Posts by Believe Out Loud
Learning From Others: A New Year’s Challenge
As we move into this New Year, I would like to share and reflect on three stories from my life that have helped shaped my message for today’s blog: A few weeks ago I was working in Ohio. My organization, Integrity USA, is working there to help gay, lesbian, bi, and trans* people get housing, employment,…
Read MoreDC Events Launch LGBT Faith & Asylum Network
The LGBT Faith and Asylum Network (LGBT-FAN) invites you to help launch our LGBT Faith and Asylum Network. We are helping people who are seeking safety in the U.S. because of persecution of their sexual orientation or gender identity in their home countries. The Network is made up of faith leaders, asylum-seekers, people who have…
Read MoreWe All Lost The Duck Dynasty Debate
Last week, news reports, talk shows, and social networks were saturated with updates from the great Duck Dynasty debate of 2013. I logged onto Facebook to see comments from both sides—from conservative friends lamenting the persecution of Phil Robertson to queer friends suffering from the hurtful debates circling their news feed. After only a week, Robertson’s suspension…
Read More2013’s Top Ten Moments in Christian Faith & LGBTQ Equality
Donate today to support the movement for Christian faith and LGBTQ equality! This year has brought unprecedented progress toward LGBTQ inclusion and equality in the United States and around the world. Even as we gain traction in our work, debates over Christian faith and LGBTQ equality persist. Here are the top ten moments from these…
Read MoreChristmas In The Closet
My brother has been with his girlfriend for 6 months, and she’s spending Christmas with my family this year. My first thought was, Whoa. What the hell?! It’s not that I don’t like her. I do! But as someone who lived in the closet of a secret relationship for years, I cannot relate to the…
Read MoreRediscovering My Home In The Catholic Church
When I decided at the beginning of the year to finally return to the Catholic Church, I had no idea what a momentous year it would be—not only for myself but for all Catholics. I had been working for Believe Out Loud for a year and realized it was not only important for me to…
Read MoreWhere Were You? A Call For Accompaniment
This month I released a video of a spoken word poem entitled “Where Were You?” that I wrote and published this past April. I wrote the piece after sitting through a homophobic conference presented by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. I wanted to ask those who talk about LGBT folk where they were during different time…
Read MoreA Duck Dynasty Christmas
It’s only days until Christmas, and I, like many LGBT people, spent much of the day alternately dodging and engaging yet another “gays vs. Christians” media firestorm. Even if you’ve never heard of him before, by now you’ve probably heard about Phil Robertson. Robertson is the patriarch of A&E’s hit show Duck Dynasty, and he…
Read MoreBehind The Scenes: Believe Out Loud’s Internship Program
Interns like John are invaluable to our work at Believe Out Loud. Donate today to continue our Internship Program. Hello, Believe Out Loud readers! My name is John, and I was the graphic design intern for Believe Out Loud this past summer. In May, I obtained my BFA from Frostburg State University, and I’ve spent my time since my…
Read MoreAdventist Pastor Forced To Resign Over Step-Daughter’s Wedding
Recently, Brett Hadley, a Bible teacher, pastor and drama coach at Highland View Academy, a Seventh-day Adventist school in Maryland, was forced to resign. The reason: he participated in the wedding of his step-daughter, who entered into a same-sex marriage. When the family planned this event as a family dinner, no one guessed it would result in…
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