"That's great," says Tarrytown Christ Episcopal Church Rev. Susan Copley as she read the above headline from the Huffington Post on Wednesday's historic 5-4 ruling on the unconstitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act.
Copley hadn't yet heard the news when I called her to check in on her response, and she was certainly thrilled to find out and further spread the news.
"I have to change the sermon I'm working on now," she said.
Christ Church has long been visibly supportive of gay rights, with their rainbow banners hung from the front fencing -- though not without some bumps. The banners were repeatedly torn down and stolen last year. In response, Copley had a new banner hung with the words: "Rainbow Banner Thieves: God Loves You Madly."
It just so happens that she had a new rainbow banner made for her parishioners to carry this coming Sunday for the annual Gay Pride parade in Manhattan. The banner is meant to welcome all to her church, and also says, "God Loves You Madly." Copley hopes to go march herself though timing is always tight with her two back-to-back services in English and Spanish.
As for that other big Supreme Court ruling that came in Tuesday, 5-4 for striking down part of the historic Voting Rights Law: Copley defined this as "just tragic." Though it doesn't impact us much here in more northern states, she said, parishioners who came to morning prayer Wednesday were "just sad about it."
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