Sexuality
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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July 14th is International Non-Binary People’s Day! We believe that in order to treat all human beings with dignity, we need to constantly learn and expand our understanding of the world in all its diversity. At Believe Out Loud, we are committed to challenging ourselves and our audience to see and embrace all of our…
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May 19th marks Agender Pride Day! To be agender means to not identify as any particular gender. Agender is also called genderblank , genderfree, genderless, gendervoid, non-gendered, ungendered, or null gender. The agender identity falls under the nonbinary umbrella and (sometimes) the transgender umbrella. Agender people can have any preference for pronouns (he/she/they), but some prefer to avoid…
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Towards the end of 2019, Believe Out Loud had the opportunity to view Coming Out Muslim, a performance by the creative duo Terna Hamida Tilley-Gyado and Wazina Zondon. Chatter from the packed-in crowd produces a hum in the air of the performance space. Tangles of legs line the aisles in an effort to get comfortable…
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In this episode, we meet Bishop Tonyia M. Rawls and Reverend Debra J. Hopkins: two LGBT faith leaders based in Charlotte, NC. The long-time friends sit down to discuss the ways their faith shaped the acceptance of their sexuality and gender identity, and how that self-acceptance shaped their ministries. Created by: Ben Ohene, and Victoria…
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We each have our own “nativity story.” Mine is that it was a difficult birth, a prolonged labor, my mother turned blue, my father told the doctor she needed oxygen, I was born feet first, my legs were crooked and doctors wanted to put braces on them, but my mother resisted, choosing another therapy: massaging…
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Asbury Park, New Jersey where I live, is today covered with snow, followed by rain that is turning into ice. The weather outside has given me the excuse to do what I do with some frequency; “Thinking Out Loud”. An article in today’s New York Times; “Part of Kentucky Marriage Law Overturned” has attracted my…
Read MoreOne of the great joys of being an artist and writer is working on commissions, enlivening in paint, canvas, and word the stories of revolutionary holy women who have emboldened and inspired the one commissioning the Holy Woman Icon. Gloria Anzaldúa was on my list of holy women for a while when Dr. Robyn Henderson-Espinoza…
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