Posts Tagged ‘LGBT equality and inclusion’
DignityUSA Moves Toward Radical Inclusion
The Catholic Church is the largest Christian denomination in the world. The fight for the dignity and inclusion of its LGBTQI parishioners is a fight for the church’s soul and moral integrity. DignityUSA since its inception has asserted that God loves the LGBTQI community equally. This year DignityUSA held its 23rd biennial national conference in…
Read MoreA Coming Out Guide for Parents of Queer Kids
“Every gay person must come out. As difficult as it is, you must tell your immediate family. You must tell your relatives. You must tell your friends, if indeed they are your friends.” -Harvey Milk Harvey Milk’s historic call to LGBTQ+ people in the 1970s to come out of the closet was predicated on the…
Read MoreCardinal’s Welcome to LGBT Catholics “Felt Like a Miracle”
LGBT affirming religious voices Last month, Newark, New Jersey’s Cardinal Joseph Tobin welcomed a pilgrimage of LGBT Catholics to the archdiocese’s Cathedral of the Sacred Heart—a gesture that is being hailed as a major step forward in the pastoral care of LGBT people here in the U.S. one participant going so far as calling it…
Read MoreUnited Methodist Church commissions first non-binary trans person as a Deacon
Chicago – The first openly non-binary trans person was commissioned as a deacon in The United Methodist Church (The UMC) on Sunday, June 4th in the Northern Illinois Annual Conference. Rev. M Barclay, who uses singular they pronouns, is appointed by Bishop Sally Dyck to serve as a deacon at Reconciling Ministries Network (RMN). RMN…
Read MoreDiscovering My Asexuality
When puberty began, I assumed I was like everyone else. They got crushes on people, I got crushes on people. They wanted to hold hands and kiss their crushes, I wanted to hold hands and kiss my crushes. But in high school, I gradually realized that I was not like my friends. When one of…
Read MoreRooted in Faith, Grounded in Love: The MCC Conference for People of African Descent (PAD), Friends & Advocates
The Conference for People of African Descent, Friends, and Advocates is one of the landmark conferences of the Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC). Expressly rooted in the African-American cultural experience, the conference provides a space for people of African descent, friends and advocates to come together for a time of celebration, skill-building, strategizing, leadership development, and…
Read MoreLoves Makes A Family: IDAHOT 2017
May 17 is International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOT). It is a worldwide celebration of sexual and gender diversities. IDAHOT was founded in 2004 to draw the attention of policymakers, opinion leaders, social movements, the public and media to the violence and discrimination experienced by LGBTI people around the world. This year IDAHOT…
Read MoreWords of Encouragement for LGBTQ United Methodists & Allies
“Do not get weary little children. God is not done with us, yet. So keep praying, stay focused and keep the main thing the main thing.” These words were written by Rev. James E. Swanson, Bishop of the Mississippi Conference of the United Methodist Church, in response to the Judicial Council’s recent ruling to rescind…
Read MorePower For & By LGBTQ People Of Faith
When I was a kid my grandmother would rock back and forth on her green metallic rocking chair singing old Spirituals like, “We shall overcome, someday.” I still remember her tears. My grandmother, big and yellow, a proud Christian, guarded our South Dallas porch singing songs like, “I’m a solider in the Army of the…
Read MoreLGBTQI Methodists Already Know the Way Forward
As an aspiring pastor in The United Methodist Church (The UMC) and a staff person at Reconciling Ministries Network, I spend a lot of time trying to explain my work to strangers, new friends, taxi drivers, and anyone else who might casually ask, “So, what do you do?” In these conversations, I spend most of…
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