A Queer Pilgrim

I recently attended the 225th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) [PCUSA] as a Commissioner, which meant I had a vote on matters concerning the national church, which, of course, also has an impact upon the churches in the PCUSA. We are a US based denomination, not a global denomination, like the United Methodist Church (UMC) or the Roman Catholic Church (RC). We are also members of the Worldwide Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC), along with 200 other Protestant denominations, which have our roots to the 16th century Protestant Reformation. What is decided upon in WARC has little to no impact upon the PCUSA. And for that, I am thankful. The PCUSA allowed those of us who are LGBTQIA2S+ to be ordained in 2011, and in the years that followed affirmed marriage equality. In this General Assembly we talked about a staff person on the national level as a person who will advocate for LGBTQIA2S+ people in the denomination. When I worked for and with the OR-ID United Me...

Today, the US House of Representatives is going to vote on the Respect for Marriage Act, enshrining the Constitutional right of same sex couples to marry the one we love into law. What does this bill entail? 1) Repeals the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act; 2) Enshrines marriage equality for federal law purposes; 3) Provides additional marriage protections at the state level. A similar bill is sponsored in the Senate by Senators Susan Collins of Maine, and Diane Feinstein (CA) and Tammy Baldwin (WI). Currently, my right to marry my husband, Christian Halstead, on July 9, 2022, was only made possible by two decisions made by the US Supreme Court, in the cases of United States v. Windsor (2013) and Obergefell v. Hodges (2015), which invalidated the Defense of Marriage Act. The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was brought about by Congressman Bob Barr (married and divorced 3 times) and Senator Don Nickles, both members of the  Republican Party, which was signed into law 2...

June, aka Pride Month, was a great month for those of us in the LGBTQIA2S+ community and our allies. It was a time for us to shine. To be present. To be out. To be proud. To be open and honest with ourselves and others about who we are, and the good creation we are, created in the image of God. I tried to post positive, uplifting stories on this blogpost for the entire month, even when things were sliding sideways, in terms of the news of the day, which included more "Don't Say Gay" bills in various Republican state legislatures, along with more bills directed at banning transgender athletes, male to female, from participating in athletic events. There was the conspiracy to derail the Coeur d'Alene, ID Pride events by far-right extremists, while Proud Boys descended upon libraries in which drag queens were reading children's stories Nevertheless, Portland and Seattle had their large gatherings and parades, while smaller venues had barbecues, lunches, and brunches ...