Posts Tagged ‘Religion and Sexuality’
When ‘Non-Denominational’ Really Means ‘Homophobic’
Because I didn’t know how to tell her, my mother was one of the last people I came out to, but it’s funny—she’s always been the first to have my back. My mother would never let anyone shame her son—even her own church. Not now, not ever. That unwavering support was demonstrated yet again last…
Read MoreNYC Event: LGBT Stations Of The Cross
Last year, acclaimed artist Mary Button created an inspiring series of unique and thought-provoking paintings for Believe Out Loud. Mary Button’s Stations Of The Cross: The Struggle For LGBT Equality invites viewers to see Jesus’ suffering in light of the marginalization of LGBT people, depicted throughout the 20th and 21st century. Join Believe Out Loud in New York City on Sunday,…
Read MoreBeyond Our Comfort Zones
We all have our comfort zones. Sometimes we decide it’s time to step out, and we just take a leap and hope for the best. Sometimes we’re so afraid of stepping outside of these comfort zones that we never really experience all that life has to offer us. There are even times that we don’t…
Read MoreWhen World Vision Blinked
I didn’t go to church much growing up, but that didn’t stop church ideas getting into me. They were just there, like an invisible, odorless gas that you couldn’t help but breathe in until they became part of you, blood and bone. It’s how I learned the Golden Rule, and also how I learned that…
Read MoreThe Lynchings Haven’t Stopped
On March 6th, in Galveston, Texas, a city outside of Houston, a young African-American lesbian couple was killed and dumped near a dumpster. Britney Cosby and Crystal Jackson (pictured left) were 24 years old and out to their families, yet the main suspect for this crime is Cosby’s father. These two women shared the same age and race…
Read MoreA Prayer For Fred Phelps
In the wake of news that Fred Phelps—famed for picketing funerals with signs of hatred toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people—died, I want to take this opportunity to release this statement of prayer for Fred Phelps and his family. Members of the Metropolitan Community Churches do not celebrate the death of Fred Phelps.…
Read More10 Black Religious Leaders Advancing LGBTQ Justice
As we near the end of Black History Month, we’re featuring ten lesbian, gay, transgender, same gender loving, and queer leaders (pictured clockwise) who are making history as they pave the way for the welcome and affirmation of all people across Christian traditions. 1. Archbishop Carl Bean Former Motown recording artist Archbishop Carl Bean has dedicated his…
Read MoreWhy I Might Not Get Confirmed In The Catholic Church
I have not yet gone through confirmation in the Catholic Church. There is a high chance that I will eventually, but I haven’t right now. In the Catholic Church, it is around this time that kids around my age get confirmed through their own free will or with their parents dangling college tuition money over…
Read MoreSilent No More: Denouncing “Christian” Voices Of Hate
When I read that President Museveni had signed the hateful anti-LGBTQ law in Uganda, the first words that came to mind were from the opening song in “Les Misérables.” It’s called “Work Song.” Prisoners in a work camp are expressing their hope and their despair. One sings, “I’ve done no wrong, sweet Jesus hear my…
Read MoreBeyond Either/Or: How I Am Bisexual Everywhere & All The Time
“…in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27) I was recently with a friend who also identifies as bisexual, and we began talking about the widely-held presumption that bisexuals “become” straight or gay depending on the gender of our partner. For instance, since I am faithful in…
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