LGBT Parents & Allies
You may think you are an ally, but you are wrong. You cannot be an ally. You can only act in allying ways, or you can avoid doing so. There is a big problem in progressive circles; often, you see people prioritize being seen as an ally more than acting like one. This is only…
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Are we each other’s brother’s keeper? With this June’s historic Supreme Court ruling, Obergefell v. Hodge, that legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states, many white LGBTQ organizations nationwide have been questioning what to do next. Last month the Harvard Alumni Association and the Harvard Gender & Sexuality Caucus picked up the gauntlet to answer that…
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The news that Pope Francis met privately in Washington, DC, with Kim Davis throws a wet blanket on the good will that the pontiff had garnered during his United States visit last week. Davis is the Protestant Kentucky county clerk who defied a court order to issue licenses to lesbian and gay couples after she refused to do so, citing moral reason.…
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As the first Jesuit pope visited the United States, the first openly gay Jesuit priest went to heaven last week. As John McNeill passed through the pearly gates, Saint Peter asked, “Where’s your partner, Charlie?” “Oh,” John said, a little absent-mindedly, “He’ll be along. He just didn’t think he should leave the country while Pope Francis might…
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I have a friend named Felipe who frequently attends worship celebrations at our church. Felipe was raised in the Valley—Brownsville, Texas—in a firmly Christian home. His father was Pastor of a Latino congregation with a vibrant outreach ministry to local youth whose poverty, a circumstantial product of their race and of living in a border…
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When I was pregnant with my son, my thoughts were muffled with unspeakable joy, of course, coupled with a touch of fear; as well as the sounds of 2am feedings, dirty diapers, fatigue, birthday parties filled with screaming crumb snatchers, 3 meals a day, playing games, lots of questions, and being able, by God’s grace and mercy, to…
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Over the past six years my life and beliefs have changed dramatically. Most importantly, I am a former conservative, anti-gay Christian that is now an ally/activist for the LGBT community. But what does it mean to be an ally/activist and what is the reason for the transformation of my beliefs? It all boils down to…
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Picking up the many pieces from a shattered and broken life is not as simple as gluing together a cracked clay pot. It takes so much more. For me it has taken great patience, much time, and a large dose of faith. My journey has been difficult and rocky just like so many other peoples.…
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When I was growing up, homosexuality was a horrible monster that no one wanted to deal with. “Abomination” was a word that I heard on a regular basis in my Baptist church. I grew up in the 80’s when AIDS, or as it was called then, the “Gay Disease” was on the rise. I even…
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I am Julie Wood, the mother of a gay son, an LGBTQ ally, and a proud member of Believe Out Loud. The essence of my son was gentle, kind, supportive, funny, and wise. He was taught that to love God is to love all people. We told him that he was a beautiful creation of…
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