Bishop Robinson Urges LGBT People to "Come Out Spiritually"

Bishop Gene Robinson told this story Friday night at a little reception for Integrity of Southeastern Michigan before he spoke to the whole Creating Change Conference on Saturday:

"I dropped by HRC headquarters in DC to say hi and someone announced me over the intercom, saying, "OUR Bishop is in the building if anyone wants to come say hi!" 150 or 200 people came down out of the HRC offices to see me.

"I spoke to them for a few minutes, and I asked, "How many of you are part of or regularly attend a spiritual community?" About 2/3 of them raised their hands.

"And of you, how many of you have ever shared that fact with someone else in this building?"

"THREE PEOPLE RAISED THEIR HANDS.

"In some ways, for some reason" Robinson continued, "it is almost harder to come out as a SPIRITUAL Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgender person than it is to come out as LGBT!  Asking an LGBT person to go back to church - to reconnect with their spirit - is like asking an abused wife to go back to her husband.  We have to change LGBT people's PERCEPTION of spirit.

"We CANNOT relinquish the spiritual realm to those who oppose our equality.  It is more important than ever for LGBT people to come out spiritually."

CLICK HERE TO COME OUT SPIRITUALLY AT MYOUTSPIRIT.COM

Thanks to the Task Force for inviting the Bishop to give his amazing speech at Creating Change.  An excerpt:

Comments

[Riverwolf]

"We CANNOT relinquish the spiritual realm to those who oppose our equality. It is more important than ever for LGBT people to come out spiritually."

This idea was partly what moved me to go back to church. I treasured my faith and wasn't going to let anyone take that away from me. It was inherently mine and mine alone. Although my spiritual path has now taken a different path, I still believe it is crucial to come out spiritually as GLBT folks, regardless of your faith/beliefs.

[Jos76]

My partner and I are a legally married gay couple in Massachusetts. We are proud members of a congregation of the United Church of Christ (Open and Affirming of course). We are actually the most spiritual people in our family.
Jos76
www.jos76.wordpress.com

[Spirit & Flesh]

I think it's time for us to take our spirituality back. I'm a pastor in the ELCa who also happens to be gay. My partner of 14 years is the Minister of Music for another congregation. We are both out to our churches and I wouldn't have it any other way. It seems to me there's been a bit of a disconnect between the LGBT community and its spirituality. However, from the signs I'm seeing on blogs this is changing. Join the conversation!

[pennyjane]

amen! we have to share with the mainstream those qualities of ours that aren't just visibly purient. i am a comfortably out transwomam in a 28 year old marriage with a heterosexual woman. we are proud and vital members of the first presbyterian church in bloomington, indiana. when the new church directory came out this year, there just in the proper place was a picture of my annie and me. two women, smiling for the birdie just like all the rest, captioned as all the rest, "the hanson's, anna and pennyjane." so that makes us not just the only marriage with a trans component, but the only gay marriage in our church. wish we had some company. lotsa love and hope, pj

[michael]

i am openly gay vestry member with very supportive priest. i have no real problems with the congreation. i question why i am still part of the church. i have tried to contact integrity in the easton md area with no success, then we wonder why we cannot succeed.