Ireland Agrees to Self-Declaration for Gender Recognition Bill

A group of people holding a banner that says trans rights are human rights.

Yesterday (Wednesday 3rd June), the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton, T.D. announced that, following the agreement of Cabinet, the application process under the Gender Recognition Bill will, for people aged 18 years or more, be based on the person’s self-declaration by way of a statutory declaration. The Bill will also no longer contain the controversial…

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Queerly Becoming: Celebrating Our Evolving Identities

Colored pencils arranged in a heart shape.

Two years ago, I sat at a trendy coffee shop in Austin, TX meeting with the manager of the It Gets Better Tour: a traveling anti-bullying stage show spun off from the popular LGBTQ video website. The manager had reached out to me a few days earlier and explained that at every stop on their…

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The Role Of Faith In Caitlyn Jenner’s Transition

A woman in a blue shirt is smiling.

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to reflect Caitlyn Jenner’s name and pronouns (September 30, 2015) On April 24, 2015, ABC News broadcast a historic interview with Olympic champion and reality TV star, Caitlyn Jenner. Over two hours with Diane Sawyer, Jenner fills in details from her lifetime, revealing her decades of struggle to…

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Why I Defend An Institution That Does Not Defend Me

A mosaic sign with black letters.

In case you missed it, a few days ago the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)  changed its definition of marriage to include people of every sexual orientation and gender identity. There has been much celebration, and I rejoice with my Presbyterian siblings. As someone who is particularly sensitive to Reformed theology, days like these make me desperately…

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New Video Focuses On LGBT Catholics “Owning Our Faith”

Two men standing next to a priest in a church.

A new video about sexuality and spirituality, aimed ultimately at Pope Francis as its audience, has been released on the web by a group of LGBT Catholics in New York City. “Owning Our Faith” is a 14-minute film in which a diversity of LGBT Catholics, family members, and pastoral ministers speak candidly about the intersection of…

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Living Non-Binary: Taking A Leap Of Faith

A man jumping in the air over a railing.

When I first came out to my friends and loved ones as a non-binary trans person, I was forced to take a leap of faith I really wasn’t sure I wanted to take. I didn’t yet have the language to well describe my experience, who I was becoming, or how people could better understand what…

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My Life As A Nuclear Weapon

A statue of jesus on a cross in front of a cloudy sky.

I awoke to a bombshell last week. Pun intended, because I need some humor to dull the hurt, manage the anger, and resist a rekindled sense of insecurity. The bombshell is the statement attributed to Pope Francis concerning gender theory. Now widely circulating in the media is the statement made by this pope that gender…

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Opening Doors: The Closet of Depression

A close up view of a door with a black finish.

I have remained mostly silent in light of the recent deaths by suicide of transgender women and men. I would like to say that I have some sort of honorable reason for that silence, but the reality is that I was just too afraid to say much. You see, I’ve been running in and out of…

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An Open Letter to Pastor Ray Chavez of New Hope Ministries

A fountain pen is sitting on top of a piece of paper.

Pastor Chavez, I’m sure you have received your fair share of letters over the past week or so. Some of them “hate mail,” others, letters staunchly supporting your decision. This letter falls under neither category. Going to any kind of extreme would only alienate you from its simple message. Vanessa Collier was a human being,…

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Walking In Two Worlds: A Queer Spiritual Journey

A close up of a colorful stained glass window.

I walk in two worlds. As a queer person of faith, my lived experience is a series of negotiations between contexts that affirm either my Queerness or my Faith Walk. It is not unusual for a context that is life-giving to one of these facets of my being to not make much room for the…

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