Gender Identity
At Believe Out Loud, we uplift and honor all identities and preferences within the LGBT community. Using the correct terminology is an important way of dignifying LGBT people and respecting self-identification. Here is a brief list of definitions of gender identities and sexual orientations to help better understand and celebrate the diversity within our community:…
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Pope Francis has once again entered the discussion of transgender issues with a statement that reveals the pontiff does not yet comprehend issues of gender identity. In a statement to the Pontifical Academy for Life’s general assembly, he said: The biologic and psychological manipulation of sexual difference, which biomedical technology allows one to see as…
Read MoreEditor’s Note: Today, the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice made it clear that they will not uphold guidelines designed to help schools support transgender students. Our faith tells us trans students deserve to be treated with dignity and respect—this includes the ability to use bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond with who they are.…
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Trigger Warning: description of depression and suicide Her name was Emily. As a pastor, I was always happy to have someone new visit the congregation. So I was particularly thrilled when Emily scheduled a meeting with me after visiting worship for the first time. During our meeting, Emily shared that she identified as transgender woman,…
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Trigger warning: description of transphobia, violence, and physical assault I grew up in Northern Mexico, the Republic of Texas, and learned to think thru my body and not only depend on rational thinking per se. As an always gender non-conforming person who later found a home in naming themselves a non-binary Transgender person, I have…
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I am always worried to the point of nail-biting when my spouse leaves in the morning for Boston Medical Center if she’ll return home to me, because she’s always stopped by the Cambridge or Boston police. They don’t see Dr. Thea James. Her gender non-conforming appearance and driving a brand new BMW, that many cops…
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Easter Sunday. A day of many questions and confusion within a hope-filled community. We still don’t know exactly what happened that night and moment. We can’t begin to imagination what folks were experiencing and feeling. As we reflected together this year over the snippets shared in the gospels, we immersed ourselves in imagining the fear…
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In this past year, at least one dozen people were fired from Catholic institutions because of LGBT issues. Some were fired because they legally married a same-gender partner. Others were fired because of their support for such marriages or because of their gender identity. In 2012, five people were fired for these reasons, so we…
Read More“I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). It’s easy for me to sympathize with people who express confusion when I share with them that I am bisexual. My sexual orientation confused me for decades and continues to do so occasionally, even now. Like many, I thought the question I was answering for myself was,…
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