Transgender
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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The first words I spoke in the documentary I am making were that I always felt like I was different. In retrospect, those were the wrong words to say. What I should have said was, “Since I was little, I always knew I was a girl who was presenting as a boy.” We never expect…
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For those faith-based leaders looking to create spaces that are welcoming to transgender individuals and their families, the Williams Institute can provide a wealth of resources. Jody Herman, Ph.D., and Peter J. Cooper, public policy fellow, and manager of transgender research at the Williams Institute provided research on gendered bathrooms that point to the problems…
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As a kid, I was a big reader. My favorite books centered around characters who would take off to live alone in the wild, sometimes with a furry friend for company. Often these characters felt that they were different from everyone else—like they didn’t belong. Many kids grow up feeling this way, and this sense…
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As I walked across the stage at graduation, it still did not feel like I was done with my education, and as I have transitioned into post-graduate life, I have slowly realized how correct this statement is. Life for me is like one large school; we are constantly learning and growing and changing. I think…
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My greatest problem with being a Trans* person was coming to terms with my faith. I grew up in the Southern Baptist church. My earliest memories were of my church. It was always the center point of my existence. I didn’t think I was being traumatized by my church while I was growing up. I…
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Dear Southern Baptist Convention, I know that you are considering passing a resolution against transgender identity this week at your meeting in Baltimore. In anticipation of this vote, I write to you as a fellow believer in our Lord Jesus Christ, the savior of the world, the person to whom I have given my heart…
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From my teens to my early twenties, I was a good Catholic boy. I went to mass several times a week, which included playing guitar with two different church choirs. In college, I even went to Protestant Bible studies to hear the Word of God. When I was 18, I began to explore becoming a…
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As marriage equality and, broadly speaking, lesbian/gay equality become widespread, LGBT advocacy has begun focusing more on the “T” of the common acronym. New Ways Ministry and other Catholic institutions have begun to help church members better understand this community. According to the Public Religion Research Institute, 84% of Catholics agree that lesbian/gay legal protections…
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Last week, the second-annual Trans 100 was released, honoring Trans individuals from across the United States who are currently alive and active in the work of making the lives of Trans people better. Alongside Jen Richards, Minister Asher Kolieboi, co-founder of Legalize Trans* and current Chaplain Intern at the Davidson County Sheriff’s Department, served as the Co-Director of the 2014 Trans…
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