' We know tlimnoinjattcr whoyo : V ’ am orLwi_1at.you*do for a living, _ you gwant-to see your f;n_ni ‘ l\."IL’3Sl.l’€'l|'}g Success One lI‘l‘.«'C.~:tO:‘ At A Time ... — s +‘-.-. .>~ cure; your children‘ was 621 your retirement ussi.ired.= We're ‘ready to help with a wide rangc of investments and a pro- fessionally lraine(_.l_ Account Ex- ecutive who'c_an4u1ilor 21 programj to your needs. At Dean Witter. WC lT\0llSUl'{’.‘ SUCCESS OHC inves- tor at a time. ‘ Gizzger Williamson . 30 Main St. Burlington, VT 05401 (802) 869-9660 (802) 865-2137’ 0) DEAN‘ wrmn ©1094Deanynolds!nc. d surface finishing 8t refinishing Interior 9 exterior quality pointing Janice Goodman; Hinesburg. Vermont 482-3680 Dylses Towatch Outfor byAlisanBeclzde1 ._. .~ -— I3 :J,,v..g_‘,~.,,v._.= ? ." 3;-5: .-— ,‘_NS,‘,- 7 7 ‘:.»'.i .\“,_-"Q"; .1 L. ‘“ V: , * g_!{;‘,’~ 1‘ — CHTIN THE MouNTAiN's — $EPTE’MBER' 1997 Faith Matters: f‘Being Gayiis Not An Accident...It Is ¢al|ing’t Godfs Gay Tr/‘baby Rev. M.R. Ritley BY THE REVEREND CHRISTINE LESLIE One of the things I love about being alive is that I am still genuinely amazed, from time to time, when I least expect it,’ and often, whenl need it themost. Suchwas the feeling I had when I‘ first read these words: ”Being gay is not an accident...it is a calling.” An out, lesbian Episcopal priest by the name of M.R. Ritley penned this notion in her book entitled,’ God's Gay Tribe, recently published by Beloved Disciple Press based in New Haven, CT. (http:./ 0/ members.aol.com/ BelDsPress/ index.html). Wayne Eley, owner of Beloved Disciple Press, emailed me infor- mation about this book after visiting the Triangle Ministries web site (http:/'/members.aol.com/ revcsl) that is part of the Rain- bow Spirituality Ring on the Internet. I was so struck by Wayne's description of the contents of this book that I immediately sent him the $10 (which included handling 8: shipping!) so he would send me a copy. I Ritley’s notion that "Being gay is not an accident...it is a calling” echoes a concept I was given one evening when attend- ing a potluck with Martha at Park Avenue Christian Church‘ in New York City. After dinner, a fellow at the potluck told those gathered that he had decided that gay and lesbian people are God's tithe to organized religions, especially Judaism and Chris- tianity, since we are about 10% of any given population. We all laughed heartily, albeit a bit nervously, at the idea of being God's ”first fruits” but more importantly, we were deeply touched by the holy implication there might be more, much more in fact, to being gay and lesbian that having an innate need to couple with someone of the same gender. I am eager to read Ritley’s book because I sense, after read- ing the chapter titles, she has fleshed out just what the holy im- ~ plications of being gay, lesbian, and bisexual are. The chapter titles include: ”Coming Out As Spiritual Journey,” ”Crossing the Wilderness, Facing the Shadows,” ”Returning to the World: In- A tegration and Emergence,” and ”Gay Vocation: Being Icons for / Others.” Since spiritual journeying is what my life is about, Ritley’s first three chapters outline everything I have ever thought the coming out process to entail. As for the 4th chapter, I believed that my being lesbian was an accident until the mo- ment I read Ritley’s statement. Prior to reading, ”Being gay is not an accident...it is a calling,” I believed that I was just the outcome of a random roll of the genetic dice. Yes, The Generous .1 One made me lesbian, but did so genetically the way anyone gets to be who they are. It simply had never occurred to me to think that everyone whogets to be gay, lesbian, or bisexual gets a package deal that includes a calling from The Sacred One to be an icon for others. A I 7 When we understand that traditional iconography gives witness to the human face of The Sacred, we can begin to under- stand what Ritley might mean when she proposes that we who are gay, lesbian, or bisexual have a vocation to be icons for oth- ers. She seems to mean that we who are gay, lesbian, or bisexual are called to give witness to the human face of The Sacred with our very own lives...our very own faces. Yes, the human face of The Sacred is the face of someone who is gay, lesbian, or bisexual...whether they know it or not....whether they give wit- ness to it or not. It is your face. It is my face. And this is no‘ accident. I think Ritley is on to something. The thought that I give witness to the human face of The Sacred just by being lesbian is a long way from the popular belief that my being lesbian is an abomination in the sight of this same Sacred One. I suppose this is a key point to this article and to Ritley’s book, in which she has also stated: ”We may be born into the tribe, but we are not raised in it.” Not being raised in our tribe means that many of us are raised to believe we are an abomination in the sight of God. This means that we need to meet and be with others who are icons for us so we can see for ourselves the untruth in such negative teachings. Fortunately, we are living at a time in this country when there are a lot of gay, lesbian, and bisexual people willing to be icons for our tribe. They come from all walks of life and profes- sions. For instance, who among us would not recognize the fol- lowing people: David Geffen, k.d. Lang, Melissa Ethridge, Harvey Fierstein, Ellen Degeneres, Elton John, Martina Navratilova, Greg Louganis, Harvey Milk, Roberta Achtenberg, Barnie Frank, John BosWell,,Virginia Ramey Mollenkott, Gretta Cammermeyer, Randy Shilts, Rita Mae Brown, Audrey Lorde, and Mel White? I would imagine that some of you even recog- nize the people on this list: Janie Spahr, John McNeil, Mary Hunt, Carter Heyward, Peter Gomes, Barry Stopfel, Troy Perry, and Bill Johnson. FAITH MATTERS, continued at right www.vi;i.c0m{-0pt'airieI \ mm UriH.0xRMR Cotwmows: ou,czAnrE.1>wt-' ‘ HER£Ul55- l9Disi!43£€F€1Z§’0{}iNG\§EYU§RL'W1)ll3‘£v'ZiN¢2 ztaasw Nora; nsaeswun " wtrau mum‘ \- LIKE ymve men a‘2iD’§H£ Cmtymlfle rfr Ev£N‘Wc>u<3w 1.-J DIGUALSTEEEO 9 L ,4 . v 2 9 ' :1 r J V “N mmmg I Mhwmmauw wear: gammy rwrm mm mo‘! names HAYEM1 caemr . mcuasrous How Asnur DEHNER m! we Jar GOT amt mow. ~ kg cartzmowws. "V- ' fifl-l'l;’IXSt7r'~€ NICE, Gil? AGAMT A mm: Am Fowl,’ We 1’ Fflllléfl ' "m Ravel? 303 Am: Jam: ? FIRES CF WEUAMD)‘ FRDM Mum Same ‘sums: mm A unurau , new " ' the i I » '5A.:N0»(m»3E. evegrday » life . .‘245.’;7.I;.vr..... in - yes»: I . , , cw \’."u:(4'.: