Via NY Times:
The Episcopal Church on Tuesday approved an official liturgy for blessing same-sex unions, enabling priests who have the approval of their bishops to bestow the church’s blessing on gay couples whether they live in a state where same-sex marriage is legal or not.
The adoption of an official rite, significant in a church in which liturgy is central, further solidifies the Episcopal Church’s shift to the left on sexual minorities. A day earlier, the church voted to approve a nondiscrimination policy that will allow transgendered people to be ordained to the priesthood.
The vote on gay blessings, which took place at the church’s triennial General Convention in Indianapolis, was 171 to 50. The vote was by the House of Deputies, which includes laypeople and clergy members. The church has a bicameral structure, and its House of Bishops overwhelmingly approved the new liturgy on Monday by a vote of 111 to 41, with 3 abstentions.
“This is significant because it’s saying, ‘This is around to stay — this is not a passing fad,’ ” said Mary A. Tolbert, founding director of the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry at Pacific School of Religion, in Berkeley, Calif. “It’s making a statement about the continued presence of gay and lesbian people among the congregations of the Episcopal Church, and that their lives need to be marked by liturgy as well.”