A Queer Pilgrim

  In Hebrew Scriptures, there is the story of Daniel in a den of lions, in which Daniel survives being in and among those who are natural enemies of humankind. In advocate.com, there was this story by Christopher Higgins about Chaplain Dahron Johnson, a transgender activist, who recently spoke in the Tennessee House of Representatives, the first transgender person to do so. This is the very state Republican House of Representatives that is trying riding a rising tide of anti-LGBTQIA2S+ sentiment in TN. Dahron Johnson is a modern day lioness who had the courage to walk into and talk to some of the most hostile people (Daniels) towards her and the LGBTQIA2S+ community in the TN Republican-controlled House of Representatives. State Rep. Aftyn Behn, a Democrat from Davidson County, played a pivotal role by inviting Johnson to lead this legislative body in prayer, which not only highlighted Behn’s commitment to LGBTQIA2S+ rights but also symbolized a significant moment of...

  In advocate.com, Trudy Ring reminds us of anti-LGBTQIA+ bias in one of the many Orthodox churches in the world. Along with the Greek Orthodox Church, which as horrified that the Greek Parliament approved same-sex weddings and adoption of children, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church gets the “loser of the month” award for being horribly anti-LGBTQIA+. The church removed a medal given to a gay soldier. Why? Because he is gay. As Ring reports:  Viktor Pylypenko, a medic who’s served in   Ukraine’s   effort to turn back Russia’s invasion, had received a medal from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyiv for “sacrifice and love to Ukraine,” along with other members of his division’s medical corps. He posted on Facebook that he was grateful for the medal. “I also deliberately assumed that the church has changed its attitude towards LGBT, since it rewards an openly gay activist for protection--in theory, I thought, this is a sharp reversal of the church to humanity, a ...