Buddhist and Other Religious Groups Lead New York City’s Gay Pride Parade
by Danny Fisher
As reported by the Associated Press, this year’s Gay Pride Parade in New York City put religious groups and leaders front and center.
- [The] placement of the Christian, Jewish and Buddhist religious organizations near the head of the march–ahead of AIDS service groups and political advocacy groups–gave them unaccustomed prominence [at the event].
[...]
The annual parade, one of dozens around the world, commemorates the 1969 Stonewall riots in which patrons at a Greenwich Village gay bar fought back against a police raid.
The article does not identify the particular Buddhist group or groups that participated, but does say something about the contributions of individual Buddhists to the parade.
- A Buddhist group carried signs that said “Construct Dignity in Your Heart” and “Don’t Block Your Buddha.”
“We’re all Buddhas,” said Hortense De Castro, a teacher from Manhattan. “It’s just a matter of letting it come out.”
In addition to religion and homosexuality, another major issue at this year’s parade was that of legalized same-sex marriage. The article continues:
- The march took place days after the New York State Assembly passed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage, which Gov. Eliot Spitzer supports. Although the bill is unlikely to pass the Republican-controlled state Senate anytime soon, parade-goers said they were cheered by the Assembly’s action.
“This is one very important step toward full equality for all New Yorkers,” [parade grand marshal Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum] said.
[...]
At San Francisco’s festival, the wife of Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards marked the occasion by splitting with her husband over support for legalized gay marriage.
“I don’t know why someone else’s marriage has anything to do with me,” Elizabeth Edwards said at a news conference before the parade. “I’m completely comfortable with gay marriage.”
That Elizabeth Edwards has spoken out in support of same-sex marriage is wonderful, I think. It is disheartening to me, though, that her husband and all but two of the candidates for the Democratic Party’s 2008 presidential nomination oppose same-sex marriage.
The constitutionality of a ban on same-sex marriage is questionable at best: although I am not a lawyer, it seems obvious to me that legislation such as the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act violates the Full Faith and Credit Clause and probably other crucial parts of the Constitution.
It is also certainly an extraordinarily uncompassionate thing to dehumanize others and deny them their civil rights. How would, say, George W. Bush like it if he were denied equal protection under the law?
I support same-sex marriage as a Buddhist, a chaplain, and a citizen of the world. To show your support for the legalization of same-sex marriage, follow this link.
They might have been from the New York Buddhist Church. Shin Buddhism has been conducting gay marriages for well over 30 years and is one of the few Buddhist groups in America to go on the public record as supporting the right of homosexuals to marry and receive equal governmental treatment. New York Buddhist Church members have marched in the Pride Parade in the past (their sangha includes some prominent gay members) and the temple is often involved in community outreach to non-Buddhists.
I hope some people came away with the lesson that religion and homosexuality are not incompatible, whether you are Buddhist, Catholic, or whatever. That’s good for close-minded religionists to learn in terms of opening up to their gay pew-mates, and good for folks in the gay community to learn since they have have been turned off by other forms of religion.
BTW this is Jeff W., I’m not sure why the blog won’t let me comment anymore unless I use my defunct blogger name. Hope you’re having a nice week so far, Danny.
It certainly sounds like it could have been the New York Buddhist Church that was representing at the parade. I should have known you would have some idea about who these Buddhists might have been, Jeff! Thank you for your comment.
Ha, that’s funny that you tracked down and linked to my book, I didn’t even think about the connection. But you’re right, NYC is still my home turf even though I haven’t had an address in the city for awhile.
I signed the HRC petition you linked to in your post. Thanks for providing the pointer.
As long as I was going to make a second comment, I figured I’d dredge up the 2004 Buddhist Churches of America resolution about gay marriage, I’ve got the text saved since I quoted it on my Tricycle blog at one point. Other than a statement by the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, which is a lot smaller than the BCA, I don’t know of any large American Buddhist organizations that have gone on record about gay marriage. But I do have the impression that it’s something most would support. Here’s that resolution, just FYI:
“Whereas there is no negative judgment of homosexuality in the Buddhist religion; whereas a number of BCA ministers have been performing same-sex weddings for a period of at least thirty years; whereas we wish to affirm the worthiness of all persons, independent of sexual orientation: Now therefore be it resolved, that the Ministers Association of the Buddhist Churches of America opposes any governmental prohibition of same-sex marriage.”
As I’m sure you’re aware, the BCA was also the original pioneer of Buddhist chaplaincy in the USA. They’re a resource that you can call upon if you ever feel a need to tap into a large, historic body of American Buddhists for support. I’m sure they’d approve of your work.