I'm a happy straightey!

I am a very happy straightey (my nickname for straights/heteros).


Last night I went to a meeting to explain the process for couples wanting to be civilly unionized (aka civilized) in Illinois starting June 1, 2011 -- and it was wonderful and sweet and heartwarming and sooooooooooo long in coming! There were representatives from Equality Illinois and LAMBDA there, who were wonderful but my favorites were the two women from the County Clerk's office who, in addition to giving helpful information about the application process (and strongly suggesting people call to make appointments to apply since June is, well, THE wedding month), they also assured them that they would be treated with kindness and respect when they come in to apply for their license.


Two of the couples we will civilize in June called the Clerk's office this morning and already got their application appointments (one June 1, the other June 2) and I'm sure many more will follow. My name is on a list of clergy happily willing to perform the unions, and I am looking forward to civilizing as many couples who want a clergy person to perform their ceremony (my guess is other than the Unitarian clergy in town, the pickins' will be slim in McLean County to find clergy willing to officiate -- I hope I'm wrong but we'll see).


I met a nice man wearing a collar who is from a denomination who, like the Presby's, has unclear direction about whether or not their clergy can perform  unions.  He is clearly an ally, but told me he would wait to hear from his Bishops about whether or not he "could" officiate any unions without risking his ordination, and then asked me what I was going to do (if I was going to get permission).  Permission schermission.  I am going to do them because it is long overdo, is a function of my ordination, and is the right thing to do.  Ah, I'm such a rebel. 


The other reason I am such a happy straightey has to do with the good ole Presbyterians.  As of yesterday we are only seven presbytery yes votes away from full ordination inclusion! We need 87 presbyteries to vote YES on the amendment we approved at General Assembly this past July.  We now have 80, thanks to a flip yesterday of San Francisco Presbytery who, two years ago, surprisingly voted no (surprising to me because, well, it's San Francisco). Of the 35 left to vote, 12 of them voted yes in the past, so if 7 of them vote yes again, we will finally be rid of the hateful exclusionary ordination standards we adopted in 1996.  Since I'm a pessimist realist it's hard to be hopeful, but in this case, I might actually allow myself to be.  


Now if we could just get it right on gay marriage, I'd be a happy straightey Presbyterian!