Posts Tagged ‘Rule of Law’
My Faith. My Mississippi.
I am Denise Donnell. I am an ordained elder in the Mississippi Conference in the United Methodist Church. I have been a member of the clergy for the last eight years of my life. I wish I could tell you that I have always been a friend of the LGBT community, but that is not…
Read MoreResearching The Status of Transgender People With The Williams Institute
For those faith-based leaders looking to create spaces that are welcoming to transgender individuals and their families, the Williams Institute can provide a wealth of resources. Jody Herman, Ph.D., and Peter J. Cooper, public policy fellow, and manager of transgender research at the Williams Institute provided research on gendered bathrooms that point to the problems…
Read MoreDear Pope Francis, Help Save My Vocation
Dear Pope Francis, In your time as Pope, your commitment to poverty has awakened the world to the evils of globalization, capitalism, and materialism. Many now understand poverty to be a structural sin and social evil. Through your public statements, you have sparked the interest of Catholics and non-Catholics, believers and atheists. The world looks…
Read MoreLGBT Organizations Stand With Michael Brown’s Family
In a show of solidarity, LGBT organizations across the country are standing with the family of Michael Brown, the African-American teenager who was fatally shot by police in Ferguson, Missouri. As GLAAD reports, “Brown was unarmed, and witnesses say his hands were in the air when he was shot multiple times.” Tuesday’s letter states that we…
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 MoreI Am A Gay Christian Who Was Fired Because Of My “Lifestyle Choices”
My name is Casey Stegall, and I am a 22-year-old full time college student at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. The work I poured my heart and soul into over the past fourteen months was ripped away from me in a flash. I am currently in college to be a Child Life Specialist, and…
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’…
Read MoreDamages: The Effects Of Spiritual Abuse
Trigger Warning: Discussion of suicide and self-harm There is so much blood on the hands of Christians. From the Crusades to the modern anti-gay laws of Uganda, we are drenched in a legacy of blood. Perhaps it is fitting. After all, Christianity was born out of blood spilled on the cross. I had heard all…
Read More“ADD 4 WORDS”: LGBT Civil Rights Vigil at MLK Jr. Memorial in DC
A new LGBT equality campaign backed by over 245 organizations will officially launch with an LGBT Civil Rights Vigil at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in D.C. on Monday, June 30th, at 8:30pm. The event will have renowned African American faith leaders and LGBT activists, featuring song, prayer, speeches, and the resounding call to the…
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