Church of Scotland backs gay minister
The Church of Scotland has voted in favor of appointing an openly gay minister — the latest incident involving sexual orientation to create a division in the Anglican Communion.
The church’s ruling body voted 326-267 to support the appointment of the Rev. Scott Rennie, 37, who was previously married to a woman and is now in a relationship with a man.
Rennie was first appointed as a minister 10 years ago, but has faced opposition from some critics since he moved to a church in Aberdeen, Scotland, last year.
Protesters had lobbied the Kirk, the Church of Scotland’s ruling executive, over Rennie’s case, claiming his appointment was not consistent with the teachings of the Bible.
“We are absolutely opposed to that on the basis of what God has to say about homosexuality in the Bible,” said one opponent, Pastor Jack Bell of the Zion Baptist Church in Glasgow, Scotland.
The case has divided Scottish religious leaders and follows tensions within the worldwide 77-million-member Anglican Communion. About 900 elders and ministers took part in a debate on Rennie’s case, but many chose to abstain from casting a vote.
Study: Male sex workers ignored
A new report released in Canada entitled “Under the Radar: The Sexual Exploitation of Young Men,” has found that men in the sex trade often end up alone and without support.
The report’s author, Sue McIntyre, had previously conducted extensive research into the plight of female sex workers, but realized men had been largely forgotten.
“I’ve had a fair bit of guilt about it, that it was ignored for so long,” she said. “People don’t even see them, they don’t notice them. Even when there are outreach programs in a lot of different cities that do work with this population, they’re usually geared more for working with young women in the trade.”
McIntyre sought input from 157 male sex-trade workers in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Her report, which paints a bleak picture for male sex-trade workers, suggests comprehensive changes.
For most of the sex-trade workers it is “survival sex” — having enough money for food, shelter, clothing and often to support addictions. Although many are gay, others are “gay for pay.” More than 99 percent of their customers are men, and they work for an average of nine years, double the time of their female counterparts.
Seventy-five percent of respondents reported sexual abuse and 85 percent were physically assaulted before they ran away from home. They reported feeling shame and self-loathing. Even social workers who work with sex-trade workers report being uncomfortable dealing with them.
McIntyre’s report recommends specialized programs to help male prostitutes get out, including detox and rehabilitation beds, housing and help finding other employment.
The report also said there should be mentoring programs and that staff working with young men in the sexual-exploitation trade should be provided with gender nonconformity training.
U.K. cops fly gay flag
Police in the U.K. recently displayed their solidarity with the LGBT community by flying rainbow flags on the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.
The day commemorates the anniversary of the World Health Organization de-listing homosexuality as a mental illness 19 years ago, celebrated May 17.
The gesture was meant as a reassurance from law enforcement to people who have been targeted for assault and persecution based on individual characteristics.
In Liverpool, police decorated their headquarters building with rainbow-colored lights.
Many police stations were obliged to fly the rainbow flag in place of the U.K. Union Jack.
This move created some angst among antigay elements, including criticism from conservative lawmaker David Davies.
“Showing support for particular campaigns is a very dangerous route for the police,” he said. “The job of the police is to enforce the law even-handedly and without prejudice, and we ought to be able to take that for granted.”
Gay and Lesbian Support Network chair Tracy O’Hara, commenting on the flag’s appearance over police headquarters in Liverpool, said, “The rainbow flag signifies freedom and fairness, and underlines the commitment of Merseyside Police to be inclusive and diverse and to provide a valuable service to all of the communities we serve.”
Africa AIDS activists criticize U.S.
Health activists claim a shortfall in promised U.S. funding for HIV/AIDS projects would affect over 30 million people and said President Obama risks reversing the gains made by his predecessor.
“Such projects are like planes … they must have a forward momentum or they will stall and crash,” said Dr. Paul Zeitz, the executive director of the Global AIDS Alliance.
He singled out decreased funding for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which is credited with saving millions of lives.
On the campaign trail, Obama promised to expand by PEPFAR by a billion dollars a year. But Zeitz said the budget Obama’s administration submitted this month does not contain any significant increase, maintaining funding levels at a steady $6 billion a year.
He said this and lower-than-promised commitments to other anti-HIV/AIDS projects mean 1 million people will not get lifesaving drugs. In total, he said, there was a $3.3-billion shortfall in U.S. support for global AIDS funding and bilateral AIDS programs.
Rolake Odetoyimbo, from the Pan African Treatment Movement in Nigeria, said Obama’s failure to live up to his commitment means other countries are likely to spend less on the fight against AIDS.
At the end of 2007, 33 million people were living with HIV, according to the World Health Organization, with two-thirds in sub-Saharan Africa.
Larry Nichols can be reached at [email protected].