King David’s Circle gay fraternity opens doors to any orientation, gender

A Christian fraternity for gay and allied men is now welcoming women, too.

King David's Circle, which started at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in December of last year, is not a recognized student organization because it lacks consistent membership. President Wesley Morrison-Sloat, a junior English major at UNL, hopes that will change someday but wants to see more growth first.

Geared toward the gay Christian community, Morrison-Sloat leads meetings Tuesday nights at 7 in the Nebraska Union with Pastor Karen Moritz of Cornerstone Baptist Church.

Megan Vokal, a freshman computer science major at UNL, is a recent female addition to the group.

"My parents have taken me to church since I was little," Vokal said, "but I'm also a lesbian. There's so much controversy surrounding it, so this (fraternity) was cool to see."

Vokal said she and her family are Protestants, adding that it's not something she plans on leaving anytime soon, despite the occasional tension between religion and homosexuality.

Instead, Vokal dives further into her faith.

Morrison-Sloat has mentored gay Christians through the fraternity for nearly a year now, but he will be studying abroad next semester, leaving King David's Circle leaderless.

"Unless some members step up, I think it'd be best to not become an RSO for a while," Morrison-Sloat said. "I would prefer to wait until we have more leadership, especially since I will be in Berlin next spring. If Pastor Karen ends up doing it, it would be easier to not be an RSO."

At the most recent meeting, fraternity members explored their "spiritual gifts" with the help of the Rev. Robert Noble's book, "Finding Our Spiritual Gifts." The fraternity didn't agree with Noble's interpretation of each "gift" but used it as a basis for discussion.

On a "spiritual gifts survey," Morrison-Sloat scored high in the category "martyrdom."

"It's a different kind of martyrdom, though," Morrison-Sloat said. "Because I'm a Christian, I'm pro-choice. Because I'm a Christian, I'm pro-gay-rights."

At every meeting, the fraternity follows a Bible study found at gaychristian.net. The Web site is designed for two "types" of gay Christians. The first, called Group A, describes Christians who are in gay relationships or hope to be someday. Group B is for Christians who view their same-sex attractions as a temptation and want to live in celibacy.

Both the Web site and King David's Circle hope to cater to both types of gay Christians. Moritz hopes to minister to all Christians.

"We all share our humanity," Moritz said, "no matter what our station in the world."

This weekend the fraternity plans to have an overnight get-together with Kappa Phi, a Christian sorority, and Cornerstone. Anyone interested in King David's Circle is welcome to attend, Morrison-Sloat said, regardless of one's religious beliefs or sexual orientation.

"If you want to do Bible study, but you don't want to be in a really conservative group, then you are absolutely welcome," Morrison-Sloat said. "We'd be the right group for you."

ellenhirst@dailynebraskan.com