Posts Tagged ‘Marriage Equality’
5 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…
Read MoreBoston’s Cardinal O’Malley: LGBT Church Worker Firings “Need to be Rectified”
In a one-to-one conversation following a public speaking engagement, Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley said that the firing of church workers because of LGBT issues is a situation that “needs to be rectified,” becoming the first prelate to speak against this trend. Earlier in the evening, the cardinal publicly spoke positively of the need to include and minister to the…
Read MoreSupporting Trans Youth: Building A More Hopeful Future
As fights for marriage equality have had sweeping victories across the United States, many LGBTQ activists ask, “what now?” Some have answered that advocacy for the transgender community is logically the next step in our quest toward equality. As we work to answer this question, transgender advocates like Laverne Cox and Janet Mock are gaining…
Read MoreThinking The Unimaginable: Black Same-Gender-Loving Men And Marriage
In the past few weeks and months, it seems as though the campaign for marriage equality in America has hit its stride. Week after week, news has broken that court system after court system has declared same-sex marriage bans in Colorado, Virginia, Utah, and many more states unconstitutional. Day in and day out, I have seen…
Read MoreWhere We Go Next
Two weeks ago, I was invited to the White House. I received an email asking me to be present for President Obama signing his executive order banning LGBT employment discrimination by federal contractors. It was an incredible honor to be present for a historical event like that. The whole event went by fast, but I…
Read MoreI Was Expelled When I Married My Wife
Recently, I was expelled from Southwestern Christian University for marrying my wife, who happens to be of the same sex. When I began my student career at SCU, I signed what Southwestern calls their “Lifestyle Covenant.” In it, “homosexual behavior” is prohibited. Yet because I have a strong love for God and basketball, with an added desire…
Read MoreBecoming Who God Created Me To Be
As I walked across the stage at graduation, it still did not feel like I was done with my education, and as I have transitioned into post-graduate life, I have slowly realized how correct this statement is. Life for me is like one large school; we are constantly learning and growing and changing. I think…
Read MoreA Gay Christian Athlete’s Letter To David Tyree
This week, David Tyree, who has publicly opposed same-sex marriage and promoted conversion therapy, was hired by the New York Giants as the director of player development. Dear Mr. Tyree, I remember that defining moment in Super bowl XLII. Your helmet catch was one of the most incredible NFL plays I’ve experienced in my 31…
Read MoreThe Catholic Case Against Religious Exemptions
In post-Hobby Lobby America, the question of whether religious exemptions should be included in laws prohibiting employment discrimination against LGBT people has increased in complexity. It used to be that religious leaders and lawmakers could strike a comfortable balance of protecting faith groups’ rights to self-determination and LGBT people’s rights to equal opportunity. But the Supreme…
Read MoreLet’s Make Church Better, Now
At a time where the Catholic Church is under much scrutiny due to scandal, abuses of power, and upholding teachings that fracture rather then unite, this short video of Father Donal Godfrey has rekindled my faith that all will be well within the tradition I was raised in. Many have asked me if Pope Francis’…
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