Refuse to Sign

Rev. Tricia Gilbert

admin — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 19:04:32 +0000

My church recognizes same gender unions, yet the state where I live does not. I support the refuse to sign campaign because the state should not be in the business of dictating what relationships can and cannot be blessed by the church.

Bibliography

admin — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 17:59:21 +0000

Bibliography

Cain, Patricia A. Rainbow Rights: The Role of Lawyers and Courts in the Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights Movement. Boulder Colo.: Westview, 2000.

Chambers, David L. “Couples: Marriage, Civil Union, and Domestic Partnership.” In Creating Change: Sexuality, Public Policy, and Civil Rights. Edited by John D’Emilio, William B. Turner, and Urvashi Vaid. New York: St. Martin’s, 2000.

Chauncey, George Why Marriage: The History Shaping Today’s Debate over Gay Equality. New York, New York: Basic Books, 2004.

Coontz, Stephanie. Marriage, a History: From Obedience to Intimacy or How Love Conquered Marriage. New York, New York: Viking Penguin, 2005

Cott, Nancy F. Public Vows: A History of Marriage and the Nation. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2000.

Eskridge, William L. Gaylaw: Challenging the Apartheid of the Closet. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1999.

Radford Ruether, Rosemary. Christianity and the Making of the Modern Family. Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 2000.

Witte, John Jr. From Sacrament to Contract: Marriage, Religion, and Law in the Western Tradition. Louisville, Kent.: Westminster John Knox Press, 1997.

Wolfson, Evan. Why Marriage Matters: America, Equality, and Gay People’s Right to Marry. New York, New York: Simon and Schuster, 2004.

Facebook Fan of Refuse to Sign Campaign

admin — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:48:14 +0000

Refuse to Sign on Facebook

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Lakewood Observer: Refuse to Sign Campaign

admin — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:17:10 +0000

Earlier this year, the church I serve (Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ) decided that our clergy would no longer sign state-issued marriage licenses, nor would we allow them to be signed on our property. To us, this is a pertinent social justice issue. Because same-gender couples are not allowed to get married in Ohio (and many other states), we feel that as officers of the state — which clergy essentially are when they sign that piece of paper — we are complying with a blatant injustice.

To read more Click Here.

How churches may actually help gays win the marriage fight

admin — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 01:28:09 +0000

“Some have even announced they will not perform any marriages — gay or straight — until the ban is dissolved. Art Cribbs, a minister in southern California, joined a Cleveland-based campaign called Refuse-to-Sign in early July. A nationwide alliance of progressive clergy, Refuse-to-Sign aims to divide marriage into a two-step process: a secular, legislative aspect, in which gay and straight couples are granted all the benefits straight marriage affords; and a religious aspect, where they can celebrate their union at a sympathetic church, synagogue or mosque. It’s this clear Church/state demarcation, according to Cribbs, that is essential to safeguarding civil liberties.”

Click here to read more.

Rev. Tricia Gilbert

admin — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 19:06:22 +0000

By the power invested in me by the state of Ohio, I now pronounce you… Never before have those words, ever spoken more loudly to me than on the day Proposition 8 was overturned in California. I live in Ohio, yet this vote affected me deeply and it became the driving force for me to support the Refuse to Sign campaign. As a clergy person, I had an extremely hard time in accepting the fact that 18,000 gay and lesbian couples in California marriages are now in jeopardy.