The Bay Area Reporter is reporting that a parish in the Castro, a gay neighborhood, is saying drag queens are not allowed in the parish for a fundraiser for an addiction recovery group’s fundraiser that caters to gays.
This isn’t your typical fundraiser though. It’s got drag queen performances. It would seem this refusal has a lot to do with Archbishop-elect [Salvatore] Cordileone.
A local gay recovery group will not be holding its annual fall fundraiser in the social hall of the Castro neighborhood’s Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church after officials said that no drag queens would be allowed.
For the past couple of years the Castro Country Club has held its event in the church’s social hall and had drag queens as entertainment.
As a statement issued by the country club’s board of directors explained, the new no-drag-queen policy at the church is simply unacceptable.
“The Castro Country Club had planned to hold our third annual Harvest Feast on October 20, 2012, at Most Holy Redeemer Church, where we have held this and other events in the past,” the directors said in a statement.
But that changed when the club was notified by the church last week that they would not be able to hold the dinner if any drag queens were part of the program, the board said.
“In previous years, we have had Ivy Drip and Heklina, both well-known entertainers and community fundraisers, serve as emcees of the event, and we felt we could not in good conscience abide by the church’s new policy,” the board said.
“It is our organization’s policy to be inclusive and welcoming to all. Drag queens are no exception. We are currently seeking an alternative venue for the Harvest Feast, which provides an important source of revenue for our annual budget,” the board added.
Individual members of the country club declined to comment and referred to the board’s statement.
Most Holy Redeemer’s new pastor, the Reverend Brian Costello, confirmed over telephone on Monday, August 6, that drag queen performers and emcees are no longer permitted to participate in events at the church.
Costello said that during a telephone conversation with a Castro Country Club representative, when the topic of drag queens came up, he told the person, “That is not going to work under the present circumstances.”
“I said work with me. You can still have the dinner. You can have a regular emcee, but not drag queens on church property,” Costello said.
It seems the directive is the result of several factors.
“I am the new pastor,” Costello added. “There is a new archbishop. The archdiocese told me straight out, ‘No drag queens.'”
The change of policy at Most Holy Redeemer was greeted with charges of discrimination, homophobia, and calls for compromise, even reconciliation.
Fr. Costello said he tried to work with them but all he got in response was it was all or nothing. CMR huzzahs to the new archbishop.
August 10, 2012 at 8:23 pm
Oh, that's a relief! We can have pederasts, homosexually-disturbed people, mockers of God's (and nature's) laws and Heaven knows who or what else on Church premises, but, by golly, we'll draw the line at drag queens.
Thanks for small favors.
August 10, 2012 at 8:55 pm
The individuals are probably allowed to be on Church premises for legitimate reasons, they just can't give a show that would make entertainment out of disordered sexuality.
August 10, 2012 at 10:42 pm
I hope that new Bishop will stick it out, he is going to have a lot of pressure if he is making changes like that in a diocese where those things were allowed in the past. So much depends on our Bishops, God bless them!
August 10, 2012 at 11:23 pm
Thank you Elizabeth D for setting Aged Parent straight.
P.S. to Aged Parent: Re-evaluate your argument; two wrongs don't make a right.
August 11, 2012 at 12:59 am
A note to aged parent, keep in mind, the diocese of San Francisco is also home to the *Groan* "Sisters of perpetual indulgence", a notorious anti-catholic faux
-order of drag queen "nuns". ABp. Niederauer gave communion to 2 of em while they were in full drag (one of whom had a huge mustache, so there is no doubt). on the very basis of this apparent mockery, and woeful inaction of the part of the Archbishop emeritus, I for one am glad to see the new management is making things crystal clear.
August 11, 2012 at 1:10 am
Might I suggest these people as that friendly neighborhood Mosque if they could use their building for a fundraiser? After all I am sure the religion of peace would just love to help them.
August 11, 2012 at 1:31 am
Kinda shocking that in fact, after 2000 years of Christianity that one actually has to develop a drag queen policy in a Catholic setting. But, kudos to the new Archbishop for taking the first of many unpopular stands.
August 11, 2012 at 4:09 am
So drag queens were previously allowed? Just jaw dropping. Pray for the new bishop it's worse than anyone knows.
August 11, 2012 at 5:48 am
The new archbishop is going to need all of our support and prayers while he cleans house and repairs all the damages that occurred due to "woeful inaction of the part of the Archbishop emeritus", to quote an earlier writer.
God bless our new shepherd while he embarks on a long and tough road ahead.
August 11, 2012 at 1:02 pm
All the same people could still attend, all they hafta do is show up without the costumes.
How can a recovery group honor the lifestyle that they want to overcome/escape? Continuing to showcase the glamorized version of the unchaste is counter-productive for a recovery group.
I have great admiration for the courage of those in recovery, as well as for this pastor and archbishop. For all, these people will be faced with the fury of hell. May God be with them as they try to live the Truth.
August 11, 2012 at 1:52 pm
"How can a recovery group honor the lifestyle that they want to overcome/escape?"
I wondered that enough that I check on their website. They're not a group dedicated to recovering from the LGBT world, but rather "a safe haven for LGBT people in recovery from drugs and alcohol" (Castro Country Club website).
August 11, 2012 at 3:34 pm
I feel like this should be a story in The Onion. Unfortunately… it's not. Many prayers for the new Archbishop!!