs pass resolutions in support of congregations and persons who choose to participate in the Reconciling Congregation program (Tanton, 1999).
Four ACs (Kansas East, Minnesota, Wyoming, Wisconsin) ask GC to adopt a statement that says "United Methodists are not of one mind on the issue, but . . .
God’s grace is available to all and that the church must be in ministry to all" (Tanton, 1999).
New Mexico adopts a resolution asking the bishops, Judicial Council and administrative agencies of the church to remove the credentials of the UM ministers who participated in the Sacramento same-sex union (Tanton, 1999).
The Wyoming Conference (which covers parts of Pennsylvania and New York) approves a petition calling for Paragraph 65G to be amended and asks for discernment about "how we minister to one another in the midst of such disagreements" (Tanton, 1999).
A committee reports to the Central Pennsylvania Annual Conference that "churches must discuss the need to minister to homosexuals, their families and friends" (Tanton, 1999).
Three ACs pass resolutions regarding inclusiveness. The New England Conference includes sexual orientation in their resolution; Memphis and Tennessee ACs do not include sexual orientation (Tanton, 1999).
The Oklahoma AC softens divisive language in a report on ministries relating to homosexuality and accepts the report. The report focused on a study of "redemptive" ministries for "homosexuals who desired to leave the gay
1999 (cont.) lifestyle," and the task force included information about ministries affirming homosexuals as well (Morris, in chronological order; Morris credits this to Pat Gilliland, The Oklahoman, 5/27/99).
The UM Judicial Council reviews and upholds Bishop Joe Sprague’s interpretation of Decision 847 in which he says local UM Churches are included in the decision 847 and that local UM churches cannot call themselves ‘Reconciling’ (Decision 871).
A letter from a Memphis clergyman calls for Illinois Bishop Joe Sprague’s resignation because of Sprague’s support of Greg Dell (Morris, in chronological order).
The New Jersey Supreme Court rules that the Boy Scouts cannot ban gays from its membership (Swade; Legal Information Institute, 2000).
The Hawaii Supreme Court says the 1998 amendment to the state constitution is valid, thus limiting marriages recognized in Hawaii to opposite-sex couples (Christensen, 1999).
The UM Board of Church and Society asks the Boy Scouts to change its policy of excluding gays from the organization. In part, the board’s statement says, "This discrimination conflicts with our [church's] Social Principles" (UMNS, 1999d).
The Commission on United Methodist Men supports the right of the Boy Scouts to determine their own standards (Renew, 2001).
Mark Tooley of the Institute on Religion and Democracy/UMAction reports that the UM Women’s Division approved an $11,000 grant for "Free School Clubs" to help groups "like the East High [Salt Lake City] Gay/Straight Alliance campaign for access to public school space. The Salt Lake City School board had banned all non-academic, extra-curricular school groups from school buildings to avoid having to accommodate the Gay/Straight Alliance" (Tooley, 1999; Morris).
The UM Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns sponsors a two-day gathering, "In Disagreement Charity, A Conversation on Homosexuality." The event is attended by 50 UMs from across the country, and six persons share their personal experiences. There was no debate, no voting, no resolutions (UMNS, 1999e).
Jimmy Creech is tried again for conducting a second union ceremony. This time his annual conference membership is terminated and his ordination credentials are terminated. He is the first UM pastor to lose his credentials for conducting such a ceremony (UMNS, 2001d; Creech, 2000).
1999 (cont.) New Hampshire Governor Jeanne Shaheen repeals a NH ban on homosexuals becoming adoptive and/or foster parents. Florida is now the only state with such a law (Swade).
Mark Bowman leaves The Reconciling Congregation Program and Marilyn Alexander becomes interim Executive Director (author’s personal knowledge).
2000 In February, an investigative committee of the California-Nevada Annual Conference announces that it will not bring the Sacramento 68 clergy to trial and dismisses the case (Sacramento 68 website; UMNS, 2001d).
Bishop Jack Tuell, the presiding UM bishop at the Greg Dell trial in 1999, preaches a sermon on homosexuality to the Des Moines (Washington) United Methodist Church in which he says, "I was wrong." He describes how he came to change his mind about the denominational stance on homosexuality (Tuell, 2000; Friends, 2000).
The anti-gay video, Decision 2000, is sent to all GC delegates by the UM Decision 2000 Committee. The video, narrated by Good News board member Scott Field raises the possibility of "a church split or substantial defection of members, churches and clergy" if GC votes to change the denominational stance on homosexuality. Phrases used include "a house divided" and "irreconcilable differences" (Sampson, 2000; Adams, 2000).
UM Bishop Jack Tuell sends a petition to the UM General Conference, asking that the recent decisions prohibiting UM clergy from conducting same-gender holy union services be deleted from church law (Friends, 2000).
General Conference (GC) meets in Cleveland: Homosexuality is a top issue.
Delegates vote down a recommended change to the wording of the Social Principles that would state that United Methodists are not of one mind with regard to homosexuality (Nissen and Bloom, 2000).
Delegates vote to maintain the UMC’s position on homosexuality, to maintain the "incompatible" language, to uphold the ordination ban for homosexual persons, and to keep the same-sex union prohibition (Nissen and Bloom, 2000).
Delegates add a new statement to the Social Principles: "We implore families and churches not to reject or condemn their lesbian and gay members and friends" (Nissen and Bloom, 2000; UMNS, 2001d).
GC asks the Council of Bishops and the Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns to hold denomination-wide ‘conversations’ so people can "discuss, disagree about and acknowledge the ‘deep wounds’" in the UMC over the homosexuality issue (Burton 2002; Nissen and Bloom, 2000).
2000 (cont.) By a vote of 705-210, GC delegates reject a proposal requiring all pastors to sign a statement professing that homosexuality is not God’s will. The proposal would have required that pastors, before being appointed to any church, sign a statement stating, "I do not believe that homosexuality is God’s perfect will for any person. I will not practice it. I will not promote it. I will not allow its promotion to be encouraged under my authority" (Green and Purdue, 2000; Veenker, 2000; UMNS, 2001d).
Soulforce [sic] (see Glossary) organizes a demonstration in Cleveland. More than 300 participate and over 185, including two UM bishops, are arrested (Nissen, 2000; Tanton, 2000; UMNS, 2001d).
Fred Phelps and his congregation from Westboro Baptist Church (Topeka, Kansas) picket the Soulforce [sic]demonstration outside the Cleveland conference center where the UM GC delegates are meeting (Good News, 2000c).
UMs from MFSA, Affirmation, and RCP demonstrate on the floor of GC. Thirty persons are arrested, including two bishops (Timmens, 2000b; Nissen and Bloom, 2000; UMNS, 2001d; Good News, 2000c).
GC delegates also vote down a proposal to revise the Discipline to say "the performance of a same-sex union [is] a chargeable offence, even in states where such a ceremony is legal" (Green and Purdue, 2000; UMNS, 2001d).
Delegates also agree to move the Social Principles statement forbidding clergy to conduct union ceremonies to a section of law and procedures dealing with clergy. It now appears in a list itemizing ‘unauthorized conduct’ (Nissen and Bloom, 2000; UMNS, 2001d; Discipline, 2000, Para. 332.6, p. 220).
GC delegates reject by a 78% vote a request to establish a denominational program for "persons who seek to leave or not start the practice of homosexuality" (Bloom, 2000).
Thomas Oden (2000), in an article in Christianity Today, reports that UM GC delegates
• resist attempts "to grant legitimacy to homosexual behavior;"
• say "practices incompatible with Christian teaching" are chargeable offenses;
• affirm "evangelical reparative therapy and transforming ministry to homosexuals;"
• defeat proposals that "require" churches to hire active homosexuals;
• defeat efforts "to require church-sponsored Scout troops to accept homosexually [sic] active leaders."
2000 (cont.) A new organization supporting inclusiveness within the UMC is formed and announced at General Conference: United Methodists of Color for a Fully Inclusive Church (UMOC; Vera, 2000).
Over 120 UM parents participate in GC activities as part of Parents Reconciling Network (PRN), a group organized for the 2000 GC by Bruce and Ginny Hilton, both UM clergy from California (PRN 2000b).
Greg Dell, an elected delegate to the 2000 UM GC, is not seated at GC because his suspension for conducting a Union Ceremony for a gay couple is still in effect (UMNS, 2001d).
Vermont approves civil unions for same-sex couples. Gays and lesbians are able to obtain civil union licenses on July 1 (Robinson, n.d.a; Derby, 2000; Price, 2000).
In Nebraska, voters approve a constitutional amendment that bans same-sex marriages ("Nebraska UM . . .", 2002).
In May following General Conference, the West Ohio Annual Conference votes to discontinue Phil Hart from probationary membership in the AC because of his sexual orientation (UMNS, 2000a).
Over 300 clergy and laity in the New England Annual Conference sign a "Declaration in Support of Full Inclusion of Gay and Lesbian Persons in the Church." This declaration is now referred to as the "New England Declaration" (Declaration) (UMNS, 2000b; "UM Policy," 2000; New England, 2000; Barillas, 2000). See Appendix T.
In the California-Pacific Annual Conference sessions, approximately 400 persons stand in support of the New England Declaration (UMNS, 2000b).
In the Rocky Mountain Annual Conference, over a third of the AC members stand and hold "equally incompatible" signs during a report on General Conference activities (UMNS, 2000b).
The Alabama-West Florida Conference adopts a petition calling for Emory University to comply with the UM stance on homosexuality, pointing out the school’s provision of health benefits for domestic partners and its approval of same-sex union ceremonies (UMNS, 2000b)
The New York Annual Conference establishes a task force on the full inclusion of gay and lesbian individuals and expresses support for the GC arrested bishops (UMNS, 2000b).
2000 (cont.) The Western UM Jurisdiction issues a "We Will Not Be Silent" declaration announcing its support of and work toward full inclusion at all levels of church life. They ask the UMC to remove its limitations on gays in the church. This declaration is approved almost unanimously (UMNS, 2000d). See Appendix U.
In Western Pennsylvania, a resolution proposed by UM leaders of opposing factions is approved. The resolution asks both sides of the homosexuality issue to try to "understand rather than debate one another, with an attitude marked by a willingness to hear each other’s stories and struggles." It also calls for a "nurturing ministry of spiritual and emotional care to all people regardless of their sexual orientation" (UMNS, 2000b).
A declaration taking issue with "increasingly condemnatory and exclusionary language" about gay participation in the UMC is signed by 30 pastors and 50 lay members of the Desert Southwest Annual Conference (UMNS, 2000b).
Northern Illinois reaffirms its reconciling witness to GLBT people. This annual conference was the first to call itself a ‘Reconciling Conference’ in 1986 but dropped the designation after the 1999 Judicial Council ruled that such labels could not be used by annual conferences (UMNS, 2000b).
The Southern New Jersey Annual Conference denies health benefits to domestic partners of conference employees (UMNS, 2000b).
The Virginia Annual Conference commends the Commission on UMM for supporting the Boy Scouts’ prohibition of gay scoutmasters (UMNS, 2000b).
The UM Accountability Watch, a program of the Confessing Movement of UMs, issues a press release saying they are monitoring the way in which UM bishops uphold the Discipline. The group also creates a web site where they name specific bishops and itemize their actions in columns titled ‘Disobedience,’
‘Accountability,’ and ‘Disposition’ (CUMA, 2000).
In June, the US Supreme Court rules that the New Jersey Supreme Court violated the Boy Scouts’ First Amendment right of expression when they ruled that the Boy Scouts should admit former gay scout member as an adult member of the Boy Scouts (Legal Information Institute).
In July, Greg Dell returns to his appointment at Broadway UMC after a year of suspension for conducting a same-sex union ceremony (UMNS, 2000c).
Another grass-roots organization in support of full inclusion in the UMC begins when the Parents Reconciling Network for United Methodists, organized specifically for the 2000 GC, is reorganized (PRN, 2000a).
2000 (cont.) The Reconciling Congregations Program changes its name to Reconciling Ministries Network (RMN, 2000a, 2000b).
In November, the UM youth of the Rocky Mountain Conference adopt a petition in support of lesbians and gays at their UM Youth Leadership Conference in Estes Park, Colorado (Gorman, 2000). See Appendix V.
A US federal judge decides that PRISM (People Respecting Important Social Movements) can meet at East High School (Salt Lake City), as an academic club while the case against the school district is considered (Judge says, 2000).
Which Church Honors Jesus?, a special issue of Christian Social Action is published in November/December. The magazine is published by the UM General Board of Church and Society.
Leaders of Good News, the Confessing Movement, and UMAction, all unofficial UM groups, send letters of complaint to the UM General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA), saying that the November/December issue of Christian Social Action violates church policy by using UM funds to "promote the acceptance of homosexuality." The letter is signed by the Rev. James Heidinger, Good News; Patricia Miller, Confessing Movement; and Mark Tooley, UMAction (UMNS, 2000e, 2001b; RK, 2002).
The November/December issue of Christian Social Action is removed from circulation until an investigating committee can review the complaint. Regular subscribers have already received a copy (Nissen, 2002; RK, 2002).
2001 Marilyn Alexander is hired as Executive Director (RMN, 2001b).
A General Council on Finance and Administration committee reports that the special issue of Christian Social Action does not violate the denomination's prohibition of use of denominational funds (Good News, Confessing Movement, UMAction) (UMNS, 2001b; RK, 2002).
Copies of the November/December 2000 issue of Christian Social Action are mailed to every General Conference delegate and every bishop. Regular subscribers have already received a copy (RK, 2002).
Mark Edward Williams comes out as a self-avowed gay pastor during the 2001
Pacific Northwest (Washington State and Northern Idaho) AC, as do Karen Dammann and Katie Ladd. Ladd, remains on disability leave; Williams and Dammann are placed under the direction of the district superintendent and are not appointed as pastors to local churches (King, 2001; Tanton, 2001a, 2001b).
Mark Williams is assigned as minister of congregational life at Seattle’s Woodland Park UMC, the church to which he was appointed as pastor prior to
2001 (cont.) coming out to his annual conference. The position is specifically created for Williams (Tanton, 2001a).
The Pacific Northwest AC asks for guidance from the Judicial Council over two contradictory passages in the Discipline: "one forbids the ordination and appointment of self-avowed practicing homosexuals, while the other requires that all clergy members in good standing receive appointments" (UMNS, 2001c; Tanton, 2001b).
The Northern California-Nevada UM conference adopts a resolution asking all of its churches to "discuss" the Western Jurisdiction’s 2001 ‘We Will Not Be Silent’ statement (Tanton, 2001b).
The Pacific Northwest Reconciling Ministries Network, an advocacy group of UM laity and clergy in Washington State and North Idaho, publishes "To Plead the Cause" in which it accuses the UMC’s national lawmaking body of heresy for its anti-homosexual legislation. The group states it has determined, after ten months of study, that UM GC legislation is "unfaithful to the teachings of Jesus, inconsistent with Christian theology, inappropriate to United Methodist polity, and dysfunctional in our practice as Christian disciples" (Sutton, 2001; To plead, 2001).
The Rocky Mountain, Oregon-Idaho, and Desert Southwest (Arizona) ACs endorse/affirm the "We Will Not Be Silent" statement (Tanton, 2001b).
The Desert Southwest Annual Conference raises a point of law regarding the "We Will Not be Silent Resolution," and Bishop William Dew rules that the resolution is not in violation of the Discipline. His ruling is forwarded to the Judicial Council (Tanton, 2001b).
In the New England Annual Conference, 60 clergy members remove their stoles (each stole symbolically representing a UM denied clergy credentials and/or relieved of credentials due to sexual orientation) and put them on the communion table during the ordination service (Tanton, 2001b).
The North Carolina Annual Conference approves evangelization of lesbians and gays (Tanton, 2001b).
The Virginia Annual Conference "endorse[s] the ‘Christian Declaration on Marriage,’ which holds that marriage is a covenant that should be shared between a man and a woman" (Tanton, 2001b).
The Alabama-West Florida Annual Conference asks a second time that UM-related Emory University in Atlanta honor denominational policies regarding same-sex unions (Tanton, 2001b).
2001 (cont.) The New York Annual Conference adopts a resolution affirming "that all people, regardless of sexual orientation or other status, are welcome in the local church" (Tanton, 2001b).
The West Michigan Annual Conference calls for local churches to use the study materials, The Church Studies Homosexuality (Tanton, 2001b).
A new RMN affiliate, the Clergy Alliance, is formed at the RMN Convocation in Tacoma (UMNS, 2001e; RMN, 2001a).
Another new organization, Church Within A Church, is created as an arm of the Clergy Alliance (RMN, 2002; Smith, 2002).
RMN calls for accountability from the UMC in its new advertising campaign, "Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors" (UMNS 2001e, RMN, 2002).
The Judicial Council rules that the Discipline language about ordination and sexual orientation is not contradictory. It also says that if it is known that a clergy member is "self-avowed, practicing" and no one files a complaint, the bishop and/or district superintendent must do that so the standing of such person can be reviewed (Purdue, 2001; Judicial Council Decision 920). See Appendix J.
Following Judicial Council Decision 920, the Reverend Mark Williams is reappointed as pastor of Seattle’s Woodland Park UMC, where he had been serving as minister of congregational life since coming out as a gay man at his AC’s June session (Tanton, 2001c).
The Good News board expresses concern about the RMN’s Clergy Alliance and about the group’s unwillingness "to abide by the carefully established guidelines for human sexuality which have guided the church faithfully for the past 24 years" (UMNS, 2001f).
2002 The UM Judicial Council reverses its October 2001 decision. They substitute the word may for the word shall in the earlier decision, thus giving local bishops more discretion when considering suspension for clergy whose credentials are under review (Purdue, 2002a; JC Memorandum 930).
Four new churches/groups vote to become Reconciling Congregations/groups.
Pullen Baptist Church, a Raleigh (N.C.) church with a membership of 850, calls an out lesbian woman, the Reverend Nancy Petty, as co-pastor, a decision that required a three-fourths vote (Shimron, 2002; Baptist, 2002).
The UM Council of Bishops holds a listening session on homosexuality. After hearing papers presented by two respected scholars, Council members
2002 (cont.) discuss among themselves their feelings and theological understandings about the issue. Delegates at the 2000 General Conference asked that four conversations be held (Burton, 2002; UMNS, 2001d).
In June, the Task Force on Homosexuality and the Unity of the United Methodist Church (a task force of the General Commission on Church Unity and Interreligious Concerns) holds a listening session on homosexuality in Cincinnati. Speakers at this session represented the following groups: Reconciling Ministries Network, Affirmation, United Methodists of Color for a Fully Inclusive Church, Good News, the Confessing Movement, and Methodist Federation for Social Action (UMNS, 2002b).
The UM magazine, Christian Social Action, wins three awards in Associated Church Press competition, including second place in the theme issue category.
Judges praise the editor for his work, with one judge describing it as "an amazingly powering approach" (RK, 2002; Connection, 2002; Astle, 2002; ACP, 2002).
The UMNS reports the awards received by Christian Social Action but does not mention that the awards were for the homosexuality issue (Nissen, 2002) nor that the magazine was briefly pulled from circulation due to complaints that it violated the denomination's funding ban on gay-related activities (RK, 2002). An investigative committee decided the ban had not been violated (UMNS, 2001b)
The Judicial Council affirmed Bishop William Dew’s decision that the Desert Southwest Annual Conference’s resolution supporting the "We Will Not Be Silent" statement did not violate the Book of Discipline (Judicial Council Decision number 913).
Following a gathering in Atlanta, the newly-formed Church Within A Church reports that it will "expand its outreach by crafting theological resources on inclusivity, network with like-minded churches, start new congregations, and revise existing ones." The group will also explore "ways to overcome racism, sexism, and other discriminating practices" (Smith, 2002).
The American Academy of Pediatrics endorses adoptions by same-sex couples and says, "Children . . . deserve the security of two legally recognized parents." (Haber, 2002; MSNBC, 2002; Goode, 2002).
In May, controversy erupts following the Nebraska Commitment Ceremony of Jay Yost and Wade Leak. Jay Vetter, UM clergyman, conducted a lamentation service in St. Mark’s-on-the-Campus Episcopal Church prior to the ceremony. Vetter’s wife, Maureen, a lay woman and wife, daughter, and mother of UM clergy, conducted the ceremony (Reist, 2002).
2002 (cont.) In July, pledges are reported down at Christ UMC in Lincoln, Nebraska (Vetter’s church). In addition, there are fewer volunteers, and emotions run high on both sides of the issue ("Nebraska UM . . .", 2002).
The Reverend Rebecca Steen, a life-long United Methodist and member of the Baltimore-Washington AC who had been on voluntary medical leave to pursue and recuperate from gender corrective surgery, asks to be appointed to a local church. She is initially voted to be "in good standing" and eligible for appointment (Salai, 2002; Purdue 2002b; Broadway, 2002a; Tooley, 2002).
Following Steen’s request, a complaint is filed (Broadway, 2002b) and a hearing scheduled. Steen voluntarily turns in her ministerial credentials and withdraws her United Methodist membership at the opening of the hearing. (Purdue, 2002c; UMNS, 2002c). Steen had been a UM clergy member of the Baltimore-Washington AC for seventeen years and had served three churches.
Mark Tooley (2002), director of the Institute on Religion and Democracy’s United Methodist committee, points out that the UMC does not have a specific prohibition against transsexual clergy and outlines five reasons the UMC should not appoint transsexual pastors.
Charges against Mark Williams, an openly gay United Methodist pastor in the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference (AC), are dismissed after a hearing by the AC committee on investigation. Williams will not face a church trial and will continue to serve as pastor of Woodland Park United Methodist Church in Seattle (UMNS, 2002a).
In July, the investigative committee of the Pacific Northwest AC dismisses the complaint against the Rev. Karen Damman, the lesbian minister accused of violating the church law prohibiting "self-avowed, practicing homosexuals" from being ordained or serving as pastors. This means Dammann remains a minister in good standing and will not have to face church trial (Lalwani, 2002; UMNS, 2002d).
Timeline (warning: long, very detailed!)