Posts Tagged ‘politics’
Proposed North Carolina Law Is An Affront To Religious Liberty
On Monday the North Carolina Senate voted to override Governor McCrory’s veto of SB2, a bill that would authorize government officials across the state to refuse to perform marriages or even issue marriage licenses when they have a religious objection. As a pastor, I consider this bill an affront to both the dignity of all North Carolinians…
Read MoreA Holy Moment In A Political Calendar: Making Room For Multi Faith Services For Justice
“Dig deep,… carefully cast forth the loose matter and get down to the rock, the sure foundation, and there hearken to the Divine Voice which gives a clear and certain sound.” John Woolman (Quaker abolitionist), ca 1770. This past month I have found myself tumbling head first into the elaborate matrix known as “the liturgical committee”…
Read MoreLGBTQ Faith Leaders Travel To Cuba To Meet Faith & Government Leaders
President Obama and Cuban leader, Raul Castro, made history in April of 2015 with a handshake. On April 28, leaders of Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC) will make history by traveling to Cuba at the invitation of leaders of the Baptist LGBTQ group, Abriendo Brechas de Colores, from the Federación de Iglesias Bastistas de Cuba. Leaders…
Read MoreHolding Out Hope For The Presbyterian Church
Here we go: I am one of those women who has been planning her wedding since before she started dating. My Pinterest board can attest to this. I wanted a long, lace,appropriately modest dress and calla lillies. Since I am a product of the church, I have also dreamed about having the pastor that I…
Read MoreHistoric Day For LGBT Elders? We’ll See!
Walking into the Eisenhower Office Building in the White House complex on February 10, I realized that I was crossing what has the potential to be a historic threshold for the LGBT community. I was entering a full day meeting with Obama administration officials around the issue of LGBT aging and, more specifically, affordable housing…
Read MoreFor Little Bay: When Discrimination Impacts Our Children
A year ago, when the Rowse-DeBoer marriage equality case was heard in a federal court in Detroit, I joined marriage equality supporters picketing in front of the courthouse. There I was lucky enough to meet Jami and Krista, a lovely same-sex couple who have since become parents and celebrities (but not in a good way).…
Read MoreA Road Map Beyond Black History Month
Black History Month (which kicked off on Feb. 1) became a national annual observance in 1926. The goal of the month is to honor and celebrate the achievements of African-Americans. If Dr. Carter Woodson, the Father of Black History, were alive today, he would be proud of the tenacity of the African American community. It…
Read MoreIt’s Time for Trans Lives to Truly Matter to Us All
Each November LGBT centers, local groups, and churches host events for Transgender Day of Remembrance. It’s a single evening, a few hours, dedicated to memorializing those who were violently murdered for being transgender. Nearly all of the victims of violence are women, of color, poor, and many likely engaged in sex work. In the United…
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 MoreComing Out: An Ash Wednesday Reflection
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. (…) But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which…
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