Elected representatives of the Episcopal Diocese of California voted overwhelmingly in favor of two resolutions last weekend that support LGBT people in the church.
The first resolution concerned blessings for same-sex couples. Until now, there hasn’t been a specific service for same-sex couples who wanted their unions blessed by the church. Now, there are three.
The vote Saturday, October 20 established set rites for same-sex couples and puts them on an equal footing with heterosexual couples, said Tom Jackson, president of Oasis, the LGBT ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of California.
“Now we have services we can use,” Jackson said. “We don’t have to make one up each time.”
The diocese consists of San Francisco, San Mateo, Alameda, Contra Costa, and Marin counties, and part of Santa Clara County. The diocese, which has 27,000 members, has offfered blessings for same-sex unions for 30 years.
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