Posts Tagged ‘Faith and Identity’
A Christmas Message For LGBTQ People Who Have Lost Their Families
Every year, I try my damnedest to get excited for the holidays. I really do. I listen to holiday music for .5 seconds, consider buying the packaged eggnog at the local grocery, and panic about the gifts I haven’t bought—usually to no avail. No matter how hard I try to enjoy them, the holidays still…
Read MoreSaying Yes To God’s Call This Advent Season
The season of Advent guides us on a journey from darkness to light, from recognizing our great need for God to finding God’s love born in a manger. When I read Advent hymns and carols I’m deeply struck by the groans and pains of humanity crying out for the living God. Crying out for justice,…
Read MoreTransitions May Be Tough, But My Faith Is Tougher
Since I was about seven or eight years old, I knew that I was not like other boys; I couldn’t throw “like a boy,” I cried easily; I wasn’t competitive. I knew deep down that I didn’t fit the “boy” pattern no matter how much I tried. Much as I wanted to please my dad,…
Read MoreI Survived Conversion Therapy, But Not Without Scars
When I was 15, my parents took me to the basement of a church in my western hometown for “therapy.” The “therapist,” Michael, was an older, pale-faced man with graying brown hair. His office was painted sky blue and decorated with white-framed pictures of his family sitting on hay bales, grinning at the camera. The…
Read MoreAlly Is Action, Not An Identity
You may think you are an ally, but you are wrong. You cannot be an ally. You can only act in allying ways, or you can avoid doing so. There is a big problem in progressive circles; often, you see people prioritize being seen as an ally more than acting like one. This is only…
Read MoreFinding Something Greater Than Ourselves
I wouldn’t say I grew up very religious. In fact, I don’t believe in God in the traditional sense. I do, however, believe in something greater than ourselves and so often, in our day-to-day world, this is something we tend to forget. When I moved to New York City from Seattle I was scared that…
Read MoreDon’t Miss Another Day Of #HolyTrouble
We’re one week into the 40 Days Of Faith In Action. Since Day 1—the number of people journeying with us has more than doubled! Each day, we’re taking one action to celebrate and expand LGBTQ-affirming faith. From coming out as an LGBTQ-affirming person of faith, to exchanging stories with our friends and families, these actions are happening…
Read MoreHow Queer Evangelicals Brought This Skeptical Journalist Back To Christianity
It happened at the end of recess, after the bell had rung and all the other junior-high kids had gone inside. After beating him in a schoolyard basketball game of “H.O.R.S.E.,” my beefy, mop-topped classmate, whom I’ll call Neil, hurled basketballs at my chest while his friend held my arms back so that I couldn’t…
Read MoreWhen I Loved A Woman
I thought because I hadn’t seen a healthy relationship my entire life, and had my formative years tainted with unwanted advances, I was doomed never to truly love anyone—not even myself. But, I did love her! Having just escaped an abusive heterosexual relationship, meeting Karen became a breath of fresh air. I knew she had to be my…
Read MoreThe Butterfly Manifesto: How To Be Happy In A World That Is Trying To Kill You
A few summers back, I was surrounded by butterflies. They were everywhere. On the windshield when we got into the car, hovering in front of the door to the house, filling the park every day I went—I entered a shimmering haze of them and they even began landing on me to rest. I combed through…
Read More