"CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Speaking to a Gay-supportive crowd gathered in the sanctuary of an Episcopal church in central Virginia, the Rev. Mel White read from some of the hundreds of letters he has received lately."

"'I am so confused,' he read, 'Sometimes I wish I would die, or be castrated, so I could be rid of these desires.'"

"White held up the letter."

"'This comes from a 17-year-old boy,' he said."

"He read another, from a Gay teenager whose father attends Jerry Falwell’s church in Lynchburg, Va. The boy is also thinking about killing himself."

"Some listeners dabbed away tears as White continued, recounting stories of young Gay people who feel rejected by their families and their churches, and sought some comfort by writing to the openly Gay preacher."

"'It has to end,' White intoned. 'This endless debate in our churches has to end. We can’t afford another day'" (Bill Roundy, The Washington Blade Online!, April 14, 2000).

"'What they did at Lambeth*,' White said, 'broke God's heart. These lives are too precious to waste any longer. The religion that we know has become the enemy of God's gay children'" (George Loper, April 8, 2000).

"Formerly a ghostwriter for evangelical figures such as Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, White is now openly Gay, and his organization, Soulforce, uses non-violent direct action to try to end anti-Gay prejudice in churches around the country. White called on the 200 participants to work within their own churches to end anti-Gay bigotry."

"'If you contribute one dime to an anti-Gay church — stop it,' White said. 'Stop singing in their choirs, stop playing the organ in their churches. We have let them do this to us decade after decade, and it’s time to stop.'"

"'We need you on this journey,' he told the crowd, 'and we need you in Virginia.'"

"It is particularly important that White’s message be heard in Virginia, he said, because the state is now home to some of the country’s most blatantly anti-Gay speakers: Robertson, Falwell, and Gary Bauer."

"'Virginia has become a center of great untruth,' said White, 'and this untruth is literally killing us.'"

"White was a keynote speaker at the second annual Empowering Voices for Equal Rights conference, which drew about 200 people to St. Paul’s Memorial Episcopal Church in Charlottesville on April 8. It was one of the largest gatherings of Gay and Gay-supportive people ever to take place in Virginia. Last year’s Equality Begins at Home rally, for instance, drew about 150 people to Richmond" (Bill Roundy, The Washington Blade Online!, April 14, 2000).

"Members of the conference were wildly diverse — from elderly grandmother types interested in learning more about Gay people to 16-year-old out Lesbians, transgender activists, and PFLAG moms."

"Elaine Bell, an elderly member of a Quaker church outside of Charlottesville, said that she came to the conference "because I am very interested in homosexuality, so I can be of more help to people who are queering it."

"Two members of her congregation are Gay, Bell confided, 'and they’re an inspiration. They’ve been together for 20 years.'"

"Others said they came to bolster their position during arguments with Bible-thumping bigots, or to learn more about Gay people, having never met an openly Gay person before."

"Many of the participants came from in or just around Charlottesville, and almost everyone spoke of the area as an oasis of progressive thought amid the conservative hinterlands of Virginia" (Bill Roundy, The Washington Blade Online!, April 14, 2000).

"One of the goals of the conference, said co-chair Reynolds, was to engage Charlottesville’s progressive community with the struggle for Gay civil rights" (Bill Roundy, The Washington Blade Online!, April 14, 2000).

"Keynote speaker Dr. Alice Turner discussed her 10-year marriage to James Hormel, who came out as Gay after their divorce and now serves as the U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg."

"'I too am a victim of homophobia,' she told the crowd. The painful secrets of their marriage, and the reaction of their friends after Hormel came out, were all rooted in homophobia, she said."

"Especially painful for her and the five children she had with Hormel, she said, were the lies that were spread during his battle to be appointed ambassador."

"'We’ve still got a long way to go,' Turner said, but everyone at the conference can work to end the silence about Gay issues and end homophobia. The church, she noted 'is a place where reconciliation can take place.'"

"Most of the attendants said that they heard about the event from their churches, and organizers hope that the day will lead to increased activism within the faith community."

"'One of the goals is that it not be a good thing that happens once and then gets dropped,' said Reynolds. Eight churches lent their support for the conference, and she said she believes the event may have inspired members of those churches to work to increase acceptance of Gay issues in their congregations" (Bill Roundy, The Washington Blade Online!, April 14, 2000).

"Annabelle Loper, a member of the vestry of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, said that the church which hosted the event had been supportive of the conference from the beginning."

"'We wanted it to be open, welcoming discussion for anyone,' she said, 'so they could show up and learn in a comfortable place.'"

"In a workshop about Gay parenting and marriage issues, however, it became apparent that Virginia is still not the most comfortable place for Gays. Participants groused that the state is among the worst in the country for Gay parents. One man said that he felt a moment of panic when a Blade reporter entered the room, fearing that if his name was reported in a local paper his adopted children could be taken away from him and his partner."

"Still, many felt that the day was a sign that things are looking up for Gay civil rights in the state."

"'Central Virginia is going to explode into its diversity,' predicted Michael Gray, a member of White’s Soulforce group" (Bill Roundy, The Washington Blade Online!, April 14, 2000).

Speakers on Political action included Senator Emily Couric, Charlottesville City Council Members Meredith Richards and Maurice Cox, and Director of the Virginia Organizing Project Joe Szakos.

*A unique experiment in nonviolence training and direct action will be held May 6-12, 2000 in Cleveland, Ohio.

WE ARE GOD'S CHILDREN, TOO /STOP SPIRITUAL VIOLENCE

Sponsored by Soulforce, Inc., the event will take place simultaneously with the General Conference of the United Methodist Church at the Cleveland Convention Center. The Archbishop of Canterbury is reportedly one of the speakers.