Posts Tagged ‘LGBT Youth Homelessness’
Review: A Brief Guide to Ministry with LGBTQIA Youth by Cody Sanders
When I read Rev. Cody Sanders’ new little gem, A Brief Guide to Ministry with LGBTQIA Youth, I get the feeling that I’m sitting with a very smart and very compassionate friend. He knows that I am eager, but a little intimidated. He knows that I have questions, but I’m not sure how to ask…
Read MorePride Events Display Disparities In LGBTQ Community
June is Pride Month for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) communities across the country—and parades abound. While we all rev up each June for Pride so, too, do the fault lines of race and class in the LGBTQ community. With advances such as hate crime laws, legalization of same-sex marriage across the country,…
Read MoreClaiming My Religious Right
In the days of my youth, I knew little of the meanings of terms such as the “religious right” and the “liberal left.” I was taught to believe in a loving God, and I have begun to understand that this is the greatest fortune of my birth. I was raised by parents who believed in…
Read MoreMormon in Montana: My Experience Of LGBTQ Youth Homelessness
These days I am one of the first in any group to jump to defend someone’s religious beliefs, including their right to share them in a friendly, respectful manner. It wasn’t always this way. At one point in my life, I found all religion, spirituality, or belief system harmful and hypocritical. The second God was…
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 MoreAt The End Of The Day: A Journey Towards Affirmation
I’m sorry! I had no idea. How could you? You only answer questions. You never ask any. This bit of dialogue from the film At The End Of The Day gets to the heart of its message. At The End Of The Day a dramatic comedy about a conservative Christian professor who experiences a profound…
Read MoreMCC And Human Trafficking—Why?
Why are members of Metropolitan Community Churches joining the effort to stop human trafficking and slavery? First, we care about all human beings. When anyone is oppressed, we still have work to do. Second, being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer adds to being vulnerable to exploitation and to the possibility of losing our freedom…
Read MoreBeyond Marriage: There’s Work Left To Be Done
The recent appearance of pastors and churches declaring their willingness to perform marriages for same-sex couples has led to some of the most amazing imagery of the marriage equality struggle. Imagery the likes of which seemed all too impossible not long ago, especially in the deeply-red states of America. The pictures and stories of courage…
Read MoreBelieve Out Loud Hosts Level Ground Film Festival In New York City
“A drag queen, a lesbian rocker and a Catholic nun walk into a church…” This might sound like the opening line of a joke, but on November 14, 15 and 16—that’s exactly what’s happening in New York City as Believe Out Loud joins Level Ground Film Festival to bring the Road Show to New York…
Read More5 Ways Churches Can Care For Homeless LGBTQ Youth
For progressive churches in the U.S., there is a “sweet spot” of meaningful engagement in LGBTQ justice that many congregations are missing. While we’re celebrating gains in marriage equality and legal protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and (sometimes, though not as often) transgender people, we often overlook the most pressing need affecting the well-being and…
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