MyOutSpirit.com Gay Spirituality Blog

"Bring Your Gay Teen to Church Day" will Announce that "God Loves Gays"

After an exciting start in Houston in February 2011, MyOutSpirit.com is working with organizations in Austin, Texas, and around the country to launch "Bring Your Gay Teen to Church Day," June 25-26, 2011.

"We hope this interfaith event connecting LGBTQ teens with open-and-affirming faith communities will help prevent LGBTQ youth deaths by suicide," says MyOutSpirit.com founder, Clayton Gibson. "Thousands of churches, temples, synagogues and other spiritual communities are LGBTQ-affirming, and this event will help them get the word out. For once it's not about politics, not about equality. This time, it's about serving the spiritual needs of LGBTQ teens and their families."

 

As the crowd-funding campaign page for "Bring Your Gay Teen to Church Day" explains:

As LGBTQ-affirming clergy,

Spiritual teachers,

People of faith, and 

Parents, friends and family members of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer and questioning youth,

We were all alarmed by the spike in LGBTQ youth deaths by suicide last fall. An April 2011 study found that roughly 20% of gay, lesbian and bisexual teens said they had made a suicide attempt, versus 4% of straight kids. 

Young people who live in areas with a more negative cultural climate towards LGBTQ issues are at an increased risk. Some 70% of calls to The Trevor Project's suicide hotline come from the southern and central regions of the United States.

Two out of three Americans agree with us that gay people suffer discrimination and violence and die from suicide at least partly because of anti-gay messages coming out of churches and other places of worship. We wondered:

What can WE do to help prevent gay teen suicide? 

We believe that LGBTQ-affirming spiritual guidance and community can help lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer and questioning youth who are in crisis. 

We know from personal experience that deep community and spiritual practices like prayer, meditation, mindfulness, forgiveness and yoga help human beings weather hard times. Bringing an LGBTQ teen to a certified welcoming church, synagogue, temple, sangha or other spiritual community can help empower them to "Make It Better" starting today.

That's why we invite your donation to support "Bring Your Gay Teen to Church Day."

We want to change the cultural mindset by making it common knowledge that many spiritual communities would love to welcome, support and inspire LGBTQ young people, without trying to change their sexual orientation or gender identity. 

 

We can replace the incorrect assumption that LGBTQ people are "an abomination"

with our message that "God Loves Gays." 

Most importantly, we want every LGBTQ youth to hear that they are sacred, whole, valuable and loved, just as they are. And we want their parents, families and classmates to hear it, too!

Today is Transgender Day of Remembrance 2010

The past few months have been marked by 
so many tragic losses. Tyler Clementi. 
Asher Brown. Justin Aaberg. You may have 
heard these names, but chances are, you 
never heard of Victoria White who was 
brutally murdered in her apartment in 
Maplewood, New Jersey. Sadly, Victoria is 
just one of the many transgender 
individuals we have lost, and whose deaths 
are swept under the rug by the media and 
our society.

The Transgender Day of Remembrance was set aside to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. The event is held in November to honor Rita Hester, whose murder on November 28th, 1998 kicked off the “Remembering Our Dead” web project and a San Francisco candlelight vigil in 1999. Rita Hester’s murder — like most anti-transgender murder cases — has yet to be solved.

Although not every person represented during the Day of Remembrance self-identified as transgender — that is, as a transsexual, crossdresser, or otherwise gender-variant — each was a victim of violence based on bias against transgender people.

Over the last decade, more than one person per month has died due to transgender-based hate or prejudice, regardless of any other factors in their lives. This trend shows no sign of abating.

The Transgender Day of Remembrance serves several purposes. It raises public awareness of hate crimes against transgender people, an action that current media doesn’t perform. Day of Remembrance publicly mourns and honors the lives of our brothers and sisters who might otherwise be forgotten. Through the vigil, we express love and respect for our people in the face of national indifference and hatred. Day of Remembrance reminds non-transgender people that we are their sons, daughters, parents, friends and lovers. Day of Remembrance gives our allies a chance to step forward with us and stand in vigil, memorializing those of us who’ve died by anti-transgender violence.

May We Not Forget: Transgender Day of Remembrance

{by Rev. Paul M. Turner, Gentle Spirit Christian Church of Atlanta}

Saturday is a day of mourning. It is not a day that is on the national calendar. In fact with the exception of a small percentage of people in this country, this day of mourning will pass completely unnoticed - the twelfth annual Transgender Day of Remembrance.

Those who take a moment and remember on this day will find themselves swinging between tears of grief and deep waves of anger not to mention a certain amount of fear of further attacks.

The devastating images of those viciously killed in 2010 for simply trying to be themselves is something we should remember, something that should burn in our souls.

The people we mourn for this day are apart of a community most would just as soon not deal with. Oh, we go to watch the drag shows and we have added a “T” to the GLB_Q, but still don’t take seriously enough that folks in the transgender community live in a very dangerous and unsupportive world.

Queer Support, Queer Community

{Portland-based dancer and performance artist Kaj-anne Pepper reminds us what Pride is all about.  Kaj-anne was a victim of anti-queer violence at last year's Pride.  More attacks against other LGBTQ people were reported over Memorial Day weekend.}

If/When/Once the sun comes out it will be PLAY TIME! The rush of D vitamins we get from the sun will pump up the volume, relieve us of the need for more than 1 layer and give us a reason to hit the streets. 

Let's talk about the streets. We all travel from place to place and some of us like to travel these roads in all our finery and realness. Specifically, presenting "otherness" from this heteronormative culture we're surrounded in. "Otherness" is when our queer realness on the inside is worn or shows on the outside. Some of us are chameleons and pass in the mainstream, some of us have QUEER tattoo'd on our faces (literally) so-to-speak. For those of us who don't pass and for those of us choosing to present that otherness either in the form of drag, cross-dressing, holding the hand of your same-sex/tranny/genderqueer lover being hella butch or femme, skipping with unicorns and rainbows OR really just showing any sign of vibrant queer life...being on the streets alone can present us with a great opportunity to be VISIBLE and for CONFRONTATION. 

Visibility. This is a crucial time in our political climate. I believe more now than ever it is time to find space and time and the courage to present your otherness, BE VISIBLE and QUEER UP THE MAINSTREAM. This could look like becoming your inner unicorn and doing performance art pieces on 11th and Burnside, this could look like marching in the gay pride event, this could mean holding the hand of your lover (whomever that is) this could be letting your hair down and relaxing into your beautiful self, letting go of shame and reclaiming the space around your body as beauty, strength and effortlessly natural. 

While I am a fan of OVER THE MOTHER FUCKING TOP, I've seen courageous and powerful presentations of otherness and queerness be as subtle as a kiss on the max from two lovers, holding hands at the grocery store, a man to man hug that lingered too long in the underwear section at ross. 

Presenting otherness is our choice to discover our natural queerness however that manifests for each and everyone of our queer beautiful bodies and spirits. 

ASSERTING OTHERNESS is a whole *other* bag of tricks. 

When we're all together in our queer 'safe' spaces like community centers and clubs or homes. It's a place of power and we're able to celebrate how we choose. Like WOLVES in PACKS. Our tribe (as diverse and many faceted as it is) does not all come from the same directions. We all share the common denominator of 'otherness' whether or not we present it. There can be tension between us based on our beliefs of what is 'right', our internalized homophobia and simple down to earth issues of aesthetics/class/race/gender et cetera. That's all good, we're all still human (most of us) Unicorns, Mermaids, Robots and other power animals excluded. Heck there are queer who will never come out to our party no matter how many times we invite them! Bless them and that direction! 

Please when we come together this month (and any time really) lets celebrate with each other NOT AGAINST each other. 

2 months ago I witness a pretty nasty fight where numerous guys (all queer) got into a drunken altercation leaving one with his head smashed into the asphalt and the attackers running off. And then the boy in the middle of the drama not knowing whether to tell the cops what was what. 
And there I was with blood on my shoes (again)

Violence exists within our community as without.

Live the love. Celebrate to liberate, don't deviate to self-destruct against each other.

There are also people who wish to do us harm. There are groups of people polluted by fear willing to attack us for presenting otherness. At some point for every queer person we've seen or experienced some shade of that ignorance and hate. 

That's when the CONFRONTATION arises. 

That's when we get to choose HOW WE ASSERT OUR QUEERNESS. 

Do you choose to pick a fight? Fight back?
Do you choose to run away?
Do you choose to mouth off?
Do you choose to sexually harass an attacker?
Do you feel invincible when you're drunk?
Do you feel invincible when you're drunk with 10 other queens?
Do you feel scared? Are you alone? Is it dark?
Do you trust the ppl around you?
Can you trust yourself?
Will you fight against the police? 
Are you an instigator? 
Are you willing to risk bodily harm to help someone else?

ALSO

Did you come prepared? Do you have a group who you're coming and leaving with?
Are you willing to walk others even strangers to their car (with a buddy)?
Do you know safer more populated streets to walk through?
Are you aware? Confident not OVER-confident?
Are you willing to let someone talk shit, and not take it personally?
Do you have intentions for safety? 
Are you willing to be supportive? Willing to set down your filthy martini and be attentive to that drunk who is stumbling away into the dark, alone...

Do we choose to Assert Otherness by being NON-Violently present and strong? 
Do we choose to Assert Otherness by fighting back? Fighting first? Or not fighting at all?
Do we choose to Assert Otherness by continuing to be PRESENT VISIBLE and PREPARED to HONOR each other and others whom might be other from us?

We can walk into almost any situation with some simple preparation. 
1. Intention (what is yours)
2. Support (who's got my back)
3. Willingness (to support others)
4. Manifestation (to BE in the moment, to liberate, to celebrate)

I post this note as a stream of consciousness, just to put out there what I think about when I go out as an "other" amongst queers and the larger population at large. 

My wish is that we heighten our awareness, support, compassion and love for each other regardless of aesthetics of class/race/gender and assumed status of any kind. My wish is that we make conscious effort to include our RADICAL and AWESOME straight ally's in our celebrations so that we can connect bridges and not isolate ourselves as a 'community'. My wish is to know that if I wanna present myself as MYSELF to LIBERATE my expression as dress, attitude, emotion or any other experience of my NATURAL QUEER nature that I can do that Safely and with the support of my friends and greater community. 

Whose streets? OUR STREETS!

Please don't assume you're invincible. But together we're incredible.

---

Transgender Bible Play Translated Into Graphic Novel

In a revolutionary genre-bending presentation mixing performance and scholarship, Peterson Toscano's Transfigurations--Transgressing Gender in the Bible has caught the attention of Bible scholars and gender theorists. Looking at the Hebrew, Christian and Muslim scriptures, Peterson presents characters who transgress and transcend gender in his one person multi-character, multi-gender play. Full Draw Studios is pleased to announce that this groundbreaking material will appear in yet another creative genre--a graphic novel.About this project Peterson writes,

"I am working with Jayna and Mila Pavlin, two amazing comic artists,podcasters and transgender activists. They are adapting my script for the page bringing it to life in a whole new way."

In addition the the graphic novel portion of the project, the final book will include the voices of various scholars sharing insights from the existing scholarship and their original research. Both scholars and public intellectuals in the fields of sacred text and in gender studies will contribute in order to make a unique work blending art and academics.

Peterson is currently connecting with scholars who are interested in taking part in the project. You may be an established published professor, just beginning your career, or a public intellectual engaging through speaking or on-line. Peterson will sections of his script with you, share the scholarship he has done on the work and give you a chance to add to it. At this time we cannot offer financial compensation, but for each contributor, we will provide a full biography. And if we get a nice book contract, who knows?

Want to know more?

Peterson Toscano's Transfigurations--Transgressing Gender in the Bible has gotten lots of attention from Bible scholars and the media. After presenting some of the material at the 2008 Lambeth Conference, BBC World Service Reporting Religionprogram interviewed him. He has since been featured in a variety of BBC radio broadcasts, on NPR programs, in newspapers (like the Sunday Times of Malta) and in the on-line journal, Religious Dispatches.

Virginia Ramey Mollenkott, Ph.D., professor Emeritus of English at the William Paterson University of New Jersey author of Omnigender says, "Bible-lovers, gender-transgressors of all sorts, people who love justice! Make haste to see Peterson Toscano's play Transfigurations as soon as possible! His biblical exegesis is insightful and accurate, and you will glean a whole new perspective painlessly because of his charming performance."

Michael Willett Newheart, Ph.D., Professor of New Testament Language and Literature, Howard University School of Divinity and author of I am Legion states, "I attended a workshop with Peterson in which he announced that he was doing a show on the transgender people in the Bible. I thought to myself, Hey, I'm a biblical scholar, and I don't know any transgender folks in the Bible! Now I know! I applaud Peterson for bringing to the fore in this play a new way of looking at the Bible! Bravo! No, bravissimo! I had to look at my own sexual stereotypes and how I bring them to biblical interpretation!"

Discover more at www.petersontoscano.com/transfigurations

   

Transgender Jesus play protested in Scotland

More than 300 conservative Christian protesters picketed a play about a transsexual Jesus recently in Glasgow, Scotland.

Waving signs and singing hymns, they blocked traffic for two hours on opening night of “Jesus, Queen of Heaven” at the Tron Theatre last week.

The play was written and performed by Jo Clifford (formerly John Clifford), whose stated goal was to create greater understanding of transgendered people like herself.

The play expresses a theme of love and tolerance in keeping with Jesus’ own teachings in the Bible. The poster (at left) shows Clifford posing as Christ in a white dress with a halo and crucifixion wounds.

Promotional materials sum up the play this way: “Jesus is a transsexual woman. And it is now she walks the earth. This is a play with music that presents her sayings, her miracles, and her testimony. And she does not condemn the gays or the queers or the trans women or the trans men, and no, not the straight women nor the straight men neither. Because she is the Daughter of God, most certainly, and almost as certainly the son also. And God’s child condemns nobody. She can only love...”

In contrast, protestors condemned the play with signs saying “God: My Son is Not a Pervert” and “Jesus, King of Kings, Not Queen of Heaven.”

Clifford said in a news interview that she was deeply offended by the protestors’ misunderstanding of her play and their prejudice against transgenders.

The production is part of the publicly funded “Glasgay!” festival, Scotland’s annual celebration of GLBT culture.

I believe that it’s important to envision a transgender Jesus because Christ represents God made flesh, and we are all created in God’s image, whatever our gender identity or sexual orientation. When we can imagine God as transgender, it is easier to recognize the divinity within the transgendered people around us. The transgender Christ is especially valuable to counteract the bigots who use Christian rhetoric to justify discrimination against GLBT people.

Similar protests were sparked by “Corpus Christi,” a play by Terence McNally about a gay Christ figure. Bomb threats almost prevented its off-Broadway opening in 1998.

_______

This post was written by lesbian Christian author Kittredge Cherry and cross-posted at the Jesus in Love Blog on GLBT spirituality and the arts.

Transgender Minister Comes Out

"Congregation embraces transgender minister as his secret is revealed,"

says the headline in the Portland Tribune.

On Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009, Rev. David Weekley (pictured with his wife, Deborah) – who leads the congregation at the Epworth United Methodist Church in the Sunnyside neighborhood in inner Southeast Portland – became the second openly transgender Methodist clergyman in the U.S.

Weekley, a married father of five in Southeast Portland and a Methodist clergyman of 25 years, revealed in his Sunday sermon that he was born female, but had sex reassignment surgery 35 years ago. 

“One of the greatest ironies and pains is that the church is the place I’ve had to go back in the closet,” he says. “I’ve stood with colleagues who have said horrific things to me, and they don’t even know it.”

Following his story, the congregation, who had remained silent throughout his talk, broke into thunderous applause. Church members then proclaimed their support for their pastor.

Weekley says that he has, for the past 27 years, thought about switching to a church that is more accepting of his choices, but ultimately decided to stay loyal.

“There have been many times I’ve thought about walking away and considering a different denomination,” he says, “but my heart has always caused me to remain in the hope of effecting change...

“This really puts it all on the line,” Weekley says of his decision to share his news with his congregation and the world.

“I’m not leaving, I’m just coming out. I’m not walking away, but I’m not staying quiet and hidden anymore.”

Read the whole article in the Portland Tribune or another article on Oregon Live.

Send a note of blessing and support to:
Rev. David Weekley
1333 S.E. 28th Ave.
Portland, OR 97214
503.232.5253

Trans Heroes Honored for Stonewall's 40th Anniversary

VISIT THE GALLERY OF HONORED TRANSGENDER HEROES

In honor of the 40th anniversary of Stonewall, the International Court System, in collaboration with the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, is recognizing 40 transgender and gender- nonconforming individuals for their contribution toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality.

To mark this occasion, the International Court System is showcasing these "40 Trans Heroes" on its Web site at www.impcourt.org/Trans40/ to highlight the importance of the transgender and gender-nonconforming community as an equal and important part of the broader LGBT community. The "40 Trans Heroes" were solicited and selected from hundreds of nominations by a special committee of the International Court Council.

"This is by no means a complete list or a 'best of' or 'top 10' list. It is merely a beginning tribute to the thousands of transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals that have made our modern-day movement possible," says Thom Hansen, president of the International Court Council. "This momentous tribute to the transgender community is a long time coming. The International Court System is honored to partner with the Task Force. Together, we pay tribute to those whose lives and works have impacted each and every one of us."

"On the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, let's remember the legacy of those who started our struggle for equality and liberation," says Rea Carey, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. "Recognizing 40 of the many transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals who have worked tirelessly and passionately in favor of full LGBT equality throughout these four decades is a reminder of the determination and persistence of the transgender community and of the human spirit. Let's continue to honor these important contributions toward a more just and equal society for all of us."

The International Court System will present a commemorative plaque inscribed with the names of these outstanding individuals on June 25 to be placed at the Stonewall Inn.

MyOutSpirit.com would like to make it 41 by recognizing the work of Barbara Satin.

Barbara Satin is a transgender activist involved with both the local and national gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities. Besides serving on a number of local GLBT boards, she is a founder of GLBT Generations, a group that works to educate people about the needs of LGBT persons as they grow old. Nationally, Barbara serves on the Executive Council of the United Church of Christ, the first transgender woman to have a national leadership role in that denomination. She is also an adviser to the Civil Marriage Collaborative.

Barbara served as Interim Program Director for the Institute of Welcoming Resources during the first half of 2007 and stayed on as IWR & Faith Work Consultant working on special projects. She is also a member of the Spirit of the Lakes United Church of Christ in Minneapolis, where she is involved in developing and marketing a 41 unit senior housing cooperative.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH BARBARA SATIN ADDRESS THE CREATING CHANGE CONFERENCE

HRC Releases New Transgender Spiritual Resources

From Human Rights Campaign's Religion & Faith Program:

Gender Identity and Our Faith Communities is based on the contributions of transgender people, their families and clergy. Drawing on a wide array of personal experiences, religious and cultural analysis, and diverse faith journeys, it will empower people of faith with the knowledge and skills necessary to transform their communities and congregations into welcoming environments. Even more than this, though, our hope is that this curriculum will turn participants into advocates for transgender rights. The transgender community is one of the most discriminated against and least understood segments of our population. They are disproportionately targeted for violent hate crimes; they suffer regularly from the most severe forms of job discrimination and are far too often shunned by their families and faith communities.

Because of the commitment to justice and the tenets of loving hospitality at the core of our faith traditions, we know that faith communities are the ideal site for empowering new allies and advocates for transgender rights. Sadly, though, we also know that some of the harshest discrimination against transgender people has come from people of faith cloaking prejudice in religious discourse. By exploring a wide range of religious experiences and offering thoughtful biblical analysis and commentary, our hope is that this curriculum will embolden participants to see in their faith a plea for understanding and a revitalized call for equality.

Learn more and download the Guide now!

Ride the Kosmic Wave to Colin's Blog...

By Joe Perez

One of my favorite new (to me) queer spiritual blogs is Spirit Under Transsexual Cover, a blog by a surfer of Kosmic waves. According to Colin's Zaadz profile, he's a 36 year-old Gemini who lives in Portland, Oregon. A Truth seeker, spiritual explorer, and radically full being. He considers himself a transman (genetically XX with a deeeper resonsnace with the male side of the gender spectrum). Here's more from his profile:

I am currently exploring Buddhism (mainly Soto Zen, but Theravada and Tibetan, too), Vedanta and Yoga, as well as developmental and integral psychology. I see my future including an offering of myself and my experience as a psychotherapist and writer; graduate school is on the horizon. My life has been profoundly influenced by many things: living as a queer person in America, the writings and talks by Ken Wilber and Ram Dass, kirtan with Krishna Das and fluffy kittens. My spirit is fed by spreading love. I see each person as a unique flower, whether that flower is in full bloom or is wilting from the illusion of separation and all the related suffering.

Recent posts by the transman include an embedded musical post (by the artist Creed), quotes from the Diamond Sutra, a Buddhist sacred text on "The Chief Purpose of Being Incarnate", a great image post called "The Mirror of 2", a take on musician Bjork, a post on his suspicion of plastics, and insights from a holotropic breathwork seminar.

The longest reflection is "Integral Living: A Practical Guide to Remembering Joy and Resting in Equanimity," a notable contribution on the integration of depth psychology with Buddhist spiritual practice. But it's really not as heavy as that description sounds. Check it out for the insights into community, practical tips on forging a life that makes sense, and just for fun.

It's hard enough to be real and bring your light shining out in the real world. In some respects, it's even harder in the virtual world, where there is a great possibility to recoil in fear, shyness, and concern for privacy. Because he shares his light with others so that others can enjoy his special gifts, come what may, in my book that makes Colin one of our bright shining lights.