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OTHER WORDS

THE WORD

www.thegayword.com

Do unto others applies to us, too

THE GOOSE IS LOOSE

Michael
Chanak
Ma Goose is delighted to share this space
with the many talented folks Ive come
across over nearly 40 years in Cincinnati.
I got my start in local queendom by attending a church social at New Spirit Oasis
Community MCC in the fall of 1978.
Along that path, I met some interesting
characters, one of which is the now-retired
Bishop John Bell (pictured at right). We
shared a beloved friend, now passed, Barron Wilson, lifelong educator and dowager queen. The following article is the
Bishops perspective of our world:

irst off, I would like to thank my

dear friend Michael Goose Chanak
for giving me this cameo!
First, a bit of a bio on me; I am an
out and proud gay man and an ordained
clergyperson. I came out in 1984 and
became an activist, which I continue to
be to this day. I was ordained in 1996 in
an Independent Catholic Church and
was made a bishop in 2010.
What a summer this has been! We
have seen wonderful things and terrible things, showing us the best and the
worst in the world and among our own
people. One of the things that struck me

particularly hard this year is that despite

the fact that we consider ourselves an
all-inclusive, all welcoming community,
there are certain groups that are not only
neglected, but not really even welcome at
the party.
Included in the litany of those who
are ignored or neglected in our community are, of course, youth (those under
bar age), and elders, and into this mix
one needs put GLBT persons of faith. I
have witnessed and experienced not only
neglect of persons of faith in our community but open hostility, that is not only
unnecessary, but in complete and utter
contradiction of what our community
says it stands for. It is one thing to be
called every form of nasty and hateful
thing by those who are the enemies of
our people, but to be called the same by
your own is very disturbing.
I was the Assistant Pastor of a GLBT
focused congregation in San Francisco,
located in the Castro District. We had
a habit of standing at the front door of
the building to welcome folks in. One
evening, a group of young queens heading down the street to one of the local
watering holes looked at us and called us
child molesters simply because we were
clergy. They knew we were a gay church,
as our sign clearly pointed out, but I suppose that didnt matter; the vitriol they
carried towards religion, Christianity in
particular, negated that.
This particular incident occurred about
10 years ago and I have noticed that
rather than improving, the situation is
growing worse.
Several months back, I attended a celebratory opening of a new space for use of
the community. It is located in an unused

area of a church which has been an active

supporter of our community for many
years. During the opening speech, one of
the leaders of the organization that uses
the space leveled a diatribe at religion
that was, at its best, an embarrassment,
at its worst, an offense. Members of the
church allowing and encouraging the
use of the space by our community were
present, and must have felt the spray was
being directed straight at them.
The self-same person who let out
this vitriol would be offended to hell
and back if one didnt use appropriate
terminology and syntax when addressing
her, and would more than likely rip your
head off for not doing so. Why then is
it considered alright for her to offend an
entire group of people, but dont you dare
do it to her?
If we are going to ask the world to
accept us and welcome us to the table
of humanity despite our differences,
can anything less be expected of us? I
am proud to be Gay and I am proud
to be a person of faith; why should one
exclude the other? Historically, at least in
Cincinnati, one of the earliest safe places
outside the bar scene was a church, one
that still exists and is still a safe place.
Churches are not always the enemy
often enough they are, and those you
fight. If you dont believe in God, or dont
care for the organized church, all fine and
dandy, it is your choice.
Anyone who knows me will tell you I
am not afraid to spray the church when I
find her message or doctrine an offense,
but I wont and neither should anyone
else write off an entire group of people
simply because of some real or perceived
grievance that one experienced in ones

August 2016

youth. Get over it, and move one with

your life; open yourself to different experiences and allow for growth.
The ultimate message I wish to teach
through my tale here is: If you expect
others to accept you for who and what
you are, then do it yourself. Dont
whinge and moan if you arent welcomed
with opened arms by those whom you
dont welcome with open arms. Here
endeth the Lesson. O
Michael Goose Chanak is a longtime
active member of the Cincinnati LGBT
community. Contact him at goose@maryxgoose.org or www.maryxgoose.org.