| PHOTO SCOTT GUNN |
Davis Mac-Iyalla
May 15, 2007, News Release:
Davis Mac-Iyalla Gay Nigerian Leader To
Speak in New York City at Mass With Gene
Robinson, Bishop of New Hampshire
NIGERIAN CRITIC TO RALLY LOCAL
EPISCOPALIANS
Mac-Iyalla Slams African Archbishop's Persecution of
Gays Davis Mac-Iyalla, director of Changing Attitude-
Nigeria, is coming to Holy Apostles on June 19, 6:15pm
where he will speak at a Mass with Gene Robinson,
Bishop of New Hampshire. On the following evening, June
20, Davis will be featured in the Pride Forum at St. Luke's
in the Fields at 7pm.
Davis is on a speaking tour in the United States to
encourage loyal Episcopalians to resist the "church-
poaching" efforts of Peter Akinola, his own archbishop of
Abuja, Nigeria, who is promoting the intimidation and
imprisonment of LGBTs—and funding the effort with right-
wing American money.
A handful of wealthy American churches has withdrawn
from The Episcopal Church and aligned with Akinola's
rump group, which seeks to overthrow the Archbishop of
Canterbury and "realign" the worldwide Anglican
Communion under Akinola's control. Mac-Iyalla, 35, says,
"The same man who is stealing American churches is
persecuting Nigerian Gays, threatening them with the
world's worst Gay law taking away all human rights. This
bill has been condemned by the U.S. State Department,
the European Union and the United Nations."
Mac-Iyalla made headlines in 2005, including The New
York Times and The Times of London, for organizing the
first support group for Nigerian Gays. He has been a
target of Akinola's wrath ever since, leading to a
draconian bill in Parliament, which would make it illegal for
any two Gay people to be in the same place anywhere in
Nigeria. Violators would be subject to torture and
imprisonment.
Davis Mac-Iyalla Gay Nigerian Leader To
Speak in New York City at Mass With Gene
Robinson, Bishop of New Hampshire
NIGERIAN CRITIC TO RALLY LOCAL
EPISCOPALIANS
Mac-Iyalla Slams African Archbishop's Persecution of
Gays Davis Mac-Iyalla, director of Changing Attitude-
Nigeria, is coming to Holy Apostles on June 19, 6:15pm
where he will speak at a Mass with Gene Robinson,
Bishop of New Hampshire. On the following evening, June
20, Davis will be featured in the Pride Forum at St. Luke's
in the Fields at 7pm.
Davis is on a speaking tour in the United States to
encourage loyal Episcopalians to resist the "church-
poaching" efforts of Peter Akinola, his own archbishop of
Abuja, Nigeria, who is promoting the intimidation and
imprisonment of LGBTs—and funding the effort with right-
wing American money.
A handful of wealthy American churches has withdrawn
from The Episcopal Church and aligned with Akinola's
rump group, which seeks to overthrow the Archbishop of
Canterbury and "realign" the worldwide Anglican
Communion under Akinola's control. Mac-Iyalla, 35, says,
"The same man who is stealing American churches is
persecuting Nigerian Gays, threatening them with the
world's worst Gay law taking away all human rights. This
bill has been condemned by the U.S. State Department,
the European Union and the United Nations."
Mac-Iyalla made headlines in 2005, including The New
York Times and The Times of London, for organizing the
first support group for Nigerian Gays. He has been a
target of Akinola's wrath ever since, leading to a
draconian bill in Parliament, which would make it illegal for
any two Gay people to be in the same place anywhere in
Nigeria. Violators would be subject to torture and
imprisonment.
| Gay, Cristian and Black: Fighting for Gay Rights, from Nigeria to NYC -an article by Matthew Streib, from The L Magazine, June 6-19, 2007 |
This website is an official website of
Other Sheep. Go to www.othersheep.org
Other Sheep. Go to www.othersheep.org
 |
Davis Mac-Iyalla, Anglican Gay Nigerian Leader
Gene Robinson, Episcopal Bishop of New
Hampshire
The Church of the Holy Apostles, June 19, 2007
Gene Robinson, Episcopal Bishop of New
Hampshire
The Church of the Holy Apostles, June 19, 2007
Mac-Iyalla says, "Akinola and his
American collaborators seek to use
LGBT rights as a wedge issue to
split The Episcopal Church and the
Anglican Communion so that he
can take over. "This only seems
to be about Gay rights. What it's
about is money and power, at the
expense of his chosen scapegoats.
He wants to lead a new, anti-Gay
apartheid."
The Anglican Communion is the
third-largest denomination in the
world, a loose federation of
national churches which trace their
roots to the Church of England.
Mac-Iyalla himself has been
repeatedly denounced by the
archbishop's staff, which claims
"There are no Gay Anglicans in
Nigeria," and he has been the
target of continuing death threats
orchestrated by the church. He
was forced to flee his home and
now lives in exile elsewhere in
Africa. Nevertheless, MacIyalla
traveled to a meeting of Anglican
archbishops in Tanzania in
February, walked up to Akinola and
offered his hand. Akinola was
forced to admit knowing him.
While in the U.S., Mac-Iyalla will
address The Episcopal Church's
highest governing body, the
Executive Council, June 11-14 at
Parsippany, N.J. He is also
traveling the U.S. visiting local
LGBT community leaders, students
and churches; attending LGBT
Pride events in San Francisco; and
meeting Gene Robinson, the first
openly-Gay bishop in Anglican
history, the elected Bishop of New
Hampshire. Mac-Iyalla's local visit
is sponsored by an Episcopal
prayer website called
dailyoffice.org, as well as local
organizations.
American collaborators seek to use
LGBT rights as a wedge issue to
split The Episcopal Church and the
Anglican Communion so that he
can take over. "This only seems
to be about Gay rights. What it's
about is money and power, at the
expense of his chosen scapegoats.
He wants to lead a new, anti-Gay
apartheid."
The Anglican Communion is the
third-largest denomination in the
world, a loose federation of
national churches which trace their
roots to the Church of England.
Mac-Iyalla himself has been
repeatedly denounced by the
archbishop's staff, which claims
"There are no Gay Anglicans in
Nigeria," and he has been the
target of continuing death threats
orchestrated by the church. He
was forced to flee his home and
now lives in exile elsewhere in
Africa. Nevertheless, MacIyalla
traveled to a meeting of Anglican
archbishops in Tanzania in
February, walked up to Akinola and
offered his hand. Akinola was
forced to admit knowing him.
While in the U.S., Mac-Iyalla will
address The Episcopal Church's
highest governing body, the
Executive Council, June 11-14 at
Parsippany, N.J. He is also
traveling the U.S. visiting local
LGBT community leaders, students
and churches; attending LGBT
Pride events in San Francisco; and
meeting Gene Robinson, the first
openly-Gay bishop in Anglican
history, the elected Bishop of New
Hampshire. Mac-Iyalla's local visit
is sponsored by an Episcopal
prayer website called
dailyoffice.org, as well as local
organizations.
Steve Parelli Davis Mac-Iyalla Jose Ortiz
Church of the Holy Apostles, June 19, 2007
Bishop Gene Robinson center
Davis Mac-Iyalla far left
Bishop Gene Robinson center
Davis Mac-Iyalla far left
Church of the Holy Apostles, June 19, 2007
Davis Mac-Iyalla addressing the gathering
Davis Mac-Iyalla addressing the gathering
Church of the Holy Apostles
28th St. and Ninth Ave
New York, NY
28th St. and Ninth Ave
New York, NY
| For Gene Robinson's Sermon and for Davis Mac-Iyalla's address, go to the Holy Apostles' web site. CLICK HERE |
Go to the Home Page of this website
________________________________
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Visits to this web page since June 20, 2007
This web page was created June 20, 2007
This web page was created June 20, 2007
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
By John Gibson
Gene Robinson and Davis Mac-Iyalla appear together in New York
Last night at a weekly church service that routinely draws about 20, a crowd of over 200 filled the nave of
New York’s Church of the Holy Apostles to hear the Bishop of New Hampshire, Gene Robinson, exhort them
to have “the audacity to believe the gospel.” Robinson noted that American slaves and, later, women were
given the Gospels to pacify them, but, he said, “they had the audacity to believe them.” He concluded that
the struggle of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people for full inclusion is clearly in this same line.
Among those listening, was the openly gay founder of Changing Attitude Nigeria, Davis Mac-Iyalla. Later,
after Bishop Robinson had celebrated the Eucharist, Mac-Iyalla held the crowd rapt as he described his
journey from tentative activist to well-known symbol of LGBT Anglicans in the Global South. Both Bishop
Robinson’s sermon and Davis Mac-Iyalla’s remarks are available in full at www.holyapostlesnyc.
org/church.htm
Again and again, as Mac-Iyalla’s story would find him being beaten, jailed, threatened with death and/or
fighting defamation by the Anglican Church of Nigeria, Mac-Iyalla would pause, take a deep breath, and
then say, “But as God would have it….” From there he would go on to describe how, one way or another,
his faith and that of his lesbian and gay brothers and sisters in West Africa led them out of their adversity.
Later, taking questions from the audience, Mac-Iyalla announced the plans of Changing Attitude Nigeria to
attend next summer’s Lambeth Conference of the Anglican Communion in England. In a reference to Bishop
Robinson’s being denied an invitation to Lambeth by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Mac-Iyalla said, “We
are not waiting for the Archbishop of Canterbury to invite us. We will invite ourselves.”
Speaking to the threats of broken communion that many have made, Mac-Iyalla affirmed that “we are in
communion and we will remain in communion until Christ comes.” Remarks like these drew sustained and
loud applause throughout his appearance, which began and ended with standing ovations.
While the evening was being taped by reporters from the American public television program “In The Life,”
the congregation included many notable Episcopalian faces, among them Executive Council members The
Rev. Winnie Varghese and Mr. Kim Byham, a past president of Integrity. There were also brothers in brown
albs and sisters in habits. A large group came from the evening’s hosts, the parish of Holy Apostles and the
Episcopalian activist organization WAKE UP. Among those making a group date of the evening, a contingent
showed up from St. Francis Xavier, a Roman Catholic church in Chelsea which has a sizable group of gay
parishioners.
In closing the evening, Donn Mitchell from WAKE UP urged the audience to take action to fight the
reintroduction of anti-gay legislation in Nigeria. The legislation has been universally condemned but
continues to enjoy the public support of the Anglican Archbishop of Nigeria, Peter Akinola. Mitchell urged his
listeners to contact their own employers’ and government pension funds with investments in companies
doing business in Nigeria, including the Episcopal Church Pension Fund. More information is available by
writing donn_mitchell@yahoo.com
--
Posted By John Gibson to Walking With Integrity at 6/20/2007 04:46:00 PM
By John Gibson
Gene Robinson and Davis Mac-Iyalla appear together in New York
Last night at a weekly church service that routinely draws about 20, a crowd of over 200 filled the nave of
New York’s Church of the Holy Apostles to hear the Bishop of New Hampshire, Gene Robinson, exhort them
to have “the audacity to believe the gospel.” Robinson noted that American slaves and, later, women were
given the Gospels to pacify them, but, he said, “they had the audacity to believe them.” He concluded that
the struggle of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people for full inclusion is clearly in this same line.
Among those listening, was the openly gay founder of Changing Attitude Nigeria, Davis Mac-Iyalla. Later,
after Bishop Robinson had celebrated the Eucharist, Mac-Iyalla held the crowd rapt as he described his
journey from tentative activist to well-known symbol of LGBT Anglicans in the Global South. Both Bishop
Robinson’s sermon and Davis Mac-Iyalla’s remarks are available in full at www.holyapostlesnyc.
org/church.htm
Again and again, as Mac-Iyalla’s story would find him being beaten, jailed, threatened with death and/or
fighting defamation by the Anglican Church of Nigeria, Mac-Iyalla would pause, take a deep breath, and
then say, “But as God would have it….” From there he would go on to describe how, one way or another,
his faith and that of his lesbian and gay brothers and sisters in West Africa led them out of their adversity.
Later, taking questions from the audience, Mac-Iyalla announced the plans of Changing Attitude Nigeria to
attend next summer’s Lambeth Conference of the Anglican Communion in England. In a reference to Bishop
Robinson’s being denied an invitation to Lambeth by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Mac-Iyalla said, “We
are not waiting for the Archbishop of Canterbury to invite us. We will invite ourselves.”
Speaking to the threats of broken communion that many have made, Mac-Iyalla affirmed that “we are in
communion and we will remain in communion until Christ comes.” Remarks like these drew sustained and
loud applause throughout his appearance, which began and ended with standing ovations.
While the evening was being taped by reporters from the American public television program “In The Life,”
the congregation included many notable Episcopalian faces, among them Executive Council members The
Rev. Winnie Varghese and Mr. Kim Byham, a past president of Integrity. There were also brothers in brown
albs and sisters in habits. A large group came from the evening’s hosts, the parish of Holy Apostles and the
Episcopalian activist organization WAKE UP. Among those making a group date of the evening, a contingent
showed up from St. Francis Xavier, a Roman Catholic church in Chelsea which has a sizable group of gay
parishioners.
In closing the evening, Donn Mitchell from WAKE UP urged the audience to take action to fight the
reintroduction of anti-gay legislation in Nigeria. The legislation has been universally condemned but
continues to enjoy the public support of the Anglican Archbishop of Nigeria, Peter Akinola. Mitchell urged his
listeners to contact their own employers’ and government pension funds with investments in companies
doing business in Nigeria, including the Episcopal Church Pension Fund. More information is available by
writing donn_mitchell@yahoo.com
--
Posted By John Gibson to Walking With Integrity at 6/20/2007 04:46:00 PM
__________________________________________________________
