Today I am going to take a rest from addressing injustices, oppression, and marginalization of Neurodiverse and other minority related populations since they are core in who I serve as a professional.  The inspiration for this piece today comes directly from my parents, Margie and Charlie Neuenschwander, of Lakeway, Texas.    I am shifting gears to thank them for the core ethics they taught me, primarily in the areas of “The Work Ethic” and “Not Giving Up” which are hallmark... Read more

We have approached a point in US History and even in other parts of the world where Church politics, civil politics, and voting are coming down to two choices, Abortion-on-Demand and benefitting the Common Good of Society on the Democratic side or Authoritarianism and Fascism on the Republican side.  Please note than not all people who are either Democrat or Republican hold to everything their party supports.  Most Americans fall within the middle of the political spectrum. For someone who... Read more

Right now, I am completing a lay ministry certification program through my local Catholic Archdiocese in San Antonio, TX.  Last night through Zoom, the instructor taught extensively on moral teachings of marriage and sexuality. As I have stated many times, I do appreciate a moral framework for sexuality and encourage young adults to find life-long monogamous spouses if they are incapable of a celibate life which are most people.  This is true because most people, heterosexual or homosexual,  are incapable... Read more

As any religious person knows, especially in the American Catholic and broader Christian world, Church/Biblical teaching can be applied in different ways. In our current American political culture, Church/Biblical teaching from the alt-right is being used to harm and endanger peoples’ lives through politics, especially towards LGBTQIA+ people and their families.  This also means a large percentage of these LGBTQIA+ people are also Neurodivergent,  such as Autistic.  According to Autism Speaks, one of the leading Autism institutes, people with Autism... Read more

I don’t think it’s coincidental that both our Cathedral priest earlier Sunday morning and then the Dignity priest later Sunday evening spoke about justice, humility, oppression, and the marginalization of others. I know that undoubtedly, our local clergy and Catholic clergy and in other places are starting to listen and wake up to the grave marginalization, oppression, violence, and even death that historically oppressed people are experiencing. This is where Catholic Social Teaching should be applied.  Many trads want to... Read more

For many years, in concurrent service with my private practice as an Academic Language Therapist, I have served in positions of advocacy within the specialized credentialing I hold.  My areas of specialized credentialing are Autism, Dyslexia, Cognition, and LGBTQIA+ Inclusion in Healthcare.  Due to my parental experiences and then working in religious trauma recovery part-time just over the last 2 years, adding an LGBTQIA+ Inclusion in Healthcare credential is serving clients better within my profession. Mainly, the Neurodivergent children, youth,... Read more

As a disability practitioner, and after spending years in toxic traddery and religious fundamentalism, I have come to the conclusion that good mental health is consistent with a healthy and vibrant faith.  In short, a person can only associate with traddery/religious fundamentalism for a certain period of time before involuntary questioning and deconstruction unravels its lies and dangerous elements. The more I learn about mental health and expand my career in this direction which expands my faith, the more I... Read more

Since the day Trump mocked the disabled reporter, my life hasn’t been the same.  Christians criticize other Christians for deconstructing their faith.  When in reality, it is spontaneous.   As a disability practitioner, watching Trump mock a disabled man and then watching Christians defend this action changed my life forever.  This is when I knew for certain that there was something terribly wrong with white Religious Right/Catholic Right although I had my former suspicions.  This is when my journey began out... Read more

Three new words came to my attention during the Trump era, Gaslighting, Patriarchy, and Misogyny.  Since these words were new to me until 2018, I will define them here from Google Dictionary. 1. Gaslighting– manipulating someone using psychological methods into questioning their own sanity or powers of reasoning. The hard right MAGA is a master at this skill, typically doesn’t apologize spontaneously, typically doesn’t want to be held to account for anything, typically turns full blame on the other person he abuses and... Read more

Alright, I am finally coming out with my stance on abortion since I have been asked, “Julie, what is your stance on abortion now?  I mean, you are Catholic. ” The answer is, “I am neither an anti-abortion extremist or a pro-choice extremist now.   I believe in reasonable restrictions which do not endanger the life, health, and/or human dignity of the mother. Here is why.   I was once the director of a progressive pro-life movement.  When Roe was overturned, which... Read more