CNN’S Soledao O’Brien to Interview Mitchell Gold On Stage At Lenoir-Rhyne University In Hickory
CNN anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien will interview Mitchell Gold, editor of the book “Crisis,” on Jan. 28 as part of Lenoir-Rhyne University’s Visiting Writers Series. The interview will take place at 7 p.m. in the P.E. Monroe Auditorium on the Lenoir-Rhyne campus in Hickory, N.C.
This event is free and open to the public. Students, educators and church members are especially invited to attend. Advance tickets are not required.
Soledad O’Brien has worked on CNN special reports including “Black in America” and “Latino in America” and is currently working on a “Gay in America” special report for the network.
risis” describes the personal, social and religious pain of growing up gay in America. It is told through essays contributed by 40 successful and well-known professionals as well as not-well-known younger people. The foreword is written by tennis great Martina Navratilova.
Gold is co-founder of Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, a nationally recognized furniture manufacturer headquartered in Taylorsville, N.C. He is also the creator of Faith in America, an organization dedicated to educating people about the harm of religion-based prejudice against the gay community.
“I’m looking forward to interviewing Mitchell about a topic that is at the very heart of America’s culture war,” O’Brien said. “Mitchell does it in a manner that shows compassion for all sides.”
Continue reading at EndTheHarm.com
Faith In America recognizes young advocate in Fayetteville, Ark.
(News coverage from KWNA-TV)
News article from Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
BOY’S SILENT STATEMENT MAKES BIG IMPACT AROUND THE WORLD
By Kate Ward
FAYETTEVILLE — When he chose to stand up for his beliefs by sitting down for the Pledge of Allegiance, 10-year-old Will Phillips never dreamed his message would circle the globe.
The West Fork student was honored by furniture designer and author Mitchell Gold on Saturday during a book signing at the Fayetteville Public Library.
Gold serves as chairman and founder of Faith in America — a group dedicated to educating the public about “the harm caused by religious-based bigotry and prejudice used to justify condemnation, discrimination and violence toward gay Americans.”
“Will, you’re on the road toward completing a noble mission,” Gold said. “Because of you, other people’s lives will be better.”
Continue reading at EndTheHarm.com
Read Faith In America press release
Furniture designer discusses sexuality at PFLAG event
By Rochelle Moore
Staff Writer, Wilson Times, Nashville N.C.
Rose Marie Walston stood at the podium at the Nash Arts Center Monday night and said she was "coming out."
But it wasn't the typical revelation to others that she is gay.
It was a mother. A mother who did not know her son was gay until he overdosed on drugs six years ago.
"It's hard for me to stand up here," she said. "It has taken me six and a half years to get to this place. I live with the pain every day of my son. It's got to stop and this is where I'm starting."
D.C. National Equality March
"Tonight, somewhere in America, a young person, let's say a young man, will struggle to fall to sleep, wrestling alone with a secret he's held as long as he can remember. Soon, perhaps, he will decide it's time to let that secret out. What happens next depends on him, his family, as well as his friends and his teachers and his community. But it also depends on us -- on the kind of society we engender, the kind of future we build."
President Barack Obama, Human Rights Campaign Annual National Dinner, Oct. 10, 2009
Thanks everyone who helped make this weekend in Washington, D.C. a wonderful success.
We distributed 5,000 signs at the National Equality March and they were very visible – including Monday's edition of the Washington Post.
What was most significant was how enthusiastic march attendees were about the Faith In America sign and its message.
It was a great day for our efforts to educate America about the immense harm caused to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans by religion-based bigotry.
Thanks everyone for all your support in this effort.
Click photos to view larger.
Read Mitchell Gold's column in Washington Blade
Marching alongside the pink elephant
Religion-based bigotry causes untold harm to millions, especially youth.
By MITCHELL GOLD
AS THOUSANDS CONVERGE on the nation’s capital this weekend for the National Equality March, our demand is simple: We want full equality. Now. Although there has been great progress in the last 50 years, the equality movement for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans has not moved forward as quickly as we should and could have. In the final analysis, it is because we have not effectively addressed the biggest barrier between us and our equality: religion-based bigotry and prejudice.
Faith In America Board Member Rev. Irene Monroe
Rev. Irene Monroe confronts anti-gay pastor Rev. Harry Jackson in Washington, D.C. on the eve of the National Equality March.
Also read her column in the Afro-American newspaper on "How Equality Can Help Save Our Children"
Rev. Irene Monroe is the coordinator of the African American Roundtable of the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry (CLGS) at the Pacific School of Religion, a Huffington Post blogger , and a syndicated religion columnist.
A Step in Faith
By Brent Childers | Newsweek Web Exclusive
Oct 8, 2009
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Americans are a diverse, extraordinary, resilient, and passionate group of forgiving men and women. I wouldn't be standing beside them demanding full and equal treatment under the law and speaking out against the harm caused by religion-based bigotry at the National Equality March in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 11 if I thought they were not created in God's image the same as myself, same as my family, as we all are—we are all God's children.
And I know better than anyone, since six years ago I was one of those bigots. At that time it would have seemed abominable to even consider attending a "gay-rights" event. To me, these would have been the people tearing apart the very seams of our culture and our country.
On Eve of March, Faith Drives Activism for Gay Rights Supporters
WASHINGTON (RNS) As thousands of gays and lesbians prepare to march on the nation’s capital to push for equal rights, leaders from a range of faiths say it’s time to stop using religion as a weapon to oppose same-sex marriage.
What’s more, advocates for gay rights say their faith and a sacred belief in justice are what actually form the foundation of their support for gay and lesbian unions.
Brent Childers, an evangelical Christian, said he once used religious tenets to support prejudice toward the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, but “I realized those attitudes were not in keeping with my religious values by causing harm using religious teaching.”
The Tradition And Sanctity Of The Right To Marriage
"Traditional marriage" … "sanctity of marriage" … "protecting marriage".
The next time you hear these phrases think code language – words or phrases that are used to conceal a hidden meaning or motive.
The motive of those who use these phrases is quite clear – they want to punish gay and lesbian citizens by denying not only their human dignity but their individual pursuit of happiness.
And why do they want to do that? Because their religious perspective is such that they see homosexuality as a sin, an abomination before God and therefore seeing a twisted moral appropriateness in rejecting, condemning and even discriminating against a minority group of Americans.
Some will even go as far as saying their opposition to marriage equality has nothing to with religion. That's hardly the truth.
Faith In America Founder Receives Visionary Award
Mitchell Gold's remarks at awards dinner
Mitchell Gold, founder of Faith In America and CEO of Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, was honored in New York on Wednesday for his work in educating the public about the harm caused by religion-based bigotry and prejudice toward gay Americans.
Gold was presented the Stonewall Community Foundation’s distinguished Visionary Award at the 40th Anniversary gala dinner at the United Nations Delegates’ Dining Room on Wednesday The event celebrated the great strides made by the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community of New York and recognize Stonewall’s vital role in nurturing and strengthening the LGBT movement over the past 20 years.
Gold was recognized for his many years of advocacy work and for his efforts to better the well-being of LGBT individuals. Gold in 2005 founded Faith in America, an organization working to end the advance of religion-based bigotry toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals. Last fall, he edited and published the book, “CRISIS: 40 Stories Revealing the Personal, Social and Religious Pain and Trauma of Growing Up Gay In America.”
The dinner also honored Dustin Lance Black, the 2008 Academy Award® and Writers Guild of America Award winning screenwriter of Milk, the Gus Van Sant-directed biopic of the late gay rights activist Harvey Milk that also earned an Academy Award® for Best Actor for Sean Penn in the title role.
Evangelical leader says Christians should
apologize for treatment of gay Americans
The following book review by Dr. David Gushee, a Christian ethicist at Mercer University in Atlanta, author and well-respected member of the evangelical community, has written a very favorable review of CRISIS.
It is our hope you'll share this review with the any people who can gain understanding from Dr. Gushee's words.
His words at this point in 2009 are monumental.
When Mitchell Gold began developing CRISIS in 2007, it was his hope that it could be used to show Americans – particular communities of faith – the harm that is caused when religious teaching is misused to promote a societal climate of condemnation, discrimination and violence toward our community. Our work at Faith In America shows that when people understand that harm, their hearts and minds change.
Over the last several months, we have observed important victories in judiciaries and legislatures.
But those victories will pale compared to the victories we are seeing in the hearts and minds of more and more Americans.
Dr. Gushee was made aware of harm – and he was moved.
His words are yet another signal that the religion-based bigotry and prejudice that for so long has used against us is today being rejected just as it has in the past when used against other minorities
When that happens – just as it did in those past instances – the wall of discrimination before us will disappear and it will never again return.
Brent Childers, executive director
How You Can Be An Agent Of Change
Helping those like Rev. Rick Warren understand
CRISIS...Transformining hearts and minds
Mildred Loving’s statement...Connecting the dots of history
The question we’re asking Americans today
Faith In America's mission is to educate the public about the harm caused when religious beliefs are used to promote and justify prejudice, discrimination and violence toward gay Americans with emphasis on the negative impact on youth. The goal of this education process is to end the advance of religion-based bigotry and prejudice toward gay citizens and to marginalize those groups or individuals who bring that harm to bear on good, decent and law-abiding Americans simply because of sexual orientation.
Faith In America's work over the previous two years, has helped lay the foundation for a powerful and history-changing conversation and one which will take on profound significance in 2009.
We have injected a new voice into the national dialogue on full and equal rights for gay Americans. No longer will the Tony Perkins, James Dobsons or Frank Tureks of the world be allowed to justify and promote attitudes of rejection, condemnation and violence with impunity.
Our educational initiatives have resulted in:
- A marriage equality statement from one of the Civil Rights Movement's icons, Mildred Loving - a statement that the New York Times rightfully described as indeed rare.
- Our core message being placed in front of the California Supreme Court in May 2008.
- Directly challenging then presidential candidate Barack Obama and then other Democratic presidential primary candidates in July 2007 with the question that was heard by them and millions of others around the world. (Why is it still OK to use religion to justify discrimination against gay and lesbian Americans?)
- Challenging those who espouse religion-based bigotry and prejudice toward gay Americans.
- Educational campaigns and other events in 16 states across America.
- Working with a broad array of organizations, including PFLAG, GLAAD, GLSEN, Trevor Project, HRC , MCC and other organizations working on various initiatives to address religion-based bigotry and prejudice.
- During the last three years, our organization has generated more than 250 news articles, newscast segments, news radio segments and countless internet posts about religion-based bigotry and prejudice and the harm it causes. The audience to that combined media exposure exceeds 25 million people.
But our work involves a much more important goal than the media exposure by which we bring awareness and understanding to the issue of religion-based bigotry and prejudice – which is the mortar that holds the wall of condemnation, violence and discrimination in place.
No longer should gay and lesbian individuals have to hear themselves called sinners and unworthy by media spokespersons, elected officials, religious leaders, or any advertisements stemming from pro-LGBT initiatives.
It simply no longer can be acceptable or tolerated because of the immense emotional, psychological and spiritual violence it brings to bear on our families and communities, gay and straight.
We will not agree to disagree when it comes to young lives being wrecked.
Making people aware of that harm and helping them understand the pain is of course the reason Mitchell Gold, our founder, in Sept. 08 published the book "CRISIS: 40 Stories Revealing the Personal, Social and Religious Pain and Trauma of Growing Up Gay In America" Crisis." It is changing a heart and a mind of someone in America. CRISIS is perhaps the single, most effective educational tool that exists in the public discourse today when it comes to our message.
Almost daily, we receive a personal story from someone who has been impacted by Mitchell Gold's book. It is allowing parents, teachers, counselors, pastors and others to see the true face of the harm caused by religion-based bigotry and in doing so gives them the reason to move away from a position that promotes such harm.
We hope you'll join us in ensuring that more and more Americans in 2009 will come to see that the harm caused by religion-based bigotry and prejudice toward gay and lesbian Americans is indeed one of the greatest moral failures of our day.
Together, we can make history.
Join the conversation at our new blog www.EndTheHarm.com