Homosexuality

Traditional marriage supporters who led California's campaign to ban same-sex marriage have been ordered by a federal judge to turn over their private e-mails, memos and other internal documents to lawyers seeking to overturn the ban.

U.S. District Chief Judge Vaughn Walker ruled on Thursday in favor of attorneys who filed a lawsuit on behalf of two homosexual couples against Proposition 8 – the state's constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman.

Charles Cooper, lawyer for the Proposition 8 proponents, had argued last week that the discussions between campaign officials were meant to be private and that publicizing them would violate free speech rights and possibly subject the supporters to harassment, as reported by The Associated Press. more >>

More than 1,200 Lutherans disaffected by the recent vote favoring openly gay clergy have assembled in Indianapolis on Friday to begin creating an alternative fellowship for conservative Lutherans.

"We intend to initiate a process that we hope will lead to a reconfiguration of North American Lutheranism," said Paull Spring, chair of Lutheran CORE and the retired bishop of the Northwestern Pennsylvania Synod. "The convocation is for all who care for the future shape of orthodox Lutheranism."

Lutheran CORE is leading the Sept. 25-26 convocation. While the group has served as a coalition for reform for conservative Lutherans within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, it is now shifting its focus from efforts to reform the ELCA to efforts to enable traditional Lutherans to work together both within and outside of the denomination. more >>

More than 40 Calif.-based groups are backing a new effort to strike out language in the state constitution that defines marriage between a man and a woman.

The groups – led by Los Angeles-based Love Honor Cherish – filed a new ballot proposal with the State of California Thursday as a first step toward getting a measure that redefines marriage on the November 2010 ballot.

To increase the chances of success, the groups are also proposing language that would bar courts from requiring religious ministers to perform any marriage in violation of their beliefs. more >>

Presbyterians have come to a similar conclusion as Lutherans recently did about same-gender relationships: they cannot agree.

In a draft report, a special committee of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) stated that there continues to be a struggle in the denomination and they are left with "honest and sincere disagreements" on the issue of same-sex marriage and partnerships.

"What is the place of covenanted same-gender partnerships in the Christian community? The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) cannot agree," the Special Committee to Study Issues of Civil Unions and Christian Marriage said in its September report. more >>

Episcopal Bishop Leo Frade intends to allow clergy in the Diocese of Southeast Florida to bless the unions of same-sex couples.

The authorization will only apply to gay and lesbian couples who have been legally married, he says.

Frade made his announcement Wednesday on his blog months after The Episcopal Church passed a resolution permitting bishops to "provide generous pastoral response to meet the needs of members of this Church" and calling for the development of liturgical resources for the blessing of same-sex couples. more >>