Dallas Voice (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 23, No. 06, Ed. 1 Friday, June 23, 2006 Page: 6 of 64
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localnews
Grace United Methodist oins Reconciling Ministries Network
103-year-old East Dallas congregation becomes third church in Dallas-
Fort Worth to join advocacy group welcoming people GLBT people
By David Webb Staff Writer
Grace United Methodist Church has affiliated
with the Reconciling Ministries Network, mak-
ing it the third church in Dallas-Fort Worth to
join the organization.
The group works to encourage the participa-
tion of people of all sexual orientations and gen-
der identifies in the United Methodist Church.
The two other area churches affiliated with the
network are St. Stephen United Methodist
Church in Mesquite and Northaven United
Methodist Church in North Dallas.
About 210 churches across the nation are affil-
iated with the network.
The Rev. Chuck Cox, senior pastor of Grace,
said the affiliation was long overdue. The
church's administrative council approved the
affiliation by an 11 -to-1 vote on Jan. 11.
"There's been a long lag time between the
readiness of the church to do so and actually
doing it," Cox said.
Cox said the 260-member East Dallas church
has welcomed GLBT people for many years.
"I guess I'll be surprised if it has a big impact
because we've been open and a welcoming
church to the GLBT folks for a decade and a
half," Cox said.
Cox said the bishop for the United Methodist
Church's Dallas area had forbid congregations
from voting on affiliations with the network since
a 1999 Judicial Council ruling that had con-
demned the practice. St. Stephen and Northaven
voted on their affiliations prior to that ruling, he
said.
The appointment of the more lenient Bishop
Rhymes Moncure in 2004 opened the door for a
vote on the affiliation, Cox said.
Andy Smith, lay leader for Grace, said church
leaders and congregation members had contem-
plated the affiliation for a long time.
' A lot of preparation and discussion had gone
on around it," Smith said. "I think when it came
down to a vote, it was something everyone knew
about and were pretty confident would pass."
Smith said the church has been welcoming to
all since he began attending services there in
1996.
Andy Smith, lay leader for Grace United Methodist
Church, notes the church welcomed GLBT people for years
before joining the Reconciling Ministries Network.
"Certainly it's a place that's been known to be
very welcoming," Smith said. "We just went on
the record as officially being part of the
Reconciling Ministries Network."
Smith said Grace is a growing church, and he
hopes its affiliation will help people looking for a
church home to find one.
Grace United Methodist Church in Old East Dallas is rec-
ognized as one of the best examples of Gothic Revival
architecture in Dallas.
We certainly welcome anyone who wanted to
check us out on the basis of this," Smith said.
But foremost the church's leaders and congre-
gation wanted to speak out about equality in reli-
gion.
"It is a statement about our church and princi-
See GRACE on PAGE 8
Dallas showcases anti-bias ordinance
3 Texas cities prohibit
anti-gay discrimination
By Jenni Beauchamp 2@2 News
The city of Dallas wants to make
sure you're aware of the protections
available to you under its anti-discrim-
ination ordinance.
As part of that process, a council
member and two city staffers present-
ed a panel discussion at the Gay and
Lesbian Community Center last week.
Councilman Ed Oakley, Fair
Housing Administrator Rosie Norris
and Assistant City Attorney Jennifer
Richie discussed Chapter 46 of the
Fair Housing Code, where the anti-
discrimination policy resides, and
fielded questions about the ordinance.
"It is important that people know
about this law," Norris said.
One of the reasons is that there is
only a brief time allotted to file a com-
pliant after a suspected violation has
occurred.
"You only have 180 days from the
time the law is broken," Norris said.
Examples of such discrimination
include an employer refusing to inter-
view, hire, promote or retain a person
based on sexual orientation or gender
identity. A landlord who refuses to
sell, lease or rent a property because of
the buyer or lessee's sexual orientation
or gender identity also is in violation.
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Gay historian recollects
past for benefit of youth
Johnson, 81, remembers a time in Dallas when GLBT
people established meeting places on street corners
By David Webb Staff Writer
City Council member Ed Oakley, Assistant City Attorney Jennifer Richie and Fair Housing
Administrator Rose Norris answer questions about the city's anti-discrimination ordinance
during a presentation at the John Thomas Gay and lesbian Community Center.
Landlords who violate the ordinance
by insisting on different terms or con-
ditions of housing are also subject to
investigation by the Fair Housing
office.
If the city investigates and sustains
the original complaint, the case is
referred to the Municipal Court. If a
defendant pleads or is found guilty, the
fine is $200 to $500.
The most frequent complaints are
about employment, Norris said.
According to municipal records, 56
percent of complaints are alleged
employment-related discrimination,
followed by 33 percent of alleged
housing bias. Only 3 percent are based
on incidents of alleged public accom-
modation discrimination.
"On average we distribute about
270 pamphlets a year," Norris said,
mentioning the city's publication fully
explaining the policy. "People are still
See ORDINANCE on PAGE 9
Gay historian Phil Johnson, 81,
remembers a time when gay people
met on a street corner to socialize,
rather than in one of the multitude of
gay and lesbian bars that now thrive in
Dallas.
It was called "Maggie's Corner,"
and it was located at the intersection of
Magnolia and Akard streets in down-
town Dallas. Gay people stood and
chatted in front of the Magnolia
Petroleum Building underneath the
statue of the flying red horse that
graced the building's roof.
The ones who met on the street in
the 1940s were the lucky ones,
Johnson said.
"Many of our people didn't meet
any people at all," Johnson said.
"They lived the entirety of their lives
thinking they were sinners or psycho-
logically defective."
Johnson has devoted his life to pre-
serving the history of Dallas' GLBT
society. He has established a vast col-
lection of gay printed materials and
memorabilia that is stored in the John
Thomas Gay and Lesbian Community
Center's Phil Johnson Historic
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Phil Johnson
Archives and
Research
Library, and he
has been giving
a seminar on
gay history for
20 years.
The histori-
an will be
delivering the
presentation
again on
Saturday at the Oak Lawn Branch
Library at 1 p.m. It will include a slide
show that features photographs that
include the first gay Pride parade in
downtown Dallas and the popular
street corner.
Johnson said he believes it is essen-
tial for every gay person to be well
versed in gay history.
"Gay and lesbian history is as
important for gays as Jewish history is
for Jews," Johnson said. "I like to say
without history, how can we have a
future?"
One of Johnson's projects over the
years was to make a list of every gay
See HISTORY on PAGE 9
6 I dallasvoice.com I 06.23.06
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Vercher, Dennis. Dallas Voice (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 23, No. 06, Ed. 1 Friday, June 23, 2006, newspaper, June 23, 2006; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth238914/m1/6/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.