Posts by Believe Out Loud
Painting Emily For Transgender Day Of Remembrance
Trigger Warning: description of depression and suicide Her name was Emily. As a pastor, I was always happy to have someone new visit the congregation. So I was particularly thrilled when Emily scheduled a meeting with me after visiting worship for the first time. During our meeting, Emily shared that she identified as transgender woman,…
Read MoreWe Need A Movement For Trans Resilience
This week marks Trans Awareness Week, which culminates with Trans Day of Remembrance. TDOR (Trans Day of Remembrance) is that moment that many of us dread, because it is the ritual where we mindfully mark the passing of our Trans siblings, many of whom are Trans Women of Color who are victims of relentless violence…
Read MoreThe Lord’s Prayer For Transgender Awareness
This week is Transgender Awareness week, a week when we turn our attention to understanding the experiences and needs of the transgender community. It’s also a week that concludes with the Transgender Day of Remembrance this Sunday, on Nov. 20th. As people of faith, we need to educate ourselves this week on how we can…
Read MoreTransgender Awareness Is Not Enough
I am sick of Transgender Awareness. November is a month that has become riddled with our religious allies checking off the box for transgender “issues”—often with a special service that turns the death of transgender women of color into a sort of morbid pageant. It is an annual performance of care and concern that seems…
Read MoreHow I Face My Anxiety & Fears
I am a former “sufferer.” Sufferer is a term that David Johnson uses to describe people that experience panic and anxiety. David is a former sufferer and has a clinic in New Zealand to help people that suffer from anxiety and panic attacks. From the time when I was in my twenties until five or…
Read MoreBeyond The Ballot, We Cannot Rest
Daily, we have borne witness to the divisive language and tactics that have been employed during the 2016 Election. I have often had to remind myself: God is still in control and all things happen according to His plan. The 2016 election has reminded me how much further we actually have to go as a…
Read MoreChristians Vote For Immigration Justice
Growing up in the Haitian immigrant community in Philadelphia, PA, I saw so many of my vulnerable neighbors living in fear. They worried, because at any moment their undocumented status might be revealed. For a time, my own family also lived with these anxieties. My mother often worried about her physical safety because she was…
Read MoreChristians Vote For Disability Justice
Micah 6:8 a verse that I meditate on and try my best to reflect in my life. The part that I want to focus on in this message is “to act justly.” That requirement from God is all-inclusive. It does not say, “To act justly except for LGBTQ people” or “to act justly except for…
Read MoreChristians Vote For Reproductive Justice
At its core, Reproductive Justice is about autonomy and self-determination. It’s about more than parenting decisions—it’s about trusting individuals and families to make informed and prayerful decisions about their lives. This is why we know Reproductive Justice is an LGBTQI issue! Defined by the Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective SisterSong, Reproductive Justice is “the human…
Read MoreChristians Vote For LGBTQI Justice
Yesterday, we launched a #ChristiansVote campaign to transform the narrative about Christian voters. Join us to proclaim loud and clear that we are Christians called to justice! ADD YOUR NAME: This Christian Votes for Justice About two years ago, I got a message on Facebook from my cousin in Tennessee. I had never talked with him…
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