From April 9-12, 2015, you are invited to attend an LGBTQI Meditation Retreat at Garrison Institute in upstate New York: Embodying Presence in Our Lives: A Mindfulness Meditation Weekend for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, and Queer Communities.
MyOutSpirit was invited to chat with some of the retreat leaders about how meditation can improve the lives of queer people.
{Via International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia}
Around the world, many faith communities and organizations mobilize on May 17th to commemorate the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. These faith communities and organizations not only come together to highlight the intersections of faith and sexuality, to remember victims of homo/bi/transphobia and to stand against religiously-based homophobia and transphobia, but also, and predominantly, to raise the voices of progressive faith leaders in supporting the positive role of world religions and faith communities in shaping inclusive societies.
This year, the IDAHO Committee, together with the European Forum of LGBTQ Christian Groups, encourages individuals, organizations and faith communities to be a part of the Global Prayer Initiative - which aims to bring together different faith communities, denominations and groups to bring their voice to the IDAHO 2013 commemorations.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
One of the simplest and yet most powerful ways to be involved in the Global Prayer Initiative is to organize a vigil. Vigils can be a powerful tool to draw attention to thoughtless acts of intolerance, and to religiously-based homophobia and transphobia. Vigils carry a certain weight that is symbolic in so many contexts, whether religious, spiritual, commemorative or memorial. Consider drawing your faith community together in commemorating the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.
Sparking discussions and dialogue around homophobia and transphobia is also a great way that faith communities can bring about change in their places of worship. Interfaith communities also have the opportunity to bridge the divides between communities where homophobic and transphobic sensitivities still persist. Consider promoting a dialogue between different faith communities or religious denominations in creating a new platform - such as a workshop, conference, email list or prayer network - through which to exchange information, gather together ideas and promote collective actions.
Sending a thought or prayer on the internet is another simple and effective way to show your solidarity and to help get the message out. You could do this via facebook or twitter, perhaps by using the hashtag #IDAHOprayer. You could create a youtube video, to offer your thoughts, well wishes and prayers towards those who have faced, and continue to face, stigma and discrimination within their lives.
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:
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.
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."
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.
Continue reading "Today is Transgender Day of Remembrance 2010" »
{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.
Continue reading "May We Not Forget: Transgender Day of Remembrance" »
{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.
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/gend
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.Violence exists within our community as without.
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?Please don't assume you're invincible. But together we're incredible.
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--Transgre
ssing 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
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.
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
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