Jon and Cliff Garinn, partners and co-pastors for Dignity/Dallas, were among those who participated in Queer Liberaction’s protest Cathedral de Guadalupe in downtown Dallas. I am posting Jon’s views and comments on the event here in their entirety, as per an e-mail he sent me earlier today:
“Cliff and I were among the handful of demonstrators. Contrary to Jesse Garcia’s fears, there was nothing about our presence that communicated ‘gays versus the Hispanic community.’ Dignity/Dallas supported the demonstration because similar events were being held outside cathedral churches in Boston, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago and other major U.S. cities. As Catholics, our presence sent a message that the Catholic church, with its belief in the sanctity of human life, needs to be leading efforts to end the most egregious forms of oppression, rather than to stand with nations that continue to treat us as criminals. Had Mr. Garcia joined the demonstration, he would have witnessed for himself that the group was sincere, respectful and peaceful. For too long, there has been a terrible conflict between the official Catholic church’s policies and pastoral practices as they relate to gay people. Despite the good work being done in so many parishes, Vatican policies lead to the entire church being associated with discrimination and anti-gay violence. It has sad, even tragic consequences for lesbian and gay people and our families. Blake Wilkinson should be applauded for organizing the event and for choosing a venue that would maximize that message.”
Amen, Jon!!
An excerpt from my speech in front of the cathedral:
“Every year on this day, December 10th, the world celebrates International Human Rights Day. Today marks the 60th anniversary of the adoption and proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This year, For the first time in its history, the UN General Assembly will consider a declaration urging the decriminalization of homosexuality. With the backing of all 27 European Union members, France will propose a declaration to end criminal punishment for homosexuals. These punishments, in more than 80 countries, range from imprisonment to DEATH. The intent of the declaration is to assert the right of homosexuals to live freely in their home countries.
So why are we here tonight protesting in front of a Catholic Cathedral, rather than celebrating this historic LGBT moment with our loved ones? The reason Queer Liberaction has chosen to stand in front of this Cathedral in protest is because last week the Catholic Church publically came out in opposition to this declaration. While nearly HALF the nations on Earth are criminalizing, imprisoning, and KILLING their own homosexual citizens, the leadership of the Catholic church has decided to fight a declaration calling to end such atrocities.”
Dignity/Dallas was not alone in demonstrating on a cold Wednesday in December. DignityUSA, New Ways Ministry and Call to Action — three U.S. Catholic organizations that support gay equality — called for demonstrations nationwide. These organizations are committed to creating dialogue among members of the Catholic church because they know from experience that the statements of the church’s leaders do not reflect the views of the majority of Catholics, who favor protecting gay people from life-threatening violence. While Queer Liberaction is not associated with Dignity/Dallas, we thought supporting that organization’s demonstration was more productive than staging a separate prayer vigil. Perhaps those who criticize activists’ efforts would do well to learn from our example.
Thank you both Jon and Cliff for coming out and supporting our event. It’s very important when dealing with homophobic institutions such as the Catholic Church that Gay friendly voices that are connected to those institutions are put out front. Thank you Dignity Dallas for coming out and showing that it truly is the leadership of the Church who is out of touch.