Transgender

A black woman sitting on a rock next to a pond.

Wild Wise Woman

By pwsbuilder / May 1, 2015 /

I believe transgender people are highly spiritual beings and for centuries have been systematically removed from our divinely ordered place in society. As a trans woman, I depend on spiritual expression to communicate to the world who I am, when my body often betrays me. Because of this betrayal, I have yet to feel completely…

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A woman in a blue shirt is smiling.

The Role Of Faith In Caitlyn Jenner’s Transition

By pwsbuilder / April 27, 2015 /

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to reflect Caitlyn Jenner’s name and pronouns (September 30, 2015) On April 24, 2015, ABC News broadcast a historic interview with Olympic champion and reality TV star, Caitlyn Jenner. Over two hours with Diane Sawyer, Jenner fills in details from her lifetime, revealing her decades of struggle to…

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A garden with colorful flowers and a pond.

Transfaith Memorial Garden Provides Space To Grieve Loss

By pwsbuilder / April 16, 2015 /

An interview with Chris Paige about Transfaith’s newest resource, the Transfaith Memorial Garden. What is the Transfaith Memorial Garden? There are many memorials in November (around Transgender Day of Remembrance) for transgender and gender non-conforming people who die violent deaths. However, the losses of transgender communities come by many means—and grief shapes our lives all…

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A woman is holding a sign in front of a crowd of people.

Tennessee March Builds Pride, Visibility, Faith

By pwsbuilder / April 13, 2015 / Comments Off on Tennessee March Builds Pride, Visibility, Faith

Starting at 10am on March 22, 2015, history took place in the state of Tennessee. The first March for Transgender Visibility and Rights took place in Nashville, Tennessee. The march was organized by TNTJ (Tennessee Transgender Journey Project). The Executive Director of TNTJ, LaSaia Wade, along with several other key individuals, helped to put this march…

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A man jumping in the air over a railing.

Living Non-Binary: Taking A Leap Of Faith

By pwsbuilder / March 11, 2015 /

When I first came out to my friends and loved ones as a non-binary trans person, I was forced to take a leap of faith I really wasn’t sure I wanted to take. I didn’t yet have the language to well describe my experience, who I was becoming, or how people could better understand what…

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A white house panel discusses the housing needs of lgbt elders and the importance of training providers.

Historic Day For LGBT Elders? We’ll See!

By pwsbuilder / March 6, 2015 /

Walking into the Eisenhower Office Building in the White House complex on February 10, I realized that I was crossing what has the potential to be a historic threshold for the LGBT community. I was entering a full day meeting with Obama administration officials around the issue of LGBT aging and, more specifically, affordable housing…

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A person holding a candle in front of a crowd.

It’s Time for Trans Lives to Truly Matter to Us All

By pwsbuilder / February 26, 2015 / Comments Off on It’s Time for Trans Lives to Truly Matter to Us All

Each November LGBT centers, local groups, and churches host events for Transgender Day of Remembrance. It’s a single evening, a few hours, dedicated to memorializing those who were violently murdered for being transgender. Nearly all of the victims of violence are women, of color, poor, and many likely engaged in sex work. In the United…

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A statue of jesus on a cross in front of a cloudy sky.

My Life As A Nuclear Weapon

By pwsbuilder / February 23, 2015 / Comments Off on My Life As A Nuclear Weapon

I awoke to a bombshell last week. Pun intended, because I need some humor to dull the hurt, manage the anger, and resist a rekindled sense of insecurity. The bombshell is the statement attributed to Pope Francis concerning gender theory. Now widely circulating in the media is the statement made by this pope that gender…

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A close up view of a door with a black finish.

Opening Doors: The Closet of Depression

By pwsbuilder / January 26, 2015 /

I have remained mostly silent in light of the recent deaths by suicide of transgender women and men. I would like to say that I have some sort of honorable reason for that silence, but the reality is that I was just too afraid to say much. You see, I’ve been running in and out of…

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A close up image of a jigsaw puzzle.

God Made Me Transgender, And God Does Not Make Mistakes

By pwsbuilder / January 9, 2015 /

It is always a tragedy when anybody takes their own life, doubly so when they are so young. This week Leelah Alcorn took her own life. In her note, she mentioned various reasons for her course of actions, from not thinking she would be able to pass as female to the lack of acceptance from…

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