Same sex blessings approved (updated)

There's still work to do, but this has been a good day.  In the Bishops,  111 for,  41 against, and 3 abstentions.  In the Deputies, by orders:  lay 86 yes/ 19 no /5 divided .  In the clergy: 85 yes / 22 no / 4 divided.   It passes:  there is now a provisional rite for blessing a same sex union.

And I'll remind you what a blessing means, not only to the couple but to the community, with my post about our blessing here.

Thanks to all who worked to make this happen and those who heard the voices and dared to step out.  Now the challenge is to ensure this doesn't just become a "gay ghetto".

Update: let's be clear that this is NOT marriage equality.  This is a step on the way, and should be celebrated as such, but it is NOT equality.  Indeed, based on the live-tweets of the HoB debate, at least one bishop was concerned that this liturgy MIGHT be shared with straight couples and voted no.  Just to make it clear that his goal was to be sure we're separate-unequal

Jacobus, Fond du Lac: Concerned A049 still leaves room for opposite gender use. Will vote no. ‪#gc77‬ (Twitterfeed here:  #A049)

But the single most offensive comment I read from the debate was this one from  Bishop John Bauerschmidt of Tennessee:

 “It is reasonable to believe that vowed fidelity that is exclusive and lifelong to one other person is predicated on sexual difference."

 No, Bishop, it is NOT reasonable.  Not when you have the witness of many gay couples who have remained faithful over decades despite the many challenges we endure, as a reviled and rejected minority.   It is not reasonable at all, and it's a personal insult to me and the vows I took when I married my wife.

This shows that there is still a long way to go.

As I said:  a step on the journey, and a significant one worth celebrating, but the destination is not yet achieved.