Posts by pwsbuilder
Pope’s Damaging Message To Transgender Teens
Pope Francis’ long-awaited apostolic exhortation—“Amoris Laetitia,” or “The Joy of Love”—was released earlier this month. The good news is that Pope Francis urges church leaders to be pastors rather than church bureaucrats. The request wasn’t surprising because Pope Francis immediately taking the reigns of the Catholic Church displayed a pastoral countenance to his papacy. Pope…
Read MoreCatholic Church Unfriendly to LGBT People? No, Living a Split Reality
A new Pew Research Center study provides an abysmal assessment of the Catholic Church for those of us who value LGBT inclusion in our faith communities. In a study of 1,197 LGBT adults released on June 13, 2013, 79 percent of those questioned rated Catholicism as “unfriendly” to LGBT people. Only 4 percent view our…
Read More“I’m Sorry”: God Adores You
Someone on twitter recently asked me how I defined courage. I sat in my room turning the question over and over in my mind, but then I responded with “Courage is being able to step onto the stormy waters, despite your fear, when Jesus calls.” I felt Jesus calling this past week and I was…
Read MorePersonal Transformations: Learning to Embrace “The Gay”
Nearly all of our best and most important transformations are prompted by personal connections, when what was once theoretical becomes achingly personal and powerful enough to blast through our preconceived, long-held beliefs. It’s why, with fewer and fewer gay people staying in the closet, more and more of us are being transformed by those personal connections,…
Read MoreCasper UCC’s Process Towards Believing Out Loud
Casper UCC's Process Towards Believing Out Loud
Read MoreShowing Another Side of Catholicism
Whenever the media uses the phrase “Catholic Church” when they reference statements made by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) or individual church leaders, Marianne Duddy-Burke, Executive Director of DignityUSA, stands up to correct them. “The bishops try discredit Dignity by saying we’re not authorized not to use the word Catholic,” she states.…
Read MoreA Little Taste of the Election 2012
By: Sara Snyder, Believe Out Loud Every minute, the polls are flooded with excited citizens ready to cast their ballot in this election. Here’s a slideshow of some of our internet and live action favorites from today. Don’t forget to Vote and stay up to date with the latest news on marriage equality in the…
Read MoreWhy This Queer Baptist Wants Religious Freedom, Too
Tomorrow is Religious Freedom Day, a day that celebrates the passage of Thomas Jefferson’s Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. Passed in 1786, this piece of legislation. As a queer Baptist, my faith is often trivialized by those who do not believe it is possible to be both queer and Christian. I also know that my Baptist tradition…
Read MoreDiscrimination Is Not Religious Freedom
As recently as January of 2014, the Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) filed a complaint against Fontbonne Academy, a religious college prep school in Milton, MA, when the school fired Matt Barrett—after offering him employment at the school as Food Services Director. Matt Barrett was fired after he stated on a form that…
Read MoreHow I Learned To Embrace My Bisexuality
When one of my oldest, closest friends came out to me as transgender, I immediately resolved to become the best transgender ally I could be. Preferred pronouns, how to be of help, how to introduce him to people—I tried to do as much research and become as well versed as I could for him. I…
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