Stop the Church
Encyclopedia
Stop the Church was a demonstration by members of ACT UP (Aids Coalition to Unleash Power) and WHAM (Women's Health Action and Mobilization) held on December 10, 1989 at St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York
. Approximately 4,500 protestors joined in what was the largest demonstration against a religious organization in US history. One-hundred and eleven protesters were arrested, 53 of whom were arrested inside the church, after disrupting the Sunday morning mass.
The main objective of the demonstration was to express outrage at John Cardinal O'Connor
's opposition to the teaching of safe sex in the public school system, as well as his opposition to abortion. His appointment to president Ronald Reagan
's "Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS
" gave him unprecedented influence over the public school system by a religious leader.
The action was condemned widely, not only by local politicians but President George H.W. Bush, Senator Alphonse D'Amato and other national figures. It became the pervasive subject in the news throughout the week. It was also headline news in several European countries. The thing that most gay activists now agree on is that the demonstration brought the subject of AIDS into the American mainstream; something that activists had worked toward for several years.
Camille Paglia
wrote in a December 2008 Salon
column that a consecrated host
was desecrated by a protester, an act considered by Catholics to be an outrageous sacrilege
. However, the protestors were greatly admired by many in the gay community, including John Rechy
, who praised the action.
A short documentary
about the protest, titled "Stop the Church", was originally scheduled to air on PBS
. The documentary was eventually dropped from national broadcast by PBS, but still aired on public television stations in several major cities including New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles
.
St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York
The Cathedral of St. Patrick is a decorated Neo-Gothic-style Roman Catholic cathedral church in the United States...
. Approximately 4,500 protestors joined in what was the largest demonstration against a religious organization in US history. One-hundred and eleven protesters were arrested, 53 of whom were arrested inside the church, after disrupting the Sunday morning mass.
The main objective of the demonstration was to express outrage at John Cardinal O'Connor
John Cardinal O'Connor
John Joseph O'Connor was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of New York from 1984 until his death in 2000, and was created a cardinal in 1985...
's opposition to the teaching of safe sex in the public school system, as well as his opposition to abortion. His appointment to president Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
's "Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS
Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS
The Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS was a commission formed by PresidentBill Clinton in 1995 to provide recommendations on the US government's response to the AIDS epidemic. President George W. Bush and Secretary Tommy G. Thompson renewed the Council's charter on July 19, 2001.- History...
" gave him unprecedented influence over the public school system by a religious leader.
The action was condemned widely, not only by local politicians but President George H.W. Bush, Senator Alphonse D'Amato and other national figures. It became the pervasive subject in the news throughout the week. It was also headline news in several European countries. The thing that most gay activists now agree on is that the demonstration brought the subject of AIDS into the American mainstream; something that activists had worked toward for several years.
Camille Paglia
Camille Paglia
Camille Anna Paglia , is an American author, teacher, and social critic. Paglia, a self-described dissident feminist, has been a Professor at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania since 1984...
wrote in a December 2008 Salon
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
column that a consecrated host
Sacramental bread
Sacramental bread, sometimes called the lamb, altar bread, host or simply Communion bread, is the bread which is used in the Christian ritual of the Eucharist.-Eastern Catholic and Orthodox:...
was desecrated by a protester, an act considered by Catholics to be an outrageous sacrilege
Sacrilege
Sacrilege is the violation or injurious treatment of a sacred object. In a less proper sense, any transgression against the virtue of religion would be a sacrilege. It can come in the form of irreverence to sacred persons, places, and things...
. However, the protestors were greatly admired by many in the gay community, including John Rechy
John Rechy
John Francis Rechy, , is an American author, the child of a half-Scottish and half-Mexican father, Roberto Rechy, and a Mexican-American mother, Guadalupe Flores. In his novels he has written extensively about homosexual culture in Los Angeles and wider America, and is among the pioneers of modern...
, who praised the action.
A short documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about the protest, titled "Stop the Church", was originally scheduled to air on PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
. The documentary was eventually dropped from national broadcast by PBS, but still aired on public television stations in several major cities including New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.