"Confrontations that Bring Transformations"

In the Sydney Morning Herald, Monday, June 15th, 1999 the following appeared: “An employee for Ansett Australia, who happened to have the last name of GAY, got on a plane recently using one of his company’s “Free Flight” programs. However, when Mr. Gay tried to take his seat, he found it being occupied by a paying passenger. So, not to make a fuss, he simply chose another seat. Unknown to Mr. Gay, another Ansett Australia flight at the airport experienced mechanical problems. The passengers of this other flight were being rerouted to various airplanes. A few were put on Mr. Gay’s flight and anyone who was holding a ticket was being bumped. Ansett officials, armed with a list of these “freebee” ticket holders boarded the plane to remove the free ticket holders. Of course, our Mr. Gay was not sitting in his assigned seat as you may remember. So when the Ticket Agent approached the seat where Mr. Gay was supposed to be sitting, she asked a startled customer “Are you Gay?”. The man shyly nodded that he was, at which she demanded: “Then you have to get off the plane”. Mr. Gay, overhearing what the Ticket Agent had said, tried to clear up the situation: “You’ve got the wrong man. I’m Gay! This caused an angry third passenger to yell “Hell, I’m gay too. They can’t kick us all off!” Confusion reined as more and more passengers began yelling that Ansett Australia had no right to remove gays from their flights. Ansett refused to comment on the incident.”

Australia is not immune from prejudice. Yet the incident shows that people there rose up against perceived discrimination. An important lesson can be learned from a story like this: When people who are straight and gay work together confronting a perceived injustice a powerful transformation can take place. What does it take for that to happen?

We can learn much from the story of Jesus and the Phoenician woman. When asked, Jesus at first refused to heal her daughter. She was of a different nationality, a different religion. Jesus said: "It was not right to take the bread from the children and give it to the dogs." The woman could have given up and walked away thinking, All you people think you are so high and holy! But no, she persisted saying: “Even puppies get the crumbs under the table.” This was a call to conscience, which means to confront and at the same time to hold that the other human being has a conscience. Jesus was moved to heal the daughter. This had a big effect on Jesus’ ministry which became open to all the people. It was a Transformation.

Eddie Bates is a member of First United Church. She enjoyed watching the Ellen DeGeneris? show while exercising at the YMCA. After someone complained, the show was no longer on. Since she missed the show she confronted the manager who explained the situation. She was bold enough to ask the question: “I thought this was a Christian organization?” The manager got the point. “Oh, you mean Inclusive.” Two weeks later when she went to work out again the Ellen show was ON.

The Catalyst for our Interfaith service today is this: a Gay Pride display in a Hillsborough County public library that offended someone. On June 15th the Hillsborough County Board of Commissioners acted to ban any support of Gay Pride events, including displays of books by librarians. Tampa United Church of Christ is a small church. We asked ourselves, what could we do to confront the BOCC? But, very soon thereafter, on June 19th our church unanimously passed a resolution that says in part: Whereas the Board of County Commissioners of Hillsborough County recently enacted a ban on any county support or recognition of all events or displays recognizing gay pride; Whereas the County commissioners action will result in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons and their families feeling unwelcome and unwanted in Hillsborough County; Whereas all persons are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26); Whereas First United Church of Tampa is an open and Affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ, welcoming persons of all sexual orientations into the full life and ministry of the church; Therefore be it resolved that the Church Council of First United Church of Tampa states its opposition to the County Commissioners recent action; Therefore be it resolved that the Church Council will send letters to Commissioner Kathy Castor and Mayor Pam Iorio expressing gratitude for their opposition to the above-mentioned policy; Therefore, be it further resolved that the Church Council expresses support for and solidarity with peaceful actions aimed at striking down this unjust and discriminatory policy. The letter and resolution was sent to the commissioners the following week.

Today we are here to confront injustice. How? By lifting up what we are FOR. We are For a Community that is inclusive. God loves ALL god’s children: People who are gay, people who are Straight. God loves people gathered here today in the heat who are speaking from their hearts. God also loves the people in the cool County Commissioners' chambers too. The key lies in the call to conscience. You have to believe that the persons you are confronting have a conscience. Doing that opens the door to dialogue from the heart.

In that kind of confrontation lies the capacity for transformation. We affirm that the God of love wants nothing less than transformation of our community.