News from the Gay, Lesbian, and Affirming Disciples Alliance

Contents: July-August 2007

GLAD Council Affirms Marriage Statement

From time to time persons contact GLAD asking our position on equal marriage.  To enable response to these requests, the GLAD Council asked Maria Perez to lead the effort to write a statement reflecting the council's position.  Below is the final text of that statement.  Not only does the council intend to publish this statement, but plans are in the making to use this statement proactively to forward marriage equality.  Your comments and suggestions are welcome at glad@gladalliance.org.

Gay, Lesbian, and Affirming Disciples Alliance Statement on Marriage Equality for All Marriage is both a legal and spiritual relationship, joining two persons in a partnership that has both civil and sacred dimensions. Like our understanding of the equality of all persons, the definition of marriage has evolved in the church and in civil society over the centuries. For example, no longer in the United States or Canada is a wife considered the property of her husband; no longer is it illegal for persons of different races to marry. As a civil right, marriage affords inheritance, hospital visitation, insurance, and many other benefits. Children of married couples also enjoy particular support: health insurance, pension benefits, and inheritance rights. Marriage is valuable in society and in the church for many reasons, among them the reality that marriage empowers families to care for one another more fully. As the church and society come to understand lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons as full members of society and the church, the question of what constitutes a couple eligible for the rights, responsibilities, limitations, and benefits of marriage comes before us. The General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) repeatedly has declared its support for the full civil rights of lesbian and gay persons. Yet we stumble over this matter, wondering if this shift is appropriate. Marriage equality rights for all couples constitute potential benefits that help members of the society, families, and children. Marriage equality for all couples also makes sense theologically. Two people bound by a sacred covenant should have access to the benefits and be held accountable to the responsibilities that come with that bond. Only when the church and society fully recognize this bond can this be possible. GLAD Alliance calls on the members, congregations, higher educational institutions, regions, and general units of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) to work for the full marriage rights of all persons in both civil society and the church; to seek to promote strong, healthy marriages for all couples as a matter deserving both spiritual and civil support. In the meantime, where same-gender couples are denied the rights of civil marriage, the GLAD Alliance calls on the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and its members to educate themselves about the civil inequalities that exist for same-gender couples and their children and to work to right these wrongs.