California congregation links from Web site to homosexual ‘adults only’ search engine
The Layman Online, July 22, 2005
The Web site of a Presbyterian congregation in California includes a link that takes visitors to Gayscape, a search engine for sites of interest – including “adults only” material – to gays, lesbians, bisexuals and the transgendered.
In a statement on its Web site, West Hollywood Presbyterian Church identifies itself as a More Light church that “is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and a Christ centered part of the Lesbian/Gay community which strives to be inclusive, welcoming everyone.”
The search engine includes an “Adults Only” notice, listing its directories as including “Nude Male Art, Bears, Erotica, Escorts, Fetishes, Leather and similar sites which may include nudity, sexually explicit text and photography.” Another notice states, “Directories may include photos and other art work containing nude men including graphic sexual images and sexually explicit text.”
The fetishes category, for example, lists such things as “Adult Toys, Bath Houses, Bondage, BD/SM, Escorts and Agencies, Gay Sex Clubs, Leather Bars and Nightclubs, Male Art, Big Hairy Naked Men, Naked Men, Photos and Video, Shower scenes, Spanking, Paddling and Flogging.”
The personal ads section, with text and photos, includes such categories as “Looking for real sex?” and “Bisexual Men – Personal Ads.”
Other categories include “Mature Gays and Lesbians,” “Gay Marriage,” “Weddings and Commitment Ceremonies,” “Dating Service,” “Streaming Video, Adult,” “Shower scenes,” and others.
There also is a section that includes what is called “personal sites” with such listings as “Bisexual,” “Bisexual, Women,” “Couples,” “Couples, Lesbian,” “Lesbian,” “Transgender,” and others.
Research Services of the PCUSA lists Hollywood Presbyterian Church as having 65 members. The church’s Web site says that, in October of 1984, the congregation “called as its minister, an openly Gay man, the Reverend Dan Smith. Even now, Dan Smith is the only openly Gay minister serving a congregation in the Presbyterian Church.”
In 2000, Smith was one of 34 people identifying themselves as Presbyterians who signed a statement that called upon churches to bless same-sex unions and to abandon the traditional Biblical and Reformed ethic in sexuality.
The principle sponsors of the statement were representatives of the Unitarian Universalist and the United Church of Christ. Of the more than 900 signatures, 281 identified themselves as Unitarian Universalist and more than 130 identified themselves as United Church of Christ.
The statement, called a “Religious Declaration on Sexual Morality, Justice and Healing,” said, “Our culture needs a sexual ethic focused on personal relationships and social justice rather than particular sexual acts. All persons have the right and responsibility to lead sexual lives that express love, justice, mutuality, commitment, consent, and pleasure.”
The statement called for “full inclusion of sexual minorities in congregational life, including their ordination and the blessing of same-sex unions.”