Posts by Believe Out Loud
Marriage Equality Hangs In The Balance At The Supreme Court
With thirty-seven states now legal proponents of marriage equality (LGBTQ Americans and allies alike) knew it would be just a matter of time before the issue would be brought to U. S. Supreme Court. But after the long awaited April 28th Supreme Court hearing of Obergefell v. Hodge I was left worried. Mary Bonauto, Civil…
Read MoreCatholic University Open To Lawsuit Under New D.C. Non-Discrimination Law
The District of Columbia’s new law barring LGBT discrimination by religiously affiliated schools went into effect this week, opening the door for Catholic University of America students to challenge that school’s decade-long denial of an LGBT student group. D.C. City Council passed the Human Rights Amendment Act last year, which, in part, repealed an existing…
Read MoreWhat Will Life Be Like For My Interracial, Interfaith, Queer Family?
There’s a scene in the first season of the television show “The Fosters” in which Lena, one of the mothers in a lesbian relationship, helps Jude, her foster son, remove polish from his nails after some kids at school harass him over it. She sits with him and explains that there are times when she…
Read MoreWild Wise Woman
I believe transgender people are highly spiritual beings and for centuries have been systematically removed from our divinely ordered place in society. As a trans woman, I depend on spiritual expression to communicate to the world who I am, when my body often betrays me. Because of this betrayal, I have yet to feel completely…
Read MoreReligious Voices At The Supreme Court’s Hearings On Marriage Equality
Faith leaders from Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Native, Wiccan and other traditions convened for a multi-faith prayer at 5pm Sunday, April 26, at the National Christian Church in Washington, D.C., on the theme “Where there is Love, All Things are Possible.” After that prayer service where we laid our hearts and prayers on a common table,…
Read MoreQueerly Becoming: Celebrating Our Evolving Identities
Two years ago, I sat at a trendy coffee shop in Austin, TX meeting with the manager of the It Gets Better Tour: a traveling anti-bullying stage show spun off from the popular LGBTQ video website. The manager had reached out to me a few days earlier and explained that at every stop on their…
Read MoreA Message To White LGBTQ Christians & Allies
As we prepared for our “big launch” of our new #BOLAction tool on Facebook today, we discussed what would happen if another piece of anti-LGBT legislation came to the forefront of our movement right before the Supreme Court’s hearings on marriage equality. What would we prioritize? What would we say and do? Regrettably, we didn’t…
Read MoreThe Role Of Faith In Caitlyn Jenner’s Transition
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to reflect Caitlyn Jenner’s name and pronouns (September 30, 2015) On April 24, 2015, ABC News broadcast a historic interview with Olympic champion and reality TV star, Caitlyn Jenner. Over two hours with Diane Sawyer, Jenner fills in details from her lifetime, revealing her decades of struggle to…
Read MoreI Was Fired From My Job Because I’m Gay
On March 18, I was fired for the first time in my life, and it had nothing to do with my job performance. I was fired because I’m gay. My girlfriend and I were called, one at a time, into the director’s office at Aloma Methodist Early Childhood Learning Center. We were questioned as to…
Read MoreA Holy Moment In A Political Calendar: Making Room For Multi Faith Services For Justice
“Dig deep,… carefully cast forth the loose matter and get down to the rock, the sure foundation, and there hearken to the Divine Voice which gives a clear and certain sound.” John Woolman (Quaker abolitionist), ca 1770. This past month I have found myself tumbling head first into the elaborate matrix known as “the liturgical committee”…
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