A Queer Pilgrim

In recent weeks, someone who has too much time on his hands and is a paid-influencer got hold of a member’s Facebook page meme and starting to stalk our church. So far, it has been contained to a series of ugly Facebook posts and a phone call to the church to let us know what the meme said. Nonetheless, there are people in this world who mean to do harm and spread hate when they don’t like what someone says or is posting, especially when it is pro-integration of LGBTQIA2S+ people. Case in point has to do with Community Unitarian Universalist Church in Plano, Texas. According to reporters Caroline Radnofsky and Colin Shelley (NBC News, July 27, 2023), a fire was intentionally set on a Sunday after it was targeted for criticism in a video by an anti-LGBTQIA2S+ Christian YouTuber. Someone passing by spotted flames coming from the church, around the front door, and was extinguished quickly, with no one injured. Apparently, a right-wing content creator Bo Alford (goes by the n...

Donald Padgett of advocate.com reports on a story from Beaver College in Pennsylvania in which a lesbian soccer coach was fired from her position as a soccer coach because on her private Instagram account she said that LGBTQIA2S+ people are “precious gifts” to the church, and that “Jesus is radically inclusive. ” Truth: Jesus is radically inclusive. What could be wrong with this sentiment or thought at a Christian/Christ-centered college or university? Everything. Especially if you are an out-lesbian soccer coach. Women’s soccer coach Kelsey Morrison is now former coach because she was fired from her job at Geneva College in Beaver Falls last month because, a) she is a lesbian (the College knew she was a lesbian when they hired her in 2021), and, b) she published this private perspective on Instagram. For background, Geneva College is associated with the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA). This is a denomination which began in the 1600s. Ordination of women...

Amid the tragic news of last week re: the decision made by the Supreme Court of the US, siding with a Christian web-designer, who has never made a website for a gay couple, in which, in a 6-3 victory, opened the door to a new way of discriminating against LGBTQIA2S+ couples and people, a good news story. A few weeks ago, I reported on Whitworth College/University, where I was a student for two years, and faculty member for two years. In that blog, I posted that for too-long the Board and President of Whitworth were sitting on the fence re: welcoming and affirming of LGBTQIA2S+ students, faculty, and staff. Good news! Whitworth’s Board and President revised and affirmed its new policy, adding LGBTQIA2S+/sexual orientation to its non-discrimination statement. Yonat Shimron of religionnews.com wrote that the change was made last week, June 20, 2023 following a year long study. From the article:  “'After careful consideration of this broad input, the board voted yesterday to resol...