Adventist
Last night was my dad’s memorial service. I delayed my coming out because of his illness. I knew that he was already struggling with his own mortality and that trying to reconcile the daughter he was so proud of and loved deeply with the ideas he had about LGBT people would be too much for…
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It was Saturday afternoon at 3:38 pm: the doors to the auditorium had been open for 18 minutes, and we already had a filled room. We talked about streaming in one overflow room, but we ended up with three rooms. This was the first program Andrews University, the flagship institution of the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA)…
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Last week, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni signed into law a bill that imposes 7-year-to-life sentences for same-sex intimacy, 7-year sentences for those who perform same-sex marriages, and 5-7 years in jail for people and NGOs accused of “promoting homosexuality” or seeking support through the internet or local religious ministers. Once dubbed the “Kill The Gays”…
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Being the loudest queer voice in the Seventh-day Adventist denomination has made me a big target in my church. While many members are genuinely interested in a dialogue, there are still those who wish I would stop talking about equality. Each outburst made, each letter written, and each sermon preached against my message perpetuates the ignorant…
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Recently, Brett Hadley, a Bible teacher, pastor and drama coach at Highland View Academy, a Seventh-day Adventist school in Maryland, was forced to resign. The reason: he participated in the wedding of his step-daughter, who entered into a same-sex marriage. When the family planned this event as a family dinner, no one guessed it would result in…
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“We realize the importance of our voice when we are silenced.” -Malala Yousafzai A person’s story is one of the most sacred pieces of themselves. To share is to be made vulnerable. It takes a lot of courage to be transparent and honest about one’s story. Yet it is only through stories that we can begin…
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A few years ago when I was new to working as an advocate for inclusion and equality for all in faith communities, Ross Murray from GLAAD taught me that people generally move from active opposition to silence to tolerance to acceptance and then to advocacy. I’ve seen this happen over and over now in my…
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