Homosexual-rights activists are discouraged by the ruling. They can sit in the pew and give their money, but their loving relationships cannot be recognized. But United Methodist bishops who backed the ruling say it does not mean homosexuals are not welcome. The ruling simply proclaims the validity of a church statement adopted by the general conference, the church's highest legislative body, they say. Another advocate for homosexual rights, Kathryn Johnson of Washington, D.C., president of the Methodist Federation for Social Concerns, says the church is regressing.
Conservatives hope the decision signals a trend in the denomination.