Ministry Panel Will Examine Gay Ceremonies

The Board of Ministry has decided to appoint a task force to research the possibility of allowing same-sex commitment ceremonies in Memorial Church, according to a statement yesterday by Board spokesperson Rev. Thomas J.S. Mikelson.

The Board decision came after a meeting yesterday morning in which the topic of same-sex commitment ceremonies topped the agenda.

Mikelson, who is minister of the First Parish-Unitarian Universalist Church, said the task force will explore various policy alternatives and return a recommendation to the Board at its meeting in May.

The task force is composed of Rev. Thomas B. Chittick, minister of University Lutheran Church; Rev. Richard N. Chrisman, associate minister of Old South Church in Boston, and one other individual, who has not yet accepted the position.

After reviewing the task force's recommendation, the Board will submit its decision to Minister in the Memorial Church Peter J. Gomes and Associate Minister Janet Hatfield Legro, who are both directly responsible for administering policy in Memorial Church.

The issue of commitment ceremonies came into the spotlight last November when it was discovered that two men had been refused a ceremony in Memorial Church by Gomes.

Gomes, who is also Plummer professor of Christian morals, was traveling yesterday and could not be reached for comment. However, in previous interviews with The Crimson, Gomes has said that Memorial Church and the Board have had no policy on same-sex committment ceremonies.

Since last fall, campus opinions on the issue have varied widely.

In connection with a Nov. 15 article in The Crimson, the Harvard Gay and Lesbian Caucus--an association of alumni and faculty--released an e-mail statement expressing support for same-sex commitment ceremonies in Memorial Church.

And Thursday night, a crowd of about 100 clergy, students and faculty crowded the steps of the church for a candlelight vigil to support the admission of same-sex ceremonies.

Mikelson, who spoke at the vigil, said the event demonstrated students' interest in allowing such ceremonies but that the vigil drew only a small crowd of devoted students.

"It wasn't something that pulled the whole campus out," he said. "But the individuals who were there understand what a momentous occasion this is."

Sam Spital '00, who introduced a resolution in the Undergraduate Council last month endorsing same-sex ceremonies in Memorial Church, said the vigil sent a powerful message to the administration.

"[The administration] realizes that no one will forget about this," said Spital. "The vigil helped reaffirm that message, and I trust that the Board is truly interested in looking into this."

Although Spital's resolution urging the Board to allow same-sex commitment ceremonies passed by a vote of 34 to 6, not all members favor the idea.

"I think the U.C. should stay out of the matters of the house of God," council treasurer John J. Appelbaum said in January.

Spital said he met with Gomes; University Marshal and chair of the Faculty Council on Religion Richard Hunt; Harvard Gay and Lesbian Caucus Co-Chair Robert W. Mack '71, and several students last week to discuss same-sex commitment ceremonies.

One issue the group considered was a comparison of Memorial Church's policy to the commitment-ceremony policies of other University churches, he said.

"Reverend Gomes said whatever the Board decided, people would want to have some sort of research period to consider a decision," Spital said.

Other attendants of the meeting included James Slayten, one of the men who had originally asked to hold a commitment ceremony in the church; Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian and Transgendered Student Alliance Co-Chair Jane I. Aceituno '97, and Seth J. Persily, a Harvard Law School student who organized the candlelight vigil.

Council President Lamelle D. Rawlins '99, who attended the vigil, said she is confident the Board will eventually vote to permit same-sex ceremonies.

"I was deeply impressed [at the vigil by Reverend Mikelson's personal commitment," Rawlins said. "I believe Harvard will stand by its non-discrimination policy in this case."

Rawlins said allowing the ceremonies would benefit the University as a whole.

"It would be a victory not only for bisexual, gay and lesbian students but for all students here at Harvard," Rawlins said.

Council Vice President Mark A. Price '98 agreed but said he hopes a concrete policy in favor of the ceremonies will result from the three-month research period.

"The fact that they plan to investigate the matter seems promising, but I hope they will decide to endorse the blessings," he said.

Other Board members include: Rabbi Sally Finestone of Harvard-Radcliffe Hillel; Dr. Cyrus Mehta; Rev. Samuel T. Lloyd III of Trinity Church; Father George S. Salzmann, and Rev. Victor H. Kasanjian Jr., dean of religious life at Wellesley College.

The next Board meeting had been scheduled for May 9, but Gomes has cited a conflict and the meeting has yet to be rescheduled

Although Spital's resolution urging the Board to allow same-sex commitment ceremonies passed by a vote of 34 to 6, not all members favor the idea.

"I think the U.C. should stay out of the matters of the house of God," council treasurer John J. Appelbaum said in January.

Spital said he met with Gomes; University Marshal and chair of the Faculty Council on Religion Richard Hunt; Harvard Gay and Lesbian Caucus Co-Chair Robert W. Mack '71, and several students last week to discuss same-sex commitment ceremonies.

One issue the group considered was a comparison of Memorial Church's policy to the commitment-ceremony policies of other University churches, he said.

"Reverend Gomes said whatever the Board decided, people would want to have some sort of research period to consider a decision," Spital said.

Other attendants of the meeting included James Slayten, one of the men who had originally asked to hold a commitment ceremony in the church; Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian and Transgendered Student Alliance Co-Chair Jane I. Aceituno '97, and Seth J. Persily, a Harvard Law School student who organized the candlelight vigil.

Council President Lamelle D. Rawlins '99, who attended the vigil, said she is confident the Board will eventually vote to permit same-sex ceremonies.

"I was deeply impressed [at the vigil by Reverend Mikelson's personal commitment," Rawlins said. "I believe Harvard will stand by its non-discrimination policy in this case."

Rawlins said allowing the ceremonies would benefit the University as a whole.

"It would be a victory not only for bisexual, gay and lesbian students but for all students here at Harvard," Rawlins said.

Council Vice President Mark A. Price '98 agreed but said he hopes a concrete policy in favor of the ceremonies will result from the three-month research period.

"The fact that they plan to investigate the matter seems promising, but I hope they will decide to endorse the blessings," he said.

Other Board members include: Rabbi Sally Finestone of Harvard-Radcliffe Hillel; Dr. Cyrus Mehta; Rev. Samuel T. Lloyd III of Trinity Church; Father George S. Salzmann, and Rev. Victor H. Kasanjian Jr., dean of religious life at Wellesley College.

The next Board meeting had been scheduled for May 9, but Gomes has cited a conflict and the meeting has yet to be rescheduled