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DignityUSA
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DignityUSA DATELINE
Volume 12, No. 5
May 2003
DignityUSA Announces New Coordinator for Solidarity Sunday
Chellie
Griffin, DignityUSA Director, has been appointed coordinator of
Solidarity Sunday.
The national board of directors thanks Sam Sinnett for his work with the Solidarity Sunday Committee over the past two years.
Chellie will manage the ordering and distribution of prayer ã pledge cards and ribbons for this event, along with Rosemary Ananis and Janet O'Day, both of Dignity/Maine.
Solidarity Sunday began in 1995 when the Board of Directors of DignityUSA recognized that 70-80% of American Catholics supported equal rights for gays and lesbians. It was decided to invite these people to join in solidarity with us and to work with us to end verbal and physical abuse.
Solidarity Sunday, held on the Sunday before October 11th, National Coming Out Day, is dedicated to the memory of the many who lost their lives through violence because of who they were, or who they were perceived to be. May their deaths not have been in vain.
Let
us work together to end verbal and physical violence against anyone, including
gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons!
To learn more about Solidarity Sunday, or to order ribbons and pledge cards, contact the National Office at 800-977-8797, or visit the web site www.dignityusa.org/solidarity
Gill Foundation Awards Second Grant to DignityUSA
Will Sponsor Leadership Training at Convention
The Gill Foundation awarded DignityUSA a $7,500 challenge grant and signed on as the major sponsor of the Leadership Training conference to be held just prior to the upcoming DignityUSA Convention 2003. The award is to help solidify DignityUSA's national advocacy on behalf of GLBT Catholics, our families and friends.
The mission of the Colorado-based Gill Foundation is to secure equal opportunity for all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Established in 1994 by software entrepreneur Tim Gill, the Gill Foundation is the nation's largest funder of LGBT organizations. With an endowment of $200 million, the Gill Foundation has invested nearly $40 million in nonprofit organizations throughout the country.
Looking at the Big Picture: DignityUSA Board of Directors Meet in Las Vegas
The DignityUSA Board of Directors met for 2 days, the weekend of March 28, 2003, planning the future of the organization.
Ben Boerkoel, National Secretary, led the Board in an intensive session of Strategic Planning. Pat McArron, National President, spent Saturday afternoon conducting the business portion of the weekend meeting.
At their Spring Meeting, the national board reviewed and accepted the 2002 Audit. The board is pleased to announce that DignityUSA is financially sound. This does not mean that DignityUSA needs any less support of its generous members. On the contrary, donations are needed as much, if not more than ever, to continue to be the Voice of the Catholic GLBT community in our Church.
Bring Your Families to Convention 2003
Kids young and young at heart will enjoy new Las Vegas sites such as the revamped Circus Circus amusement park with 16 rides, casinos with roller coasters, the medieval feast and pageantry at Excalibur or Wet N' Wild Water Park. Kids (under 12) meals will be available at any of the main convention meals. Contact Kshellooe@aol.com for further info.
Annie's Mailbox Highlights DignityUSA
The April 29, 2003 edition of Annie's Mailbox, the successor to the Ann Landers advice column, features a letter from DignityUSA Executive Director Marianne Duddy. Marianne responded to advice given to a writer who was worried that a gay Catholic friend who took his own life was condemned to Hell.
Check out this letter in your local paper, or on line at www.creators.com.
Six Show Stoppers You Won't Want to Miss at DignityUSA 2003 Convention
From
August 7-10, 2003, five women will combine patience, perseverance and
principle to rival any Las Vegas show. Jeannine Gramick, Genevieve
Chavez, Joanna Manning, Oliva Espin, Patricia Jung and Chellie
Griffin are scheduled as workshop presenters during DignityUSA's
16th Biennial Convention in Las Vegas. These headliners
are voices that will not be silent, voices for change and voices of compassion.
Jeannine Gramick has been a Catholic woman religious since 1960. In 1999, the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) permanently prohibited her from any pastoral work with lesbian or gay persons. In conscience, she chose not to collaborate in her own oppression. In 2001, Sister Gramick transferred to the Sisters of Loretto and continues to speak and write on homosexuality and Church reform issues.
Genevieve Chavez is Executive Director of the Women's Ordination Conference (WOC), a national non-profit organization based in Fairfax, VA. Since 1990, Genevieve has been advocating for an inclusive priesthood and church renewal. She is currently leading efforts to see women ordained as priests and deacons in the currently "all male" priesthood of the Roman Catholic Church.
Joanna Manning is an activist educator who raises awareness of peace and justice issues outside the classroom. In February 1991, she was arrested and jailed as a result of a demonstration against Canada's participation in the Persian Gulf War. In 1997, she was banned from the Ontario Legislature after taking part in a sit-in protesting cuts to education funding by the Conservative government. Since 1993, she has co-owned Anne Frank House, a non-profit housing community for refugees and students, where she also lives.
Oliva Espin is a Professor of Women's Studies at San Diego State University and part-time core faculty at the California School of Professional Psychology-San Diego. In her long-standing work as a psychotherapist, teacher and consultant, Dr. Espin has emphasized work with women. She was a pioneer in the practice and theory of feminist therapy with women from different cultural backgrounds, particularly US-born Latinas and immigrant/refugee women.
Patricia Jung is Associate Professor of theology at Loyola University Chicago, where she has specialized in Christian sexual ethics and issues fundamental to Roman Catholic moral theology since her arrival in 1995. She is particularly interested in the moral evaluation of pleasure and sexual diversity. She has served on the board of The Society of Christian Ethics and has been since 1985 a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Religious Ethics.
CorrectionDue to a reporting error, the organization of one of the presenters at DignityUSA's Leadership Training was incorrect in the April 2003 Dateline. Cathy Renna of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) will be leading the session on media and public relations. We apologize for our mistake. |
Chellie Griffin is an out and proud transsexual lesbian cradle Catholic. Chellie has two grown children and three grandchildren. She joined Dignity/Dallas in 1998, and now serves as a member of the DignityUSA Board of Directors. Chellie is an active member of the Dallas Gay and Lesbian Alliance political action committee; works with Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) in Dallas and Tarrant Counties, and speaks often to student and professional organizations on transsexual issues and concerns.
Whether you attend one or all of these headliners' workshops, remember this opportunity comes along once in a lifetime. So, while in Las Vegas, come out of the sun and relax in a cool oasis where you can listen to five voices of change.
"A Voice in the Desert" is calling you to the Alexis Park Resort Hotel in Las Vegas to attend DignityUSA's 16th Biennial Convention from August 7®10, 2003. Plan ahead now by calling 800-582-2228 (in the Continental US) or 702-796-3322 (outside the continental US) to make your reservation today. For airline reservations, call American Airlines at 800-433-1790.
Plan now to be a part of a GLBT-friendly atmosphere of Las Vegas.
Gay Catholics Denounce Attacks in Vatican Sexual Lexicon
Lesbian and gay Catholics in the US will find the comments on homosexuality in the Vatican's new glossary of sexual terms "infuriating, but, unfortunately, not surprising," according to leaders of DignityUSA. The nearly 1000-page "Lexicon On Ambiguous and Colloquial Terms about Family Life and Ethical Questions" was released in Italian by the Vatican's Pontifical Council on the Family.
"Once again, the Vatican attacks gay and lesbian people using archaic language of sickness and sinfulness," said Marianne Duddy, DignityUSA's Executive Director. "Despite decades of scientific evidence, the Vatican repeatedly returns to outdated views of homosexuality. There is no recognition of our sexuality as a God-given blessing."
Duddy went on to say that what is surprising is the vehemence of the language in the document.
"As the Vatican's moral authority crumbles around the world, it has stepped up its efforts to scapegoat the gay community. The language in this glossary is vicious, and shows great fear of the growing acceptance of gays and lesbians in societies around the world."
In addition, Duddy expressed grave concern over the Pontifical Council on the Family's statements regarding countries that support gay marriage. The lexicon says such support "shows a profound disorder in the minds of these countries."
"The Vatican demonstrates total disregard for the democratic processes in those countries," said Duddy. "We live in a world where diversity must be embraced, and respect for cultural variation must be the norm. For the Vatican to violate this principle so profoundly is irresponsible and totally lacking in Christian principles of love and acceptance."
Happy Anniversary & Congratulations to:
San Fernando Valley (CA) - 7 years
Northern Virginia (VA) - 11 years
Madison (WI) - 26 years
Dayton (OH) - 28 years
Detroit (MI) - 29 years
Philadelphia (PA) - 30 years
Chicago (IL) - 31 years
San Diego (CA) - 31 years
