LGBT Religion News Updates for August 17, 2011

By GLAAD |
August 17, 2011
For the complete weekly listing of LGBT religion news links, please subscribe to faith@glaad.org.

Image from the Syracuse Post-Standard, taken by the sculptor, Daniel Schmalz.

A hearing for the lawsuit by Catholic Charities against the state of Illinois will take place on Wednesday. A Catholic church in Syracuse, New York, is raising funds to build a statue of Father Mychal Judge, a gay Catholic Priest who was killed in the 9/11 attacks. Heather McKee, a staff blogger for Affirmation: Gay and Lesbian Mormons, wrote about coming out and her family’s acceptance. Joining an apparently growing group of LGBT affirming Seventh-day Adventists, Todd J. Leonard of Seventh-day Adventist Kinship wrote in support of LGBT Adventists in the article When God Disagrees with God, Whom Do You Follow? Overseas, a group of Australian clergy has spoken out in favor of marriage equality, and an Orthodox rabbi in the West Bank is arranging marriages between Orthodox gay men and lesbians who want to raise families together and live in accord with their understanding of Orthodox teaching on family composition. Finally, lots of news coming out of North Carolina this week. University of North Carolina’s Wilmington campus is facing criticism for releasing a list of LGBT affirming churches to its students. Sea Gate Community Chapel, also in Wilmington, posted an anti-gay sign outside their church last week , which sparked a peaceful protest by Wilmington Pride. The sign was later vandalized. Additonally, Kathy Baldock, leader of the str8apology initiative, writes that multiple anti-gay groups plan to protest at Charlotte Pride on August 27. Thanks for your suggestions, and please continue to forward and subscribe to faith@glaad.org.