November 20, 2009
Transgender Day of Remembrance events at LPTS
We are so lucky to have a Women’s Center at LPTS!!!
Note that the Transgender Day of Remembrance will be observed through a number of events during the day Friday, November 20. See the Transgender Day of Remembrance Page for more details.
November 19, 2009
Princess Parizade Bringing Home the Singing Tree
Today, those of us from the Women’s Center at LPTS were shouted at by a very belligerent man, who said that we were “sick,” and not really women, for being there. Singing is the only thing that will drive a man like that away. So we sang We Shall Not Be Moved, and My Country ‘tis of Thee. I sang the Dutch Frog song and Idomein, adomein, and some other goodies from way back when. It is the only thing that makes it possible for me to be there. I am aware that this cannot be a short-term commitment and am bracing myself for at least a year’s worth of this work.
A part of me, the Dutch part of me, cannot really believe that this is happening, and I see the U.S. sinking into a bog of right-wing craziness. The so-called Health Care Reform Bill that may still pass will be a disaster, putting more and more money into the coffers of the insurance companies. The compromise made in the house on prohibiting federal funds for abortion was a sure sign of the power of the right wing in our government.
October 28, 2009
Virginia West Davidson
On Tuesday of last week Virginia West Davidson of Rochester, New York died at the age of 93. Virginia was a woman of faith, a woman of the church, a former vice moderator of the UPCUSA, serving on crucial committees in the denomination, a feminist and a strong ally in the movement to ordain Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people in our Church. Her persistent and faithful witness will long be remembered. Many things can and will be said about her, but here I will indulge in personal memories for she and her husband Davey were also personal friends. We saw her last two years ago on a brief visit to Rochester and although she was no longer a part of our lives in the way she had once been, memories of her presence came crowding in following the days of her death. She was Moderator of the Presbytery of Genesee Valley in 1975, when my husband, David, was called to the Downtown Presbyterian Church of Rochester, New York, where Ginny also served as an elder. She was not content with the way in which the committee had gone about its search for a co-pastor in her congregation, and therefore challenged the call to David in the Presbytery. She charged that in the nominating, interviewing and calling process the requirements for justice in the struggle for equality of all persons had not been met. Equality in gender and ethnicity, and also in sexual orientation was not much on the horizon of our denomination, but it certainly was on Virginia’s horizon. Officially, her challenge lost in the presbytery, but her stance taught us a great deal. David and I certainly, never forgot that lesson in preoccupation with justice. I, for one, lost some of the innocence in which I had wrapped myself until that time.
Once arrived in Rochester and becoming acquainted with Ginny, she became a mentor to me in opening up issues in the church that I had not considered before. Eventually we became friends. She and Davey introduced us to the wonders of the Adirondacks, and spent happy times there together before Davey’s death. In the city of Rochester, their house was a house of deliberate choice: how it was built and where it was built. For others, like David and myself, it was a house of hospitality, a house were food was prepared to be enjoyed together. It was a house where conversation took place, where music was performed and heard; a house where books were read and discussed, where words were written; a house where counsel was given and taken and where friendships took their first tentative steps.
Virginia’s voice was voice that persistently spoke of justice and in her work in the church she sought to bring about justice. The work of justice speaking and justice seeking must be passed on, so it will continue through the generations. This is the task of those of us who have been around for a while; it is one of which Virginia West Davidson acquitted herself well. In the mid seventies the issue of ordination for all people, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity, was already a crucial issue of justice for her. She treated with patience and kindness one much younger, like myself, who had a more hesitant stance and thus she drew me on to consider and reconsider. She was a woman who spoke truth, who invited all to her welcome table, and who never gave up on promoting the cause of justice and equality for those who were deprived of it in the community of faith.
By Johanna Bos, Faculty Liaison
October 28, 2009
Under siege
Once again, we stood at the curbside at 138 W. Market Street to help protect women entering the abortion clinic from harassment and verbal assault by protesters. This time there were ten of us who came as representatives of the Women’s Center at LPTS and we hope yet more will join us the following Saturday, when the support action will be followed by training for escorts at the Fourth Ave United Methodist Church on St. Catherine. This time the mood felt uglier and the tensions were higher than the previous Saturdays. There was a great deal of shouting and shoving. Police were evident in greater numbers. With our greater numbers from the Women’s Center and others, we could form a more solid hedge to let the women through. The leaders of the Escort effort called us “the Presbyterians,” and for once I could be proud of that name. It is surprisingly cold at the curbside; Market Street is close enough to the river to make it a few degrees colder than elsewhere in the city. This is going to be interesting once winter arrives. We will keep you posted as to our adventures.
October 28, 2009
Lisa Larges
Last week Lisa Larges visited our campus and the Women’s Center. On Thursday afternoon twelve of us gathered at her feet to hear her tell personal stories and discuss with us issues of power relations, both in a personal context and in institutional religion. Lisa is the Coordinator of That All May Freely Serve, the arm of the Presbyterian Church that works for full inclusion of all who are called to professional ministry, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity. She has been a candidate for ordination for more than twenty years and is still seeking to be ordained. Her case will come before the Permanent Judicial Commission of the Presbyterian Church (USA) meeting in Indianapolis on Friday Oct.30, 2009. Several representatives will travel to Indianapolis to be present at the hearing. In a recent publication Lisa observed that “as long as the Presbyterian Church practices faith-based discrimination it is fighting a losing battle.” It is clear to Larges that biblical scholarship, theological perspectives and cultural changes are moving the church toward inclusion. She also notes that until that day comes the church will continue to create spiritual damage in the lives of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people.[Echelon: Taking Pride in Business, 3/17/09] We honor Lisa in her long struggle toward the dignity and equality she, together with so many others, should have been afforded a long time ago and our prayers for her wellbeing go with her to Indianapolis.
On Sunday Oct.25, she preached at Central Presbyterian Church in Louisville, on the story in the Gospel of Matthew of Peter coming out of the boat to meet Jesus on the water. Her interpretation of this well-known tale caused both loud laughter and profound recognition in the congregation. She ended her sermon with the image of an uncertain, frightened, wavering human hand stretched out toward the warm, strong, supportive hand of God, who is coming toward us across the water. May the hand of God stretch out to lift our Queer sisters and brothers into the place where they may serve God with all their talents, imagination and love through ordained office in the church.
October 21, 2009
Lisa Larges
We look forward to hearing her words and sharing in conversation with this stalwart champion of our need to hear and affirm the calls of all those God calls to ministry, including those who qualitative difference from the norm challenges conventional and limited understandings of the substance of faithfulness and holiness.
[Lisa last visited the LPTS campus in April, 2008; see A Beautiful Wedding and Lisa Larges et al. on Faithfulness for more on that visit.]
October 14, 2009
. . . is like a woman who took three measures of flour . . .
Special from Johanna W.H. Bos
Though you may not know it, we have been going at it summer and fall. Here is a brief report of our activities:
In light of our Acting Director Heather Thiessen’s leave, our graduate Marie McCanless was hired in June to help Johanna in planning specific events. Marie will be working with the Center through December.
June, July, August
In June, a team began meeting to plan for V-week and a performance of the Vagina Monologues in February, 2010. Megan Case, Christine Coy-Fohr, Marie McCanless and I met for evening dinner in the Women’s Center to begin the initial planning. The team has since then expanded, including our Vagina Monologues Director, Katrina Peckich-Bundy, our support guys Marvin Dandurand and Brennan Pearson, our field education student coordinator, Kate Davidson, and others. We are now edging toward audition time which will be in the last week of November. We have great events planned and work with zest to see them come into fruition. The proceeds of the performance for the most part will go to the Louisville Casa Latina.
August and September
Late August we were fortunate to have Kate Davidson join us as the Field Ed Student Coordinator for the Center.
September 11, the Women’s Center participated with gusto in the Seminary Tailgate Party and thereby won first prize! Our prize is proudly displayed in the Women’s Center. Johanna Bos appeared as a 19th century Suffragist, Susie Wiggins as Susan B. Anthony, Kate Davidson as a Flapper, and Megan Case as a bra-burning Women’s Liberationist.
September 13 the Center participated in the Louisville AIDS walk with upward of twenty participants, great signs and a wonderful spirit. Our walking was preceded on Saturday with sign-making and a presentation on the HIV/AIDS epidemic by our alum aaron guldenschuh gatten. Earlier that week we had a movie showing in the Center of the film Life Support, with very good attendance and discussion.
Also during the summer a team started to work to help plan the Fundraising dinner which took place on September 20. A great number of students joined in this effrot which turned into a rousing success. A reception with a small art exhibit preceded dinner. During dinner, which this year was in the Winn Center, Seminary Stars kept the guests entertained, while Dr. Elizabeth Hinson-Hasty provided an inspiring speech making clear the need for a Center such as ours on a Seminary campus. For photos of the event are available on the Seminary website under photo galleries.
Right now we are preparing for Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20 which is being planned by local representatives of the Transgender community and More Light at LPTS under the able leadership of Kate Davidson and Marie McCanless. Kate is making herself especially responsible for the More Light Group on campus and is planning a number of activities for the near future. Lisa Larges of That All May Freely Serve will be in town October 21-24 and will be speaking on our campus on October 22 from 4:30-6:30. We also hope to host the Rev. Erin Swenson to address the campus on transgender issues, early in December.
Movie showings, panel discussions and a workshop are all part of the plans surrounding Transgender Day of Remembrance.
December 11 we plan to have our Fall Arts and Crafts show in the Winn Center, a major fundraiser for the Center.
As I write this I have just returned with four other representatives from the Women’s Center at LPTS to support and protect women who are having an abortion at the clinic on Market Street. Quite an experience. A crowd of opponents were standing there praying to Mary and God the Father and holding up pictures of fetuses and of Jesus on the cross. A number of them tried to harass the clients as they are walking into the building, coming close, yelling. Supporters tried to form a protective hedge while escorts are surrounding the women who enter the clinic. It became soon apparent to me that the drone of the Hail Mary’s and other prayers and chants would be too hard to bear with for more than two hours, and I aosl thought that theirs should not be the only voices to be heard, so a few students and myself began singing some favorite songs. “Turpitude, Moral Turpitude, Depravity, Depravity, Inherent Baseness,” the song called Calvin’s Round, we sang to the protesters as they were chanting their “Aves.” While women were escorted in we sang “We Are Marching In the Light of God.” We also warbled “This Little Light of Mine,” “We Shall Not Be Moved,” “We Are A Gentle Loving People,” “Hava Nashira,” and “Ubi Caritas et Amor” in harmony. We need to create a regular repertoire and some good singers whose voices carry. We sang the entire time we were standing there. When the Archbishop came with a crowd of followers to stand across the road chanting prayers, we sang “Ubi Caritas et Amor.” Come join us next time. Supporters need to show up in greater numbers! Dress warmly especially socks and warm shoes. It is cold there. What a world!
Johanna W.H. Bos
Dora Pierce Professor of Bible and Faculty Liaison to the Women’s Center at LPTS
The Women's Center at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary is (1) a space for women and men to gather, to discuss issues that affect women, women's ministry and ministry to women as members of created humanity and (2) an agent of mission. The mission of the Women's Center at LPTS is to educate on matters of concern to women, advocate for justice and equity for women, liberate prisoners of rigid gender roles, and celebrate the gifts and achievements of women in the Church and the world.
Planning for Transgender Day of Remembrance, Fall Arts and Crafts Sale, and other Fall activities
Planning for Transgender Day of Remembrance, Fall Arts and Crafts Sale, and other Fall activities
