Posts Tagged ‘partners’
Christian Campuses On The Frontline Of Gay Debates
Throughout my life, the majority of negative experiences concerning my sexuality have happened within Seventh-day Adventist Christian institutions, both religous and educational. In school, I learned to use books for shields and hobbies for distractions while words like faggot and abomination were thrown in my direction. In elementary schools, children teased me about my sexual orientation…
Read MoreBreaking Bread At The Margins
I was at a local diner (the kind where the waitress knows your name and your order before you open your mouth) seated across from a long time advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender and queer (LGBTQ) inclusion in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Time and again throughout his career he had been one of…
Read MoreWashington National Cathedral Stands With LGBT Youth
Find your own welcoming & affirming congregation today. It has been fifteen years since Matthew Shepard’s death this October, and Washington National Cathedral is taking time to observe it. The anniversary helps our nation to remember a watershed moment for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth. The anniversary of Matthew Shepard’s death is equally important…
Read MoreWhen A Redneck Loved A Queer
I was at the inaugural annual Intercollegiate Adventist GSA Coalition (IAGC) meeting the first time I saw Seventh-Gay Adventists, a film that documents the lives of three couples who identify as members of both the queer community and the very conservative Seventh-day Adventist faith community. A year and a half later, I have seen the film in…
Read MoreAre We Reflecting God’s Love To Each Other?
Maria Medina is 17 years old, and she is a member of Presbyterian Welcome’s youth group. She preached this sermon in both Spanish and English on August 25 at her church in Brooklyn, NY. Sometimes when people go out of church they say, “Boy, I wish so and so had heard that message.” I don’t want you…
Read MoreEver-Widening Circles: Reflections on Marriage Vows and General Synod
Like other idealistic young couples at the time, John and I wrote our own marriage vows. And like most, we had little or no idea of what our words implied. For example: “Though our love should never end, because it is of God it is not meant for us alone, but for ever-widening circles.” Hello?…
Read MoreA Brother’s Pledge: Standing Up For Love
I remember sitting in church and hearing the sermons about what it meant to be a Christian—the commandment to love your neighbor as you love yourself—and thinking that this just didn’t apply to me; I was unworthy. As I came of age I realized that my sexual orientation wasn’t a choice I had made, but…
Read MoreIntercollegiate Adventist GSA Coalition Announces New Scholarship
The Intercollegiate Adventist GSA Coalition (IAGC) is proud to announce a brand new Leaders for Equality Scholarship. The scholarship was created to support Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (LGBTQ) student leaders who work toward constructive dialogue and equality on Seventh-day Adventist college campuses across North America. IAGC recognizes the strength, dedication and commitment required…
Read MoreHow Can Our Churches be Safe Havens for Transgender People?
Image via Mary Button’s Stations of the Cross—outdated terminology reflects a banner from a 1998 vigil for Rita Hester, a transgender woman murdered in Allston, MA. The outpouring of grief and anger over Hester’s death inspired the founding of the International Transgender Day of Rememberance. “I stood in a crowd with you last night as we cried…
Read MoreMany Voices: Celebrating the Soul of Justice
If you’re in DC—or coming into town for the Congressional Black Caucus or National Black Justice Coalition convenings—don’t miss Celebrating the Soul of Justice on September 17. Remember how worship and singing fueled the civil rights movement and encouraged Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and our community to move forward with resolve? So must we…
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