Posts by pwsbuilder
How This Transgender Latina Found Her Way Back To Faith
Nicole Garcia created and donated a religious stole to the National LGBTQ Task Force’s Shower of Stoles, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary of telling the stories of LGBTQ people of faith. Click here to see how you can bring the Shower of Stoles project to your community. On Friday, as we celebrated Good Friday, I wore my…
Read MoreWhy I Stopped Pursuing Ordained Ministry
In November of 2014, I decided to discontinue my efforts to be a certified candidate in the United Methodist Church. I’ll never forget that day. It was unseasonably warm, so I worn a white tank top and some black basketball shorts. I looked like I was prepping for a track meet, or at least for…
Read MoreHow My Gender Journey Became My Resurrection
Easter service was exactly as one would expect, uneventful even, for most of those gathered that morning. As I joined my congregation early that day, I was greeted with the traditional “Alleluia! Christ is risen!” and the blast of the organ and choir singing, “Christ the Lord is Risen Today.” I took a breath, binding…
Read MoreNorth Carolina’s Transphobic Law Must Inspire Us To Love
Yesterday was a strange day for North Carolina. In late February the city council of Charlotte, the largest city in our state and, including the greater metro area, the home of roughly a tenth of the state’s population, passed an ordinance containing a strong set of LGBT protections including public accommodations protections for transgender people.…
Read MoreChristians Demand Veto Of North Carolina’s HB 2
Contact: James Rowe Director, Believe Out Loud Email James 646-723-7826 Christians Demand Veto Of North Carolina’s HB 2 LGBTQ-Affirming Christians Support LGBTQ People In North Carolina New York, NY—In less than 12 hours, North Carolina’s General Assembly introduced and passed HB 2, a bill that not only outlaws local non-discrimination policies—it aggressively targets transgender people…
Read MoreGay Christian Facebook Ads Rejected & Resurrected
Image Detail: “Jesus Goes to His Execution” by Doug Blanchard When Facebook repeatedly rejected ads for an LGBTQ book on the Passion of Christ recently, it revealed how religious dialogue can be limited in the social-media age. Censorship in social media, especially social-media advertising, is a legal grey area with few laws and precedents to…
Read MoreDo We Have Blood On Our Hands?
The liturgical readings for Palm Sunday are: Isaiah 50:4-7; Psalm 22:8-9, 17-20, 23-24; Philippians 2:6-11; and Luke 22:14-23:56. You can access the texts of these readings by clicking here. “What evil has this man done?” An exasperated Pontius Pilate asked the crowd this question after he judged that Jesus was guilty of no crime. But,…
Read MoreThe “Beloved Community” Includes Transgender People
There is a disturbing trend rapidly moving across this nation at an unparalleled and fevered pitch. It is based on hatred, soaked in prejudice and clothed in intolerance. At rallies and other political gatherings, people are encouraged to act on their fears and ignorance regarding others who are different. Certainly, the current political climate fuels…
Read MoreA Religious Utopia Turned Nightmare
The last time an African American lesbian was the protagonist in a novel was in Ann Allen Shockley’s 1982, “Say Jesus and Come to Me.” What shocked and awed readers about this main character is that she is also an itinerant minister. While crusading against street vice in Nashville the Reverend Myrtle Black meets world-famous…
Read MoreLGBT Irish-Americans Finally Fully Welcomed To NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade
When the St. Patrick’s Day Parade kicks off in New York City today, it will finally be an inclusive celebration of Irish heritage with all LGBT marchers fully welcomed for the first time. The Lavender & Green Alliance has been invited to march by parade organizers, reported the Washington Blade. The Alliance, which since 2000…
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