Posts Tagged ‘Gender Identity’
How Employment Discrimination Affects My Life
One of the great joys in my life as executive director of Integrity USA, the national Episcopal LGBTQ organization, is being contacted by transgender and gay people looking for help in meeting their needs. I am always thrilled when I can connect people to new friends, educational materials, or welcoming faith communities. Unfortunately, there’s one…
Read More“ADD 4 WORDS”: LGBT Civil Rights Vigil at MLK Jr. Memorial in DC
A new LGBT equality campaign backed by over 245 organizations will officially launch with an LGBT Civil Rights Vigil at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in D.C. on Monday, June 30th, at 8:30pm. The event will have renowned African American faith leaders and LGBT activists, featuring song, prayer, speeches, and the resounding call to the…
Read MoreSouthern Baptists Underestimate The Love Of God
I grew up Southern Baptist, but I left the church when I entered college because I could not reconcile the unconditional love of God with the narrow and exclusive theology of my childhood denomination. On Tuesday, this exclusion surfaced once again when the Southern Baptist Convention passed a resolution condemning transgender people. Vivian Taylor, the…
Read MoreA Trans Christian’s Open Letter To The Southern Baptist Convention
Dear Southern Baptist Convention, I know that you are considering passing a resolution against transgender identity this week at your meeting in Baltimore. In anticipation of this vote, I write to you as a fellow believer in our Lord Jesus Christ, the savior of the world, the person to whom I have given my heart…
Read MoreFinding God In Transition
From my teens to my early twenties, I was a good Catholic boy. I went to mass several times a week, which included playing guitar with two different church choirs. In college, I even went to Protestant Bible studies to hear the Word of God. When I was 18, I began to explore becoming a…
Read MoreTrans-forming Love: New Ways Ministry To Advance Transgender Education And Justice
As marriage equality and, broadly speaking, lesbian/gay equality become widespread, LGBT advocacy has begun focusing more on the “T” of the common acronym. New Ways Ministry and other Catholic institutions have begun to help church members better understand this community. According to the Public Religion Research Institute, 84% of Catholics agree that lesbian/gay legal protections…
Read MoreChristian Faith Leaders Honored Among Trans 100
Last week, the second-annual Trans 100 was released, honoring Trans individuals from across the United States who are currently alive and active in the work of making the lives of Trans people better. Alongside Jen Richards, Minister Asher Kolieboi, co-founder of Legalize Trans* and current Chaplain Intern at the Davidson County Sheriff’s Department, served as the Co-Director of the 2014 Trans…
Read MoreAn Open Letter To Sunnie Kahle (And Christian Tomboys Everywhere)
Dear Sunnie, You don’t know me, but this morning I read an article about you. Ever since then you keep crossing my mind. As I went around town today in my jeans and button-down shirt and sweater, I thought about you. As I came home from the gym tonight, I prayed for you. And all…
Read MoreAttempt To Repeal The School Success And Opportunity Act Fails
Today, the effort to repeal the School Success and Opportunity Act—California’s new law ensuring that all children have opportunities to do well in school—failed to qualify for the ballot. The law—also known as Assembly Bill 1266—went into effect on January 1st, ensuring that schools have the guidance they need to make sure all students, including…
Read MoreComing Out As Trans* In The ELCA
My Dad was a progressive pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) for most of his ministry. He preached his last sermon on the Gospel of social justice at the age of 88 and passed on to glory in 2012 at the age of 92. Throughout my childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood, I…
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