No official press release has been forthcoming, but the website Kentucky.com is reporting:
An openly gay Mason from Kentucky has been suspended indefinitely from the fraternity after an April 8 Masonic trial found him guilty of “un-masonic conduct,” according to a letter from the group’s Grand Lodge of Kentucky in Jefferson County.
“It was tantamount to expulsion. I might as well be expelled,” said John Wright of Richmond.
Wright stood trial on charges leveled by five Masons from Central Kentucky that he deserted his wife due to his homosexuality and revealed Masonic information that was considered privileged.
This isn’t exactly new news, the trial was more than a week ago, but the story broke April 16th concluding, for now, the saga of the Masonic Trial of brother John Wright.
And yes, I said brother. You can expel the man from the fraternity, but can you really expel the teachings from his being?
Pending an appeal in ojne years time, Wright is quoted in the piece as believing there to be “a very strong anti-gay sentiment” within the fraternity in Kentucky.
The outcome, while a very tragic outcome to what was suppoed to be a very enlightened and modern society, was not unexpected. It seems that for a fraternity that loudly pronounces itself to not be a religion takes its moral ethics to the heights of a religious faith, when most faiths are opening its doors to the LGBT community.
What a shame, all around, for the fraternity.
I don’t know the specifics of the charges beyond this story. On one level I am disappointed but at the same time, it says:
“Wright stood trial on charges leveled by five Masons from Central Kentucky that he deserted his wife due to his homosexuality and revealed Masonic information that was considered privileged.”
If he violated his obligations by revealing private Masonic information, than perhaps a trial was necessary. My only disagreement is with trying him because his sexual orientation, that is, in my humble opinion, both unjust and unjustifiable.
Given the vast amount of “secret” information available for the general public, I think charging someone with that is a bit silly; it’s like a hidden trump card that they just throw out to justify otherwise ridiculous proceedings (like expulsion for being gay). Abandoning his wife, on the other hand, depending on the circumstances, could certainly amount to “unmasonic conduct,” although, like divulging secrets, I suspect that also is a convenient way to rationalize their actions.
However, let’s not be too hasty in assuming that the real reason is his sexual preference. It’s very possible that his being gay has nothing to do with it. I’d say the odds are against that being true, but it’s very possible.
In Gods eyes these thing s should not be happening But it does, everything can be fix if the person involve wants to fix it and bring a better world to all, male or female. Moving Forward .
What exactly is abandoning one’s wife? A divorce? Moving out? In all reality in modern America you can’t just “run off” from your wife…she has the legal prerogative to chase your ass down and take everything whereas when those Masonic laws were written she had no such ability even if you moved across the street.
Anyway, if we’re going to try people for divorce I think there goes like 60% of the Masons I know…
The only thing that was truly actionable would be talking about Masonic activity and “revealing” the actions of the Grand Lodge. Which turns out KY has laws in place about even talking about GL activity outside of Lodge so this could easily be used against Bro. Wright.
Although it was a case of let’s make your life miserable and then he fought back which opened the door for the actual Masonic charges.