Posts by Believe Out Loud
Two Films Inspiring Social Change Toward LGBT Equality
During the 2013 Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, I caught two films that highlight the impact religious bigotry plays in the actual lives of LGBT individuals. In the film Bridegroom, Designing Women creator Linda Bloodworth-Thomason crafted a full-length documentary out of Shane Bitney Crone’s viral video “It Could Happen to You.” Recorded on the…
Read MoreSochi Olympics: Spiritual Art Supports Russia’s LGBT Rights Struggle
Image Detail: “De Profundis” by Tony O’Connell Artists are using spiritual imagery to draw attention to LGBT rights in Russia as the Olympics begins in Sochi today. The holiness of the Russian struggle for LGBT equality is emphasized in two new artworks. These pieces are “De Profundis” by queer British artist Tony O’Connell and “Postcard to Putin”…
Read MoreShamed: How Spiritual Abuse Contributed To My Son’s Death
Trigger Warning: Discussion of suicide A kind, gentle, knowledgeable, and very socially conscious 16 year old boy arrived to join his circle of friends for a youth group prior to going on a mission trip. These kids and this place had been this boy’s sanctuary from years of school bullying. This group held a safe…
Read MoreComing Out As Trans* In The ELCA
My Dad was a progressive pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) for most of his ministry. He preached his last sermon on the Gospel of social justice at the age of 88 and passed on to glory in 2012 at the age of 92. Throughout my childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood, I…
Read MoreBlessed Are They That Mourn
“Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). When I was living and working in Toledo, Ohio, in my mid-20s, I often had lunch at this large, cafeteria-style restaurant downtown. Patrons would load their trays and sit in a large atrium filled with tables, booths, and a lot of potted ferns.…
Read MoreRev. Gil Caldwell Officiates His First Same-Sex Marriage
As a Civil Rights Movement “foot soldier”, I have used these words of Martin Luther King, Jr. to guide my activism, not just for people of African descent, but for all justice struggles; “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” I officiated my first same-sex marriage the Sunday of this year’s Martin Luther King weekend,…
Read MoreA Journey Towards Wholeness And Reconciliation
From January 18th through February 16th, people are reflecting, contemplating, writing and harnessing passion to bring about peace, justice, and reconciliation by mobilizing the tremendous power of love as part of Standing on the Side of Love’s 30 Days of Love campaign. As I reflect on this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. holiday—a day when…
Read MoreStarkville: Mississippi’s First City To Recognize LGBT Equality
On January 21, 2014, the Starkville Board of Aldermen took a historic step making our city the first municipality in Mississippi to pass a resolution showing support for its lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender residents. The passage of this resolution brings hope to the LGBT community of Starkville, as we struggle daily with claiming our…
Read MoreStanding Together To Protect LGBTQ Catholic Church Faculty
homeStand with Catholic high school students this Friday, January 31st for ‘Z-Day‘ to raise awareness for LGBTQ faculty being fired within the Catholic Church by wearing orange and spreading #ZDAY on social media. About a month ago, news broke out from a neighboring Catholic high school that their gay Vice Principal had been fired for marrying his…
Read MoreBuilding Safer Spaces For Our Transgender Youth
When I was in high school in rural North Carolina, I wasn’t very out. It was the early days of what you might call online social connection. I set up dummy email addresses to create secret identities on usenet forums where I tried to figure out what it meant to be transgender. I had friends…
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