St. Vincent’s Episcopal School in Bedford says it would deny admission to the child of an unmarrried heterosexual couple, in the same way that it denied admission to the daughter of two lesbians. But we’re not buying it. Did they require straight couples to bring marriage licenses to parents night on Tuesday, where they discovered that both Jill and Tracy Harrison are women? What if the parents are in a heterosexual marriage but the father is a closeted homosexual? They’d probably be totally supportive of that.
Again, despite the name, this school isn’t Episcopal. It’s part of an Anglican group that left the Episcopal Church over the denomination’s acceptance of gays and lesbians. In light of that, this act of bigotry isn’t the least bit surprising.
Fox 4 is running a poll asking whether it’s right for the school to deny admission to the girl. Dumb question, but sadly the school is probably within its constitutional right to religious freedom.
I’m not surprised by anything the “anglican” group with which this school is associated does. The breakaway groups like this have not been recognized as any part of the Anglican Communion. They essentially left the Episcopal Church because they couldn’t “get their own way” about matters of power and control. In other words, old straight white men were no longer running the show and they just couldn’t handle that. Unfortunately that issue gets played out in the form of anti-LGBT positions, sexist positions, and even racist positions. The school and its church have never learned that the role of the church is to gather folks into the fellowship, not to sort them into categories of accepability. God has the job of sorting folks, not us. The God I know isn’t interested in our superficial attitudes. The God I know wants only to know how well we loved our neighbor as ourselves and how well we loved God. Not difficult concepts. Apparently some in the religious world can’t conceive of a God that requires so much but so little at the same time. Hopefully St. Vincent’s will either learn the true nature of the Gospel or they will change their name.
Bruce Garner, Atlanta, GA
They are a private school. They have the right to stand up for moral decency. In America, we can not and should not prevent individual homosexuals from living in peace, but we also do not have to accept their life-style. They are morally wrong, but America has forgotten about moral values and has turned into a whiney “me” culture. Just because an individual wants to live sinfully does not mean we have to accept it, but neither do we take them to the city gate and stone them as in biblical days. If you know an alcoholic, you don’t harass him/her, nor do you hand over a beer. Of course, any one showing moral courage is called “phobic”. Not, there is no fear, just disgust.
Knowing that this school wouldn’t admit this child prevents my considering it as an educational option for any children. I wouldn’t want the kids hearing the kind of stuff they teach!
“They have the right to stand up for moral decency.”
Then why don’t they, Norm? In what twisted version of the Bible, is it RIGHT to punish a child for her parents’ (alleged) sins?
It’s bad enough that “Christians” like you are driving nearly EVERY thinking/compassionate person away from anything to do w/ Christianity. But this school is doing that to the unsullied term “Episcopal”: that’s FRAUD! (We’ll see their sorry kiesters in court). God forgive you, Norm. I’m trying, but it’s very (painfully) hard to do so. May we BOTH become more Christ-like…
These people are not Episcopalians. The Episcopal Church has made it clear that it does not discriminate against same sex couples. The Episcopal Church is a welcoming church. These people who claim to be Episcopalians have stolen the name (along with property and bank accounts) when they quit the Episcopal Church. Never mind the commandment about not stealing, they have decided to add bigotry and intolerance to the list.
I hope that this couple will consider exploring the welcome that they (and every person and every family) would receive at a _real_ Episcopal Church.
It’s a private school. They can do what they want. But it certainly does say something about them and about Christianity.
Dennis, et al…
It would be more accurate to say that in some dioceses The Episcopal Church does not discriminate against same-sex couples, and in many dioceses it does. I know you all like to say The Episcopal Church Welcomes You, but in reality it mainly welcomes straight people. The rest are welcome to come and to tithe, just not get married or ordained. That seems like less than a full welcome to me.
Linda McMillan
I am sad and ashamed that this little girl was denied a Christian based education from a school that was once provided a good Christian role model but now seems to be caught up in petty elitism.