17 February 2005: The new SCMA website is being launched tonight. New and updated information will be available at http://www.scm.org.nz/home/ from this time. Please direct any questions to webmaster@scm.org.nz.

For those of us who are.....

...transgendered and, or bisexual, lesbian or gay or who just want the fundamentalists to leave our friends alone!

SCM Aotearoa has stood in solidarity with queer people for a very long time. It has almost become the one issue or stance that we are best known for! It obviously doesn't take much to be outrageous these days! We are convinced that being queer is OK, and queer and Christian is OK too!

The web

• There are too many web sites to index properly but we suggest searching for "gay Christian" on the Google search engine. Nonetheless some good sites are:
  http://www.religioustolerance.org/homosexu.htm
  http://www.qrd.org/religion/orgs/integrity/
• Particularly good is the www.godlovesfags.com "Bible" section, especially Walter Barnett's epic pamphlet Homosexuality and the Bible, an interpretation: "The gospels say that this was because it is the sick (sinners) who need a physician (Jesus), but it seems also likely that he consorted with them because he preferred their company to that of people like the lawyers and Pharisees who reduced the righteousness God requires to a little rule book of "Do this" and "Don't dare do that!", thus consigning to oblivion goodness and love and honesty and justice and mercy and generosity and kindness. It was for Pharisaism and legalism that Jesus reserved his righteous indignation." (more)
  An interesting article is "Sexuality, Marriage, and Christian Values: Arguments For Including Gays In Full Christian Fellowship." It is interesting for its arguments and also for the breadth of the range of religious and rhetorical language it draws on!
  "The issue of "homosexuality" combines politics and religion in an interesting way ... liberals who seek to take us down a path that leads to a tolerant, welcoming, and affirming world will have to engage the value system that underlies conservative politics in an intellectual and theological discussion. This essay seeks to provide an introduction to a foundation for a Christian understanding of sexuality in human life, an understanding which affirms both homosexual and heterosexual practices, and holds them to the same standard of Christian values." (more)
• Also very good for understanding the issue of interpretation and context is Rev Dr Walter Wink's Homosexuality and the Bible (more)
• SCM supports the work of the Association of Reconciling Christians and Congregations (ARCC link updated!) in resourcing reconciling people in the mainline churches.
• This one is excellent - "The Fine Art Of Being Come Out To: A Straight Person's Guide To Gay Etiquette." Even has bisexual specific content! (link)

Propaganda!

SCM Canada says it loudly and proudly in this online pamphlet - Stop Homophobia in the Churches! If you would like a paper copy of this, contact SCM Aotearoa National Office.

The USA Gay and Lesbian Taskforce publishes a rather US specific "Fight the Right" action kit, but some of the strategies might translate to our context (more)

Preaching

Reclaiming the Spirit from the Fundamentalists a sermon preached by an SCM staff-member for the queer University of Otago "orientation" service on 28 February 1999.

The Daniels of this world [are] people who find their voice: who find resting in themselves the strength to finally stop buying into the lie of a straight society and tell Mum or Dad that they are gay, or to put words around the knowledge that their sense of self does not fit their body's sex. I admire every one of you who has done that. You have spoken with the voice of the Divine Spirit... (more)

"...my project is to take the two-edged sword of scripture [Hebrews 4:12] firmly in hand, and demonstrate that and how it cuts both ways. To claim the high ground—biblically, theologically, and ethically—while frankly recognising that there is much in both the Bible and in Christian tradition generally that is oppressive and counter-revelatory." (more)

The Human Rights Act 1993

In 1993, the Human Rights Act was passed by the New Zealand Parliament, and brought in a new era of Human Rights in New Zealand. For the first time it gave protection against discrimination in public life on the grounds of sexual orientation, health status or disability.

On the 1st January 2000, the Act was to come into force over the State as well as the private sector. The present government of New Zealand/Aotearoa has now decided to ammend the legislation to exempt the government permanently. The Student Christian Movement of Aotearoa wrote a letter to the Members of Parliament expressing our opposition to this watering down of human rights. The government will leave it up to the head of each government department to decide what is appropriate discrimination. Yet we all remember the homophobic campaigning of the last Police Commissioner. He would not have been a suitable person to make such decisions! Unfortunately, people can rise to responsible positions in government departments, yet still hold views opposed to human rights. We certainly need a separate body policing the human rights in government as well as the private sector.

The good news is that the minority government failed to get the Human Rights Ammendment Bill through parliament. 

Marriage

The Appeal Court made a decision on the application of three lesbian couples to be legally married. The finding of the court was that the Marriage Act clearly provides only for people of different sexes to be married to each other.

However, the judgement of one judge is well worth reading. He says "I have concluded that as a matter of law the exclustion of gay and lesbian couples from the status of marriage is discriminatory and contrary to section 19 of the Bill of Rights." (more) is well worth reading. It outlines clearly the importance of human rights, and shows how any difference of treatment must be justified, or it is unjust discrimination.

Although SCM does not have an official stance on same-sex or opposite-sex marriage, there is support within SCM for same-sex marriage, although we note that marriage is hardly an unproblematic institution.