Chanting 'Hey, Hey! Ho, Ho! Homophobia's got to go' and 'Pray, pray, pray/ We will still be gay,' about 15 people comprising the Gay Liberation Network ( GLN ) , the Rainbow Sash Movement ( RSM ) , and supporters held a protest across the street from the National Catholic Bishops Conference June 16. The conference was held at the Fairmont Hotel.
Bob Schwartz, a member of the GLN, used a microphone to express his thoughts. 'The time for anti-gay bigotry is at an end,' he said. 'The Catholic bishops [ gave ] themselves the right to determine civil rights for everybody in the United States.' Bishops who entered and exited the hotel were routinely greeted with cries of 'bigot.' Schwartz went on to say that ' [ t ] he Catholic bishops and Protestant fundamentals have campaigned in many states for constitutional amendments barring equal marriage. We say this is wrong ... and is an attempt to impose one religious view on everybody.'
Another who spoke was Glenn Klipp, a consultant not affiliated with GLN or RSM who carried a sign that read 'Gays or lesbians who stay in an unwelcoming church are dumb.' He said, among other things, that Catholic churches are 'anti-women,' 'anti-human love' and 'hypocritical.' Klipp, who was superintendent for the archdiocese of Detroit at one point, revealed to Windy City Times that he has been on a spiritual journey of sorts, adding that two of his four kids came out before he did and that one of the gay children is transgender.
Joe Murray, convener of the RSM, said that the protesters were speaking from across the hotel because they had no other option. 'We're here today to speak from the street because it's the only forum the bishops have given us to speak from. We go into church on Pentecost Sunday and speak from the pews because that's the only forum they give us to speak from. If the bishops would come out and speak with us and talk about issues that affect our lives ... in our community, we have such an intense suicide rate among our gay and lesbian youth ... bishops cannot absolve themselves and say they have nothing to do with that. They influence that on some level and they need to think about that,' he said.
Regarding the church's stance on gay marriage, Murray added that ' [ t ] he Catholic church does not have the right to go beyond [ its ] domain and impose that belief on other citizens of the state. It's that simple.'
Activist Deborah Mell, who briefly attended the event, said that the church 'unfortunately, is a powerful institution. It's a major corporation. We [ owe it to ourselves ] to come here and protest.'
Later, Murray sent an e-mail to Windy City Times, thanking Schwartz and the GLN for responding to RSM's call for support. In particular, Murray thanked Schwartz 'for his leadership and untiring efforts to confront injustice wherever it happens.'
The GLN-RSM contingent was not the only group to protest the bishops this day. As soon as the first group left to call a press conference, the Coalition of Concerned Catholics held its own demonstration, press conference and prayer. Twice during the day, the demonstrators listed the names of several bishops who they believe covered up for pedophile priests.