Upcoming: Global implications of American homophobia

Colin Stewart is a 45-year journalism veteran. He is the…

Flier for Albert Ogle talk of April 24, 2012 — Flyer for Albert Ogle talk of April 24, 2012

Fundamentalists but also progressive Christian denominations are causing harm in the 76 countries worldwide where homosexuality is illegal, says the Rev. Canon Albert Ogle, president of St. Paul’s Foundation for International Reconciliation.

That statement, as well as churches’ role in human rights issues and AIDS prevention abroad, will be the theme of a talk about the global implications of American homophobia that Ogle is scheduled to present April 24 at Chapman Law School in Orange, Calif. The title of the talk is “The Pluses and Minuses of Faith-Based Equality.”

Free tickets are available at 714-628-2500. Lunch is included.

Here is his summary of the subject:

In the recent debates around homosexuality, the focus on theological/ biblical approaches often deflects the real experience of LGBT people in 76 countries where homosexuality is criminalized. Significant moves to further criminalize homosexuality on the African continent or the Caribbean are often led by religious organizations where the inter-connectedness of church and state can result in draconian anti-gay legislation (as in Uganda).

Financial and moral support for the further marginalization of LGBT people and exclusion from HIV prevention and health services often comes from the USA (recently illustrated by the federal lawsuit filed by Sexual Minorities Uganda against American evangelist Scott Lively).

Meanwhile, progressive religious voices within these countries cannot find enough financial support from churches in the USA or Europe because of outdated policies requiring provincial support of all projects within their jurisdiction.

How do we repair our colonial past and move towards God’s invitation to share in God’s reign of justice and peace?
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When: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Tuesday, April 24
Where: Room 237AB, Chapman Law School, 379 N. Glassell Street, Orange, CA.
How: Tickets are available at 714-628-2500. Lunch is included.
Background of speaker:
The Rev. Albert Ogle has lived and worked in Southern California since 1982, when Integrity sponsored his immigration from Ireland and helped to establish a program for high risk street youth in Los Angeles. Albert has served in the Diocese of Los Angeles as one of the first openly gay clergy (with Canons Malcolm Boyd and William Leeson).

He was youth director of the LA Gay and Lesbian Center and acting executive director in 1985. He co-authored the first comprehensive statewide plan for California’s response to the AIDS epidemic in 1986 and put the model in place in All Saint’s Episcopal Church, Pasadena. The AIDS Service Center now serves an eighth of Los Angeles County. He shared his AIDS experience with the Anglican Church of Uganda and worked closely with Archbishop Okoth and many Ugandan bishops before the current breakdown of relationships within the Anglican Church.

He has served as a founding Board member of the National Episcopal AIDS Coalition. He was rector of St. George’s Episcopal Church in Laguna Hills for eight years and helped to found Men Alive, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Orange County. Upon returning from a two-year sabbatical in Ireland in July 2008, he was one of the religious leaders active in the San Diego/Orange County region seeking marriage equality. He worked closely with his community of St. Paul’s Cathedral in San Diego, where he is a residentiary priest.

Ogle has been active with the local Integrity group at St. Paul’s and also serves on the California Council of Churches Impact Board (working on social justice legislative action throughout California).