Posts Tagged ‘Homophobia’
Continuing The Work After Houston’s Fallen HERO
Our work toward justice continues. Yesterday, Houston voters rejected Houston’s Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO), an ordinance that would have protected the rights of 15 different categories of people. Opponents of HERO centered their campaign on a shameful, transphobic message—“No Men in Women’s Bathrooms.” Faith leaders in Houston advanced this harmful message and advocated to defeat…
Read MoreGiving Glory To God And Not Kim Davis
Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis is in jail. She refused to issue marriage licenses, even after members of her staff offered to do it (she forced them not to), even after the Supreme Court informed her that no exception from the law would be made for her. Stating that she was acting “under God’s authority,” she defied court orders and…
Read MoreA Word Of Advice For Non-Affirming Christians
I wonder what life would have been like if I never had to hesitate when I crossed my legs. I get a feeling sometimes that my aunt will come out of nowhere and say, “Boys don’t cross their legs.” I wonder what life would have been like if I was allowed to clutch my shirt…
Read MoreWhy I Advocate For LGBT People Of Color
Every Sunday, many African American gays worship in churches that preach hate and prejudice against them. We sit in silence in the pews even though we are tithing members of the congregation. After Antonia Pantoja, my partner and colleague for 30 years, died of cancer in 2002, I came to understand just how much the…
Read MoreThe Conversion Of A Teenage Homophobe
Having been raised in a small, conservative church in the Midwest, I was instilled with the notion that there was a clear distinction between “us” and “them.” There were certain people who were perceived as threatening to the true Christian faith. Liberals, atheists, pacifists, and city folks were often mentioned, but there was a special…
Read MoreHow One Pastor Broke The Silence About LGBTQ People
As the faith organizer for Equality Pennsylvania, I am honored to work with people of faith across the state of Pennsylvania to end discrimination against LGBTQ people. I meet clergy from across the state who support lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people. However, many of these faith leaders are afraid to speak up because…
Read MoreChristians Care About Ending Discrimination
As the Faith Organizer for Equality Pennsylvania, I work with about 600 diverse clergy and over 1000 people of faith across the state of Pennsylvania who are working for equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. On May 20, 2014, we celebrated a new reality in Pennsylvania—marriage equality came to our state! There…
Read MoreBelieve Out Loud’s 10 Most Popular Blogs Of 2014
Donate today to support the movement for Christian faith and LGBTQ equality! As we bring 2014 to a close, we are proud to present the 10 most popular blogs published at Believe Out Loud during 2014! From examining the impact of spiritual abuse to proclaiming that discrimination is not a Christian value, this list represents…
Read MoreOn Leaving Religious Life: Why I Cannot Be A Roman Catholic Priest
Last fall I finally had enough. Enough of hearing the Roman Catholic Church romanticize the materially poor. Enough of watching the Roman Catholic Church fire married gays and lesbians from public ministry from high schools and churches. Enough of trying to defend the Roman Catholic Church’s practice of ordaining only celibate men to the priesthood.…
Read MoreWhat Calvin Taught Me About God
This is an abridged reprise of a column I wrote for the September, 1995 issue of the More Light Update, the publication of Presbyterians for Lesbian & Gay Concerns (now More Light Presbyterians) edited by James D. Anderson. Total attentiveness. Unconditional love. Limited judgment. Irresistible grace. Providential play. T.U.L.I.P. This is what Calvin has taught…
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