So What Did You Do Last Weekend?
October 14, 2009
What an amazing few days at the National Equality March. At the March proper I met up with some Soulforce friends and unfortunately missed meeting up with several others.
My time before the March seemed to split between Christianity and DADT. Here is some of what I did last weekend. (I know some of these events were filmed; I’ll be linking later if I find the video online.)
First, regarding religion:
- Talked Methodism with Joey Heath, who challenged his minister’s right to deny membership in the United Methodist Church (UMC) because of homosexuality. He’s much more optimistic than I am on the future of the UMC. He’s also much more adorable.
- Received communion from Rev. Dr. Karen Oliveto, co-pastor at Glide Memorial UMC in San Fransisco, at a UMC worship service held at Capitol Hill UMC on Saturday night.
- Got to ask a question of Rev. Irene Monroe, one of the most important theologians of our time, at a panel about Faith and the LGBT Community at MCC DC on Friday night.
- Shook the hand of Rev. Troy Perry after he gave the invocation Sunday afternoon (video below). Rev. Perry helped found the Metropolitan Community Churches 41 years ago this month.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWyUTranbD0[/youtube]
And concerning DADT:
- Shook the hand of Cpt. Alex Nicholson, who was fired from the US Army six months after 9/11 and later founded Servicemembers United.
- Stood a few feet from Frank Kameny (fought to overturn the gay hiring ban after being fired from the Civil Service Commission in 1957), David Mixner (the man behind the March), Lt. Tracy Thorne-Begland (came out on Nightline in 1992 and was subsequently fired from the Navy under both the original ban and under DADT), and many other LGBT heroes at a memorial service for Air Force Sgt. Leonard Matlovich.
- Met Lt. Dan Choi, who recognized me from the facebook when I shook his hand, which is simultaneously insane and intoxicating. Oh, it made me all gooey inside. (His better half is fantastic, too.)
Whew. What a weekend. I’m a little overwhelmed.
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