Posts Tagged ‘Allies’
A Mormon Father’s Journey To Affirm His Gay Sons
There is, perhaps, no stronger feeling of love than the love a parent feels for his or her newborn child. As the child grows into their own unique self, inevitably pushing against the protective bounds the parent has set, that love is often put to the test. But there is nothing quite like the unconditional…
Read More2016’s Top Ten Moments In the LGBTQI Christian Movement
DONATE TODAY: Help LGBTQI-Affirming Christians Stand Up to Faith-Based Hate in 2017 Each year, Believe Out Loud compiles a list of the top ten moments in the LGBTQI Christian movement. This year in particular, we have struggled to compile a list that necessarily includes the moments of grief and disappointment we’ve experienced as a community.…
Read More10 Ways To Include LGBTQ People In Your Congregation
1. Hire LGBTQ leaders to serve in your congregation: 2. Host small groups conversations on LGBTQ inclusion: 3. Denomination-wide policy changes can lead the way: 4. Organize your congregation to show up at LGBTQ events: 5. A note to LGBTQ people—our presence makes a difference: 6. Believe Out Loud with inclusive language and church-wide statements: 7.…
Read MoreChanging Minds: A Young Seminarian Learning to Love
As a young seminarian in the late 1970’s, I enjoyed being a graduate student on the campus of a major university in the Midwest. The big library and vast intellectual community were a thrill, but the greatest joy was attending Sunday services at the university’s chapel, an elaborate modernist/Gothic building on the edge of campus.…
Read MoreBeing Trans In An Age Of Violence
Trigger warning: description of transphobia, violence, and physical assault I grew up in Northern Mexico, the Republic of Texas, and learned to think thru my body and not only depend on rational thinking per se. As an always gender non-conforming person who later found a home in naming themselves a non-binary Transgender person, I have…
Read MoreFinding Wholeness In Community
As a parent of two young children, I make many trips to the public library and I read many children’s books. I can be a bit of a children’s book snob, picking what appears to be a high-brow picture book based on the inclusion of a Caldecott or Newbury award sticker, or by literally judging…
Read MoreWhy I’m The Proud Mother Of My Queer Son
As my queer son grew in maturity and wisdom, I questioned so many things—my importance in my son’s life, the world’s ideology, family members’ loyalties, my son’s safety, his happiness, and whether or not who he is is who he wants to be. Even though I have been faced with certain surprises, God has NEVER…
Read MoreA Christian Mom’s Call To Do The Right Thing
As a mother of a gay son, I don’t think you can really understand where an LGBTQ person is coming from unless you come from a place of intense love. I don’t know that the LGBTQ issue would have registered much on my radar if I didn’t have someone whom I loved intensely struggling with…
Read MoreThe “Beloved Community” Includes Transgender People
There is a disturbing trend rapidly moving across this nation at an unparalleled and fevered pitch. It is based on hatred, soaked in prejudice and clothed in intolerance. At rallies and other political gatherings, people are encouraged to act on their fears and ignorance regarding others who are different. Certainly, the current political climate fuels…
Read MoreA Trans Ally In A Tennessee Pew
ADD YOUR NAME: Tell Tennessee Lawmakers to Block Anti-Trans Bathroom Bill Five years ago, I was a member of a Southern Baptist Church in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, listening to the same sermons as my Old Hickory Representative Susan Lynn. One Sunday, as our preacher dug deeper into Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, I was struck…
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