Posts by Jay Pulitano, Faith Issues Intern

Marriage equality complaint filed against Methodist pastors

Approximately fifty Methodist clergy have filed a complaint against 36 pastors for jointly blessing a same-sex union.Read More

"From Selma to Stonewall": New Documentary exploring the relationship between the Civil Rights and LGBTQ Equality movements seeks funding

The LGBTQ Equality movement is often called the new civil rights movement, but how true is that claim? Are the two movements similar, or are they fundamentally different? Do they have the same goals? Why are they often in conflict with one another? A new documentary, "From Selma to Stonewall," explores these questions through the journey of two unlikely friends – Gil Caldwell, an 80-year-old black, straight retired preacher and civil rights leader, and Marilyn Bennet, a 52-year-old white lesbian activist and author.Read More

Faith leaders urge President Obama to minimize religious exemption for protection against LGBT discrimination

On July 8, over a hundred high-level faith leaders from diverse religious traditions signed and sent a letter to President Obama, urging him to minimize religious exemptions in his upcoming executive order protecting LGBT people from discrimination.Read More

Evangelical support for LGB equality is on the rise

A new Politico article details how the tides are shifting towards support and equality among Evangelicals regarding their views on being gay.Read More

Is the marriage equality debate causing religious congregations to split? The research says no

In the strong religious disputes over marriage equality, many claims arise that these issues cause schisms within congregations and split up religious communities. How accurate are these speculations? A recent Huffington Post article takes up the question and congregates the scholarly research on the subject, and concludes that, actually, debates involving marriage equality and issues of sexuality affect local congregations very little.Read More

National Catholic Reporter calls out the hypocrisy of the Roman Catholic Church's lack of acceptance for marriage equality

In an Op-Ed yesterday, the National Catholic Reporter, a major independent Catholic newspaper, detailed a compelling critique of San Francisco Archbishop Salvator Cordileone's involvement in the March for Marriage rally last Thursday in Washington, DC, where hundreds rallied against marriage equality before marching to the Supreme Court. The poignant editorial was an important step uplifting the voices of lay Catholics who understand and advocate for marriage equality in the context of their faith.Read More

Catholics march for equality in Chicago pride parade

Over a dozen Roman Catholic parishioners marched in yesterday's Chicago pride parade in solidarity with the Chicago chapter of DignityUSA, an independent ministry for LGBT Catholics, making a bold statement for LGBT equality amidst an environment of opposition within the Church as a whole.Read More