Franklyn "Frank" Schaefer (born December 7, 1961) is a German-American author and an

LGBTQ ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

advocate. He is an ordained minister in the

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelical ...

. Schaefer established a popular Internet site for the support of Christian educators and ministers, a forum for the discussion and exchange of resources, called Desperate Preacher's Site, in 1996.

Defrocking

In 2013, he was tried by a United Methodist court for officiating at his son's

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...

. He was

defrocked Defrocking, unfrocking, degradation, or laicization of clergy is the removal of their rights to exercise the functions of the ordained ministry. It may be grounded on criminal convictions, disciplinary problems, or disagreements over doctrine or d ...

on December 19, 2013, when he refused to uphold the

Book of Discipline A Book of Discipline (or in its shortened form Discipline) is a book detailing the beliefs, standards, doctrines, canon law, and polity of a particular Christian denomination. They are often re-written by the governing body of the church concerned ...

in its entirety, which would have meant to denounce same-sex marriage rights.

Speaking engagements and activism

Following his defrocking, Schaefer became a speaker and activist. Although he was reinstated by the Northeastern Jurisdictional Committee on Appeals on June 26, 2014 (which was upheld by the

Judicial Council The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...

on October 25, 2014), he continues to advocate for human rights while also working in a new United Methodist parish in

Isla Vista, California Isla Vista is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Santa Barbara County, California in the United States. As of 2020 census, the community had a population of 15,500. The majority of residents are college students at ...

Publications

Bibliography

* Franklyn Schaefer: ''Defrocked: How A Father's Act of Love Shook the United Methodist Church'', Autobiography, paperback (with Sherri Wood Emmons), Chalice Press, 2014.

Filmography

Schaefer has been interviewed on the TV shows ''

Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. Th ...

'', '' The View'', ''

Hardball with Chris Matthews ''Hardball with Chris Matthews'' was an American television talk show that was hosted by Chris Matthews. The program premiered on the now-defunct America's Talking network in 1994 (as ''Politics with Chris Matthews'') before moving on CNBC, and ...

'', ''

Anderson Cooper 360° ''Anderson Cooper 360°'' (commonly shortened to either ''AC-360'' or ''360'') is an American television news show on CNN and CNN International, hosted by CNN journalist and news anchor Anderson Cooper. Since May 20, 2019, ''360°'' has been br ...

'', ''

The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell ''The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell'' is an American weeknight news and political commentary program on MSNBC. The program airs live at 10:00 P.M. Eastern Time Monday-Friday, and is hosted by Lawrence O'Donnell from Mondays to Thursdays and re ...

'', and ''

TakePart Live TakePart was a website operated by Participant Media, a motion picture studio that focuses on issues of social justice. TakePart was founded in 2008 to promote Participant Media's films as well as make viewers aware of the social advocacy efforts ...

'', and for the documentary ''

An Act of Love An, AN, aN, or an may refer to: Businesses and organizations * Airlinair (IATA airline code AN) * Alleanza Nazionale, a former political party in Italy * AnimeNEXT, an annual anime convention located in New Jersey * Anime North, a Canadian an ...

''.

Discography

* Franklyn Schaefer: ''Guitar Reflections: Then & Now'', audio CD (instrumental, folk) JavaCasa Music, 2013. * Franklyn Schaefer: ''Love Like An Ocean'', audio CD (Contemporary Christian) JavaCasa Music, 2011. * Franklyn Schaefer: ''Keep On Smiling'', audio CD (Contemporary Country) JavaCasa Music, 2008.

References

External links

official websiteblog by Rev. Frank SchaeferUnited Methodist Website "Coverage Summary: Frank Schaefer Case"Reconciling Ministries Network Blog "Rev. Frank Schaefer - Facts and Media Coverage"

"Defrocked" by Franklyn Schaefer on Amazon.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schaefer, Frank American LGBT rights activists Living people Methodist ministers American male writers People from Isla Vista, California 1961 births