I personally know the mother and child in the video below this picture. I know other families like theirs who are fleeing Texas because they have to choose between their transgender child’s right-to-life or stay in Texas.   The same is certainly true in parts of the Catholic Church although some parts are very welcoming.  The way the Catholic Church fights for the unborn should be the same way they fight for lives like this child, her family, and... Read more

For those of you who haven’t been following this column, I would like to invite you to read at least a few of my other pieces. In short, my Pediatric Specialty Therapy Practice and Disability Advocacy has grown into something I never anticipated, especially coming from my conservative religious background.  One of my other pieces will reveal that I now advocate for LBGTQIA+ inclusion within the Catholic Church.  In short, inclusion for all marginalized groups and their families is life... Read more

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A few days ago, I ordered personalized business/ministry cards to hand out at upcoming speaking engagements, seminars, and to individuals.             . I shared both sides of the card on my Facebook page.  One of the commenters said that the card is an education source by itself.  I thought about it and then agreed.  Everything I do is interrelated just as neuroscience has interrelated areas.  If a person has a biological, neurological, or genetic variance in... Read more

I have decided that I am now a “Leftie Fundie.”  In mirror reverse of the Religious Right, I am going to cherry-pick Church teachings/Biblical Teachings and hyper-focus on them until I achieve my “agenda of love,” the goal of safely including Neurodiverse, disabled, LBGTQIA+ people, other minority groups, and their families into the life of the Catholic Church where the Church is no longer endangering their lives and the lives of their families.  I no longer want Catholic families to... Read more

Since I became a LBGTQIA+ affirming Catholic practitioner, many people of faith question and even reject me for it.  I can understand the questions. But what I cannot understand is the rejection and callous dismissal of LBGTQIA+ lives, especially LBGTQIA+ children. My journey of becoming an affirming LBGTQIA+ Catholic practioner was a very difficult yet liberating journey.  Many events and experiences painfully opened my eyes to a reality that I didn’t comprehend previously due to my ultra-conservative religious background.  In short,... Read more

I have now been called a Cafeteria Catholic at least a dozen times which I don’t care at this point. I will become a certified clinical affirming LBGTQIA+ Catholic practitioner in one month.  I became a fully-affirming individual over the last 1.5 years because I place the Sanctity of Life, the Dignity of the Human Person, and Jesus’ 2nd Greatest Commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves first. Pope Francis and the Catechism of the Catholic Church say to provide... Read more

In my previous professional experience prior to becoming a pediatric specialty therapist, I served as a disability coordinator for a primary school campus. From the most severe and profoundly handicapped students to the mildest of learning disabled students, the least reactive environment was/is the law. Meaning, Federal law does require the most amount of inclusion in the regular education classroom for students with disabilities without compromising specialized instruction. Federal Law also requires students with disabilities to be educated with non-disabled... Read more

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Yesterday a traditionalist (trad) called me a Cafeteria Catholic due to my support for full Catholic Church inclusion of Neurodiverse and LBGTQIA+ individuals.   As I said in my previous post, I never dreamed that I would advocate for LBGTQIA+ inclusion due to my ultra-conservative religious background, not until I learned that Catholic parents of LBGTQIA+ children are choosing between their child’s right-to-life or stay in large parts of the Catholic Church.  I also learned this from parenting Neurodiverse young adults... Read more