Posts Tagged ‘LGBT equality and inclusion’
Catholic Church: Listen & Learn On LGBT People
With any discussion involving the family, a diversity of views must be taken into account. This begs the question, should the Catholic Church maintain the status quo or attempt to learn more about the gifts and qualities LGBT people have to offer? Due to the uplifting words and actions of Pope Francis, more Catholics are…
Read MoreA Challenge From LGBTQ Fly Over Country
Today is the beginning of Bisexual Awareness Week. There are courageous people, like Faith Cheltenham, Robyn Ochs, and Eliel Cruz, who are called to serve God as activists for the wellbeing of bisexual people. I am also a bisexual person. I am the B in LGBTQ. There have been seasons when I speak up about this and seasons when I don’t. I speak up…
Read MoreIn Their Own Words: LGBT & Ally Catholics Explain Why They Stay In The Church
Even with recent years’ positive steps in the church, remaining Catholic can be deeply challenging for LGBT people and their loved ones. Sacramental denials, harsh rhetoric, and church worker firings are simply the surface of the harm that some church officials, perhaps unintentionally, inflict. The question of “why to stay?” remains real and relevant. Thankfully, for Catholics, this question, and…
Read MoreMaking Trans People The Enemy Was Another Vatican Mistake
The Vatican recently announced that it is “impossible to allow” transgender people to be godparents. In the warped logic of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, identifying as transgender “reveals in a public way an attitude opposite to the moral imperative of solving the problem of sexual identity according to the truth of one’s own…
Read MoreComing Out As A Lesbian Mom
Facebook often sends me photos of past events I’ve posted. Kind of like a nostalgic, hey remember all the fun you had 5 years ago?! The last “reminder” really got me. The reminder came just days after what I affectionately call “The Breakdown.” The day of The Breakdown ended with me sitting on the kitchen floor, holding both my babies (we have twins) as they…
Read MoreLGBT History Made At The United Nations Security Council
Two gay men who escaped Syria and Iraq with their lives shared their experiences of discrimination and violence against LGBT people at a historic session of the UN Security Council in New York City on August 24. Subhi Nahas, a Syrian refugee living in the United States, addressed the council in person. Out of concern…
Read MoreIn Quick Victory, Catholic School Reverses Position in Firing of Lesbian Teacher
In a landmark decision for LGBT employees at Catholic institutions, St. Mary’s Academy in Portland, Oregon, has altered its employment policies to be more inclusive, in response to what was a growing backlash against administrators’ decision to withdraw an employment contract with a lesbian counselor, Lauren Brown. Bondings 2.0 reported on this incident earlier today and you can…
Read MoreGLAAD Releases Guide For Journalists Reporting On Pope Francis & LGBT People
In preparation for Pope Francis’ upcoming visit to the United States, GLAAD, the nation’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) media advocacy organization, today released “The Papal Visit: a resource guide for journalists covering Pope Francis and the LGBT community.” The playbook was released after GLAAD, DignityUSA and 28 other groups published a letter asking…
Read MoreMississippi Adoption Ban For Same-Sex Couples Challenged in Court
A federal lawsuit challenging Mississippi’s ban on adoption by same-sex couples has just been filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi. Campaign for Southern Equality v. Mississippi Department of Human Services seeks to strike down that ban and to establish that Mississippi same-sex couples have a right to adopt. Mississippi is…
Read MoreOn Resisting Passivity: A Catholic Call To Renew The Earth
The senseless murders at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, startled many because they raised the ongoing issues of racial prejudice, gun violence, and how people from all walks of life become innocent victims of terror, hate, and discrimination. How many tragedies and how many deaths will it take to open our hearts and minds to…
Read More