This posting has been out as a US group mailing prior to posting here on the Thalamus Center.
______________ The letter _______________
Kids Are Being Hurt!!!
Thalamus Center - Early Childhood Psychological Development Growing Up Gay
Martin S. Kurylowicz, M.Div., M.S. fathermartykurylowicz.blogspot.com
July 2010
President of the United States
United States Congress
United States Supreme Court
United States Department of Justice
50 United States Governors
Dear -- --------,
My name is Fr. Marty Kurylowicz, a Roman Catholic priest from the Diocese of Grand Rapids Michigan ordained June 16, 1979.
In March 1997, after attending a National Symposium of the New Ways Ministry that was held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, I learned that children as young as 4 and 5 years of age know that they are different. This feeling "different" is only identified in their adult years as being gay. However, the harmful influence of antigay social and religious norms -- in particular, for Catholics, the Vatican’s unsubstantiated antigay teachings -- are severe and last throughout a child’s lifetime. The harmful effects are not isolated only to these children who grow up to be gay, but also affect their families, siblings, friends and anyone whom they might consider special in their lives. They are a prescribed societal sentence of implicit isolation, which place at risk of suicide so many innocent adolescents and young adults. They stifle an enormous amount of human potential in the world that otherwise could be put to use for finding cures for diseases, offering better ways of maintaining peace among people and improving the quality of life for everyone in the world.
After the New Ways Ministry National Symposium in March 1997, in good conscience I felt intensely morally obligated to "come out" as a gay Catholic priest to my parishioners at Holy Family Parish, Sparta, Michigan USA, to draw public attention to this implicit form of child abuse. This abuse is caused by the harmful influence of antigay social and religious norms, in particular, for Catholics, the Vatican’s unsubstantiated antigay teachings. My background study in this area is extensive, far beyond that of the average person. However, since I have come out, I have been subjected to overt as well as covert retaliation coming from the Vatican through the bishops of the Diocese of Grand Rapids. I was ordered to be sent away to be re-educated regarding sexual orientation, to subject myself to conversion or reparative therapy--not a lobotomy, but similar. I refused to consent to this inhuman treatment because of the obvious clinical research data. And because I did so, in retaliation I lost my regular priest salary for the past 13 years, my earned sabbatical terms and my status for any future assignments in the Diocese of Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA.
At the same time, an insider to the Vatican warned me that I could really get hurt severely by people in the Vatican. And even though this person was dead serious, I passed this warning off as being someone’s overactive imagination that was a bit bizarre. I thought, "After all, this is the USA, what do I have to fear?" However, this covert retaliation has been substantial. My car was repossessed in July 2009 and on June 26, 2010, I lost my home to foreclosure.
It seems no one wants to touch my case because it deals with the Catholic Church (although, in the last several months, the credibility of the Vatican has fallen considerably with regard to the decades of cover-ups of child sexual abuse cases). My case is about protecting children as young as 4 and 5 years of age. The 2009 amendment to the Federal Hate Crimes Law of 1969 does not seem to cover my type of situation, although it is a type of implicit hate crime. Unfortunately, there is not enough legislation out there to deal with most non-violent discrimination based on sexual orientation, nor enough legal precedent (especially with an entity like the church). It was mentioned to me that possibly Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress (IIED) and/or some employment law claims could apply.
It comes down to the fact that there are no US civil laws to protect me (a gay out Catholic priest) in my defense to protect children as young as 4 and 5 years of age. It seems clear that lawyers are often scared of taking on entities that seem more powerful than the legal system and/or cases with no real precedents. Not only do they have to worry about not winning after all the effort they put in (including hours of research, writing memos/briefs, etc--which is all hard when there's not much precedent), but they have to worry about—as I would think--being silenced and harming their careers. I can easily realize that there are risks going up against powerful entities. The religious element of my case makes it difficult for lawyers. Most lawyers would probably not be Catholic and don't really understand the Catholic Church, how it works or what they'd be getting themselves into. This is probably especially true for organizations more geared towards LGBT and other civil rights. A lot of LGBT people are not Catholic for the obvious reasons of mistreatment and my situation seems like it could be a complex intersection of various legal issues as well as religion--probably several things most LGBT/civil rights lawyers don't really know a lot about.
If I do say so myself, I think that my case could be a watershed that frees everyone, because the reason for my coming out was specifically based on the lifetime psychological harm caused to children as young as 4 and 5 years of age who grow up gay (LGBT). Evidence of such psychological harm has been heavily documented through accredited scientific research for the past several decades. Including scripture cannot be used to condemn homosexuality any more than it could be used to condemn Galileo. These are facts and cannot be disputed by intelligent people. It would be about children worldwide who grow up gay (LGBT), which takes the issue of sexual orientation out of the adult arena, making gay civil rights (gay marriage) a must--who wants to deny children their civil rights? I only know this from my experience with coming out in a Catholic parish. People calm down almost immediately when you talk about children growing up gay (LGBT)--in part, I think, because many people can identify with this fact.
I am asking for monetary compensation for the past 13 years for the financial hardship caused, the unnecessary setbacks in advancing my education, as a priest and the damage to my reputation making it impossible for me to support myself, leaving me destitute. If the Vatican wanted to remove me from the priesthood, they should have done it immediately after I came out in March 1997. But they did not do this, likely because they did not want to fight the global publicity that they were against gay priests – even if gay priests remained faithful to their vow of celibacy. Instead, they let me continue on for 8 years before removing my faculties for cerebrating mass publicly in any Catholic Church - mainly because I would be allowed to continue to preach if they did not remove me, June 2006. It has been rumored by a priest that and likely my bishop that I was given more than 5 years to get on my feet to leave the priesthood. But I had no intention of leaving the priesthood. They were making it impossible for me to stay in the priesthood, but I had no intention of leaving the priesthood. Why would I leave the priesthood? It would completely destroy - the reason why I risked my life, to come out as a gay Catholic priest, to protect children worldwide, to help stop the severe implicit form of child abuse caused to children as young as 4 and 5 years of age worldwide by the Vatican unsubstantiated antigay teachings (as stated in the 2nd paragraph above). The Vatican would then be allowed to continue unchallenged in harming children worldwide in much the same way as the Vatican has been allowed to continue for decades worldwide to cover-up of the child sexual abuse cases.
I am seeking a legal cause of action to pursue, monetary compensation for the retaliatory treatment I have received and financial assistance for starting the Thalamus Center. The Thalamus Center is an educational international interactive web site on human sexuality to combat the severe lifetime psychological harm caused by unsubstantiated antigay teachings, in particular that of the Vatican. It is ignorance of human sexuality that is so harmful to children and world peace. The Thalamus Center is being designed on a similar format as that of National Public Radio, NPR web site. The Thalamus Center is focused on two areas of human sexuality from science (biology, physiology, psychology, etc.) and religion (all religions, ancient sacred texts, etc.) – operating 7 days a week, reporting, interviewing, and referencing researchers, scholars, theologians, including archiving data, listing all LGBTQ&I resources and addressing related current news media issues. The Thalamus Center would be employing a full time staff of 9 professionals, including related support staff members.
Is there any help for me?
Fr. Marty Kurylowicz, M.Div., M.S.
______________ End of the letter _______________
VATICAN CRACKDOWN - Gay Catholic Priest 1997 - Fr. Marty Kurylowicz “Coming Out” for “Protection of Children from Antigay Social & Religious Norms”- to be Permanently Remove & Silence | Vatican Ordered REPARATIVE THERAPY | – World Health Organization 2012 Calls REPARATIVE THERAPY Serious Threat to Health &Life – 8/02/12
Catholic Archbishop of Seattle Hunthausen issues a letter against homosexual discrimination - July 1, 1977
On July 1, 1977, the Catholic Archbishop of Seattle, the Most Reverend Raymond G. Hunthausen, publicly defends the rights of gays and lesbians. The letter is reprinted in the Seattle Gay News.
Archbishop Hunthausen had many disagreements with the Vatican over gay rights, women’s rights, and other social issues.
The letter from Archbishop of Seattle Most Reverend Raymond G. Hunthausen made public July 1, 1977, is here reprinted along with the brief introduction to it that appeared in the Seattle Gay News... Read more:
Vatican Crackdown 1983 of Archbishop Hunthausen of Seattle, Washington for Supporting gays and lesbians 1970’s – by Ratzinger(Benedict XVI)
1986 - Warnings to Vatican inquisitor – valuing rigidity of doctrine over people
Archbishop Asks Rome To Ease Up - September 28, 1986
MILWAUKEE — Rembert George Weakland… forthrightly told the Vatican to…soften its drive to coerce doctrinal uniformity by punishing dissenters.
He asserted that Draconian measures used throughout Christian history to silence those who challenge traditional church teaching have resulted in
``much cruelty, suppression of theological creativity and lack of growth.``
Archbishop Weakland…is the first American Catholic leader of wide repute and influence to publicly raise alarm over the perceived crackdown by Rome on prominent and liberal U.S. Catholic thinkers who question Vatican stands on sexual morality and other issues… Photo
They involved a Catholic University of America theologian, Rev. Charles Curran, whose teaching credentials have been removed, and Seattle Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen, whose administrative authority in several areas of ministry were stripped and given to an auxiliary bishop…
…The liberal Auxiliary Bishop Thomas J. Gumbleton of Detroit predicted that the ``cruel (and) demeaning`` treatment of Archbishop Hunthausen would effectively ``intimidate`` his fellow prelates.
The moderate Archbishop Francis T. Hurley of Anchorage…petitioning Rome to offer a more detailed rationale for its ``drastic reprimand`` of Archbishop Hunthausen, who has withheld a portion of his income tax in protest of U.S. military policies and who has permitted a national convention of gay and lesbian Catholics to use the Seattle cathedral church.
``Would itemization of specific (charges) reveal some fundamental flaws…or would they appear trivial and therefore provide feeble basis . . . for such action?`` Archbishop Hurley wondered aloud in his column.
The more philosophical and historically grounded warnings raised by Archbishop Weakland…in his columns, titled ``The Price of Orthodoxy,`` …appeared to be directing his remarks to Vatican inquisitors…
…He contended that previous efforts to monitor and safeguard Catholic doctrine have been undertaken in an atmosphere where ``amateurs-turned-theologians easily became headhunters and leaders were picked (on the basis of) the rigidity of their doctrine, so that often second-rate and repressive minds, riding on the waves of fear, took over.
``Religion under such circumstances then can become an ideology that tolerates no obstacle and that values ideas more than people,`` he wrote…
Read complete article:
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger… efforts to prevent the evolution in church teaching
toward acceptance of homosexuals - a timeline beginning 1984 - Milestones in campaign to hold the doctrinal line - National Catholic Reporter, July 30, 1999
Pope Blasts U.K. - Anti-Discrimination Laws - February 2, 2010 – CBS News
In Speech, Benedict Raises Fears that Vatican Could Be Prosecuted for Stances against Gays
(AP) Pope Benedict XVI weighed in against anti-discrimination laws, which have raised fears at the Vatican that the Catholic Church could be prosecuted for refusing, for example, to hire gays or transsexuals.
Benedict blasted proposed laws before the British Parliament that are intended to prevent employers from denying jobs to applicants on the grounds of gender, sexuality, age or race. Current legislation exempts religious organizations, but the planned new law would effectively apply to lay people employed by churches.
Benedict told the bishops that they needed to take a firm, public stand against the proposed legislation, which he said violated natural law…
…Meanwhile, Benedict confirmed Monday he would visit Britain later this year, a trip that has grown fraught following his move to welcome into the Roman Catholic Church groups of Anglicans upset over the ordination of gays and women… Read complete report: -
Governor Cuomo Is Brushing Off Idiocy & Corruption in the Catholic Church – Not the Catholic Church – March 7, 2011
Vatican orders crackdown on U.S. nun group – 4/19/12 - CBS
…Nearly a half-century later, the church leadership's animus against nuns seems like a heavy-handed, reactionary response to the sexual scandals that have taken place, notably the priestly abuse of children and other minors. To this end, the Vatican last month issued a report rebuking what is regarded as the most influential group of Catholic nuns in the U.S. Specifically, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious was accused of spreading information that had "promoted radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith," including views on contraception, gay rights and women's ordination.
Rather than confront evil within the clergy, in other words, Benedict appears to be trying to reinforce his authority by lashing out at one group within the church he thinks he can intimidate.
As The New York Times noted, the Vatican document also accused the nun's group off "focusing its work too much on poverty and economic injustice, while keeping 'silent' on abortion and same-sex marriage."
"The church hierarchy never recoiled in horror from pedophilia, yet it recoils in horror from outspoken nuns," Times columnist Maureen Dowd subsequently wrote in a recent column. Added fellow NYT scribe Nicholas Kristof, "Even as bishops have disgraced the church by covering up the rape of children, the nuns have redeemed it with their humble work on behalf of the neediest."
Read more:
VATICAN CRACKDOWN ON NUNS – 5/7/12
“…conservative American churchmen living in Rome — including disgraced former Boston Cardinal Bernard Law [Child Sexual-Abuse Crisis they created] — were key players in pushing the hostile takeover of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious…for emphasizing social justice work over loyalty to the hierarchy and issues like abortion and Gay Marriage…
Vatican Scolds Nun for Book on Sexuality – 6/4/12
The Vatican’s doctrinal office on Monday denounced an American nun who taught Christian ethics at Yale Divinity School for a book that attempted to present a theological rationale for same-sex relationships, masturbation and remarriage after divorce. Photo
The Vatican office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said that the book, “Just Love: A Framework for Christian Sexual Ethics,” by Sister Margaret A. Farley, was “not consistent with authentic Catholic theology,” and should not be used by Roman Catholics…
Read more:
Sister MARGARET FARLEY - in St. Louis, at the Catholic Theological Society of America - A "profoundly important" question for Catholic theologians, Farley said, is: "SHOULD POWER SETTLE QUESTIONS OF TRUTH?" …her students [at Yale] asked…why she stayed in a church…Because the church "is still a source of real life for me," she would tell them. "It's worth the struggle. It's Worth Getting A Real Backbone That Has Compassion Tied To It." – Her book, "Just Love: A Framework for Christian Social Ethics" - 61112
Sr. Margaret A. Farley - emeritus professor of Christian ethics at Yale Divinity School – defends her book - “JUST LOVE: A FRAMEWORK FOR CHRISTIAN SEXUAL ETHICS” respecting and supporting GAY MARRIAGE - from Benedict XVI Approved Homophobic Attacks made by Vatican - 60412
US Nuns, Rebuked by Vatican, Plan Road Trip to Spotlight SOCIAL JUSTICE Issues - To Highlight Their Work With The Nation’s Poor And Disenfranchised – 6/5/12
VATICAN CRACKDOWN - Gay Catholic Priest 1997 - Fr. Marty Kurylowicz “Coming Out” for “Protection of Children from Antigay Social & Religious Norms”- to be Permanently Remove & Silence | Vatican Ordered REPARATIVE THERAPY | – World Health Organization 2012 Calls REPARATIVE THERAPY Serious Threat to Health &Life – 8/02/12
FRENCH President Hollande - UN to DECRIMINALIZE HOMOSEXUALITY - Benedict XVI’s tenacious attacks Unprecedented – impetuousness, HUBRIS SYNDROME??? * Hunthausen Case 1983
As SCIENCE moves forward on Research & Understanding Homosexuality -- RATZINGER/BENEDICT XVI Ignoring Science - Sanctions Ignorance & Silence Promoting discrimination of Homosexuality – A Timeline
Benedict XVI Ongoing - Crackdown 2012 on GAY MARRIAGE Supporters – LCWR USA Nuns - “Just Love: A Framework for Christian Sexual Ethics” - Statement by Mercy Sister Margaret A. Farley – 6/4/12
GAY MARRIAGE – Propaganda Tactics|B16’s Naturalistic fallacy & Homosexuality - Dehumanizing, Depriving Civil Rights, Silencing Gays - Covering Up B16 Crimes Against Children 30+yrs? |PART 5
'Less Than Human'
by David Livingstone Smith 2011
Excerpts:
Dehumanizing Homosexuals
Depriving Civil Rights – Human Rights
…We dehumanize our fellow human beings when we convince ourselves (or allow ourselves to be convinced) that they are less than human and come to believe that, although these people appear to be human beings like us, this is merely a façade. Beneath the surface they are really subhuman creatures, fit to be hunted down and destroyed. The immense destructive power of dehumanization lies in the fact that it excludes its victims from the universe of moral obligation, so killing them is of no greater consequence swatting a mosquito, or poisoning a rat. If dehumanization is a key factor in war and genocide, we ought to be working very hard to prevent it.
Read more:
Psychology of Violence - David Livingstone Smith 2010
The way that Benedict XVI and the hierarchy are able to maintain this false notion about homosexuals is by publically dehumanizing homosexuals. It is their relentless condemnation of homosexuals using anti-gay propaganda trying to convince the public that homosexuals are less than human, are subhuman and therefore, homosexuals can be “excluded from the system of moral rights and obligations that bind humankind together ('Less Than Human' - by David Livingstone Smith 2011).”
What is it that enables one group of human beings to treat another group as though they were subhuman creatures?
…A rough answer isn't hard to come by. Thinking sets the agenda for action, and thinking of humans as less than human paves the way for atrocity. The Nazis were explicit about the status of their victims. They were Untermenschen — subhumans — and as such were excluded from the system of moral rights and obligations that bind humankind together. It's wrong to kill a person, but permissible to exterminate a rat. To the Nazis, all the Jews, Gypsies and others were rats: dangerous, disease-carrying rats…
Dehumanizing the enemy allowed German soldiers and officers to agree with the Nazis' new vision of warfare, and to fight without granting the Soviets any mercy or quarter."
…The Holocaust is the most thoroughly documented example of the ravages of dehumanization. Its hideousness strains the limits of imagination. And yet, focusing on it can be strangely comforting. It's all too easy to imagine that the Third Reich was a bizarre aberration, a kind of mass insanity instigated by a small group of deranged ideologues who conspired to seize political power and bend a nation to their will. Alternatively, it's tempting to imagine that the Germans were (or are) a uniquely cruel and bloodthirsty people. But these diagnoses are dangerously wrong. What's most disturbing about the Nazi phenomenon is not that the Nazis were madmen or monsters. It's that they were ordinary human beings…
NPR book review:
'Less Than Human': The Psychology Of Cruelty
Benedict XVI Fights Against Homosexuals Civil Rights
Read more:
3. Gay teen suicide – Family Acceptance Project - shows relationship between a lack of family acceptance of a gay child and the rate of substance abuse, suicide and others problems
References:
Groundbreaking Study Finds Family Acceptance of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Adolescents Protects Against Depression, Substance Abuse and Suicidal Behavior in Early Adulthood – by Caitlin Ryan, PhD, December 6, 2010 - FAMILY ACCEPTANCE PROJECT.
Dr. Caitlin Ryan: Reducing Risk and Promoting Well-Being for LGBT Youth: The Critical Role of Family Support – 2009 – podcast
Dr. Caitlin Ryan: Commitment, Intentionality, and Hard Work: What It Takes To Do Culturally Competent, Ground-Breaking Research 2010 – podcast
Family Acceptance Project™ website:
Dr. Caitlin Ryan – Mental Health Matters: How does the “Family Acceptance Project” work? – 2011
Family Acceptance Project™ - Helping diverse families understand how to support their LGBT children – videos
Family Acceptance of LGBT Youth Protects Against Suicide, Depression & Substance Abuse and Predicts Better Health & Self-Esteem
School Victimization of Gender-Nonconforming LGBT Youth Linked with Depression and Quality Of Life In Adulthood
Best Practice Guidelines for Serving LGBT Youth in Out-of-Home Care
Family Acceptance Project™ Resource Links:
San Francisco State University Related Programs
LGBT Family-Related Organizations
LGBT Youth Organizations
School-Related Resources
Gender-Related Resources
LGBT Legal Advocacy Organizations
Online Resources for LGBT Youth
Hotlines
Adolescent Health
National LGBT Organizations
LGBT Health-Related Organizations
Lesbian and Gay Youth: Care and Counseling - By Caitlin Ryan and Donna Futterman
UA professor Stephen T. Russell to Explore LGBT Suicide Risk – 2008
Homophobic families harm gay teenagers, study claims - 2008
Internalized Homophobia and Relationship Quality among Lesbians, Gay Men, and Bisexuals - David M. Frost and Ilan H. Meyer - 2009
Journal of Counseling Psychology 2009, Vol. 56, No. 1, 97–109
New Report Shows Inequalities for Children with LGBT Parents
Talking About Suicide & LGBT Populations - Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC)
Preventing Suicide among LGBT Youth by Effie Malley - Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC)
Homophobia Is Killing Our Youth – 2009
Gay Bullying Deaths and Religion: Are Believers the Problem or the Solution? 2010
For Many Gay Youth, Bullying Exacts a Deadly Toll – 2010
Gay bullying and Catholic responsibilities – 2010
Homophobia in the Church: What Catholics Are Doing About It, and What Still Needs to Be Done – 2010
“Most religious denominations continue to condemn homosexuality as sinful and
provide a rationale for marginalizing LGB people.” - Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC)
Social Environment - Although the social environment itself has not been defined as a risk factor for suicide, widespread discrimination against LGBT people, heterosexist attitudes, and gender bias can lead to risk factors such as isolation, family rejection, and lack of access to care providers. Risk factors may interact in unhealthy ways—for example, internalized homophobia or victimization may lead to stress, which is associated with depression and substance abuse, which can contribute to suicide risk. This risk may be compounded by a lack of protective factors that normally provide resilience, such as strong family connections, peer support, and access to effective health and mental health providers…
Herek and colleagues (2007) describe a framework to understand the social environment for sexual minorities. The framework integrates the sociological idea of stigma with the psychological idea of prejudice. Through stigma, society discredits and invalidates homosexuality relative to heterosexuality. Institutions embodying stigma results in heterosexism, and heterosexual individuals internalizing stigma results in prejudice. The United States legal system has faced challenges by sexual minorities and sympathetic heterosexuals that have led to significant changes. However, the legal system continues to reinforce stigma through discriminatory laws and the absence of laws protecting sexual minorities from discrimination in employment, housing, and services. A minority of states had antidiscrimination laws as of 2005, and most of these only referred to employment and not to housing or services. Most religious denominations continue to condemn homosexuality as sinful and provide a rationale for marginalizing LGB people…
See no Race, See no Gay: What Proponents of a Gay-Blind Approach to Bullying in the Schools can Learn from Race Relations - by Kira Hudson Banks, Ph.D. and Nestor L. Lopez-Duran PhD,
2010 - Psychology Today
Bullying, gay teen suicides, and a need for a solution – 2010 - Nestor L. Lopez-Duran, PhD. - clinical child psychologist and researcher, University of Michigan
Bullies and Victims: Boys will be boys or a symptom of distress? 2009 -Child Psychology Research
http://www.child-psych.org/2009/10/bullies-and-victims-a-risk-for-psychopathology.html#comment-47375
The cruelties of STRUCTURAL VIOLENCE on CHILDREN are often subtle, unspoken, unrecognized, and even normalized, regarded by many people as natural or “just the way things are.” Daniel J. Christie - Peace, Conflict, and Violence:
Peace Psychology for the 21st Century.
Pope’s child porn 'normal' claim sparks outrage among victims -122110
Related links:
John Jay Report: On Not Blaming Homosexual Priests – 51711
"No public figure talks more about child safety but does little to actually make children safer than Pope Benedict" 112611
The New John Jay Report on Clergy Abuse in the Catholic Church – “The researchers conclude that there is no causative relationship between either celibacy or homosexuality and the sexual victimization of children in the Church.” 51811
Facts about Homosexuality and Child Molestation - Gregory M. Herek, Ph.D.
Roman Catholic Hierarchy child sexual abuse “cover-ups” ordered by Benedict XVI to avoid public outrage & criminal charges falsely accused gay priests, WATERGATE? – January 2, 2010
Read more:
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