Holy Communion: Not to Be Blocked But Open to All, LGBTQ Included

From www.parentsociety.com:
I write this blog entry both as a gay dad and as an ordained pastor in the Presbyterian Church.

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As such, I’m hypersensitive to the words of inclusion and practices of exclusion in faith communities. I’ve got a heightened sense of awareness of hospitality, having seen some congregations consciously work hard on writing rituals that are welcoming of all, regardless of one’s age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, race, socioeconomic class, ethnicity, national heritage, ability, or disability. Likewise, I’ve seen parishes turn away people, many times unconscious of their actions or words, having never experienced being on the margins in middle-class American life.
Then there are moments when a priest, pastor, or minister in a church is openly and shockingly exclusive, barring a church member who is a gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or queer parent in a same-sex relationship from one of the central rituals, otherwise known as sacraments, in the life of a congregation: Holy Communion, Eucharist, or the Lord’s Supper. Not only have same-sex parents been denied participation in Holy Community, but other family members, straight allies, and some politicians who support marriage equality have been and are denied the bread and cup of this holy meal by the minister or priest who is presiding at the table or altar.
A case in point is the Roman Catholic Church, Assumption Church, in Barnesville, where the priest Rev. Gary LaMoine told the family of 17-year-old Lennon Cihak that they were all to be denied Communion because Lennon is gay and was against amending Minnesota’s constitution, outlawing marriage equality. Lennon altered a political sign that originally said “Vote Yes” on the marriage amendment and in its place wrote “No.”
The family is still incredibly kind toward the Church. Lennon’s father still calls Rev. LaMoine a “messenger of the church,” while Lennon doesn’t want the entire Catholic religion put down. He just thinks that Rev. LaMoine is simply “strict.”
Read more on: http://www.parentsociety.com/todays-family/same-sex-parents/exclusion-from-the-churc/