Posts by Believe Out Loud
The Truth About Homophobia In The Black Community
The general public may have been surprised by the results of a survey released by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), which found that African Americans overwhelmingly support policies that promote greater equality for LGBT people. In fact, more than any other racial group, African Americans believe that businesses and the government should not be…
Read MoreAre LGBT Voices Being Silenced in Conversations About Pope Francis’ Recent Publication On Families?
Have Catholics’ analyses of Amoris Laetitia, the recently published exhortation on family by Pope Francis, been dismissive of LGBT communities’ reaction and concerns? Craig Ford, a theology doctoral student at Boston College, claimed on the blog Catholic Moral Theology that liberal Catholics who are not LGBT have too often jettisoned queer and transgender concerns to…
Read MoreNew Book On Gay Marriage Raises The Bar On Love
Honestly, it was hard for me to read this book. Even as an avid reader, it was hard to stick with it; however, it wasn’t hard for the reasons readers might assume. Some might jump to assume that it wasn’t well-researched, or well-written, or both. Some might even assume that it wasn’t catchy enough to…
Read MoreMormon in Montana: My Experience Of LGBTQ Youth Homelessness
These days I am one of the first in any group to jump to defend someone’s religious beliefs, including their right to share them in a friendly, respectful manner. It wasn’t always this way. At one point in my life, I found all religion, spirituality, or belief system harmful and hypocritical. The second God was…
Read MoreQuestions Remain After Bishops Address United Methodist Church’s Anti-LGBTQI Policies
As spirit-filled protests and demonstrations of support for LGBTQI people fill the halls of the United Methodist Church’s General Conference in Portland, the Council of Bishops that serves the denomination has put forward a historic proposal that will be considered by the gathered delegates before the Conference ends on May 20. The United Methodist Church’s…
Read MoreHB2: Bathroom Politics Sanction Discrimination
North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory reached a new low last week by bringing a lawsuit against the Federal government on his right, and his state’s right, to discriminate. Governor McCrory’s attachment to bathroom politics, in a southern state, which once sported his, hers, and “colored” bathrooms, pulls back the curtain on conservative politics as a…
Read MoreIn Defense Of Thomas’ Doubt
The Apostle Thomas gets a raw deal. Really, in mainstream American Christianity, and in the secular popular imagination, he gets reduced to some kind of one-dimensional figure, known only for a moment in which he was proven wrong. He’s “Doubting Thomas,” the one witness to the resurrected Christ who takes a moment to think rationally…
Read More500+ LGBTQI Christian Leaders Stand In Solidarity With Our United Methodist Colleagues
To our LGBTQI colleagues in ministry in the United Methodist Church, As you gather for General Conference and engage in difficult conversations around inclusion, we are sending you so much love and light. We sign this letter as openly LGBTQI clergy, future pastors, and faith leaders in our own denominations who stand with you in…
Read MoreUnitarian Universalist Trans Religious Professionals Gather For First-Ever Retreat
Last month marked a historic occasion. From Monday April 11 through Thursday April 14, fifteen Unitarian Universalist transgender and genderqueer ministers and religious educators gathered together in a first-ever retreat at the beautiful Asilomar retreat center in Pacific Grove, California. They were joined by trans elder, author, and activist Kate Bornstein, who facilitated the gathering,…
Read MoreA Love Letter To Our Church From Your LGBTQI Religious Leaders
Originally posted by Reconciling Ministries Network (RMN), the letter below caused RMN’s website to crash due to an overload of traffic just hours after the letter’s release. Believe Out Loud is honored to host a copy of this historic letter, and we stand in solidarity today with the 111 LGBTQI clergy and candidates below. Dear…
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