Close The Door, Or Open to All?

A neon sign that says open in a city.

I was excited to take my now husband to the city I had considered home for many years. It was going to be his first time in New York City, having lived his whole adult life in the Pacific Northwest. I had lived in New York City for several years before moving to Washington State…

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Standing Up Against Discrimination

A woman standing at a podium in front of a crowd of people.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court of the United States will hear a case about whether religious beliefs give businesses that are open to the public a right to discriminate. The case is about David Mullins and Charlie Craig, who visited Masterpiece Cakeshop in 2012 to order a cake for their upcoming wedding reception. The bakery…

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Bearing the Light of Advent with Holy Women Icons

The holy women icons project presents advent bearing the light.

As much as we want to share gratitude during the season of Thanksgiving, prepare for the hope of Advent, or celebrate Christmas, it’s difficult because the holiday season can be tough for queer folks. Disproportionately estranged from family means we often must create our own family. While these chosen families can be tremendously life-giving, it’s…

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Terror & Togetherness: The Tensions of Thanksgiving

A group of people standing in a field with flags.

My mother called me a few weeks ago and asked what I was doing for the holidays. I shared that I would be flying back to New York to spend time with her and the rest of our family for Christmas and would head back to Chicago right before New Year’s Eve. “But what about…

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Trans People Are More Than the Violence Done to Us

A group of people in black t - shirts singing in front of a screen.

I’m not a big fan of Trans Day of Remembrance. It’s a hard day for me and many other trans people. Marking a day to “remember those we’ve lost” feels like a misnomer. Most of us never forget the violence and abuse that our community members have experienced—largely because it is happening, right now. How…

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Guns Will Not Save Us

A man holding up a sign that says no more names.

I was 14 years old the first time I held a gun. My parents had recently divulged that they owned not one, but two, 9 mm semi-automatic handguns. The thought of guns in my house was scary, even if they were kept in small lock boxes, stashed far in the back of my parent’s closet.…

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