Posts by Believe Out Loud
Artist Statement: LGBT Stations Of The Cross
Mary Button is the creator of the Stations of the Cross: The Struggle for LGBT Equality. Congregations and faith groups are encouraged to use these stations during the Lenten season for prayer and reflection. Download the entire series from Believe Out Loud’s flickr site. I was born and raised in the church. As the daughter of…
Read MoreSupporting Marriage—Before God and These Witnesses
On April 25th, 1981, I solemnly promised: “Before God and these witnesses, I take you for my husband, with all my care and respect, seeking to grow with you in love. I pledge to you, now, my faithfulness as your wife, before eternity.” On that day, Alvise took me for his wife and made the…
Read MoreThe Queer Jesus Saved My Soul
Before my feet could touch the ground under the pew of the Southern Baptist church of my youth, I was afraid. Every time the preacher screamed and pointed eternal damnations, I knew he was screaming and pointing at me. Sunday nights were awful. The fears were fresh and pressed deeply into the soft tissue of…
Read MoreGay Marriage Manifesto
While many debate the issue of same-sex marriage as if it is a religious issue, I contend that more than a religious issue, it is a democratic issue. History has never stayed on the side of oppression and discrimination. Somewhere in the bowels of America, in the foundation upon which this country was built it…
Read MoreWeek In Review
Welcome to the Week In Review, a weekly digest of the latest headlines at the intersections of Christian faith and LGBT equality. Have you ever stood in the Christian Closet? Former Republican Presidential candidate Jon Huntsman called marriage equality a “conservative cause.” He and more than 80 prominent Republican leaders are sending a “friend to the…
Read MoreHow I Became An Adventist Ally
I remember the day I first felt righteous indignation spark deep within my soul about how gays and lesbians were treated in the Seventh-day Adventist church, the denomination my family has been a part of (often in leadership roles) for five generations. My husband and I were attending a small, progressive church in San Francisco…
Read MoreGay Americans Pay More Taxes For Fewer Rights
That nine states and the District of Columbia have legalized same-sex marriage is encouraging progress for those of us who believe that everyone deserves to have basic civil rights. But, even if every state in the country could pass a similar legislation, it would not be enough. What we need is for our federal government…
Read MoreHumanists Coming Out and Connecting With LGBT Christians
When I received a Facebook invite regarding Atheist Coming Out Week at Harvard University, I observed the similarities between this material and the LGBT pride pieces I get in my inbox. Both pro-LGBT gatherings and events like the “Why Atheism Matters” Panel celebrate and humanize populations often marginalized in the media. I sat down to…
Read MoreStations Of The Cross: The Struggle For LGBT Equality
Stations of the Cross are a series of artistic representations of the Passion of Christ, depicting the story of his death from his sentencing to the laying of his body in the tomb. The fourteen images are used devotionally during the Lenten season for prayer and reflection. The stations provide an opportunity for Christians to…
Read MoreNurse Challenges Catholic Archbishop’s Gay Marriage Stance
After listening to a letter by the Archbishop of Westminster urging members of her Catholic church to write their MP requesting they “vote against the government’s proposed legislation to legalize same-sex marriage,” a 65-year-old former nurse from Northern England felt called to action. Rather than resolving to contact her MP, the woman wrote an impassioned…
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