Outward Bound
Priest leads gay movement
BY TIGE WATTS
Episcopal priest Bob Spencer is co-chair of the S.C. Gay and Lesbian Pride Movement in Columbia. |
For Bob Spencer, an ordained Episcopal priest who moved to Columbia
from Idaho, the change in scenery has been "refreshing." That may strike
some as odd, given that Spencer is openly gay and that South Carolina is
not considered the most welcoming place for gays and lesbians. But the
Palmetto state is more "tolerant and aware of gay and lesbian issues,"
Spencer said.
"Generally, I've been well accepted here," he said. "That may be in
part because I haven't been real aggressive about being out. People know
I'm out, but primarily people see me as just another person," Spencer
said.
Some would argue that Spencer is not just another person. He is among
a list of openly gay and lesbian ministers which has grown over the past
five years as the nation becomes more aware of and sympathetic to gay and
lesbian issues. A growing number of Americans realize that gays and
lesbians are not so different from heterosexuals.
A native South Carolinian, Spencer moved back to Columbia after his
chaplain position in an Idaho hospital was eliminated. Spencer immediately
became involved with the S.C. Gay and Lesbian Pride Movement, a group he
now co-chairs.
"The majority of the Idaho gay culture is still hidden," Spencer said.
"Here the gay community is very open and people are generally more
receptive or tolerant. But back in Idaho people still have a lot of
hang-ups about gays and lesbians."
Ordained in 1972, Spencer did not reveal his sexual identity until
1981. "When I first came out, I did not come out in my congregation. I did
come out to the bishop in Idaho, but after a couple of years, I wasn't
being used very much in the Diocese. This was the only time that anyone
had ever made me feel ostracized about being gay," Spencer said.
He came out to three small Idaho churches, and said people were "very
positive." Little was said about Spencer's identity until 1992, when
Spencer wrote a letter to the editor against an anti-gay initiative in
Idaho that would ban local measures prohibiting discrimination of gays and
lesbians.
"There weren't any major negative reactions to the letter, which the
newspaper made into a guest column," he said. "But, it sure had an
effect."
A similar situation reemerged last month for Spencer. When WIS-TV did
background work and interviews for a story about the deaths of two gay men
in an insurance scam, Spencer was asked for his comments. "The interview
didn't cause any problems for the congregation I'm working with, but it
did get a few phone calls," he said.
The biggest project at hand for Spencer is helping to organize this
month's S.C. Gay and Lesbian Pride Festival, a weekend of activities,
workshops, concerts and rallies which will be held April 26 28. For the
past three years, the state's gay pride march has been the largest
political demonstration at the State House, but this year's rally will be
in Columbia's Riverfront Park. It will feature Chastity Bono, the openly
lesbian daughter of entertainer Cher and Rep. Sonny Bono (R-Calif.), and
Roberta Achtenburg, the first out lesbian to serve in a presidential
administration.
"This should be a real celebration with the people we have lined up to
speak at the rally, the speakers forum and the entertainers," Spencer
said. "Being in the park will also help create more of a celebration feel.
I anticipate a good gathering; we've already had a tremendous response
from individuals across the Southeast."
Spencer will hold a relationships workshop April 28 at the S.C. Gay
and Lesbian Community Center, at 1108 Woodrow St. in Columbia, beginning
at 2 p.m. Workshop participants will examine the history of gay and
lesbian relationships and look at what characteristics make them work.
"We're also going to look at what issues pull on a relationship."
Spencer said. "No matter what kind of relationship there is, there will
always be tensions. We're going to look at how we can creatively live
through these challenges and grow together."
Spencer's relationship conference comes at a time when South Carolina
and more than 20 other states have bills pending that would refuse to
recognize marriages of same-sex couples. A court case in Hawaii is set to
begin this summer that argues the state has a right to refuse marriage
licenses to gay and lesbian couples. A decision permitting same-sex
marriages can be applied to other states' recognition by way of the 9th
Amendment. That has prompted many homophobic lawmakers to draft their
bills. A similar bill passed by the Colorado House and Senate was vetoed
last month by the state's governor.
"Marriage is the ultimate expression of love, and to deny it to two
people of the same gender is hypocritical," said Spencer, who has married
same-sex couples. He said he's not holding his breath until the day
same-sex marriages are legal, but he did call it a "real possibility."
"This is going to be an area that will test the constitution of this
nation," he said. "If even one state allows same-sex marriages, we will
see if this nation can stand together or if it's just a federation of
states."
Spencer said there is very little dialogue in the Episcopal church
about same-sex weddings. "The church's policy is that a marriage require
two monogamous heterosexual individuals. The church welcomes gays and
lesbians, but is still more conservative when it comes to marriage," he
said.
Tige Watts is the executive editor of In Unison, the
Southeast's source for gay and lesbian news, which is based in Columbia.
He can be reached by e-mail at NUnison@aol.com.
