Is STA gay-friendly?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a son in the lower school, and have not been happy with some of the behavior I have seen among the boys- namely that fact that some jokingly calling other boys "gay" as a put down. I have spoken to my son at length about how unacceptable this behavior is, and that it won't be tolerated. Unfortunately not a whole lot seems to be done about it at school (and yes, I have spoken to both his teacher and another school administrator about my concerns.)

What grade?

He is in A Form (6th grade)

Is he calling himself gay in the 6th grade?

No. I am not the poster above but no boy is calling himself gay in that grade. If I read it correctly she is saying they are using the term "gay" in a derogatory way with one another.

90% of teenage boys still use that term derogatory manner. This isn’t just STA it’s public schools it’s everywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you relay something to the school that did not concern your kid, they will pretend it did not happen at all.... it is insulting and disturbing at the price tag.

I think Sta does it's best but it's difficult if the parents and boys involved don't report it to them then it's hearsay. I understand what you mean though. I think at some point some of this will just come out one way or another as either parents or boys will have had enough of it and when they do report it they will bring proof of the many incidences then it can't be questioned.

Sad. You need to make sure that there is a paper trail of parents complaining to the school. I feel terrible for the poor boys who are at the receiving end of this boorish behavior, and who are seeing their parents act as bystanders to meanness. Great example you are setting for your sons. No way would I send my gay boy to StA if this is the prevalent attitude.

See this with the 5th grade too. Seems like teachers should be more dialed in and aware of what's going on. We are talking about a pretty small group. With respect to the treatment of gay kids, lower school is pretty early to identify as gay but from what I've seen the 7th and 8th graders are very accepting of the few students who have come out.

[Anonymous]

Yes, see the progressive school thread. They are listed there. They must be very avant- garde to be recognized as progressive on DCUM. Their school store sells rainbow sox and sports banners for pride week. Ok that was tongue in cheek.

But we do know they are Episcopalian, which is queer friendly. Although around fifteen years ago, eight NOVA episcopal churches broke away and joined a Nigerian Anglican diocese after the episcopal church allowed ordination of gay priests and female bishops. The Nigerian church was then headed by a guy who called for prison terms for homosexual activity. Meanwhile corruption in Nigeria has robbed the country of $400billion in oil revenue. The break away conservative episcopal churches in Virginia and Illinois formed the Anglican Church Of North America in 2009 and it is a separate part of the Anglican Communion than is the Episcopal Church.

Then six years ago, The Episcopal Church included the rite for same sex marriages in its church laws. The Anglican Church world wide communion responded by suspending and slapping sanctions on its US Branch for supporting same sex marriage. The conservative Anglicans in Africa and NOVA were ecstatic. Nearly half the countries where homosexuality is a crime are in Africa (it is a crime in 22 African countries and illegal in 38 African countries). Only one African country has legalized same sex marriage (South Africa). In four African countries including northern Nigerian, individuals found guilty of Homosexuality face the death penalty.

Anyhoo, the Episcopal Church was suspended for three years over gay marriage issue. Two years later, then Prince Harry and Meghan Markle broke with royal custom by inviting the first African American Episcopal Bishop Michael Curry to deliver an address at their wedding. This was pointed support for gay rights since royal custom was to have senior clergy from Church of England to deliver addresses at royal weddings.

The Episcopal Anglican rift over same sex unions is quite poetic really. In 1534, King Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church to form The Anglican Church in order to allow the annulment of marriages to wives who bored him or did not bear him sons. The World Wide Anglican Communion is going strong in 46 countries thanks to the British Empire. Now nearly 600 years later, the Episcopal Church is close to breaking away over a new type of marriage arrangement for the ten percent of us who are gay or bisexual.

The Episcopal Church has waged battle to defend gay rights.

St Albans probably stays above the fray but they are officially Episcopalian.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, see the progressive school thread. They are listed there. They must be very avant- garde to be recognized as progressive on DCUM. Their school store sells rainbow sox and sports banners for pride week. Ok that was tongue in cheek.

But we do know they are Episcopalian, which is queer friendly. Although around fifteen years ago, eight NOVA episcopal churches broke away and joined a Nigerian Anglican diocese after the episcopal church allowed ordination of gay priests and female bishops. The Nigerian church was then headed by a guy who called for prison terms for homosexual activity. Meanwhile corruption in Nigeria has robbed the country of $400billion in oil revenue. The break away conservative episcopal churches in Virginia and Illinois formed the Anglican Church Of North America in 2009 and it is a separate part of the Anglican Communion than is the Episcopal Church.

Then six years ago, The Episcopal Church included the rite for same sex marriages in its church laws. The Anglican Church world wide communion responded by suspending and slapping sanctions on its US Branch for supporting same sex marriage. The conservative Anglicans in Africa and NOVA were ecstatic. Nearly half the countries where homosexuality is a crime are in Africa (it is a crime in 22 African countries and illegal in 38 African countries). Only one African country has legalized same sex marriage (South Africa). In four African countries including northern Nigerian, individuals found guilty of Homosexuality face the death penalty.

Anyhoo, the Episcopal Church was suspended for three years over gay marriage issue. Two years later, then Prince Harry and Meghan Markle broke with royal custom by inviting the first African American Episcopal Bishop Michael Curry to deliver an address at their wedding. This was pointed support for gay rights since royal custom was to have senior clergy from Church of England to deliver addresses at royal weddings.

The Episcopal Anglican rift over same sex unions is quite poetic really. In 1534, King Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church to form The Anglican Church in order to allow the annulment of marriages to wives who bored him or did not bear him sons. The World Wide Anglican Communion is going strong in 46 countries thanks to the British Empire. Now nearly 600 years later, the Episcopal Church is close to breaking away over a new type of marriage arrangement for the ten percent of us who are gay or bisexual.

The Episcopal Church has waged battle to defend gay rights.

St Albans probably stays above the fray but they are officially Episcopalian.

I hope you don’t actually think that people are going to read this essay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:10:21 poster here again. I could maybe see this work out if someone who was already a well-liked and well-respected (and emotionally stable) student in an all-male school decided at some point late in his high-school career (maybe junior or senior year) to come out as gay and did so in a respectable manner. Think class president or football team captain. By that age, other boys would probably be mature enough to accept the situation. But, at least in my (admittedly dated) experiences, it would really be suicide for an openly gay boy to start attending an all-male school with no reputation to precede him. He wouldn't be accepted or liked, and the emotional stress would be significant. The worst possible situation would be for someone who was not openly gay to be caught in any sort of stereotypically gay behavior, of course.

Again...I have nothing to offer that is specific to STA, but I just don't see how an all-male school would be a good environment for an openly gay boy.

I think your experiences are dated. My kids (both HS) know a fair number of boys and girls that are out, some as soon as middle school. It seems to be very accepted now. I have to say I was a bit surprised when my son told me in middle school that another boy was gay and was pretty much letting everyone know it. I think it's more shocking for the parents than the kids.

Agree, this is a dated opinion. It's just not how most kids in this area are today. LGBTQ+ is rather normative here now, including in religious schools. If anything, it has become so normal to them that they question whey people keep making a big deal about it, but that's because they aren't fully aware of the bubble they live in -- most of the world is not a great place to be gay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, see the progressive school thread. They are listed there. They must be very avant- garde to be recognized as progressive on DCUM. Their school store sells rainbow sox and sports banners for pride week. Ok that was tongue in cheek.

But we do know they are Episcopalian, which is queer friendly. Although around fifteen years ago, eight NOVA episcopal churches broke away and joined a Nigerian Anglican diocese after the episcopal church allowed ordination of gay priests and female bishops. The Nigerian church was then headed by a guy who called for prison terms for homosexual activity. Meanwhile corruption in Nigeria has robbed the country of $400billion in oil revenue. The break away conservative episcopal churches in Virginia and Illinois formed the Anglican Church Of North America in 2009 and it is a separate part of the Anglican Communion than is the Episcopal Church.

Then six years ago, The Episcopal Church included the rite for same sex marriages in its church laws. The Anglican Church world wide communion responded by suspending and slapping sanctions on its US Branch for supporting same sex marriage. The conservative Anglicans in Africa and NOVA were ecstatic. Nearly half the countries where homosexuality is a crime are in Africa (it is a crime in 22 African countries and illegal in 38 African countries). Only one African country has legalized same sex marriage (South Africa). In four African countries including northern Nigerian, individuals found guilty of Homosexuality face the death penalty.

Anyhoo, the Episcopal Church was suspended for three years over gay marriage issue. Two years later, then Prince Harry and Meghan Markle broke with royal custom by inviting the first African American Episcopal Bishop Michael Curry to deliver an address at their wedding. This was pointed support for gay rights since royal custom was to have senior clergy from Church of England to deliver addresses at royal weddings.

The Episcopal Anglican rift over same sex unions is quite poetic really. In 1534, King Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church to form The Anglican Church in order to allow the annulment of marriages to wives who bored him or did not bear him sons. The World Wide Anglican Communion is going strong in 46 countries thanks to the British Empire. Now nearly 600 years later, the Episcopal Church is close to breaking away over a new type of marriage arrangement for the ten percent of us who are gay or bisexual.

The Episcopal Church has waged battle to defend gay rights.

St Albans probably stays above the fray but they are officially Episcopalian.

I hope you don’t actually think that people are going to read this essay.

I did 😀 interesting read …

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, see the progressive school thread. They are listed there. They must be very avant- garde to be recognized as progressive on DCUM. Their school store sells rainbow sox and sports banners for pride week. Ok that was tongue in cheek.

But we do know they are Episcopalian, which is queer friendly. Although around fifteen years ago, eight NOVA episcopal churches broke away and joined a Nigerian Anglican diocese after the episcopal church allowed ordination of gay priests and female bishops. The Nigerian church was then headed by a guy who called for prison terms for homosexual activity. Meanwhile corruption in Nigeria has robbed the country of $400billion in oil revenue. The break away conservative episcopal churches in Virginia and Illinois formed the Anglican Church Of North America in 2009 and it is a separate part of the Anglican Communion than is the Episcopal Church.

Then six years ago, The Episcopal Church included the rite for same sex marriages in its church laws. The Anglican Church world wide communion responded by suspending and slapping sanctions on its US Branch for supporting same sex marriage. The conservative Anglicans in Africa and NOVA were ecstatic. Nearly half the countries where homosexuality is a crime are in Africa (it is a crime in 22 African countries and illegal in 38 African countries). Only one African country has legalized same sex marriage (South Africa). In four African countries including northern Nigerian, individuals found guilty of Homosexuality face the death penalty.

Anyhoo, the Episcopal Church was suspended for three years over gay marriage issue. Two years later, then Prince Harry and Meghan Markle broke with royal custom by inviting the first African American Episcopal Bishop Michael Curry to deliver an address at their wedding. This was pointed support for gay rights since royal custom was to have senior clergy from Church of England to deliver addresses at royal weddings.

The Episcopal Anglican rift over same sex unions is quite poetic really. In 1534, King Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church to form The Anglican Church in order to allow the annulment of marriages to wives who bored him or did not bear him sons. The World Wide Anglican Communion is going strong in 46 countries thanks to the British Empire. Now nearly 600 years later, the Episcopal Church is close to breaking away over a new type of marriage arrangement for the ten percent of us who are gay or bisexual.

The Episcopal Church has waged battle to defend gay rights.

St Albans probably stays above the fray but they are officially Episcopalian.

I hope you don’t actually think that people are going to read this essay.

I did 😀 interesting read …

Where can we buy the ST Albans rainbow Sox?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, see the progressive school thread. They are listed there. They must be very avant- garde to be recognized as progressive on DCUM. Their school store sells rainbow sox and sports banners for pride week. Ok that was tongue in cheek.

But we do know they are Episcopalian, which is queer friendly. Although around fifteen years ago, eight NOVA episcopal churches broke away and joined a Nigerian Anglican diocese after the episcopal church allowed ordination of gay priests and female bishops. The Nigerian church was then headed by a guy who called for prison terms for homosexual activity. Meanwhile corruption in Nigeria has robbed the country of $400billion in oil revenue. The break away conservative episcopal churches in Virginia and Illinois formed the Anglican Church Of North America in 2009 and it is a separate part of the Anglican Communion than is the Episcopal Church.

Then six years ago, The Episcopal Church included the rite for same sex marriages in its church laws. The Anglican Church world wide communion responded by suspending and slapping sanctions on its US Branch for supporting same sex marriage. The conservative Anglicans in Africa and NOVA were ecstatic. Nearly half the countries where homosexuality is a crime are in Africa (it is a crime in 22 African countries and illegal in 38 African countries). Only one African country has legalized same sex marriage (South Africa). In four African countries including northern Nigerian, individuals found guilty of Homosexuality face the death penalty.

Anyhoo, the Episcopal Church was suspended for three years over gay marriage issue. Two years later, then Prince Harry and Meghan Markle broke with royal custom by inviting the first African American Episcopal Bishop Michael Curry to deliver an address at their wedding. This was pointed support for gay rights since royal custom was to have senior clergy from Church of England to deliver addresses at royal weddings.

The Episcopal Anglican rift over same sex unions is quite poetic really. In 1534, King Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church to form The Anglican Church in order to allow the annulment of marriages to wives who bored him or did not bear him sons. The World Wide Anglican Communion is going strong in 46 countries thanks to the British Empire. Now nearly 600 years later, the Episcopal Church is close to breaking away over a new type of marriage arrangement for the ten percent of us who are gay or bisexual.

The Episcopal Church has waged battle to defend gay rights.

St Albans probably stays above the fray but they are officially Episcopalian.

Fascinating, but has zero to do with day to day life at STA

[Anonymous]

Why pull up a thread from 2017?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why pull up a thread from 2017?

Because it's an important question in 2022 as well. You seem dense

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, see the progressive school thread. They are listed there. They must be very avant- garde to be recognized as progressive on DCUM. Their school store sells rainbow sox and sports banners for pride week. Ok that was tongue in cheek.

But we do know they are Episcopalian, which is queer friendly. Although around fifteen years ago, eight NOVA episcopal churches broke away and joined a Nigerian Anglican diocese after the episcopal church allowed ordination of gay priests and female bishops. The Nigerian church was then headed by a guy who called for prison terms for homosexual activity. Meanwhile corruption in Nigeria has robbed the country of $400billion in oil revenue. The break away conservative episcopal churches in Virginia and Illinois formed the Anglican Church Of North America in 2009 and it is a separate part of the Anglican Communion than is the Episcopal Church.

Then six years ago, The Episcopal Church included the rite for same sex marriages in its church laws. The Anglican Church world wide communion responded by suspending and slapping sanctions on its US Branch for supporting same sex marriage. The conservative Anglicans in Africa and NOVA were ecstatic. Nearly half the countries where homosexuality is a crime are in Africa (it is a crime in 22 African countries and illegal in 38 African countries). Only one African country has legalized same sex marriage (South Africa). In four African countries including northern Nigerian, individuals found guilty of Homosexuality face the death penalty.

Anyhoo, the Episcopal Church was suspended for three years over gay marriage issue. Two years later, then Prince Harry and Meghan Markle broke with royal custom by inviting the first African American Episcopal Bishop Michael Curry to deliver an address at their wedding. This was pointed support for gay rights since royal custom was to have senior clergy from Church of England to deliver addresses at royal weddings.

The Episcopal Anglican rift over same sex unions is quite poetic really. In 1534, King Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church to form The Anglican Church in order to allow the annulment of marriages to wives who bored him or did not bear him sons. The World Wide Anglican Communion is going strong in 46 countries thanks to the British Empire. Now nearly 600 years later, the Episcopal Church is close to breaking away over a new type of marriage arrangement for the ten percent of us who are gay or bisexual.

The Episcopal Church has waged battle to defend gay rights.

St Albans probably stays above the fray but they are officially Episcopalian.

Fascinating, but has zero to do with day to day life at STA

Ya maybe not day to day but on some level it has to influence the school culture … StAs is one of just three Episcopal Schools who formally graduate from high school in an Episcopal ceremony at the National Cathedral. They have regular chapel services in the cathedral.

Some Episcopal priests and bishops are gay and the church has taken serious hits to honor their right to be part of the faith community as members and leaders.

Hopefully trickle down sociology is more consequential than trickle down economic theory 😀

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, see the progressive school thread. They are listed there. They must be very avant- garde to be recognized as progressive on DCUM. Their school store sells rainbow sox and sports banners for pride week. Ok that was tongue in cheek.

But we do know they are Episcopalian, which is queer friendly. Although around fifteen years ago, eight NOVA episcopal churches broke away and joined a Nigerian Anglican diocese after the episcopal church allowed ordination of gay priests and female bishops. The Nigerian church was then headed by a guy who called for prison terms for homosexual activity. Meanwhile corruption in Nigeria has robbed the country of $400billion in oil revenue. The break away conservative episcopal churches in Virginia and Illinois formed the Anglican Church Of North America in 2009 and it is a separate part of the Anglican Communion than is the Episcopal Church.

Then six years ago, The Episcopal Church included the rite for same sex marriages in its church laws. The Anglican Church world wide communion responded by suspending and slapping sanctions on its US Branch for supporting same sex marriage. The conservative Anglicans in Africa and NOVA were ecstatic. Nearly half the countries where homosexuality is a crime are in Africa (it is a crime in 22 African countries and illegal in 38 African countries). Only one African country has legalized same sex marriage (South Africa). In four African countries including northern Nigerian, individuals found guilty of Homosexuality face the death penalty.

Anyhoo, the Episcopal Church was suspended for three years over gay marriage issue. Two years later, then Prince Harry and Meghan Markle broke with royal custom by inviting the first African American Episcopal Bishop Michael Curry to deliver an address at their wedding. This was pointed support for gay rights since royal custom was to have senior clergy from Church of England to deliver addresses at royal weddings.

The Episcopal Anglican rift over same sex unions is quite poetic really. In 1534, King Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church to form The Anglican Church in order to allow the annulment of marriages to wives who bored him or did not bear him sons. The World Wide Anglican Communion is going strong in 46 countries thanks to the British Empire. Now nearly 600 years later, the Episcopal Church is close to breaking away over a new type of marriage arrangement for the ten percent of us who are gay or bisexual.

The Episcopal Church has waged battle to defend gay rights.

St Albans probably stays above the fray but they are officially Episcopalian.

I hope you don’t actually think that people are going to read this essay.

I did 😀 interesting read …

I read it too. I also thought it was interesting, but I'm not sure doctrine is as important to people as it was hundreds of years ago or even 5 years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, see the progressive school thread. They are listed there. They must be very avant- garde to be recognized as progressive on DCUM. Their school store sells rainbow sox and sports banners for pride week. Ok that was tongue in cheek.

But we do know they are Episcopalian, which is queer friendly. Although around fifteen years ago, eight NOVA episcopal churches broke away and joined a Nigerian Anglican diocese after the episcopal church allowed ordination of gay priests and female bishops. The Nigerian church was then headed by a guy who called for prison terms for homosexual activity. Meanwhile corruption in Nigeria has robbed the country of $400billion in oil revenue. The break away conservative episcopal churches in Virginia and Illinois formed the Anglican Church Of North America in 2009 and it is a separate part of the Anglican Communion than is the Episcopal Church.

Then six years ago, The Episcopal Church included the rite for same sex marriages in its church laws. The Anglican Church world wide communion responded by suspending and slapping sanctions on its US Branch for supporting same sex marriage. The conservative Anglicans in Africa and NOVA were ecstatic. Nearly half the countries where homosexuality is a crime are in Africa (it is a crime in 22 African countries and illegal in 38 African countries). Only one African country has legalized same sex marriage (South Africa). In four African countries including northern Nigerian, individuals found guilty of Homosexuality face the death penalty.

Anyhoo, the Episcopal Church was suspended for three years over gay marriage issue. Two years later, then Prince Harry and Meghan Markle broke with royal custom by inviting the first African American Episcopal Bishop Michael Curry to deliver an address at their wedding. This was pointed support for gay rights since royal custom was to have senior clergy from Church of England to deliver addresses at royal weddings.

The Episcopal Anglican rift over same sex unions is quite poetic really. In 1534, King Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church to form The Anglican Church in order to allow the annulment of marriages to wives who bored him or did not bear him sons. The World Wide Anglican Communion is going strong in 46 countries thanks to the British Empire. Now nearly 600 years later, the Episcopal Church is close to breaking away over a new type of marriage arrangement for the ten percent of us who are gay or bisexual.

The Episcopal Church has waged battle to defend gay rights.

St Albans probably stays above the fray but they are officially Episcopalian.

Fascinating, but has zero to do with day to day life at STA

Ya maybe not day to day but on some level it has to influence the school culture … StAs is one of just three Episcopal Schools who formally graduate from high school in an Episcopal ceremony at the National Cathedral. They have regular chapel services in the cathedral.

Some Episcopal priests and bishops are gay and the church has taken serious hits to honor their right to be part of the faith community as members and leaders.

Hopefully trickle down sociology is more consequential than trickle down economic theory 😀

It's a little more than trickle down. The boys take religion classes, they have chapels, they have chaplains. All of these things are run by Episcopal leaders, and all are grounded in Episcopal principles. Boys are not required to become Episcopalians, or even Christians, but they are provided with a path that requires them to be thoughtful about the role (or not) of religion in their lives, and the relevant religious teachings here are Episcopal, and more specifically, the Episcopal teachings that are closely connected with the National Cathedral. This context matters. There are other religious schools, and while those schools also don't typically require a student to convert to, say, Catholicism, the context of the religious teachings and supports will be different on issues like gay marriage and reproductive rights (especially for more Opus Dei adjacent Catholic schools, and to some degree with non-Jesuit Catholic schools, and to a fairly small degree with Jesuit schools).

Of course, no amount of teaching, religious or otherwise, can guarantee that the students will not speak or act in discriminatory or even hateful ways. And it is up to the school to articulate clear policies on acceptable speech and discourse, which STA has recently done (we'll have to see how the policy on respectful discourse it issued actually plays out on the ground, of course). But everything, including the Episcopal context of which STA is an integral part, adds up and matters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why pull up a thread from 2017?

Because it's an important question in 2022 as well. You seem dense

Someone has an agenda, I think. I won’t insult you in return. Have a nice day

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, see the progressive school thread. They are listed there. They must be very avant- garde to be recognized as progressive on DCUM. Their school store sells rainbow sox and sports banners for pride week. Ok that was tongue in cheek.

But we do know they are Episcopalian, which is queer friendly. Although around fifteen years ago, eight NOVA episcopal churches broke away and joined a Nigerian Anglican diocese after the episcopal church allowed ordination of gay priests and female bishops. The Nigerian church was then headed by a guy who called for prison terms for homosexual activity. Meanwhile corruption in Nigeria has robbed the country of $400billion in oil revenue. The break away conservative episcopal churches in Virginia and Illinois formed the Anglican Church Of North America in 2009 and it is a separate part of the Anglican Communion than is the Episcopal Church.

Then six years ago, The Episcopal Church included the rite for same sex marriages in its church laws. The Anglican Church world wide communion responded by suspending and slapping sanctions on its US Branch for supporting same sex marriage. The conservative Anglicans in Africa and NOVA were ecstatic. Nearly half the countries where homosexuality is a crime are in Africa (it is a crime in 22 African countries and illegal in 38 African countries). Only one African country has legalized same sex marriage (South Africa). In four African countries including northern Nigerian, individuals found guilty of Homosexuality face the death penalty.

Anyhoo, the Episcopal Church was suspended for three years over gay marriage issue. Two years later, then Prince Harry and Meghan Markle broke with royal custom by inviting the first African American Episcopal Bishop Michael Curry to deliver an address at their wedding. This was pointed support for gay rights since royal custom was to have senior clergy from Church of England to deliver addresses at royal weddings.

The Episcopal Anglican rift over same sex unions is quite poetic really. In 1534, King Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church to form The Anglican Church in order to allow the annulment of marriages to wives who bored him or did not bear him sons. The World Wide Anglican Communion is going strong in 46 countries thanks to the British Empire. Now nearly 600 years later, the Episcopal Church is close to breaking away over a new type of marriage arrangement for the ten percent of us who are gay or bisexual.

The Episcopal Church has waged battle to defend gay rights.

St Albans probably stays above the fray but they are officially Episcopalian.

Fascinating, but has zero to do with day to day life at STA

Ya maybe not day to day but on some level it has to influence the school culture … StAs is one of just three Episcopal Schools who formally graduate from high school in an Episcopal ceremony at the National Cathedral. They have regular chapel services in the cathedral.

Some Episcopal priests and bishops are gay and the church has taken serious hits to honor their right to be part of the faith community as members and leaders.

Hopefully trickle down sociology is more consequential than trickle down economic theory 😀

It's a little more than trickle down. The boys take religion classes, they have chapels, they have chaplains. All of these things are run by Episcopal leaders, and all are grounded in Episcopal principles. Boys are not required to become Episcopalians, or even Christians, but they are provided with a path that requires them to be thoughtful about the role (or not) of religion in their lives, and the relevant religious teachings here are Episcopal, and more specifically, the Episcopal teachings that are closely connected with the National Cathedral. This context matters. There are other religious schools, and while those schools also don't typically require a student to convert to, say, Catholicism, the context of the religious teachings and supports will be different on issues like gay marriage and reproductive rights (especially for more Opus Dei adjacent Catholic schools, and to some degree with non-Jesuit Catholic schools, and to a fairly small degree with Jesuit schools).

Of course, no amount of teaching, religious or otherwise, can guarantee that the students will not speak or act in discriminatory or even hateful ways. And it is up to the school to articulate clear policies on acceptable speech and discourse, which STA has recently done (we'll have to see how the policy on respectful discourse it issued actually plays out on the ground, of course). But everything, including the Episcopal context of which STA is an integral part, adds up and matters.

I would buy their rainbow sox if they stand up for Episcopal spiritual values of meaningful inclusion.

I would buy their rainbow umbrella if they pour rather than trickle down Episcopal teachings to combat hate and discrimination. Those boys are super smart and will be future leaders who can influence social media influencers and other powerful thought leaders among our youth.