Sin. Just the word is heavy. Like a brick. Especially when someone throws it at your head. Have you been told you’re a sinner going to hell (by self-appointed sin police)? If you are in the LGBTQ community, I hardly even have to ask. Just the word sin can trigger fear and shame. People who use sin as a trump card—to tell people they are in trouble with God—are downright abusive. Yet we lob that word around as if we even know what we’re talking... Read more
I saw this “Best Explanation of Marriage” meme being shared around social media by Christians who are anti-LGBTQ and, well… I just couldn’t help myself! I hope you like my corrections. I’m worn out hearing that God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve, followed by a mic drop. Sigh. God created an entire humanity of Adams and Eves, and some 10% of them turned out to be LGBTQ. At this point, many are saying, “Get over it!” I’m... Read more
Yesterday was Transgender Day of Remembrance. Rob and I spent the evening with some 200 people, most of them trans, many of them family and friends, at a gathering on the steps of Austin City Hall. Together we remembered transgender people who have been murdered this past year, and we celebrated transgender people who are still living. A cold night, a somber night, a night of love for ourselves and each other. Those of us on the program shared our... Read more
Autymn was just transitioning from male to female when we met her. Rob and I sat in her apartment, as she described the steps of her journey, scariness with job situations, and coming out to people who had known her as Nathan. Oh, and the time some guys nearly beat her up for daring to wear a dress—because they didn’t approve. (So you beat her up??) I sat across from this kind and lovely person and shuddered to imagine her... Read more
I am still just sick about the new lows those Houston anti-gay, unChristlike pastors stooped to, to allow people, who just happen to be LGBTQ, to be stripped of their basic human rights. You know, equal housing, jobs, protection from being targeted and beaten up on the streets. Sickening in the extreme. This ad depicts a man raping a small girl in a bathroom stall. Sickening. I didn’t watch. I still have a terrifying visual in my head from Law... Read more
What time is it? Different times elicit different reactions from us. Time holds different meaning for us, depending on a number of factors. I, for instance, don’t know what this time means for you, what each one of you might be going through. We cannot know exactly what it’s like right now for the students who are protesting on college campuses around the country, for those who must proclaim that Black Lives Matter in the face of blatant and covert... Read more
There are inherent challenges of growing up different, not only for the different one but for the family they grew up in—the challenge of a different child is its own payback! In Women Who Run With The Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Women Archetype, author Clarissa Pinkola Estes speaks to that. She is talking about the “wildish woman” – the one growing up different – but read it as if it’s about you. It makes it more fun... Read more
“Being a Christian does NOT mean giving the middle finger to those who disagree with you.” Let me tell you, all you Christians who are listening, we have a real problem here. A lot of people think Christians are jerks, because a lot of Christians have been acting like jerks. We need to lay down our weapons, stand back, and reevaluate what we’re doing here. For those upset that Starbucks has cups that don’t outwardly celebrate your personal faith, this... Read more
Families really go off a cliff when they allow any disagreement to translate into: “You no longer belong to us. You no longer deserve to be here. We no longer want you.” Here’s the bottom line: to reject your LGBTQ child is among the worst transgressions a parent can commit. What is a family meant to be, if not a safe place where people have your back? You may not always agree, you many not always even like each other—but... Read more
I’m a mother, through and through. I can’t help mothering those around me who can use it. I offer motherly advice freely to those who want it. I’m all about compassion. Perhaps the “motherly advice” you got growing up was only to correct or diminish you. If you will allow me, I will offer some motherly advice to inspire life. Draw closer to the people who love and encourage you, who put light in your eyes and peace in your... Read more
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