Foe of the LGBTQ+ Community Rev. Dorman Owens dead at the age of 89

Rev. Dorman Owens–a fierce foe of the LGBTQ community in the 1980s–died quietly on Aug. 6 at the age of 89 in East County where he lived most of his life.

He is remembered for launching anti-gay protests against the Hillcrest parade with his congregation holding hateful signs. Members of Owens’ church protested each Sunday outside the Metropolitan Community Church when it was located in North Park.

“It was a difficult time when people had to cross picket lines just to come to worship at church with people yelling hateful slurs like ‘you’re an abomination!’ and ‘God hates fags!'” said MCC Senior Pastor Dan Koeshall on Aug. 16.

“What a strong group of people we have who stood up against hate and lies and affirmed that the God we worship is a God of unconditional love,” said Koeshall.

The brief notice on Dignity Memorial said no funeral services are scheduled. Eight people have lit candles in his memory on the website, but no one has commented on his passing.

Owens and six other members of his fundamentalist church pleaded guilty in 1988 to charges involving the attempted bombing of an abortion clinic and witness tampering.  Owens and five others were sentenced to varying terms in federal prison.

Tom Ellerbrock, the former publisher of Update, the first gay newspaper in San Diego, remembered Owens well.

“Now that the misguided minister has moved to the other side, let’s hope he has a clearer understanding of love thy neighbor,” said Ellerbrock on Aug. 17.

“In Update newspaper, we spent a lot of ink on his hateful actions. But I think his hijinks often had an opposite effect, causing more people to realize the unfounded prejudice thrown our way,” said Ellerbrock.

“I suppose some found it entertaining to counter-protest him, especially when he and some of his brain-dead congregation members showed up to protest at a few of the San Diego pride parades,” said Ricardo Duenez on Aug. 16.          

Nicole Murray Ramirez remembers Owens well also, saying “it’s sad to say there now are even more religious fanatics like Owens, and his violence continues today.  We must always stand up to them.”

“Good riddance,” said John Diehl.

Owens pastored the Bible Missionary Fellowship church which was in Santee.  After Owens went to prison, one of his sons took over for him, and it was open for many years.

However, it is now permanently closed, and a phone number associated with it is disconnected.

“Rev. David Farrell, senior pastor of MCCSD at the time of the picketing, put loudspeakers in front of the MCC to broadcast the church services to the picketers,” said Al Smithson, vice moderator of MCC on Aug. 17.

“Rev. Farrell said, ‘since they obviously are not attending their own church, we will give them our Sunday services’,” Smithson said.

Owens had a pilot in his congregation who flew a plane with a derogatory banner over the Hillcrest parade. That pilot later planted a homemade bomb with gasoline in July 1987, outside a family planning center, but the bomb failed to go off.

A member of Owens’ church had gone to police to tell them in advance about the plans for planting a bomb. That person told police they were against abortion, but they were also opposed to violence.

 Police arrested the pilot, who was dressed like a woman with a wig as part of a disguise around 3 a.m. 

This pilot stewed in jail for many months, eventually agreeing to testify against Owens and other church members before a federal grand jury.  Owens visited him in jail, not knowing the pilot wore a recording device as Owens asked him not to testify against other church members.

Owens pleaded guilty to witness tampering and concealment of a felony. Owens was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison.  One man got five years in prison because this was his second violent offense involving an abortion facility. The man’s wife got probation.

The church pianist, 37, practically talked her way into prison during a sentencing interview in which she brought up the subject of how killing a homosexual is not murder but an act of love.  She got 15 months.

Owens’ prison release conditions barred him from protesting against gay people, and he did not have any violations. Neither did any of the others who were convicted.

It is very unusual for a pastor to be charged with a crime and to drag six other church members with him into court.

But after their sentences were over, we never heard from them again as far as protests, picketing, or any new crimes.  

The names of Owens’ co-defendants are not being printed because they have served their sentences and it is hoped they are in different mindsets today.

There are still groups which picket the parade today, but some of them are from the Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas which specialize in picketing all over the country.