Posts by Believe Out Loud
Rethinking “Religious Freedom” Laws
I have been horrified to see the new wave anti-LGBT laws across the country that have been put forward under the guise of “religious freedom,” the idea that freedom of religion requires us to allow people to be mistreated. These laws give a wide range of businesses and services providers the right to deny service…
Read MoreBeyond Either/Or: How I Am Bisexual Everywhere & All The Time
“…in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27) I was recently with a friend who also identifies as bisexual, and we began talking about the widely-held presumption that bisexuals “become” straight or gay depending on the gender of our partner. For instance, since I am faithful in…
Read MoreWhy I Love My Job As A Therapist
One of the most frequently asked questions people ask me about my job is whether I get depressed at work. As a web-based therapist, I specialize in primarily seeing three different types of people—those who need a safe place to figure out if they are gay and how to reconcile that with their faith, people…
Read MoreBelieve Out Loud Presents At The Level Ground Film Festival
Today marks the start of the 2014 Level Ground Film Festival, the world’s first faith-based, LGBT film festival, in Pasadena, California. Believe Out Loud is excited to announce it will be one of the presenting sponsors participating during this groundbreaking event. The festival will run from February 20th through March 1st, and will feature an eclectic…
Read MoreJordan Davis Verdict: United Methodist Coalition Speaks Out
Florida has witnessed yet another innocent, unarmed, young black man killed, and once again no one was held accountable. The very need to use descriptors like innocent and unarmed for a black man, when that is implicit if we were to say a young white man, outlines the racism that infects our communities. Jordan Russell Davis was the victim of…
Read MoreRussia And The Olympics: It’s Not A Game!
An Italian advocate for transgender rights and former member of parliament was detained at the Olympics for unfurling a rainbow flag with “Gay is OK” on it. Russian officials denied it, but the Italian foreign ministry activated its crisis protocol for Italian travelers in trouble. Russian President Vladamir Putin showed up last week at a celebration party for…
Read MoreLoving My Queer Identity
This Valentine’s Day, I pledge to love my queer identity. I pledge to honor the truth I hid for ten years—the door that remained unopened, the secret I was too afraid to face. Today, I pledge to love the part of myself I was told to hate. I pledge to remember the relationships I never had,…
Read MoreNorth Carolina’s Moral March: Standing Together For Social Justice
LAWmarr”Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are OLure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” (Philippians 4:8) As a man of faith in the Unitarian Universalist tradition,…
Read MoreWhat I Mean When I Say “Ally”
Lately, there seems to be a lot of talk about whether one can or should call oneself an ally. Who gets to speak up for LGBT equality? What voices should be heard? Silenced? Made space for? A few weeks ago, Rachel Held Evans shared a link to an article entitled “10 Tips for Being a Good Ally.”…
Read MoreRev. David Weekley Honored By GLBT Hall Of Fame
Congratulations to Rev. David Weekley for being one of the six recent inductees into the GLBT Hall of Fame. Weekley has been an ordained elder in The United Methodist Church since 1984 and quietly served his congregations for twenty-eight years before sharing his story and spiritual journey as a transgender man with his congregation, denomination, and…
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