Posts by Believe Out Loud
A Tale Of Three Bishops
Last week, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby (pictured middle above), laid the mass murders of Christians at the feet of same-gender married couples and Americans: I have stood by gravesides in Africa of a group of Christians who had been attacked because of something that had happened in America….[If the Church of England accepted same-gender marriage,] the…
Read MoreChristian Faith Leaders Honored Among Trans 100
Last week, the second-annual Trans 100 was released, honoring Trans individuals from across the United States who are currently alive and active in the work of making the lives of Trans people better. Alongside Jen Richards, Minister Asher Kolieboi, co-founder of Legalize Trans* and current Chaplain Intern at the Davidson County Sheriff’s Department, served as the Co-Director of the 2014 Trans…
Read MoreA Confession Of A Bisexual Granted Straight Privilege
Eternal God, I confess I have sinned against you in thought, word and deed; By what I have done and by what I have left undone. I have not loved you with my whole heart. I have not loved my neighbor as my self. Holy Week invites us to engage intensely in examination of our…
Read MoreLove Actually
Until recently, I had never really thought about being straight—if you asked me who I was, I would tell you I was someone who adored books, talked a lot, wanted to move to Europe, and enjoyed gourmet cooking long before I even thought to mention that I liked boys. I experience straight privilege—I am allowed…
Read MoreThe Revelation Within
I remember a conversation I had soon after I left the monastery. I’d been a monk in a Roman Catholic religious order for a few years, and once I was back in the real world, a family member asked me what I wanted to do with my life. “I guess I’d like to be a writer,”…
Read MoreA Mormon And A Lesbian Walk Into A Bar…
That could be the opening to a great joke, but the story here ends with something better than a punch line. My sister Sharon and I could not be more different. In high school, she was the super-popular and uber-cute homecoming queen, student officer, and North Ogden Miss Cherry Days. I was immersed in debate,…
Read MoreUnited Methodists Gathering For Full LGBTQ Inclusion At Wedding
Despite their denomination’s policy against gays and lesbians, people of faith from all over California and neighboring states will be celebrating a “Season of Love” this coming May—a call for acts of love and support for full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people in The United Methodist Church. “It all begins with…
Read MoreThe Double Feature
There are movies that I can watch again and again with pleasure because they conjure up for me the “olden” times of my life. The Birds and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? take me back to a quaint California of the early 1960s, my native state. To Kill a Mockingbird and The Heart Is a…
Read MoreRedefining Realness: How Janet Mock Is Teaching Me To Be A Better Trans Ally
“We need to give trans people space to tell their own stories, and we should follow the lead of people who are out there and being visible, and actually advocating for these rights.” –Janet Mock Over the past few months, transgender women and men have been in the news a lot. From Laverne Cox and…
Read MoreWhen ‘Non-Denominational’ Really Means ‘Homophobic’
Because I didn’t know how to tell her, my mother was one of the last people I came out to, but it’s funny—she’s always been the first to have my back. My mother would never let anyone shame her son—even her own church. Not now, not ever. That unwavering support was demonstrated yet again last…
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