Asian Faith Leaders Voice Support for LGBTs
June 8, 2007
A large banner featuring same-sex couples with their children flanking a church and the message “God Loves All Families” served as a backdrop for eight Bay Area Asian American reverends who announced their public support of lesbian and gay families in San Francisco on May 31.
The event, held jointly by Asian Equality and the Network on Religion and Justice for Asian American and Pacific Islander Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People, marked the first time in California that prominent APA faith leaders voiced their open support of the LGBT community.
The event coincided with the end of APA Heritage Month and the start of LGBT Pride Month and comes three years after Mayor Gavin Newsom issued marriage licenses to same-sex couples in San Francisco in February 2004.
The reverends preached acceptance, spoke about their own personal experiences with the topic, and tackled the interpretation of homosexuality in the Bible.
“We’re speaking here as church leaders because we recognize at times Christianity and Asian American churches have contributed to the rejection of LGBT people through harmful words, actions, and painful silence,” said Rev. Deborah Lee of the Institute for Leadership Development and Study of Pacific and Asian North American Religion. “For this reason, we want to express a different voice today — to offer welcome, love and acceptance. We also wanted to be a bridge for the two month long celebrations.”
“LGBTs are an integral part of our community, churches and families,” Lee continued. “The time is long overdue when they ought to be able to live free of fear, discrimination, prejudice, and isolation.”
“Everyone of us is touched by someone in our family or friends who has come out or is waiting to come out,” said Rev. Calvin Chinn, a retired Presbyterian minister. “I truly believe the Christian church is a place of sanctuary, where people can be loved, honored and accepted in all our diversity as a human family.”
But Rev. John Oda, senior pastor at San Francisco’s United Methodist Church disagreed with Chinn’s claim of the church being a “sanctuary” for the LGBT community. “I’ve heard many horror stories of Asian Americans coming out and then being kicked out of their churches,” Oda said.
Rev. Jeffrey Kuan, professor at the Pacific School of Religion and member of the Chinese Community United Methodist Church in Oakland, argued against references to homosexuality as a sin.
“Nowhere in the bible do you find the statement that homosexuality is a sin,” said Kuan.” Christian opposition to homosexuality is based on selective biblical interpretation that takes a few verses out of scripture that may or may not refer to sexual intercourse between people of the same gender. Our modern understanding of sexuality is also worlds apart from the understanding of sexuality in the ancient times.”
Other speakers included retired Rev. Lloyd Wake who last served at Glide Memorial Church, Rev. Elizabeth Leung, coordinating minister for the NRJ-API-LGBT, and Rev. Michael Yoshii, senior pastor at Buena Vista United Methodist Church in Alameda.
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i knew nancy and calvin chinn when they lived in warm springs oregon.
calvin was the minister at my wedding.
i am trying to make contact with calvin and cannot locate him.
would there be anyone who could assist me in this effort?
thank you