Posts by pwsbuilder
Back-To-School Not Welcoming To All LGBTQ Students
It’s back-to-school season for most and stepping back into the scene isn’t easy for a lot of students—especially LGBTQ students. LGBTQ-phobias abound in the hallowed halls of higher learning. Unfortunately, we even have to confront them here in Massachusetts, an A+ queer-friendly state. I pray for LGBTQ freshman students walking into Gordon College. Most will…
Read More”Bisexual Privilege?” No—Just the Opposite!
As we celebrated and acknowledged Bisexuality Visibility Day this week, I was struck by how much the conversation around bisexuality has changed. There is more and more happening, from postings (mine included) on #WhatBiLooksLike for Huffington Post, to dialogue on posts here at Believe Out Loud dealing with Bi issues. All this fuels a growing…
Read MoreApply Now: 2015 Trans Leadership Exchange
In 2015, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force will launch a 6 month leadership development program for 20 Transgender and Genderqueer leaders from across the United States. This group of leaders will participate in a learning community that will offer peer coaching, skill building, opportunities for self-reflection, story sharing, and action! Applications are due…
Read More5 Messages Of Hope For Bisexual Christians
When I first came out as bisexual, I had no idea how to be both bisexual and Christian at the same time. I didn’t even know that bisexual Christians existed. I had a vague notion of how some lesbian and gay Christians had reconciled their sexuality and their faith, but their stories never completely spoke…
Read MoreA Journey To Find LGBT Christians
Three years ago I was living out of my car. Toothbrush drying in the passenger seat, food stored on the back floor, and all my life’s belongings crammed in the trunk. Having just graduated from college, it seemed like the only thing to do. But I wasn’t parked under a bridge or based out of…
Read MoreGay Christian Mingle: A Story Of LGBT Second Adolescence
When I was in 10th grade my friends started having sex. Of course, several had already done so and some until this day have not, but in 10th grade people began to talk openly about their experiences, or at least their thoughts about their future experiences. Contrary to what one might think, the Evangelical communities…
Read MoreHow One Pastor Moved From Silence To Advocacy For LGBT Equality
“The things which are most important don’t always scream the loudest.” Bob Hawke Religious voices that use holy scripture to demean our neighbors will not continue to be the loudest voices in our city. Chattanooga will know that all persons of faith are not like that. I commit today to make my voice louder. This spring,…
Read More5 Ways Churches Can Care For Homeless LGBTQ Youth
For progressive churches in the U.S., there is a “sweet spot” of meaningful engagement in LGBTQ justice that many congregations are missing. While we’re celebrating gains in marriage equality and legal protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and (sometimes, though not as often) transgender people, we often overlook the most pressing need affecting the well-being and…
Read MoreBecause You Are, Therefore I Am
“Because you are, therefore I am,” was the greeting that Dr. Ezra Chitando from Zimbabwe expressed to our amazing group of African scholars, theologians, faith leaders, activists and students at the Thorn Tree Lodge, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Dr. Chitando’s words to us were more than a greeting as they are often spoken in the context…
Read MoreBoston’s Cardinal O’Malley: LGBT Church Worker Firings “Need to be Rectified”
In a one-to-one conversation following a public speaking engagement, Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley said that the firing of church workers because of LGBT issues is a situation that “needs to be rectified,” becoming the first prelate to speak against this trend. Earlier in the evening, the cardinal publicly spoke positively of the need to include and minister to the…
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