Over the Hong Kong airwavies, Rev. Steve Parelli spoke live on RTHK radio (Radio-TV Hong Kong) on the fallacies of the evangelical ex-gay movement, Tuesday, July 20

HONG KONG.  Thursday, July 22, 2010, 11:15am, from the Internet at Pacific Coffee, Nathan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong. By Rev. Steve Parelli.

Rev. Steve Parelli, Executive Director of Other Sheep, spoke live on RTHK radio (Radio-TV Hong Kong) on the fallacies of the evangelical ex-gay movement, Tuesday, July 20.

You may hear the interview from the following link. It starts at around 48:40.
http://programme.rthk.org.hk/channel/radio/player_popup.php?pid=513&eid=112554&player=media&type=archive&channel=radio3&date=20100720&d=2010-07-20&sHour=07&sMin=00&eHour=07&eMin=59+&part=2.

Many thanks to Fergus Lo and Nigel Collett of Fridai.com for their networking which brought about this opportunity for Other Sheep to address live over the Hong Kong airwaves the fallacies of the ex-gay movement.

Sunil Pant of Blue Diamond Society reports, "Your [Other Sheep] visit [to Nepal] got things going"

The Other Sheep Pastors' Seminar of 2009 in Nepal opens doors of opportunity for Sunil Pant to obtain four speaking opportunities within Christian circles in Nepal over the past 12 months
by Jose Ortiz, writing July 4, 2010, in Acapulco, Mexico, Fiesta Inn

A small window of opportunity to visit with Sunil Pant in New York City
Last week on Gay Pride Sunday, June 27, 2010, I was home and Steve was flying to Mexico to attend the MCC General Conference. I would join him there on Tuesday. It was around 3:30 PM and I was watching the World Cup game of Mexico vs. Argentina. I was rooting for Mexico and, unfortunately, Argentina was ahead by 3 goals. Suddenly, the phone rang and on the other end of the line I heard a familiar voice saying, "Guess who this is?" I immediately recognized the voice of Nraj, a dear gay friend from India who lives in New York City. He was calling to invite Steve and me to grab a bite to eat with him and none other than Sunil Pant, first openly gay member of the parliament of Nepal and founder of Blue Diamond Society (the LGBT activist group in that country).

Sunil Pant and SALGA (the South Asian Lesbian and Gay Association) in the NYC Gay Pride Parade
Sunil had just finished marching with Nraj and other members of SALGA (the South Asian Lesbian and Gay Association) in the New York City gay pride parade. For a second I was torn between rooting for Mexico and meeting with my South Asian friends --- it was just a second's hesitation. Mexico was losing miserably and it was close to the end of the first half of the game.

Remembering our visit to Nepal in the summer of 2009 – and the Pastors' Seminar
When Nraj told me where they were in Manhattan and that Sunil had to leave at 5PM for another engagement, I thought I wouldn't make it from the Bronx in time to have any quality time with Sunil so I sadly declined. I continued to watch the game and could find no peace. My team was losing AND I had lost the opportunity to meet up again with Sunil whom I had last seen in July of last year when Steve and I visited his country, met him for dinner to learn more about his organization and discuss our collaboration. It would have been great to have seen him once again and see how things had progressed in Nepal since that summer where Other Sheep hosted 25 Christian pastors at a seminar we gave on the Bible and homosexuality. Some members of Blue Diamond Society had participated by telling their stories to the pastors of how they experienced being gay and attending some of the churches these pastors represented.

Making a run for it – to visit Sunil Pant in Manhattan
After a few more minutes of watching my team flounder, I said to myself, "Well, better a few minutes with Sunil than to watch my team get thrashed. So, I called Nraj back telling him to stay put at the restaurant and that I would reach them by a quarter to 5PM. I took off like a rocket to my local subway station.

Learning that the Other Sheep Pastors' Seminar had opened doors of opportunity for Sunil Pant to subsequently speak in four churches in Nepal
I am so glad I decided to take the few minutes with Sunil because, during our visit, Sunil discovered that the engagement he was heading to next was an hour later than they had thought. We were able to visit for over an hour. In our conversation I was to discover that Other Sheep's visit to Nepal had aroused a real interest on the part of many pastors and Sunil and his society had been invited to give seminars on topics relating to homosexuality. Sunil reported that he had four speaking opportunities within Christian circles in Nepal thanks to Other Sheep's visit to his country last year.

What a great Gay Pride Sunday for Other Sheep, Blue Diamond Society and Nepal
So the day was not a complete loss. Although "my team" Mexico had lost, the team that I play for every day had scored a decisive goal. The presence of those pastors last year at the Other Sheep seminar in Nepal and subsequent seminars they asked for are an indication that there are possibilities for some churches to not only open their doors of welcome to gays but also the doors of full and active membership to our Nepali sisters and brothers. All the more reason for us to translate the book "The Children are Free" into Nepali.

Other Sheep addresses LGBT/SOGI human rights consultation meeting, June 14, 2010, at Church Center of the United Nations, United Nations Plaza 4.

By Rev. Stephen Parelli, Bronx, NY.  June 15, 2010

On June 14th, 2010, the Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office hosted a day-long consultation on the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, and the international decriminalization of sexual orientation and gender identity with Ugandan Bishop Christopher Senyonjo, LGBT advocate, ally, and exiled Bishop of the Church of Uganda.

Executive Director of Other Sheep Rev. Stephen Parelli, a panel member of the first session, citing Mary Wangila, author of Female Circumcision, The Interplay of Religion, Culture, and Gender in Kenya, said the problem of, and the answer to, homophobia in East Africa is one and the same: religion. Citing Mark A. Noll, The New Shape of World Christianity, and concurring with Julius Kaggwa the panelist who spoke before him that Uganda is an evangelical country, Parelli referenced "The East African Revival" of the 1920s as the historical reason for the present day evangelical fervor in East Africa. Parelli said evangelicals believe in the final authority of the Word of God and that when addressing evangelicals about homosexuality one need's to understand the evangelical's starting point: the Word of God.

Parelli provided two hand outs to the participants: A critique on Ysufu Turaki's featured article on homosexuality in Zondervan's Africa Bible Commentary and "Kenyan Coming Out Stories: Creating Communities of Listeners."

Parelli, referring to Ysufu Turaki's homophobic, intolerant article as an example of how religion is the problem, said the Association of Evangelicals in Africa, Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church and Dr. Douglas Carew of Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology endorse Africa Bible Commentary. Parelli said Other Sheep, in view of the intolerant article on homosexuality, has written board members of the Association of Evangelicals in Africa asking them to give their position on the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill and that no reply was received.

By contrast, showing how religion is part of the answer, Parelli said on May 27, 2010, Other Sheep Kenya held a discussion with Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School Apologetics class on human sexuality, gender identity and Christianity and that one student said this was her first time to learn about homosexuality in an academic setting.

In addition, Parelli referenced two seminars on homosexuality and religion conducted by Other Sheep Kenya on the cost of Kenya as an example of how education is crucial. Parelli, reading from the recommendations of the Other Sheep Christian Religious Leaders' Seminar (March 5, 2010) and the recommendations of the Other Sheep dialogue with Muslim Religious Leaders (March 6, 2010), said Christian and Muslim religious leaders in Kenya are asking for more seminars and educational materials that will address their respective sacred writings, sexual orientation, human sexuality and religion.

Parelli said that Other Sheep has distributed in Africa The Blue Book and The Children Are Free: Reexamining the Biblical Evidence on Same-sex Relationships. Parelli said in 2008 Other Sheep conducted a full day seminar in Kampala, Uganda, on the Bible and homosexuality with 40 plus LGBT Christians in attendance. Parelli indicated the teaching on the Bible and homosexuality was liberating for Ugandan LGBT Christians. Parelli, reporting on the Other Sheep seminar on the Bible and homosexuality in Rwanda 2008, showed how the Bible, in its literal usage, as is the evangelical custom, has a far reaching impact for good or for ill.

Parelli, citing Stephen O. Murray and Will Roscoe's book Boy-Wives and Female Husbands as his source, said the African language has many native words that refer to same-sex sex which were in use before the white man came to Africa.  Europeans brought homophobia to Africa, not homosexuality, he said.  Homosexuality was there before the white man came.

Parelli read three written testimonies of LGBT Christians in East Africa whose lives were changed because of the educational materials or teachings they received on homosexuality and the Bible from Other Sheep. Parelli, quoting from the first testimonial, read "You gave me a book, The Children are Free. Very inspiring. Talk of people who have been transformed by the book . . . here I am. Kindly return to Africa . . . I appreciate your Other Sheep ministry . . . Good job." Quoting from a second testimonial and highlighting the idea of education, Parelli read, "We thank God for sending Jose and Steve to this country in such a time. We're blessed and going back to the glory that we'd left because of ignorance." Quoting from a third testimonial, Parelli read "I've been with Other Sheep for almost four months now. Other Sheep East Africa, through Rev. Kimindu, enabled me to reconcile my Christianity with my homosexuality. I've come out to my sis. … I just wanted to thank people like you for what you do. It saved this life. Glory be to God."

In the final session of the day, Parelli said the most valuable resource for the battle against homophobia in Africa is already in place, i.e., the religious leaders and the LGBT activist in the pew in East Africa. Parelli said, they are educated, they know their region and their people; they know how to work their situation. It is for us to learn from them, understand them and the strategy they would employ; to work with them and to provide the tools they require and need.

Kenyan Clergymen Urged to talk about Sexual Orientation and Equality in Church

Rev. Michael Kimindu of Metropolitan Community Church and Coordinator for Other Sheep East Africa speaks on Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC)'s weekly morning family talk show.

Article by Ken Were (BTM) Correspondent   
June 6, 2010 at 5:10am
Courtesy: Mask Newline.

Religious Organizations in Kenya have been urged to promote human rights and embrace lesbians, gay, bisexuals, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people who are part of religious groups.

This, according to reverend Michael Kimundu of Metropolitan Community Church, will not be promoting gay marriages or homosexuality, but will be advancing awareness on sexual orientation, human dignity and rights amongst Christians and Muslims.

Speaking on Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC)'s weekly morning family talk show, the Kimindu, also coordinator of Other Sheep East Africa, called on Churches to talk with zeal and openness about fundamental human rights and not use the bible to demonize members of the LGBTI community who are members of their churches.

Kimindu, challenged clergymen to accept realities of sexual orientation and its diversity in human beings.

"The bible or God did not discriminate any one. It talks of love, care and peace for all. This is the point my organization is trying to tell fellow clergymen and Christians and Muslims across the country that it is against the biblical teachings to chase away, isolate , hate and discriminate a member of the LGBTI community based on their sexual orientation ", Kimindu told the audience.

He also revealed that he has initiated an outreach mission to meet Church leaders with a view to provide civic education on human sexuality and sexual orientation in relationship to Christianity and the gospel.

He added that many clergymen in Kenya are in support of the course but are reluctant to speak publicly about the topic in their churches for fear of being sacked or excommunicated.

Rev. Kimundu, who was a senior clergy at the Anglican Church of Kenya in Nairobi, was excommunicated from the communion more than five years ago for openly supporting rights of LGBTI people in the Church.

"We are calling on church pastors, leaders and Imams in Mosques to help root out stigma directed at LGBTI members in their faith organizations. This is how the church can promote equality and human rights as is written in the holy scripture and the Koran that all human beings are the same in the eyes of God", Kimindu concluded.

Article by Ken Were (BTM) Correspondent

Kenyan Coming Out Stories: "Creating Communities of Listeners"

A Research Project by Rev. Stephen R. Parelli and Jose Enrique Ortiz

"By presenting a gay self, an individual alters social reality by creating a community of listeners and thereby establishing the beginnings of a new gay-aware culture."

Research Question
From our sample of Kenyan coming out stories, to what degree is there the "creating [of] a community of listeners” (CCL) in Kenya in five different areas of society: civil government, church and seminary, boarding school, family, and friends?

The Importance of the Research Question
According to A. C. Liang, by creating a community of listeners (CCL) around the topic of one's gay self, the LGBT individual establishes the beginnings of a new gay-aware culture which alters social reality (ASR). See Figure 1.

Method, Participants, Setting and Related Activities
For four weeks in the summer of 2007 in Nairobi, Kenya, my partner Jose Ortiz and I, by invitation of a local HIV-AIDS education/prevention organization, conducted discussion groups with LGBT Kenyans. In our second story two-bedroom, suburban, gated community apartment, we recorded more than 30 coming out stories. Our apartment had become a virtual gay community center with people coming and going, at times, 14 hours a day. People signed up in advance for participation in discussion groups. In addition, mini-teaching sessions were conducted on the Bible and homosexuality, strategic organizational meetings were held, one for starting a Nairobi P-FLAG. Amazingly, one historic session with 18 LGBT people sharing their story with a leading religious leader from an influential and prominent main line denominational church in the city of Nairobi was miraculously orchestrated.

The private manicured grounds of the apartment complex included an outdoor pool with sauna and a grill and patio lounge area which was used to host a party for roughly 60 new-found friends at the end of our stay.

The 30 LGBT participants who agreed to be recorded were between the ages of 19 and 31. Most were college grads or attending college. All were gay except for three straight friends. All, for the most part, either at the time of the recording or formerly, could be characterized as religious or as deeply committed to their place of worship. Most had attended boarding school for primary and high school education.

After returning to our home in the Bronx, we transcribed the recordings into a manuscript of 74 pages. Our findings, as related to the research question, are presented here.

Data Collected
From the quotes that follow, we've tagged each excerpt as "creating a community of listeners" (potentially or in actuality) within one of five social areas: civil law, church and seminary, boarding school, friends, and family.

Some accounts are categorized as potentially creating a community of listeners (the gay self yet unpresented publically), while other accounts (the gay self actually presented publically) have, in reality, already created a community of listeners to some degree.

In some cases, individuals were forced to come out because they were found out. Others chose to come out. But whether by design or by default, the telling of one's story, feelings and thoughts establishes "the beginnings of a new gay-aware culture" which does, with time, "alter social reality."

To read the paper in full, click here.

Kenya leads the way in Evangelical - LGBT discussion

"Other Sheep Kenya held a discussion with Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School Apologetics class on human sexuality, gender identity and Christianity on May 27, 2010."

A remarkable, timely, historic meeting in East Africa
by Rev. John Makokha, Coordinator for Other Sheep Kenya, NAIROBI, Kenya
May 28, 2010.

Editor's note: There may be other formal discussions between evangelicals and the LGBT community happening in East Africa at this time, especially in light of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill of Uganda, however, Other Sheep is not aware of any. This remarkable event between Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School and Other Sheep Kenya needs to be heralded as an example of what needs to take place between the Evangelical community and the LGBT community worldwide. -Rev. Steve Parelli, Executive Director, Other Sheep

Other Sheep Kenya held a discussion with Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School Apologetics class on human sexuality, gender identity and Christianity on May 27. The 15-member class was accompanied by their lecturer, Prof. Bill Black.

Rev. Michael Kimindu [Other Sheep East Africa Coordinator] gave his personal story in view of human sexuality and development. He recalled how he discovered his sexuality through socialization with his peers and not just acquiring it. He encouraged theological students in Africa to take education on human sexuality and identity seriously since ignorance has no place in the church and society.

David Kuria [General Manager, GALCK] said there is a lot of hate and spiritual violence in the church against sexual minorities. He noted that love is missing in the church and the same love can now be found outside the walls of the church. He gave an example of an ugly incident in Mtwapa, a coastal town of Mombasa where some Christian and Muslim religious leaders led mobs to stone to death suspected gays. He said that a suspected gay young man missed lynching by a close shave after being saved by a prostitute who embraced him and restrained the mob's action. "I am persuaded to think this female prostitute was a Good Samaritan", said Kuria.

Rev. John Makokha went through some of the clobber passages in the Bible [Leviticus 18-20, Romans 1: 26-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, 1 Timothy 6: 9-11 and Jude 7] and said he is strongly persuaded that none of these biblical texts speak of homosexuality as a sexual orientation the way we understand it today.

He said that these biblical texts speak of creation narrative and the origin of humanity where there was no gender differentiation between man and woman, and there was no distinction between their sexuality [Genesis 1].

He noted that according to his understanding the second clobber passage talks about attempted gang rape, inhospitality, greed and lack of compassion to the poor and vulnerable households and not homosexuality [Genesis 19]. Prophet Ezekiel [16: 48-50] and even Jesus [Mathew 10: 14-15] himself make reference to inhospitality and greed as reasons for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

He said that the third clobber passage reflects the holiness code that comprises of cultural rituals of Israelites in their effort to be a distinct race and divinely favored race of people in their environment. The Levitical rules were meant for the Jewish people. Some of these holiness codes are cultic, cultural and criminal, and even modern Jewish people do not practice them. He asked, "How come the church is not practicing all the more than 613 holiness codes/rules, leave alone all the Ten Commandments?"

He noted that Paul speaks about pederasty, temple prostitution and idolatry. The people broke away from their natural sexual orientation, engaging in sexual infidelity with anyone [Romans 1: 26-27, I Corinthians 6: 9-10, 1 Timothy 6: 9-11]. Paul was addressing the model of homosexual behavior associated with idol worship, and religious rituals associated with their idolatry of his time and not homosexuality as sexual orientation the way we understand it today.

He said that he is strongly persuaded that Jude 7 speaks about heterosexual sex between male angels and human women, and not homosexual sex between humans.

He blamed the early fundamental evangelical Christian missionaries who brought the gospel wrapped up in homophobic and trans phobic attire. The same has happened to the established theological colleges in curricula design, planning, implementation, translation and interpretation of various bible versions.

Anne Baraza [CEO, Riruta United Women Empowerment Programme and LGBTI Counselor] said science rightly interpreted has much to offer when it comes to questions on human sexuality and gender identity. Scientific findings may today inform the church and society on sexual orientation issues. "I am aware that science can't resolve all our value questions but we need to regard homosexual orientation as a normal variation as we did with left handedness", she said.

She said that research has shown that environment influences sexual behavior and not sexual orientation. Sexual orientation is innate, discovered and not a choice as many people tend to think.

Baraza said empirical evidence has indicated brain anatomy influences one's sexual orientation. The research done by Simon Le Vay showed that brain cluster cells were larger in heterosexuals and smaller in homosexuals. Gay men simply don't have brain cells to be sexually and emotionally attracted to women. Lesbians may have more of a typical male anatomy and this could explain why they are attracted to fellow women.

Fabian Wangare [Other Sheep Kenya, MSM HIV/AIDS Initiative Officer] said that he is living positively with HIV as a gay man and pleaded with the church leaders to initiate HIV/AIDS programs with a focus on sexual minorities in their respective denominations. Stigma and discrimination against lesbian, gay and bisexual persons is increasing the spread of new infections of AIDS in Kenya at the rate 15.2%. He said "I stopped going to all churches due to stigma and discrimination by the clergy, but after several counseling sessions, I now attend an affirming and welcoming church."

One NEGST student said that they had learned a lesson on sexual orientation for the first time in their academic life. They requested more resource materials so that they can study further since they were still digesting what they had acquired from the fruitful discussion. This served as an eye opener to them.

Ricky Martin and my daughter Heidi: Can her teenage crush for Ricky Martin soften her feelings towards her gay dad?

by Rev. Steve Parelli, Executive Director of Other Sheep

In the early 90s, as a Baptist minister of Sparta, NJ, with three teenage daughters, I took careful notice of the name of one new celebrity: Ricky Martin. His poster was looking down at me from my daughter Heidi's bedroom wall.

"Who's that," I asked her older sister. "That's Ricky Martin," she said. "Everyone knows who Ricky Martin is! He's a popular Puerto Rican singer and Heidi has a crush on him."

Turns out not everyone knew who Ricky Martin is, least of all himself. Just this past week he came out of the closet with a statement on his official website saying "I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am."

Fifteen-plus years can bring a lot of changes. Since Heidi's Ricky Martin crush, I've come out to her and her sisters and brother. I've divorced and, in 2008, I remarried – to a Puerto Rican male Adonis, nonetheless. Heidi went on to Liberty University and graduated the same year that the controversial Jerry Falwell passed away. Now she's married and, taking up where Jerry Falwell left off, she refuses all contact with her father and his own "Ricky Martin" partner.

If she sill has any teenage feelings for Ricky Martin, maybe she can transfer them over to her dad now and accept us both – Ricky and me – as "proud and fortunate homosexual men who are very much blessed to be who we are."