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Affirming their faith
Lutheran LGBT group holding D.C. conference this weekend
The 2010 ReconcilingWorks conference in Minnesota. (Photo courtesy ReconcilingWorks)
A contingent of LGBT Lutherans will be in Washington this weekend for its biennial conference and while the denomination is still celebrating a 2009 decision that allows partnered gay and lesbian clergy to live openly, the group says it still has much work to do.
ReconcilingWorks — Lutherans for Full Participation was founded in 1974 by six people when it was known as Lutherans Concerned for Gay and Lesbian People. This year’s gathering, which runs Friday through Tuesday based at Luther Place Memorial Lutheran Church (1226 Vermont Ave., N.W.) will find a few hundred LGBT believers and allies here to fellowship, lobby, hear a keynote address from Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson and more. Those interested in attending can still get involved — visit reconcilingworks.org for information.
“Our primary purpose is always movement building,” says Emily Eastwood, executive director of ReconcilingWorks, a life-long Lutheran and lesbian. “We gather for personal transformation and support as well as skills building, education and action planning.”
Despite the 2009 decision, she says the group’s work is not done.
“As we know from the years of history with the Civil Rights Movement, when policies change, when laws change, that doesn’t mean the practice of it is immediately implemented or that the cultural shifts have occurred,” she says. “We believe full inclusion will take a period of years, perhaps even the rest of my life, to make sure the new policies become fully practiced within our denomination.”
Only about 500 of the 10,000 or so individual churches within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are “reconciling in Christ,” the group’s term for openly welcoming LGBT Christians. The D.C. area has more percentage wise — about 20 of the 70-odd ELCA churches that are part of the Metro D.C. Synod are “reconciling,” according to Philip Moeller, convener of the D.C. ReconcilingWorks chapter since 1991.
“What we’re basically saying is that it is possible to reconcile differences on these issues and move ahead in a way that’s commensurate with the gospel,” Moeller says.
Members say it’s a huge step for the entire denomination to have Hanson address their group. Moeller says Hanson was always sensitive to their issues but measured in his public stance prior to the 2009 vote. He’s been more unequivocal in his support since then, members say, and his appearance is unprecedented for the 4.2 million-member ELCA.
“This is the first time we’ve ever had a presiding bishop address us and it really says something about the change that’s happening within the church,” Moeller says.
On Tuesday, members will visit Capitol Hill for a lobbying effort.
Phil Soucy, the organization’s director of communications, says it’s part of the group’s belief that its work matters in the context of society at large.
“We’re going to be going to our representatives to tell them our thoughts to make sure they’re aware of the things we consider important in our lives as Lutherans and as citizens,” Soucy, who’s gay, says.
So how has ReconcilingWorks managed to make further strides within its denomination compared to other gay Christian groups working within the Roman Catholic Church or the United Methodist Church? Is it a matter of activism, theology or both?
“You’ve got a real tough issue with the Roman Catholic Church in that it’s very hard to change the Vatican,” Moeller, who’s also gay, says. “In terms of the Protestant denominations, I think the reason we’ve been so successful is that we really understood early on that confrontation gets you nowhere. If you’re in somebody’s face, you’re not going to change their mind about anything. You can even write a friendly discourse on theology and it won’t accomplish anything. What works is hearing the stories of people who have faith and who are LGBT. We haven’t left the church, we’re still in the church. We don’t want to be welcomed back, we want to be fully welcomed with all the same rights and privileges as everybody else has. … It’s really a matter of having a shift from confrontation to constructive engagement.”
Eastwood says her church’s belief on the nature of the grace of Christ, is central to their progress.
“The primary tenet of our faith is that we are saved through our faith and that that’s a gift from God,” she says. “It’s not through any kind of work that we do on our own, so our heritage seems to be a bit more progressive than other denominations.”
She also says relationship building has been essential.
“It’s about meeting people and walking with them for a time to build relationships rather than resorting to debate,” she says.
History
Julius’ Bar ‘sip-in’ laid groundwork for Stonewall
Tuesday marked 60 years since four gay activists held protest
While Stonewall is widely considered the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ rights movement in the U.S., a lesser-known protest inside a Greenwich Village bar three years earlier helped lay critical groundwork for what would follow.
Tuesday marked 60 years since the Julius’ Bar “sip in.”
On April 21, 1966, four gay rights activists — Dick Leitsch, Craig Rodwell, John Timmons, and later Randy Wicker — walked into Julius’ Bar and staged what would become known as a “sip-in” to challenge state liquor regulations on serving alcoholic beverages to gay men — with a drink.
Modeled after the sit-ins that challenged racial segregation across the American South, the protest was designed to confront discriminatory practices targeting LGBTQ patrons in public spaces.
At the time, the Mattachine Society — one of the country’s earliest gay rights groups — was actively pushing back against policies enforced by the New York State Liquor Authority. One of those policies could have resulted in the loss of liquor licenses for serving known or suspected gay men and lesbians. The participants had visited multiple establishments, openly identified themselves as homosexual, and requested a drink — with the anticipation of being denied.
Their final stop was Julius’, where reporters and a photographer had gathered to document the moment. When Leitsch declared their identity, the bartender covered their glasses and refused service, reportedly saying, “I think it’s against the law.” The next day, the New York Times ran a story with the headline, “3 Deviates Invite Exclusion by Bars,” cementing the moment in the public record.
Though initially framed with disrespect — the term “sip-in” itself was coined as a play on civil rights protests — the action marked a turning point. It brought national attention to the systemic discrimination LGBTQ people faced and helped catalyze changes in how liquor laws were enforced. In the years that followed, the protest contributed to the emergence of licensed, more openly gay-friendly bars, which became central social and organizing spaces for LGBTQ communities.
The Washington Blade originally covered when the bar was officially added to the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places in 2016.
Today, historians and advocates increasingly recognize the “sip-in” as a key pre-Stonewall milestone. According to the New York City LGBTQ Historic Sites Project, the protest not only increased visibility of the early LGBTQ rights movement but also exposed widespread surveillance and entrapment tactics used against the community.
Marking the 60th anniversary of the event, commemorations have taken place in New York and across the country. Reflecting on its enduring legacy, Amanda Davis, executive director of the NYC LGBTQ Historic Sites Project, spoke about the event.
“Julius’ Bar is a place you can visit and viscerally connect with history,” said Davis. “We’re thrilled to have solidarity locations across the country join us in commemorating the ‘sip-in’’s 60th anniversary and the queer community’s First Amendment right to peaceably assemble.”
For current stewards of the historic bar, the responsibility of preserving that legacy remains front of mind.
“It’s a privilege and a responsibility to be the steward of a place so important to American and LGBTQ history,” said current owner of Julius’ Bar, Helen Buford. “The events of the 1966 Sip-In here at Julius’ resonated across the country and inspired countless others to stand proud for their rights.”
The timing couldn’t have come at a more important moment, Kymn Goldstein, executive director of the June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives, explained.
“At a time when our community faces renewed challenges, coming together in resilience and solidarity reminds us of the power in our collective resistance,” Goldstein said.
The American Civil Liberties Union, an organization dedicated to defending rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution, is currently tracking 519 anti-LGBTQ bills across the U.S. The majority are targeted at restricting transgender rights — particularly related to gender-affirming care, sports participation, and the use of public bathrooms.
Some additional groups and bars that held their own “sip-in” as solidarity events to uplift this historic milestone are from across the country include:
Alice Austen House at Steiny’s Pub, Staten Island, N.Y.
Bellows Falls Pride Committee at PK’s Irish Pub, Bellows Falls, Vt.
Brick Road Coffee, Mesa, Ariz.
Brick Road Coffee, Tempe, Ariz.
Dick Leitsch’s Family at Old Louisville Brewery, Louisville, Ky.
The Faerie Playhouse & LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana at Le Cabaret, New Orleans
Harlem Pride & John Reddick at L’Artista Italian Kitchen & Bar, New York
JOYR!DE KiKi at Loafers Cocktail Bar, New York
Matthew Lawrence & Jason Tranchida / Headmaster at Deadbeats Bar, Providence, R.I.
Mazer Lesbian Archives at Alana’s Coffee, Los Angeles
New Hope Celebrates at The Club Room, New Hope, Pa.
Queer Memory Project at the University of Evansville Multicultural Student Commons / Ridgway University Center, Evansville, Ind.
Sandy Jack’s Bar, Brooklyn, N.Y.
St. Louis LGBT History Project at Just John Club, St. Louis
The LGBTQ+ Victory Fund National Champagne Brunch was held at Salamander Washington DC on Sunday, April 19. Gov. Andy Beshear (D-Ky.) was presented with the Allyship Award.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
The umbrella LGBTQ sports organization Team D.C. held its annual Night of Champions Gala at the Georgetown Marriott on Saturday, April 18. Team D.C. presented scholarships to local student athletes and presented awards to Adam Peck, Manuel Montelongo (a.k.a. Mari Con Carne), Dr. Sara Varghai, Dan Martin and the Centaur Motorcycle Club. Sean Bartel was posthumously honored with the Most Valuable Person Award.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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