Posts Tagged ‘Religious trauma’
Loving My Queer Identity
This Valentine’s Day, I pledge to love my queer identity. I pledge to honor the truth I hid for ten years—the door that remained unopened, the secret I was too afraid to face. Today, I pledge to love the part of myself I was told to hate. I pledge to remember the relationships I never had,…
Read MoreTwo Films Inspiring Social Change Toward LGBT Equality
During the 2013 Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, I caught two films that highlight the impact religious bigotry plays in the actual lives of LGBT individuals. In the film Bridegroom, Designing Women creator Linda Bloodworth-Thomason crafted a full-length documentary out of Shane Bitney Crone’s viral video “It Could Happen to You.” Recorded on the…
Read MoreShamed: How Spiritual Abuse Contributed To My Son’s Death
Trigger Warning: Discussion of suicide A kind, gentle, knowledgeable, and very socially conscious 16 year old boy arrived to join his circle of friends for a youth group prior to going on a mission trip. These kids and this place had been this boy’s sanctuary from years of school bullying. This group held a safe…
Read More“If I Could Straighten Out!”: That’s What He Told Me
My name is Johnie Guerra. I’m straight and happily married with four wonderful boys. I’m the grandson of two pastors and my parents did their best to raise me with a Bible-based upbringing. Recently, I’ve started attending a church with an inclusive ministry for LGBT people, volunteering at a youth group for LGBT kids, and…
Read MoreWe All Lost The Duck Dynasty Debate
Last week, news reports, talk shows, and social networks were saturated with updates from the great Duck Dynasty debate of 2013. I logged onto Facebook to see comments from both sides—from conservative friends lamenting the persecution of Phil Robertson to queer friends suffering from the hurtful debates circling their news feed. After only a week, Robertson’s suspension…
Read MoreChristmas In The Closet
My brother has been with his girlfriend for 6 months, and she’s spending Christmas with my family this year. My first thought was, Whoa. What the hell?! It’s not that I don’t like her. I do! But as someone who lived in the closet of a secret relationship for years, I cannot relate to the…
Read MoreRediscovering My Home In The Catholic Church
When I decided at the beginning of the year to finally return to the Catholic Church, I had no idea what a momentous year it would be—not only for myself but for all Catholics. I had been working for Believe Out Loud for a year and realized it was not only important for me to…
Read MoreWhere Were You? A Call For Accompaniment
This month I released a video of a spoken word poem entitled “Where Were You?” that I wrote and published this past April. I wrote the piece after sitting through a homophobic conference presented by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. I wanted to ask those who talk about LGBT folk where they were during different time…
Read MoreEnsuring Decent Care For Transgender People
Our first Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) Ceremony was at a small United Methodist Church in Tacoma, Washington, in 2009. There were 40-45 persons present, most from the local transgender community. Peterson Toscano was performing “Transfigurations: Transgressing Gender in the Bible.” During one segment of the service, the names of reported victims of anti-transgender violence were…
Read MoreThe Queer Jesus Saved My Soul
Before my feet could touch the ground under the pew of the Southern Baptist church of my youth, I was afraid. Every time the preacher screamed and pointed eternal damnations, I knew he was screaming and pointing at me. Sunday nights were awful. The fears were fresh and pressed deeply into the soft tissue of…
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