Episcopal conservatives were quick to criticize the approval of the Rev. Mary Glasspool of Baltimore, who was elected last December, and said the move was “grieving the heart of God.”

Still, Glasspool’s victory underscored a continued Episcopal commitment to accepting same-sex relationships despite enormous pressure from other Anglicans to change their stand.

“I am … aware that not everyone rejoices in this election and consent, and will work, pray and continue to extend my own hands and heart to bridge those gaps, and strengthen the bonds of affection among all people, in the name of Jesus Christ,” Glasspool said in a printed statement.

Glasspool and the Rev. Diane M. Jardine Bruce were elected in December to serve as assistant bishops, making them the first women bishops to serve in that diocese. Both, however, needed the full church’s approval to be consecrated.

Both are scheduled to be consecrated on May 15.

The Episcopal Church, which is the Anglican body in the United States, caused an uproar in 2003 by consecrating the first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire.

Breakaway Episcopal conservatives have formed a rival church, the Anglican Church in North America.

Several overseas Anglicans have been pressuring Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, spiritual leader of the world’s 77 million Anglicans, to officially recognize the new conservative entity.

In 2004, Anglican leaders asked the Episcopal Church for a moratorium on electing another gay bishop while they tried to prevent a permanent break in the fellowship.

Since the request was made, some Episcopal gay priests have been nominated for bishop, but none was elected before Glasspool. In July 2009, the Episcopal General Convention, the U.S. church’s top policy making body, affirmed that gay and lesbian priests were eligible to become bishops.

Glasspool’s approval shows that the Episcopal Church “creates no barrier for ministry on the basis of gender and sexual orientation, among other factors,” Los Angeles Bishop Jon Bruno said in a statement.

But some conservative Episcopalians were outspoken in their criticism Wednesday.

In approving Glasspool, the Episcopal Church has “sought to embrace a way of life which the church through the Bible has always understood to be forbidden,” said the Rev. Kendall Harmon of the traditional Diocese of South Carolina, which has voted to distance itself from the national church.

“The tragic damage the Episcopal Church has recently caused the third largest Christian family in the world will continue into the future, hurting our collective witness and grieving the heart of God.”

Glasspool, 56, an adviser, or canon, for eight years to the Diocese of Maryland’s bishop, said in an essay on the Los Angeles diocese Web site that she had an “intense struggle” while in college with her sexuality and the call to become a priest.

“Did God hate me (since I was a homosexual), or did God love me?” she wrote. “Did I hate (or love) myself?”

She said she met her partner, Becki Sander, while working in Massachusetts, and the two have been together since 1988.

Bruce was most recently the rector of St. Clement’s-By-The-Sea Episcopal Church in San Clemente, Calif.

These are photos from tonight’s New York City vigil  for crime victims Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado and Jason “Jaysen” Mattison Jr. I’ll write something about tonight’s event tomorrow morning.

Says the Baltimore Sun:

Jason’s killing left his teachers, classmates and relatives in tears and family members asking questions of one another even in the days leading up to today’s funeral.

Did Jason leave his mother’s house and move in with his aunt, as his grandmother suggested? Or was he just visiting on that fateful day, as a cousin said? And why did people in his aunt’s house open their door to the suspect, a convicted killer released early from prison because of flaws in his case?

His paternal grandmother, Wanda Williams, one of the first Jason confided in about being gay and who handed him a few dollars now and then for food and clothes, questioned how other relatives could have allowed the boy to be in the same house with Parrish, given his violent past.

“I haven’t cried so much this entire life,” Williams said. “My grandson hollering for help and there is nobody there to help him.”

Jason was one of the most popular kids at school, his English teacher said, always first to class, always first to the cafeteria, where students fought to sit at his table, always first to turn in his homework and always getting near-perfect grades.

“He was outspoken and excited about everything he talked about,” Jones said. “Walking into school, he was the first one to share what he did over the weekend. He was very, very popular, and he was everyone’s best friend.”

Jason wanted to be a pediatrician, Jones said, and the only thing the two debated was Jason’s constant chatter.

“He was not a behavioral problem,” Jones said. “He was a talking problem.”

A Baltimore police spokesman would say only that Jason “was staying at his aunt’s house.” It was there that Jason met Parrish, with whom the spokesman said the teen had a “forced sexual relationship.”

Jason Mattison Jr. is dead. The Baltimore teen, who was a quick wit and adored by teachers and peers,  was found in the closet of an aunt. Raped, stabbed, and gagged.

“He was a sweet young man. He wasn’t afraid of who he was. He had a life ahead of him. I just wish he could’ve had a chance to live it,” said Laquanna Couplin, the child’s cousin.

The gay young man, he was out at school and to his family, was the center of attention in his classes and family and made sure his personal stamp was never in the shadows.

The suspect? A Dante Parrish, 35, a family friend with a criminal record that includes murder. Maybe as a defense he’ll trot out the gay panic line, although the rape of a child will make that tactic slightly problematic.

There’s not much to add. Just like there isn’t much to say about the murder of another youngster. Considering the tenor of some of the recent comments though, I can imagine someone blaming Mattison for his own death.

Several clues indicate foul play, including an open front window and a side window leading to the basement that appeared to have been forced open. The neighbors investigated the apartment to find the source of an “odor that grew so strong that people living next door lit scented candles.”

The slayings occurred just days before the couple had plans of moving out and after they had gotten into an argument with a stripper they had taken in and later evicted.

“They were just planning on moving, they said they didn’t want to be in Baltimore,” said property manager Miki Scholtes. “They told us they were going to be out of that place by the end of this week.”

Sctario Tia Edwards, 25, and the suspect bumped on the dance floor of Coconuts Cafe early Saturday morning and an argument ensued.

The dispute continued outside the club when Edwards and another woman left. The suspect began beating the two women with a metal pipe and then pulled a gun, shooting Edwards multiple times. 

At one point, Edwards attempted to run after being hit by the first shot, police said, but the suspect chased her down and shot her again several times. She died later in hospital.

Edward’s friend was hit in the hand by another shot, and a women on the street heading to the club was struck by stray gunfire. Both were treated in the hospital and released.

The suspect escaped but police said they have a good description.  So far, though, there have been no arrests.

Police say the victim, whose name is being withheld for his own security, was walking with his partner when they approached by a man on a bicycle.

The man stopped to talk with the cyclist while the partner walked ahead.

The partner told police he then heard pops that sounded like gun shots and turned to see the victim fall to the ground.

The man the victim was talking to began running, then turned and came back for the bike. He then rode off.

The partner has unable to to provide police with a full description of the suspect.  The victim is unconscious. Police hope he will be able to provide more details.

Police also said they do not know if the victim and his assailant knew each other.

The court ruled that even though the group pressing for the repeal had not gathered sufficient signatures, the legal challenge came too late.

“The referendum is a drastic measure to block a law that was unanimously passed by the duly elected Montgomery County Council after extensive public hearings,” said Natalie Chin, Staff Attorney at Lambda Legal.

“The court agreed with our arguments but said we didn’t make them soon enough. We disagree and will be seeking an appeal,” she said.

On Nov. 13, 2007, the Montgomery County council unanimously passed an act adding gender identity as a protected characteristic under the county’s civil rights law.

A group calling itself Citizens for Responsible Government immediately began collecting signatures to block the law from going into effect.

Lambda Legal, together with Equality Maryland, represented Montgomery County registered voters who oppose the referendum effort. They say repeal would set back the clock on civil rights in Montgomery.

In court papers filed on June 16, Lambda Legal argued that the Montgomery County Board of Elections used the wrong formula to determine the required number of signatures needed to put the measure on the ballot.

Lambda argued and the court agreed that the calculation was incorrectly derived from five percent of  “active” voters when state law requires counting all registered voters—resulting in a shortfall of hundreds of signatures.

“Strict compliance is supposed to provide safeguards for the vulnerable minority that the law is intended to protect and this ruling disregards those safeguards,” said Carrie Evans, Equality Maryland policy director.

“We are working with our attorneys to assess where we go from here. In the meantime, Basic Rights Montgomery, a broad-based coalition working to ensure this law remains in place, is in full swing.”

The anti-discrimination law under attack was unanimously passed after extensive public hearings.