Posts Tagged ‘Religion and Sexuality’
For Believers of All Stripes
I was 13 and sitting in the basement of my childhood home in the Amish-laden countryside of Pennsylvania. “Crystal, are you a lesbian?” A Twizzler stuck in my throat. What a pointed thing to ask. In my youth, I didn’t quite grasp the magnitude of the question, especially coming from a gaggle of church-schooled teenage…
Read MoreLost Adrift, Or Deeply Rooted?
The annual conference I attended last week with Reconciling Ministries Network was like other trips to annual conferences in many ways—except for one small feature. It was at the beach, Jekyll Island specifically. By recommendation of a friend, on my last night there, I went over to driftwood beach. This section of the island can…
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 MorePreguntas y posibilidades: Un año después de Pulse
Read In English ~ Lee en ingles Hace un año atrás, nuestras comunidades fueron estremecidas por la noticia de la masacre de 49 personas en una discoteca gay en Orlando, Florida. Este acto de violencia desacralizó uno de los santuarios más importantes de la comunidad LGBTQ+. Es en la discoteca donde nuestra comunidad se siente segura,…
Read MoreQuestions & Possibilities: One Year After Pulse
Lee en español ~ Read In Spanish A year ago, our communities were shaken. The news of the massacre of 49 individuals at a gay club in Orlando, Florida, took most of us by surprise. This horrendous act desecrated one of the most important sanctuaries of the LGBTQ+ community. It is at the club where…
Read MoreJesus Shows Up
“…then their eyes were opened and they recognized him.” –Luke 24:31 Jesus will find us anywhere. As soon as we give him permission, his quest for our hearts is endless. I remember when I first came out as queer—first to myself, next to my first girlfriend and friends, and lastly to family. I never thought…
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 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 MoreLargest-Ever Gathering of Trans Unitarian Universalist Leaders
From April 10-13, the second-ever retreat was held of TRUUsT, Transgender Religious professional Unitarian Universalists Together, in Palm Harbor, Florida. Twenty-seven trans leaders and two allied Unitarian Universalist Association staff gathered together for community, worship, and organizing to support the many varied ministries of trans people within Unitarian Universalism. Attendees were directors of religious education,…
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…
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