The Episcopal Church grapevine is full of the news that Rev. Mary Glasspool, openly partnered with another woman, has received the necessary consents from both standing committees and bishops (churchy lingo for "OK by us") and will be consecrated a bishop on May 15. Understandably so since there was very real doubt that she would receive the consents needed.
What has truly caught my notice, however, is that absolutely NOTHING has been made of the fact that another woman was elected bishop in LA that day. Diane Jardine Bruce (that's her picture, there) was approved with pretty much a yawn.Does anyone else remember the huge kerfuffle when Barbara Harris was elected bishop in Massachusetts a mere 20 years ago? The protests? The End Of The Church As We Know It pronouncements? And now it's not even news.
I especially appreciated Mark Harris' take(s) on these events over at Preludium.
News about her election and now about the consents for her election, almost always carry the banner that includes the word 'lesbian.' She is touted as the first partnered lesbian elected bishop, the first lesbian bishop (how do they know), the second homosexual partnered bishop (lesbian subset), and so on....It seems that almost everyone looks at this election as one filled with 'portent' because of her being put in a category of persons.... Apparently, no one in the world of ecclesial news and views gives a damn about who anyone is, but only what category of persons they belong to.
But look at how far we've come. I imagine it might be galling for Rev. Jardine to have no one notice that she too was elected bishop; but isn't it a tremendous development that we don't first place her in a category of persons. She's been overlooked, and that is good news.
Congratulations to you both.
No comments:
Post a Comment