

Two years ago, the controversial Amendment One passed in North Carolina with about 61 percent of the vote, defining marriage between one man and one woman as the only legal domestic partnership recognized in the state.



Some community members in Cleveland County were part of the 39 percent who opposed the amendment and supported gay marriage. And those community members included church leaders.



�When the local community called together people who wanted to oppose it, we were part of that community,� said the Rev. Dr. Valori Mulvey Sherer, rector at the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Shelby.



They led a march in support of gay marriage to the Board of Elections and held meetings at local coffee shops.



While the amendment passed 2-1 in the state, the numbers were even stronger within Cleveland County. County voters came out en masse - and in record numbers for a May election - to voice their opinion. In all, 80 percent of county voters that day voted for the amendment and to specify that marriage is only between a man and a woman.



"We, like Jesus, love sinners enough to tell them the truth, and we love our country enough to desire God's blessings on it," said Dr. Bo Wagner, of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Mooresboro, on the eve of the 2012 election. "When a society debases itself to the point of actually placing official sanction on wicked behavior, its days are numbered."



In recent weeks, both Oregon and Pennsylvania voted to allow gay marriage. That brings the total to 19 states, and Washington, D.C., which legally recognize it. Just this week, the Presbyterian Church voted to allow pastors to marry same-sex couples in states where it is legal.







'The goal is almost always love'



Sherer said the two-year anniversary of Amendment One passed without much conversation, prompting her to get the ball rolling on a gay pride event in Shelby.



�The particular motivation for this pride event was when the president proclaimed June National Pride Month and I had noticed that the anniversary of Amendment One had passed and I didn�t see a lot of conversation about it,� she said. �So I said, �Let�s do it. Let�s call some folks together.� And that�s how it started.�



Sherer�s church, the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, will be the location for the pride event, called #ShelbyLoves, which includes a picnic, dancing and family-friendly activities for kids and adults alike.



�The goal is almost always love,� she said. �Giving people a place to be who they are and be loved exactly as they are.�



She said organizers hope to build friendships during the event, as well as share information for LGBTQ people in the community on gay-friendly therapists, businesses and services.



�And one of the goals for this particular gathering this year is to begin to organize a PFLAG group (Parents Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays). It�s a national organization and there�s a chapter in Gastonia,� she said.







'No sin in sexuality'



In the Episcopalian church, Sherer said, people of different sexualities are treated no differently than anyone else.



�For us, there is no sin in sexuality,� she said, whether a person is bisexual, homosexual or transgendered. �As long as consenting adults are in a relationship that is intimate and bears the fruits of an intimate relationship, which bears the fruits of the love of God, then we will protect that.�



In the past, Sherer said churches have taken a different approach to issues like the �pride movement." Sherer said the Episcopal Church waited too long to get involved in civil rights in the 1960s, and that this time, they didn�t want to wait.



For Sherer and others supporting the event, they simply want to create a bridge between straight allies and the LGBTQ community.



�It�s a picnic. There will be straight people and gay people and you won�t be able to tell who�s who,� she said.







#ShelbyLoves: LGBTQA Pride event



What: A family-friendly event and picnic to build unity and community among the LGBTQ and straight allies. Activities will include face painting, coloring pages, chalk-talk, a photo booth, dancing and other games. Food is bring-your-own picnic. The event will happen rain or shine. There is no cost to attend.



When: 6 p.m., Friday, June 27



Who: The event is open to all who are lesbian, gay, transgender, questioning and to straight allies. Members of the Gastonia chapter of PFLAG, Parents Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, will be on hand to support a local effort to organize a chapter in Shelby.



Where: Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, 502 W. Sumter St., Shelby



Information: The Rev. Dr. Valori Mulvey Sherer at rector@redeemershelby.com or Meghan Stout at meghan.stout@gmail.com.