What is in Kelvin's Head?

Marriage isn’t enough

10/01/2015

I’ve been asked recently by a lot of people whether I’m pleased that the new legislation has gone through allowing same-sex couples to get married. I am pleased, of course. I helped to work for it and I’m delighted to see happy smiling faces of couples I know who are now as hitched as anyone else.

However, to ask whether I am satisfied would get a different answer.

You see, I face direct and threatening discrimination at work if I marry. Couples who want to marry in churches like mine can’t do so. And in any case, it isn’t just about marriage anyway.

You see, marriage isn’t enough.

We want to be able to hold hands too.

Can you imagine being allowed to be able to go to the registrar to arrange your own marriage but be frightened to hold hands walking through George Square on your way to do so? Some people reading this will say yes to that question – most won’t even have thought of it.

Panti Bliss, the Irish drag queen is currently continuing the great tradition of drag queens telling the truth about discrimination.

Here she is, and if you’ve never worried about holding someone’s hand, do take a look.

handholding, LGBT, Panti Bliss

10 responses to “It was 30 years ago today…”

Meg Rosenfeld

11/11/2022

Alas, I can’t remember exactly when it became possible for women to be come priests in the
Episcopal Church of the United States of America, but I remember very well the first ones in our parish church in Los Gatos, California and, later, in Santa Rosa. It was a very triumphant time!

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1. Sr Alison Joy Whybrow
  
  12/11/2022
  
  The Canon in the American Episcopal Church passed in 1976 and went into effect on January 1st 1977.
  Sr Alison Joy OSB
  
  Reply
  1. Mg Rosenfeld
    
    12/11/2022
    
    Thanks! I hope to remember those dates now.
    
    Reply
2. Tim Chesterton
  
  14/11/2022
  
  In Canada women began to be ordained as deacons in 1969 and as priests in 1976.
  
  Reply
Peggy Brewer

11/11/2022

Heartfelt testament concerning the importance/necessity of inclusion as our Lord Jesus Christ commanded!

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Bob King

12/11/2022

I remember the day so
well !
I was at Salisbury and Wells Theological College, preparing to leave to be Ordained in Hereford Cathedral, preparing for the closure of the College and praying with passion and fear that the vote in Synod would be YES 🙏🙏
All three things happened as we know, joy and sadness mingled down.

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Helen King

12/11/2022

Yes, all of this, especially “There were cruelties along the way. There was a great deal of abuse along the way”

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1. Anne
  
  18/11/2022
  
  And, sadly, there still is.
  
  Reply
John N Wall

12/11/2022

The first women ordained to the priesthood in the Episcopal Church were the “Philadelphia Eleven,” ordained on July 29, 1974, by three bishops who claimed that “obedience to the Spirit” justified their action. After a second ordination of women, all their ordinations were deemed by the national church to be “irregular but valid.” As a previous correspondent noted, the General Convention of the Episcopal Church officially authorized the ordination of women to the priesthood, a decision that went into effect on the first of January in 1977.

Back to Glossary

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Keith Battarbee

13/11/2022

On the opposite side to the still continuing antipathies in some (diminishing) quarters to women priests : my wife, who is a priest, was driving today when we got stuck waiting our turn to join the main flow of cars. A driver in the main queue – eastern European, almost certainly – spotted my wife’s collar, crossed himself; and when we didn’t get the message, grinned broadly, crossed himself again, and waved us energetically into the traffic flow in front of him.

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