Methodist Church Celebrates San Francisco's Gay Weddings
Joe Rogers for KCBS-740 AM


(KCBS) Dozens of same sex couples joined voices with the choir at Bethany United Methodist Church in San Francisco's Castro District, where a community ceremony was held to honor the civil same-sex weddings performed at San Francisco City Hall earlier this year.

"Since we didn't get married in a church or any kind of religious institution, for me it was nice to have somebody bless us in that way, and to have it be sort of official from the church like it was official from the city when we got married at City Hall," lesbian newlywed Emily Moore told KCBS reporter Doug Sovern at Bethany Methodist Church. "All that stuff is meaningful."

Moore hails from Los Angeles and came back to the City with her partner for this ceremony, which included a mass cutting of a giant wedding cake and some words from City Assessor Mabel Teng, who presided over San Francisco's first gay marriages last February.

"You should be able to treat everyone equally and respect their love for each other and celebrate their love for each other," said Teng.


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Southern Baptists May Leave World Body
By REUTERS


HICAGO, June 13 (Reuters) - A dispute between the Southern Baptist Convention and a global Baptist group may result in a split this week.

At issue is the Southern Baptist Convention's continuing membership in the Baptist World Alliance, an umbrella organization for the faith that it sees as too liberal. The convention's financial support of the world group is also at stake.

Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention, which is based in Nashville and has 16 million members, are holding their annual meeting Tuesday and Wednesday in Indianapolis. They have said the Baptist World Alliance espouses a "liberal theology" that threatens to infect the church in the United States.

The convention's leadership has been dominated since 1979 by conservatives who maintain, among other things, that the Bible as written is without error.

Another issue that may surface this week involves a call for Baptists to boycott United States public schools. A resolution circulated before the meeting says children in public schools are taught that "God is irrelevant" and that a homosexual lifestyle is acceptable. It suggests that home schooling or private religious schools are proper alternatives.


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Hundreds of thousands turn out for gay pride parade


SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) -- Go-go boys and drag queens waved rainbow-colored flags as hundreds of thousands of dancing revelers clogged a downtown avenue to celebrate gay pride on Sunday.

Organizers said they expected 1.5 million people to attend the Eighth Annual Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans-gender Pride Parade, which would make it the world's biggest gay event.

Police said they would provide a crowd estimate later Sunday.

Sao Paulo is South America's largest city and the center of gay activism and visibility in Brazil, with about 85 bars, restaurants and clubs catering to the gay clientele.


"This event helps a lot. People need to get used to us (gays)," said Edilson Gomes, a 24-year-old law student who came to the parade with his partner. "This helps to promote gay marriage, we -- as a couple -- would need it."