Posts Tagged ‘Transgender’
Supporting ENDA: Because The Bible Tells Me So
The Bible is clear about God’s insistence on compassion and justice, so it makes sense that Bible-believing people of faith would support measures—like the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA)—that seek to end injustice in the workplace. In fact, the Bible has a great deal to say about economic justice and includes almost nothing about sexuality and gender…
Read MoreCreating Sacred Spaces For Trans & Gender Nonconforming People
Rev. Mykal Slack, recently featured on Believe Out Loud, is a trans-identified clergy person who describes himself as a “Bridge Builder, Worship Leader and Diversity Trainer.” I sat down with Rev. Slack for some tea in Boston where he serves as a Residency Manager in order to glean his insights on creating radically welcoming spaces for trans and…
Read MoreTrans Clergy Building Bridges In Multicultural Ministry
As a child, I was taken to my grandmother’s Baptist church in South Georgia every Christmas and Easter. While I am thankful for those experiences with her and have come to understand just how deeply and beautifully her faith has impacted me, I didn’t feel particularly connected to the church at that time. It wasn’t…
Read MoreOut Of Order: A Filmmaker Reflects
Christy Pessagno is a videographer with THEY bklyn working on the independent documentary Out of Order, which follows the journey of three queer members of the Presbyterian Church (USA). I once had someone ask me if I thought of myself as an activist. For a split second I felt ashamed that I couldn’t answer ‘yes’ to this question.…
Read MoreA Transgender Man’s Journey To Ordination
Shannon T.L. Kearns made news last week as a transgender man who will be ordained in the North American Old Catholic Church. The following is Shannon’s reflection on his calling to ordination. My journey to ordination has been a winding one. I felt a call to ministry at a young age, but it seemed that…
Read MoreProgressive Catholics To Ordain Transgender Priest
The North American Old Catholic Church, one of the largest Old Catholic bodies in the United States, will ordain Shannon T.L. Kearns to the priesthood on January 19, 2013. Kearns, who is a transgender man, will be tasked with starting a new Minneapolis parish, House of the Transfiguration, after his ordination. The North American Old Catholic…
Read MoreQueering the Good News: Gender Variance in the Bible
Peterson Toscano is a performance artist, activist and practicing Quaker. I first met Peterson in 2011 at the Philadelphia Transhealth Conference. I was intrigued how his subversive use of humor and evangelical background coupled his Quaker sensibilities proved to be a powerful witness in debunking the ex-gay movement and exploring the trangsgressive nature of the Bible.…
Read MoreUnited Methodists Creating Trans Friendly Spaces in the Greater Chicago area
Much of the media buzz after the United Methodist Church’s (UMC) quadrennial General Conference (May 2012) focused on the UMC vote of 39% to 61% against changing long-contested language in the church’s Book of Discipline that calls homosexuality “incompatible with Christian teaching.” In addition, they defeated a petition that would acknowledge that faithful United Methodists…
Read MoreCelebrating Transgender Equality
Last night, I attended the ninth anniversary celebration of the National Center for Transgender Equality. The organization gathers each year to celebrate the past year’s progress and honor those who are working to secure full equality for transgender people. The event was my first opportunity to meet fellow LGBTQ activists in Washington, D.C., and I…
Read MoreTrans 101 for Faith Communities
November 20th marks the 14th annual Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR). This event has grown from a candlelight vigil held in Alston, MA following the murder of local transsexual rocker Rita Hester in 1998 to a global phenomenon. As reported by Transgender Europe, 265 people were killed over this past year as a direct result…
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