Supporting Trans Youth: Building A More Hopeful Future

The inside of a church with wooden pews and a chandelier.

As fights for marriage equality have had sweeping victories across the United States, many LGBTQ activists ask, “what now?” Some have answered that advocacy for the transgender community is logically the next step in our quest toward equality.  As we work to answer this question, transgender advocates like Laverne Cox and Janet Mock are gaining…

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Help Us End Discrimination Against LGBTQ People In Ohio

A group of people posing in front of a banner.

This month, Believe Out Loud will join with people of faith from across the state of Ohio to help end discrimination against LGBTQ people! Register today to join us in Akron, Ohio, from September 26 – September 28 for a leadership training for people of faith working to end discrimination: PRACTICE SPIRIT DO JUSTICE OHIO POWER SUMMIT…

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My Faith. My Mississippi.

A white church with a steeple surrounded by trees.

I am Denise Donnell. I am an ordained elder in the Mississippi Conference in the United Methodist Church. I have been a member of the clergy for the last eight years of my life. I wish I could tell you that I have always been a friend of the LGBT community, but that is not…

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DignityUSA Shows Another Side Of Catholicism

A woman holding a sign that says catholic supporting equality.

Whenever the media uses the phrase “Catholic Church” when they reference statements made by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) or by individual church leaders, Marianne Duddy-Burke, Executive Director of DignityUSA, stands up to correct them. “The bishops try to discredit DignityUSA by saying we’re not authorized to use the word Catholic,” she says.…

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“I Had No Idea Your Blog Was Gay”

A laptop with a rainbow colored keyboard.

After posting the link to my blog, Progressive Christian Reflections, last week on a number of Facebook pages, I took our dog Hobbes to the park and began to wonder what I would write for my next post. I returned to find an e-mail that simply said, “Unsubscribe me. I had no idea that your…

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A Catholic Nun Devotes Her Life To LGBT Rights

A black and white photo of a priest in a robe.

How could Sister Jeannine Gramick have known that meeting a handsome gay stranger named Dominic at a house party on Spruce Street in West Philadelphia would completely change the course of her life? Dominic strode up to her. He was a baptized gay man who had left the Catholic Church because a priest told him…

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Encouraging Gay Men In Their Quest For Authenticity

A man standing on top of a mountain looking at a map.

Why retreats for gay men? My start comes from where I began. My partner and I both identify as gay men and are on a quest to live with authenticity in every area of our lives. Society challenges us at every turn and yet our determination to press forward comes from many in the LGBT…

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Christian Parents Reject Their Gay Son: What Can We Do?

A statue of jesus in front of a blue sky.

A video making its way through the internet depicts one of the worst coming out experiences one can have. In it, we hear a mother start with “I love you,” and move quickly to kicking her son out of her home, then to attacking and beating him. The video is painful to watch (listen to, actually,…

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The Stigma Of Black Suicide Is Killing Us

A bouquet of yellow flowers sits on the sidewalk.

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…

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