Rev. Gregrey Renstrom of Minneapolis’ New Harmony United Methodist Church is facing a formal complaint within the United Methodist Church for his participation in the recent Twin Cities LGBT Pride Festival. The complaint alleges that Renstrom performed blessings for same-sex couples, in violation of the church’s laws, during a mass commitment ceremony held annually at the festival.

According to the complaint, Renstrom was seen on a KARE 11 video performing a commitment ceremony for a couple at the Pride festival on June 25. The story was about legalizing same-sex marriage in New York and defeating a ballot measure that would add a ban on marriage for gays and lesbians to the Minnesota Constitution.

The complaint alleges that Renstrom violated Paragraph 341.6 of The 2008 United Methodist Book of Discipline, which states, “Ceremonies that celebrate homosexual unions shall not be conducted by our ministers and shall not be conducted in our churches.”

“I am not suspending Rev. Renstrom from his ministry with the New Harmony fellowship that meets at the historic Wesley building in Minneapolis,” wrote Bishop Sally Dyck. “He will continue to have the rights and responsibilities of ministry while we follow this process to its outcome. He has agreed not to do any more ‘blessings’ while under complaint.”

Renstrom has notified Dyck that he intended to conduct commitment ceremonies for same-sex couples at Twin Cities Pride.

Earlier in June, more than 70 of Minnesota’s Methodist ministers vowed to defy church law, bless same-sex couples and oppose the proposed constitutional amendment banning marriage for gays and lesbians.

“I would ask that you keep in your prayers Rev. Renstrom, the New Harmony fellowship, the Minnesota Annual Conference (of churches and clergy), The United Methodist Church, and all in our culture who are struggling, hurting, and caring deeply about this matter,” Bishop Dyck said.

Dyck said she is working closely with Renstrom and the church’s disciplinary process to ensure a just result. She has also gone public with the complaint with Renstrom’s support.

Twin Cities Pride is asking the LGBT community for feedback over the decision by Target to stay neutral on an anti–gay marriage amendment that will appear on the ballot in 2012. The Minneapolis-based big box retailer has long been a major sponsor of Twin Cities Pride, one of the largest LGBT celebrations in the country, but political giving to candidates who oppose LGBT rights has prompted Twin Cities Pride to defend itself over accepting Target’s sponsorship.

Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel told shareholders last week that the company would not take a stance on the amendment, and that has fueled further controversy over the retailer’s sponsorship of Pride.

Target’s independent campaign expenditures to Minnesota Forward in support of Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer sparked outcry and protest during the 2010 election, but Twin Cities Pride defended its decision two weeks ago when it announced Target as a major sponsor.

“Twin Cities Pride strongly opposed Target’s contribution to Minnesota Forward and deeply regrets that a Pride sponsor chose to align itself with this particular PAC,” the group said in a statement. “However, Pride draws a clear distinction between the views of the candidate in question, and companies that chose to support this PAC. Target is a model employer in the community and a champion of LGBT equality in the workplace.”

The group, which holds its annual festival June 25 and 26, said that Target continues to make donations to LGBT causes that exceed $500,000 each year in Minnesota and cited changes that Target announced in February to its political giving process.

“A continued sponsorship is a step in the right direction for Target and excluding them from this year’s event would unfairly prevent Target from repairing their reputation in the LGBT community,” the group said.

But Steinhafel’s statement on the anti-gay marriage amendment at a shareholders meeting last week reignited the controversy. “Our position at this particular time is that we are going to be neutral on that particular issue,” he said, “as we would be on other social issues that have polarizing points of view.”

To that Twin Cities Pride said, “Our Board of Directors was appalled this week to learn that Target has publicly stated a neutral position on the Constitutional amendment to define marriage as between one man and one woman.”

The group says it will use the opportunity to educate Target about the amendment and solicited comments on its Facebook page to send to Target. Those comments ran the gamut.

“I don’t like how it is seeming that Target is jumping on the ‘band-wagon’ when it benefits them, but then jumping off or feigning neutrality when asked to stand by their actions,” wrote one community member. “You can’t have your cake and eat it too Target. Choosing to throw themselves in the ring politically and by sponsoring Pride, I feel, opens them up for needing to state where they are on this issue.”

Another commenter had even stronger words. “Pride is a sacred space because it is often the only time LGBT people get to experience full inclusion and welcome in a public space. It is HIGHLY offensive that a company who has funded politicians who are virulently anti-gay would be allowed to have a presence at our event. There will be a very public response.”

Others were eager to give Target a pass based on the chain’s pioneering work on workplace inclusion and hefty giving to LGBT charities.

“Guys, these companies are LEADERS, I’ll say it again, LEADERS in GLBT equality in the workplace. Just because they don’t shout from the heavens like Home Depot has done, doesn’t mean they aren’t equally as important to the GLBT community,” wrote a commenter.

Wrote another, “Yes, it is upsetting that they are ‘neutral,’ but given their strong internal non-discrimination policies I think we can take a “we are disappointed but we’ll wait and see.”

Some called for pulling support from any business that stays neutral on the marriage amendment. “With the anti-gay amendment on the ballot next year, we have to ask ourselves if we really want the support of ‘neutral’ businesses,” one comment read. “We should be embracing the companies that actually appreciate us and want us to have equal rights! Neutral will not give us civil rights.”

And another commenter snarked, “Target is like getting medical care from someone who just shot you on purpose.”

To raise awareness of anti-gay bias, members of the LGBT community are planning a “Big Gay Kiss on the Mall” on July 23. The kiss-in by same-sex couples at Peavey Plaza is a direct response to the harassment seen in the video, according to organizers.

Gubernatorial candidate and former Sen. Mark Dayton denounced the youths’ actions and promised that dealing with harassment would be part of his campaign:

A recent YouTube video shows a group of youths harassing a gay man at last Sunday’s Pride parade. I deplore their immoral and illegal actions. It is also extremely disturbing that the video shows a security officer walking by the harassment and doing nothing to stop it.

There is no place in Minnesota for that kind of immoral and illegal behavior. If I become Governor, I pledge to do everything within my power to stop it.

A spokesman for the Minneapolis Police Department said that the uniformed individuals in the video were not Minneapolis officers.

Currently, there is a video on YouTube of an incident that occurred sometime during the Minneapolis Gay Pride Festival. There has been some speculation that Minneapolis Police Officers were in that video. The Minneapolis Police Department wants to assure the public that those security officers who casually walk by during this incident were not from our department. We have a strict uniform policy and those were not our uniforms or our police officers. This is unacceptable behavior that would not be tolerated by the Minneapolis Police. Action would have been taken immediately to stop the harassment that is depicted in the video.

OutFront Minnesota said that the incident should not be an excuse for anger at people from different racial or ethnic backgrounds:

A video appearing on YouTube depicts verbal harassment of Twin Cities Pride attendees by a small group of young people. OutFront Minnesota decries all hate- or bias-motivated violence and harassment, regardless of who is targeted; we are glad the targets were not physically harmed. This particular incident adds a level of controversy because the perpetrators and targets appear to be of different racial backgrounds. As we have seen in the wake of the Prop. 8 vote in California, racism exists within the GLBT community and can rise to the surface at difficult times. It’s critical to remember that judging a person’s actions is different from judging their presumed background. OutFront Minnesota remains committed to helping address racism within the GLBT community, and to being a strong advocate for GLBT community members from ALL racial or ethnic backgrounds.

Omar Jamal of the Somali Justice Advocacy Center told FOX 9 News that some in the Somali community think Schreifels set the boys up: “Some of the community believe this is a frame-up where the gay guy provoked the Somali boys while his friend video taped them.”

Schreifels sent a letter to Jamal clarifying what happened:

I am insulted by your response, and by those in your community who would imply the ridiculous possibility that this was a frame-up. It does nothing to gain favor of a community that has represented themselves poorly to the gay community already. We haven’t forgotten the gays being kicked out of cabs by Somali cab drivers. Furthermore, it shifts the responsibility for this behavior onto me and my friend, rather than on the ignorant teenagers who were shouting these hateful words, which were most likely learned by their parents, or religious leaders. This is unacceptable. The notion that somehow they may have been provoked or framed needs to be put to rest immediately.

Demanding these kids be held accountable would send a sign that your words of condemnation are not merely words, but a sign of intolerance for this kind of behavior. Anything less than this response simply sends the message that the actions of these young boys are acceptable in your eyes.

Schreifels released this video over the weekend responding to the debate caused by the harassment:

Justin Grey Day, the video’s author, also called for calm in response to racist sentiments emerging in the aftermath: