PLGC publication connects sexuality with pagan spirituality By Parker T. Williamson The Presbyterian Layman Sept/Oct, 1997 NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – Appearing in the General Assembly edition of the More Light Update, a bimonthly publication of Presbyterians for Lesbian and Gay Concerns, is a request for contributions to a book on “dykes and spirituality.” The announcement suggests that homose xuality involves not simply a choice of sexual partners, but a religion that differs in significant respects from Christian faith. Presbyterians for Lesbian and Gay Concerns (PLGC) is an organization of homosexual activists and their supporters who are committed to dismantling the denomination’s constitutional standards governing the sexual behavior of ordained officers. Although small in number, PLGC’s intense political activity has resulted in its strong influence on Presbyterian Church (USA) policy. PLGC board member Tony De La Rosa has served as chairman of the Advisory Committee on Litigation, the committee that guides the Office of Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick on the filing of Presbyterian Church (USA) amicus briefs. PLGC regional coordinator Rev. Laurie Kraus was the commissioner at the 1997 General Assembly who made the motion now known as “Amendment A,” an attempt to overturn the denomination’s standards for the sexual behavior of ordained officers. Kraus told commissioners, “I didn’t write this alone. Several of us have been talking and praying about it.” PLGC advertisements The following paragraphs are excerpts from an ad in PLGC’s July-August edition of the More Light Update: “We’re putting together a big, fat, eclectic book about dykes and our spirituality – our connection to The Source, the sacred, the realm of the spirit, the depths, our essential selves, and all the other ways of describing IT. “Dykes! Send us writing or art about what inspires you, particularly: profound mystical experiences, connection to The Source … the connection between being a dyke and your spiritual expression … the connection between sex and spirit … How do you connect to the Source? Prayer? Art? Ritual? Magic? Sex? Meditation? Music? Dreams? Trance? Dance? Mind-altering substances? “Do you practice within a traditionally anti-gay or sexist religion? … Are you in the closet? Have you changed the tradition to fit your needs? “We want to hear from dykes of all spiritual backgrounds and practices … We want to include rituals, poems, stories, interviews, prayers, art, recipes, spells, chants, charms, and resource information for dykes who are exploring the deep realms of spirit, whatever they may be.” An additional advertisement in the PLGC paper called for contributions to an anthology of “writings by bisexual people of faith (Jews, Christians, Pagans, Quakers, UUs [Unitarian Universalists], those following other spiritual paths).” The advertisement identified the focus as “connections/intersections/links between your sexuality and your spirituality” and it called for contributors with “a range of handling bisexuality” that includes “swingers, singles, couples, celibate folks, etc.” PLGC’s attempts to forge connections between religious and sexual activities do not represent a new phenomenon in Church history. The prophets of Israel often did battle with fertility cults and temple prostitution that infiltrated Israel’s religion from Canaanite culture. And New Testament passages, particularly Paul’s epistles, warned the early Church to beware of those who would introduce both homosexual and heterosexual aberrations into the community of faith. The Old and New Testaments describe these practices as more than unethical. They describe them as pagan. Members of PLGC today similarly recognize a connection between their avowed sexual behavior and non-Christian religions. Presbyterian Jane Spahr, who describes her role as that of an “evangelist,” contrasts her movement’s ideology with that of historic Christian faith, saying, “Maybe we’re talking about a different god.” Appearing with the sex and spirituality advertisements on the inside cover of PLGC’s More Light Update are advertisements for gay/lesbian conferences at Stony Point Center and Ghost Ranch, two official conference centers of the Presbyterian Church (USA) that are supported with mission offerings from Presbyterian congregations. The gay/lesbian lobby also receives support from the Presbyterian Health, Education and Welfare Association (PHEWA), a denominationally funded agency. Editor’s note: “Dykes” is a slang term used by PLGC to refer to lesbians.

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