Frank Schaefer (minister)

Franklyn "Frank" Schaefer (born December 7, 1961) is a German-American author and an LGBTQ advocate. He is an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church.

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.

Temporary defrocking
In 2013, he was tried by a United Methodist court for officiating at his son's same-sex marriage. He was defrocked on December 19, 2013, when he refused to uphold the Book of Discipline in its entirety, which would have meant to denounce same-sex marriage rights. He was reinstated by the Northeastern Jurisdictional Committee on Appeals on June 26, 2014. The restoration was upheld by the Judicial Council on October 25, 2014.)

Speaking engagements and activism
While defrocked, Schaefer became a speaker and activist. He continues to advocate for human rights while also working in a new United Methodist parish in Isla Vista, California.

Filmography
Schaefer has been interviewed on the TV shows Good Morning America, The View, Hardball with Chris Matthews, Anderson Cooper 360°, The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell, and TakePart Live, and for the documentary An Act of Love.

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.