[Newspaper clipping concerning vatican views on homosexuality] Part: 1 of 2
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Vatican backs bias against gays
Housing, job discrimination endorsed in letter to U.S. bishopsFrom Wire Reports
WASHINGTON - The Vatican
has declared its support for discrim-
ination against gays and lesbians in
such areas as public housing, fam-
ily health benefits and the hiring of
teachers, coaches and military per-
sonnel.
In a letter sent last month to U.S.
Catholic bishops, the Vatican de-
scribed homosexuality as "an objec-
tive disorder" and compared it to
mental illness. It said government
should deny privileges to gay peo-
ple to promote the traditional fam-
ily and protect society.
"There are areas in which it is
not unjust discrimination to take
sexual orientation into account," it
said, "for example, in the consign-
ment of children to adoption or fos-
ter care, in employment of teachers
or coaches, and in military recruit-
ment."
The letter, aimed at helping bish-
ops respond to legislation that
would prohibit discrimination on
the basis of sexual orientation, was
released to the press by New Ways
Ministry, a Catholic group thatworks with homosexuals. It called
the new Vatican position an "em-
barrassment to U.S. Catholics."
Catholic officials said the docu-
ment was compiled from several
earlier papers by the Vatican's Con-
gregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith, the office charged with de-
fining Roman Catholic doctrine.
John Gallagher, theological con-
sultant to New Ways, called the pro-
nouncement "unadulterated homo-
phobia." The Vatican is dredging up
"all the hard-core myths about gays
and lesbians, playing to everyone's
fears," he said.
A Gallup poll last spring showed
the percentage of U.S. Catholics
who favor equal job opportunities
for gay people has risen from 58 per-
cent in 1978 to 78 percent in 1992.
Many U.S. bishops have been
more conciliatory toward gay peo-
ple than the Vatican's statement is.
In a letter to their parishioners last
year, the U.S. bishops said, "We call
on all Christians and citizens of
good will to confront their own
fears about homosexuality and to
curb the humor and discriminationthat offend homosexual persons."
Homosexual activity is wrong,
the bishops said, but "such an ori-
entation in itself, because not freely
chosen, is not sinful."
The Vatican's pronouncement
comes at a time of stepped-up advo-
cacy for gay rights nationwide. It
says that "sexual orientation does
not constitute a quality comparable
to race, ethnic background, etc., in
respect to non-discrimination."
The statement urges church au-
thorities to lobby against legisla-
tion that might encourage homo-
sexual behavior because such be-
havior debases traditional family
life. It says Catholic authorities
should consider proposed measures
and ask: "How would they affect
adoption or foster care? Would they
protect homosexual acts, public or
private? Do they confer equivalent
family status on homosexual unions
... in respect to public housing or
by entitling the homosexual part-
ner to the privileges of employment
which might include 'family' partic-
ipation in the health benefits given
to employees?"NM museum given 3 O'Keeffe paintings
Associated Press
SANTA FE, N.M. - The Georgia
O'Keeffe Foundation donated three
of the artist's paintings Thursday to
the Museum of New Mexico, a gift
valued at $900,000.
The paintings, including two
early works from 1915 and 1916,
went to the museum under the state
Art Acceptance Credit Act, which
allows New Mexico tax obligations
to be met with donations of art to
the state museum system. Museum
regents' acceptance Thursday was
contingent upon approval by the
state Department of Taxation and1916, watercolor; and Dark and La-
vender Leaf, 1931, oil on canvas.
The museum plans to exhibit
them July 24 in the Museum of Fine
Arts upstairs gallery.
"It's early work that we have no
examples of," said Fine Arts Mu-
seum director David Turner. "The
work is from a very important pe-
riod in O'Keeffe's career. At least
one of the paintings, Special No. 21,
has proven to have been a signifi-
cant piece in her career. It's been
shown in her major retrospective
exhibitions and included in major
publicatons on her."
Special No. 21 (Palo Duro Can-
was completed early in
~aree from4kr teach-Foundation president Elizabeth
Glassman declined comment on the
gift or on whether the museum
might expect further such gifts.
"There will probably be some
more tax liability for the O'Keeffe
Foundation, and we will work with
them to acquire some more objects
for the collection," Turner said.
Juan Hamilton, O'Keeffe's assist-
ant during the final 13 years of her
life, estimated last April that 75 per-
cent of the artist's works would go
to charity. And he said taxes owed
to the state would be paid with
paintings.at
After O'Keeffe died six years ago
9 s negotiated with the
evice over theA Friday, July 17, 1992
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[Newspaper clipping concerning vatican views on homosexuality], clipping, July 17, 1992; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc916421/m1/1/: accessed May 20, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.