Here’s How the ?Episcopal Church is Embracing Gay Marriage

Image via Flickr User Laura Dye

When the Supreme Court delivered their ruling last Friday, the nation responded with rounds of applause. While some county clerks meekly resigned from their positions, most people followed SCOTUS’ lead, including the Episcopal Church. This Wednesday, Episcopalians gathered at the Episcopal General Convention in Salt Lake City, and voted—overwhelmingly—to approve same-sex wedding ceremonies.

Image via Wikimedia

It’s been a long and contentious struggle for many gay people and their allies in the Episcopal Church. According to The Associated Press, the law will eliminate gender-specific language from church laws. No longer will couples be referred to as “husband and wife” but simply as “couples.” Reverend Bonnie Perry of Chicago, herself an Episcopal lesbian married to another woman, told The AP: “For the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in our congregations now know under the eyes of God and in every single state in this blessed country, they are welcome to receive all the sacraments.”

While the law was passed with overwhelming support, it’s been a long journey for the Episcopal Church. Just ten years ago, the church appointed its first gay bishop. Still, compared to some other faiths, the church has made remarkable progress in the past decade. In New York dioceses, many churches allow their priests to practice civil same-sex weddings. And while some reverends have said that they will refuse to practice the law, the change comes as a blessing for millions of the church’s devoted members.

Via: LGBTQ Nation