Lay Catholics Leading Fight For LGBT Equality

[UrbScotty]

At the federal level, as well, Catholics rank among the most ardent supporters of gay marriage. When the United States Supreme Court struck down sodomy laws in 2003 in the case Lawrence v. Texas, it was a Catholic, Anthony Kennedy, who wrote the majority opinion for the Court. A Catholic vice president, Joe Biden, went on national television and came out in support of gay marriage. A few days later, his boss followed suit.

It's not just the elites who are leading the way. Catholics support same-sex marriage at higher rates than any other Christian group, including all mainline Protestants, Evangelicals, and Mormons. A recent Pew survey found that Catholics support gay marriage by a margin of 52 percent to 37 percent, up from 2010, when 46 percent of Catholics favored marriage equality.

Catholic sisters, the beleaguered women who historically have run the social justice institutions that have served so many Catholics and non-Catholics alike, have quietly supported gays and lesbians for decades, perhaps leading to a recent crackdown by church officials. Even if not challenging bishops, these women so often act as the pastoral face of the church, offering much needed pastoral support to those on the front lines of this culture war.

More quietly, at the most personal levels, gay Catholics and their families find support in the church from brave priests, monks, and lay ministers. A few Benedictine monks, living humbly and quietly in New Hampshire, have privately offered their solidarity and prayer to me over the years. This gentle love and devotion to the Gospel commandment of treating others how you wish to be treated may be off the radar and away from public consciousness, but it is a lifeline to those who feel marginalized, alone, and even angry.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-oloughlin/lay-catholics-fight-lgbt-equality_b_1581339.html