Harvey acknowledged the inevitable splintering of the denomination when she preached April 25 during her final address as the Council of Bishops president, “I also realize that it might be time to bless and send our sisters and brothers who cannot remain under the big tent.”Ī leader of the breakaway movement indicated Sunday’s launch would take place with little fanfare. “What we are interested in is a discovery of what God has in mind for us on the horizon as the next expression of who we are as United Methodists.”īickerton, who heads the UMC’s New York City region, succeeded Louisiana-based Cynthia Fierro Harvey as president of the bishops’ council. “We are the United Methodist Church not interested in continuing sexism, racism, homophobia, irrelevancy and decline,” he said. He urged the UMC, even as it suffers defections, to think of May 1 as its launch day as well.
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He said he prays the infighting will stop and the UMC will rediscover its mission to make disciples for Christ. “The constant fighting, the vitriolic rhetoric, the punitive behaviors have no place in how we preserve and promote our witness as Christian believers.” Bergquist Papers, 1968-1998, are available to the public in the Albertsons Library Special Collections and Archives (link in bio).īergquist’s brave voice is one of many in the LGBTQIA+ history of Boise, a legacy we build upon with education, hope, love, and pride.Bishop Thomas Bickerton, who became the Council of Bishops’ new president Friday, described the launch of the new movement as a “sad and sobering reality.” Bickerton said he regrets any departure from the UMC and values the denomination’s diversity of thought.
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His legacy lives on through the annual Boise PrideFest, in the continued fight for basic human rights and freedoms for LGBTQIA+ Idahoans, and in the Bergquist Lounge in the Student Union, named in his honor. Boise State Special Collections and Archives at Albertsons Libraryīergquist continued to shine as a leader and advocate for gay civil rights in Idaho until he passed away from a sudden heart attack during Boise’s Gay Pride Week in 1998. 1990 Gay Lesbian Freedom Parade in Boise, Idaho. He also saw the need to organize with purpose, and founded Your Family, Friends, and Neighbors in 1989 - a trailblazing gender identity and sexual orientation advocacy group. He began to network in the community of the late 80s and made many friends and allies. But the road toward visibility has not always been easy, and challenges continue.īergquist moved to Boise from Hollywood in 1987 to work at Boise State. Today, many see Pride events as a celebration. We are not an isolated island, but part of the great tide of human diversity,” wrote Bergquist for the November 1989 issue of ‘Out!’ magazine. “A Gay Pride Parade will help us to understand that we are part of a larger, national movement.
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Berquist, assistant director and coordinator of conference services in the Boise State Student Union, planned and coordinated the inaugural event. Sparked by the 1969 riots at the Stonewall Inn in New York City, Pride Month recognizes the resilience and grit of individuals in the LGBTQIA+ community who are fighting to live with freedom and authenticity.īoise’s first Pride parade took place on June 23, 1990. Boise State Special Collections and Archives at Albertsons Library