A Queer Pilgrim

As I get used to my “new home state” of New Mexico, I’m trying to read all that I can about the local and state news. Last Friday, March 24, 2023, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed two bills that strengthened protections for LGBTQIA2S+ people. The first was House Bill 207, expanding the state’s Human Rights act, clarifying and expanding and making the Human Rights Act broader in including sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and disabilities. State Rep. Kristina Ortiz, D-Taos, said that this bill closed loopholes and makes the Human Rights Act a better laws, especially protecting LGBTQIA2S+ people. The other bill was House Bill 31, removing requirements for legal name changes, which used to be published in newspapers, making it public to the whole wide world. Oregon still does this. By removing this out-of-date publishing requirement, New Mexicans have a little bit more privacy and are able to safely move on with their lives. Both bills take effect June 16, 2...

Reporter for religionnews.com, Sylvie Corbett, wrote about French Catholics who were abused by priests getting reparations in France.  France’s Catholic bishops’ conference agreed to provide reparations after a 2021 report estimated some 330,000 children were sexually abused over 70 years by priests or other church related people in France. It was based on a broader research by France’s National Institute of Health and Medical Research into sexual abused of children. The report cites a “systemic” coverup by church officials and urged the French Catholic Church to respect the rule of law in France. More than 1,180 victims of priests or other church-related personnel have come forward to claim compensation. 32% were women, and 68% were men. In 58% of the cases, the abuse lasted more than a year. Here’s a link to the article:  https://religionnews.com/2023/03/10/french-church-abuse-victims-get-reparations-and-recognition/ And on the website, Joemygod.com, ther...

Holy Queer . What a great title for a book: Holy Queer. The subtitle is also g reat: The Coming Out of Christ . The writer, Rev. Karmen Michael Smith, knew the title would attract attention. But his hope was to create a better understanding of himself, a self-described queer Black man, and others like him who seek affirmation instead of rejection in Black church circles. The author is Union Theological Seminary’s (NYC) director of the social justice center, in which they raise issues of justice, equity and inclusion. Rev. Karmen Michael Smith acknowledges that it is tough for Black gay men and women to fit in the historical Black church, and that those who are both Black and LGBTQ are “often talked to and talked about but rarely listened to.”  “I wanted to put flesh on the experience of what it’s like to grow up in the Black church and be a part of this community that is marginalized and is a minority, but then you’re a minority within a minority.”  The su...