Comments on: Holy Week calendar

By: Release of the spirit - Washington Blade - America's Leading Gay News Source : Washington Blade – America's Leading Gay News Source

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 20:38:29 +0000

[...] Gay-friendly D.C. churches offer Holy Week services, recitals [...]

By: John Johnson

John Johnson — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 22:24:49 +0000

As the senior lay leader at St. Thomas’ Episcopal Parish in Dupont Circle, I want to thank The Washington Blade for recognizing that there ARE houses of worship that not only welcome LGBTQ persons, we need LGBTQ people in our communities. Thank you for providing space to help us to spread that message of hope and not hate. God loves all of us. Join us!

John

By: Scott

Scott — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 18:13:24 +0000

The “Spirituality” section should have been labeled “Christianity.” It was almost all about Easter. Plus the slam on Judaism, by a so-called “interfaith minister,” as based on “the god of the Old Testament, who was alway smiting people” added insult to injury. There’s a lot moreto the Hebrew scriptures, but the Blade didn’t see fit to present that, even during the week of Passover, which celebrates freedom, a value that we all share.

By: Joey DiGuglielmo

Joey DiGuglielmo — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 15:45:54 +0000

Thanks for the comment Charles. Since we’re a gay newspaper, and thus sexual orientation is the whole reason we exist, it’s the determining factor in who and what we cover. A straight organist playing a recital is of no interest to us because you can get that information anywhere. But the Blade is for and about LGBT people, so the fact that he’s a gay organist becomes the determining factor in whether we’ll run it. I admit — this does seem a little absurd at times. Does the fact that he’s gay mean the music he plays is better or worse than if he were straight? No, of course not. But it’s still important because even in 2011 when our political and religious foes are still fiercely engaged in limiting our rights and freedoms, it IS important for us to be out and proud in all areas of our lives, especially in cases like this where Miller is free to be open about his sexual orientation and still be an accomplished organist and sincere Christian. So it’s important and significant on several levels.

We don’t run this for every single calendar entry — often artists and DJs are doing their stuff at gay-friendly venues and it would be logistically impossible to track down the sexual orientation of every participant. But when we know someone is openly LGBT, you bet we’re gonna put that in! Thanks for reading, Joey (Blade webmaster)

By: Charles Spina

Charles Spina — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 11:39:14 +0000

I read the Charles Miller caption. Does this man not have the right to have his God given musical talents recognized without being evaluated through the filter of sexual orientation. Surely his SO is a private matter. The composer would have cared less. Why should you?

I thought that this type of manipulative commercial discrimination in your country by revenue-driven pubs had been thrown into history’s dust bin.

Charles from Canada