The Answer is "ORA"

I had a most unusual... and stress-related... dream last night.

The Mickee Faust Club was putting on a show, and I was in charge of one of the musical numbers. Things had gone "OK" in rehearsal, but when the piece went up on stage, people were missing their entrances, late on coming in with their solos, or completely forgetting their lines altogether. Costumes were in disarray... and worst of all... nobody seemed to care that things were so sloppy. I couldn't stand it anymore, and I stepped out on stage and demanded that they start again and "tuck in your shirt and pull up your skirt, dammit!" Instead of respecting me and my desire for them to "get it right", the entire cast just walked off. It was clear: they just didn't care what I thought.

Feeling hurt, I searched my brain for whom I could turn to talk this out. I found myself in my parents' house in New Hampshire. In the dream, it was still a single-family dwelling. I went up to the third-floor to see my brothers... but I only remember seeing only one of them. He and I had been close growing up, but we have gone our separate ways as adults. And this "Dream Brother" was definitely not wanting to help me, or buck me up in any way. So now I felt totally at a loss and miserable.

I was sitting with a crossword puzzle in my lap when my old boss, Ben, approached. Ben asked me if I liked working these puzzles, and I mumbled some kind of response to him. He made an inquiry about one of the clues.

"Do you know the answer to that one?" he asked me.

I stared at it for awhile, but couldn't come up with anything. And so the two of us worked it out with other clues. Finally, the answer that emerged was "Ora". That's when I woke up.

When I told this dream to my multi-lingual partner, her eyes gleamed with excitement.

"Ora means 'pray' in Latin!" As in "Ora pro nobis" (pray for us).

That insight gave me pause for reflection. With all that I have experienced recently with the Human Rights Ordinance, and watching helplessly as the oil spreads into the Gulf of Mexico, a dream that ends in "Ora" only makes sense. Interesting, too, to have Ben be the one who helped lead me to that clue.

I have been thinking about Ben recently in relation to the HRO. I recall the day that he told me I'd secured the promotion from general assignment reporter at WFSU to reporter/producer for the statewide Florida Public Radio Network. It had been a horribly stressful time. There had been one search committee that I had interviewed with for this internal promotion. But that committee disbanded before the search was over, and I had to be interviewed again. Because I was an internal candidate, and others were from outside, they made me do the interviews by phone. After seven months of this nonsense, Ben was ready to make me the final offer. But the management of the Public Broadcast Center balked. The head honcho asked, "Can't we fly in Quinn Klinefelter for an interview?" (Quinn was an excellent reporter, and a friend from Missouri. If they'd flown him in, they were going to offer him the job). Ben said, "No! I want to hire Susan." After a few more words, and huffing and puffing, head honcho man said what was really in his heart. He'd promote me, BUT I was representing the Public Broadcast Center at the state capitol and I was to "dress appropriately".

Ben relayed this information to me, and I knew what that meant. The major concern about me as a candidate had nothing to do with my abilities as a journalist. It had to do with my sexual orientation and my preference to wear my hair in a flattop and sensible shoes with pants as my every day attire. Had Ben not stood up for me, I probably would have been passed over.

So it is fascinating to me that my "Dream Ben" is telling me the answer is "Ora". Perhaps "Dream Ben" like "Real Ben" is looking out for me.

Bill Proctor: A Study in Stupid

Just when I thought he couldn't come up with anything more absurd than to compare sewage treatment plants to civil rights, along comes Leon County Commissioner Bill Proctor with another truly out there, and highly offensive, statement about the gay community.

This time, the renegade who may or may not actually live in his district, launched into a comparison of the scandal rocking the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy with the hiding and transferring of pedophile priests to an LGBT community who are of many faiths... including none... who just want to be able to work and live in this county without fear that their sexual orientation or gender identity will be used against them.

Proctor started his political vomit by asking why religious institutions would be exempted from the anti-discrimination provisions in the Human Rights Ordinance. He reasoned that they shouldn't be... and then pulled out the New York Times... and cited the child sex abuse scandals in the Roman Catholic Church "because of homosexuals." He kept repeating this line over and over. His intent? To be mean. To be evil. To be Bill Proctor.

The tension in the room broke when my friend, Terry Galloway, finally learned what Proctor was saying (Terry is deaf, and Proctor was too far away for her to read his lips, so her wife did the interpreting). When she learned that she was being compared to pedophile priests in the Roman Catholic Church, she erupted in screams.

"NO! You are comparing me to a pedophile?!?!?! You should be ashamed!!"

Terry made her way from her seat across the chamber, continuing to yell at Proctor as a sheriff's deputy quickly moved in to escort her from the room. The rest of us stood up and cheered. I slapped my hands together in thunderous applause as did many. We had to. We needed to excise the poison that had been poured on our heads by a so-called political leader. I followed after her and the deputy. I knew Terry would be told to leave the building, but I wanted to make sure that the officer knew she was no threat... beyond breaking up the supposed civility of this hearing. When I returned to the room, I shed a few tears of my own.

It had been a very long meeting. Eighty speakers in all. I would say a little more than half were speaking in favor of the Human Rights Ordinance to extend protections from discrimination in employment, housing and accommodation to people based upon their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. In addition, because the proposal will cover businesses with 5 or more employees, it would give the same protection to all the protected classes (including race, gender, religious affiliation, ethnicity, disability, etc.) and cover far more workplaces in Leon County.

Those who were opposed rolled out the arguments that this would be a burden on business. Some made a mockery of the discrimination me and others like me experience when they wondered aloud why we weren't offering protections to smokers or people who are obese.

The opponents kept insisting that they don't hate people, they don't discriminate against people, they "love the sinner, not the sin." The Frightened doth protest too much me thinks.

In the end, the Commission voted 4-3 to send this measure to a public hearing scheduled for May 11th. And we can have a repeat of the same 3-1/2 hours of testimony. But perhaps it will be longer. Perhaps more of us who have experienced discrimination will find the still small inner voice and let that become a roar for change in our community.

Clergy Speak Out for Human Rights

Rev. Mark Byrd and other Tallahassee clergy outside the Leon Co. Courthouse

The times they are a-changin' in Leon County.


In 1992... the predominant religious feeling in the county could be seen on signs like this one that was put up along Apalachee Parkway in protest of a Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.

Today, clergy representing Temple Israel, MCC, Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, United Church of Christ, and Unitarian churches spoke out in favor of the proposed Human Rights Ordinance. And although the clergy weren't there, St. John's did express support for the ordinance which will extend protections from discrimination in employment and housing to the LGBT community.

The impetus for the clergy to speak up came as some other churches have been ramping up their anti-gay rhetoric to stop the ordinance from going forward. As one could predict, the most right-wing churches have been telling their congregations that the County Commission is planning to adopt a "Homosexual Rights" ordinance. Hence, today's news conference emphasized the proper term--Human Rights Ordinance-- with some clarity that God is still speaking, and still drawing more and more people back into the fold, and has not shooed away the LGBT faithful or left them to be devoured by the wolves. Others noted that the application of moral codes of conduct from BCE times simply doesn't work in the 21st century. And still others made the point that it was an obligation of the church and church leaders to stand with those who are the persecuted, the scorned, and the most vulnerable to attack in our society.

In short, on the issue of including LGBT people as "Human" deserving of rights, the ones on the right do NOT speak for the ones on the left... or even in the center. And the left and the center are becoming a much bolder group.

Many thanks to those clergy and churches who lent their names and their presence before TV cameras to stand with the LGBT community. With you all beside us, we know that the enemy will not triumph, and God will continue to speak.

Say It Ain't So?! Chamber of Commerce and Human Rights

It's taken me a few days to be able to write about this because it was so devasting, and so hurtful, that I just wanted to avoid thinking about it.

The "it" to which I am referring is the statement the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce put out on its website, encouraging its members to contact the Leon County Commission and OPPOSE the Human Rights Ordinance. The Chamber argued about the "costs" to small businesses in these "tough" economic times if they were pulled into court on charges that they discriminate against the LGBT community in employment issues. They said there was no "demonstrative need" for this ordinance and this represented another layer of bureaucracy.

In other words: we should be able to discriminate against "those people" if we want to. And this from the group that claims to represent the business interests of our community.

As you might imagine, the hue and cry from this salvo launched across the bow resulted in the Chamber removing the statement from its website. But the "apology" from Chamber President Sue Dick was something akin to the type of "apologies" the gay community often gets: I call it "Sorry to have offended you, but...." After carrying on about how the Chamber supports the "positive principle" of respecting all individual rights... Dick added this paragraph:

Before taking any action, we want to urge commissioners to deeply
research the issue further to determine the coverage provided by existing laws,
processes and protections -- and also to provide an economic projection of how
this proposed ordinance is likely to impact local businesses. Thank you for your
thoughtful perspective about this issue. I encourage you to send your input and
comments to either me, Matt Brown or Glenda Thornton (Chair, Chamber
Governmental Affairs Committee).


The email address is info@talchamber.com.

You can always write to the Chamber and tell them, again, why there is no need to continously study this issue to death. Tell them that the "economic projection" of NOT extending protections to the LGBT community will result in many Fortune 500 companies looking elsewhere in Florida or Georgia to locate because they don't want to be in a place where some of their valuable employees will feel UNwelcome. And remind the Chamber that currently in Florida, there is NO recourse for LGBT people to seek redress for being fired due to their sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. There are NOT federal protections either. In Florida, you have to live in a county that has adopted a Human Rights Ordinance in order to feel protected.

Finally, tell Sue Dick and the Chamber that this only becomes costly to businesses that insist on discrimination. It's simple: treat people right, and you have nothing to fear.

The next hearing on the Human Rights Ordinance is tomorrow at the Leon County Courthouse, County Commission chambers, between 3-6pm. If you are a praying person, light a candle for our community. This fight for our rights is not an easy one.

Is This A Funeral?

I was scheduled to serve at St. John's this morning, and experience has told me to always be ready for anything. And with this being the "Sunday AFTER" the public resignation, and the Sunday WITH the Bishop... well, better be prepared.

As I read, I started thinking... OK, What's going on here: Tabitha, who is Dorcas, is raised from the dead... the Revelation reading has the multitude robed in white having washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb, wiping away every tear... and, of course, there is the 23rd Psalm. Death and resurrection, tears and still waters. Is this a funeral?

Of all the readings, I was interested that the 23rd Psalm was what "popped out" at me. It is so well known... even to people who aren't in church every Sunday. All you have to do is watch the beginning of "The Vicar of Dibley" and you'll hear a sweet young voice lifted in song: "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures..."

Still, even having heard the words of this psalm repeatedly to the point of "yawn", today I couldn't help but pay attention to the message I think it is trying to communicate:

The LORD is my shepherd; *
I shall not be in want.

Let's just stop there. Who is my shepherd? Is it money? Is it my spouse? Is it my boss? Or... in the situation on hand for us at St. John's... is it the Bishop? NO! The answer is the Lord is the shepherd. Follow, and trust in, that source. Moving on...

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures *
and leads me beside still waters.

3 He revives my soul *
and guides me along right pathways for his Name's sake.

So, those two verses speak to the nourishment that comes from a faith rooted in God... and not those things which will fail. To be made to "lie down" in green pastures has always suggested "death" to me. But maybe it's not a physical death. Maybe it's the lying down of the old self into something rich and lush that leads to the soul being revived and guided along the path that God is leading each of us on. Just my thoughts.

4 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I shall fear no evil; *
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Translation: "Life sucks, but I will not let it suck the eternal life out of me."

5 You spread a table before me in the presence of those
who trouble me; *
you have anointed my head with oil,
and my cup is running over.

This verse was a particularly stirring one. I have this image of a huge banquet table with all the best food and wine... and it is there with a seat that is for me to sit in... while on the other side of the table, I see the ones who do not welcome me to this table. And yet, they are there, too. And I know that they are seeing me... and having the same response to me that I have to them. And yet both of us have been anointed on the head with oil (perhaps the seal as one of Christ's own forever?) and our cups are full to the point of over-filled. I also thought of "my cup is running over" as being a good line for how I've been feeling lately: overcommitted and stretched thin. And yet still finding the sustenance to keep extending.

6 Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days
of my life, *
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

With all of the above, if I am true to my end of the bargain, then I will feel that goodness and mercy that God is always giving and granting and delighting in when we discover it. "Dwell in the House of the Lord": this is a phrase that could go to so many places. But my immediate vision is that I will be filled with God's love... and live that love out loud through my body (the house).

Suddenly, a Psalm that I thought was such a downer becomes a real upper. Or more than that: a reminder and a touchstone to never forget God, and to do what I can to live a life that celebrates the Divinity within.

Honoring Earth Day

I had an interesting thought this morning while reading the Exodus lesson during Morning Prayer. It centered on the part of the Ten Commandments where God says, "Honor your father and your mother so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you."
For the first time, I saw a possible new meaning to what God is saying here. A much more pagan reading of the line. Instead of "father and mother" meaning your earthly parents, could God not be saying to us to honor "Father Sky and Mother Earth"? It made me wonder. Wouldn't it make sense in this moment at Mt. Sinai for God to reassert that through God all things were made, and that we are to treat all things as gifts and not just plunder and reckless take of the land? Makes sense to me. And as Mrs. Slocumb would say, "I am unanimous in that!"
If nothing else, this thought about Father Sky and Mother Earth gave me pause to reflect on Earth Day, and to give thanks for the air we breathe, the land we share, and the water we drink.

O heavenly Father, who hast filled the world with beauty:
Open our eyes to behold thy gracious hand in all thy works;
that, rejoicing in thy whole creation, we may learn to serve
thee with gladness; for the sake of him through whom all
things were made, thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
--Prayer for Joy in God's Creation, Book of Common Prayer, pg. 814

The Holiness of Human Rights

The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah by John Martin

I could have called this entry, "And now for something not really all that different."

The Leon County Commission will be reviewing the proposed Human Rights Ordinance at its meeting on Tuesday, April 27th at 3pm. There are amendments to the ordinance to expand its reach to protect the LGBT community from employment discrimination, and to extend housing protection to people based on their gender identity. As one might expect in Tallahassee, there are people of faith who are for it... and then there are a whole lot more who are against it. And the opponents aren't afraid to pick up a phone and call their county commissioners. Nor are they afraid to make an appointment to talk to them. And they are definitely going to make the time to be present at the County Commission's meeting, armed with their KJV and NIV Bibles and breathing threats of God's impending wrath if the Commissioners allow even the smallest crumbs to fall to the floor for us "dogs".

Sadly, this is nothing new. It is not new for some people who label themselves "christian" to attack the LGBT community with words from Scripture, carefully culled to take them out of the original context and use them in ways that I believe turn them into stumbling blocks, and weapons of spiritual mass destruction.

A favorite Bible story these folks like to tell is the one from Genesis where Lot takes in two "strangers" and the men of Sodom come pounding on his door demanding that he turn them out, so that this gang can "know" them. This is the biblical euphemism for "rape". Lot begs them to go away, "how 'bout my virgin daughters?", etc. etc. The "strangers" turn out to be angels who blind the crowd of men, allowing Lot and his family to escape, and God destroys the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Those who like to quote this story inevitably get fixated on the gang rape part... and that it would be man-on-man sex. What they never acknowledge is that the threat of rape is just a symptom of the bigger sin of Sodom and Gomorrah. The real sin is that the inhabitants of these cities had a reputation for being unfriendly, and not welcoming strangers.

Which brings us to the gospels. What did Jesus say to the disciples about what to do when they enter a town that does not welcome them?

"Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, greet it. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgement than for that town."--Matt 10:11-15

Strong words, and that brings us to the 21st Century in Tallahassee. If we fully understand the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah, then it would be wise for the Leon County Commissioners to think about this quote from the Matthew gospel as they consider the kind of "welcome" the LGBT community has received in certain quarters of the county. That "special" feeling of a promotion denied, of an application turned down, of the cold hard stare when inquiring about housing and being told there is nothing available, even when there are clearly vacancies.

In the Episcopal Church, we vow with each baptism to respect the dignity of every human being. What could be a more tangible example of that respect than to declare that it is wrong to use the sexual orientation or gender identity of a person against said person in matters of hiring, firing or housing?

I have said all these things before in many different variations on the theme; hence this is nothing different from anything I've said on this blog. What will make this situation new is if there is a critical mass of Christians who voice support for the ordinance, and if the County Commission comes through and adopts these changes. That would definitely be a "new thing".

*****
The supporters of the ordinance at the last meeting on March 23rd were Commission Chair Bob Rackleff, Akin Akinyemi, Cliff Thaell and John Dailey. The opponents were Bill Proctor, Bryan Desloge, and Jane Sauls. Here's their contact information:

Bill Proctor, District 1
(850) 606-5361
proctorb@leoncountyfl.gov

Jane G. Sauls, District 2
(850) 606-5362
saulsj@leoncountyfl.gov

John E. Dailey, District 3
(850) 606-5363
Daileyj@leoncountyfl.gov

Bryan Desloge, District 4
(850) 606-5364
Deslogeb@leoncountyfl.gov

Bob Rackleff, District 5
(850) 606-5365
bob.rackleff@gmail.com

Cliff Thaell, At-Large
(850) 606-5367
thaellc@leoncountyfl.gov

Akin Akinyemi, At-Large
(850) 606-5369
Akinyemia@leoncountyfl.gov