This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Yobbo14 (talk | contribs) at 17:04, 17 July 2012. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 17:04, 17 July 2012 by Yobbo14 (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) | This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Stop the Church" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Stop the Church was a demonstration by members of ACT UP (Aids Coalition to Unleash Power) and WHAM (Women's Health Action and Mobilization) held on December 10, 1989 at St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York. One-hundred and eleven protesters were arrested, 53 of whom were arrested inside the church, after disrupting the Sunday morning mass.
The main objective of the demonstration was to express outrage at John Cardinal O'Connor's opposition to the teaching of safe sex in the public school system, as well as his opposition to abortion. While the Roman Catholic Church has no juristiction over United States public schools, the church's general teaching on contraception is that it is contrary to natural law (procreation), and to advocate celebacy for unmarried persons.
The protest was condemned widely, not only by local politicians but President George H.W. Bush, Senator Alphonse D'Amato and other national figures. It became the pervasive subject in the news throughout the week. It was also headline news in several European countries.
Camille Paglia wrote in a December 2008 Salon column that a consecrated host was desecrated by a protester, an act considered by Catholics to be an outrageous sacrilege. However, the protestors were greatly admired by many in the gay community, including John Rechy, who praised the action.
A short documentary about the protest, titled "Stop the Church", was originally scheduled to air on PBS. The documentary was eventually dropped from national broadcast by PBS, but still aired on public television stations in several major cities including New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
References
- Steinfels, Peter. (September 13, 1991) Channel 13 to Show Film on AIDS Protest New York Times. Accessed July 4, 2007.