Posts Tagged ‘Suicide’
Give OUT Day: LGBTQ People Are Precious, Miraculous & Celebrated
I am Julie Wood, the mother of a gay son, an LGBTQ ally, and a proud member of Believe Out Loud. The essence of my son was gentle, kind, supportive, funny, and wise. He was taught that to love God is to love all people. We told him that he was a beautiful creation of…
Read MoreConversion Therapy’s Deadly Outcomes
Trigger warning: discussions of suicide I wish Leelah Alcorn was alive today. She would know how a petition on the White House website with 120,000 plus signatures calling for the enactment of “Leelah’s Law to Ban All LGBTQ+ Conversion Therapy” not only went viral across mainstream and social media internationally, but how the petition was also…
Read MoreReflection On A Brief, Authentic Life
“We don’t support that, religiously.”- Carla Alcorn (remark from an interview following the suicide death of her seventeen-year-old transgender daughter) People sometimes ask me why I “came out” as a transgender man and United Methodist clergy. There is more than one answer, but today the quote above from the mother of a seventeen-year-old transgender daughter…
Read MoreBeyond Marriage: There’s Work Left To Be Done
The recent appearance of pastors and churches declaring their willingness to perform marriages for same-sex couples has led to some of the most amazing imagery of the marriage equality struggle. Imagery the likes of which seemed all too impossible not long ago, especially in the deeply-red states of America. The pictures and stories of courage…
Read MoreA Christian Calling For Transgender Day Of Remembrance
Trigger warning: discussions of transphobia, violence, and suicide. Last week, a friend sent me a news report about an attack on transgender activist Candice Rose Milligan, who lives in Toledo, Ohio. She has been released from the hospital following two surgeries, including one to wire her jaw closed until it heals. It was broken as…
Read MoreThe Stigma Of Black Suicide Is Killing Us
When the first news reports of Robin Williams’ death hit the media, few questioned the report that the country’s most beloved comedian had committed suicide. This reaction stands in stark contrast to the reaction to the 2012 news of the death of “Soul Train” creator Don Cornelius. Cornelius was found dead in his home after…
Read MoreWhere We Go Next
Two weeks ago, I was invited to the White House. I received an email asking me to be present for President Obama signing his executive order banning LGBT employment discrimination by federal contractors. It was an incredible honor to be present for a historical event like that. The whole event went by fast, but I…
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 MoreSpreading Hope At Spokane’s Pride: A Pastor’s Testimony
Photo (l-r): Rev. Deb Conklin, Rev. Liv Larson Andrews, Rev. Chris Snow, and Pastor Jan Shannon It is the evening after the 23rd Annual Spokane Pride Parade and Festival, and I’m tired. For 23 years, Spokane’s LGBTQ community have bravely taken to the streets in a march for inclusion and respect, and for 23 years, there have been Christian…
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