Spoiler: Your average affirming church might be resting on its laurels With every passing moment, it becomes increasingly less revolutionary for a progressive Christian congregation to label itself as some combination of open, affirming or welcoming. Denominational schisms notwithstanding, more and more Christians are saying
Written by Austen Hartke from personal experiences beginning at a very early age, Transforming: The Bible & the Lives of Transgender Christians takes the reader on a deeply heartfelt path of discovery, first by examining the author’s struggle to determine who he is, then by
We’re far from powerless against the anti-trans wave Part of my daily routine is to post a thought piece and a scripture reading on Facebook, then on Twitter and Post I say “Black Lives Matter” and “Trans Lives Matter.” It’s a routine I’ve observed for
Every culture has them. And we know what ours are. They’re the stereotypes, the popular definitions, the expectations, the images of what a lesbian, gay man, bisexual person, transgender person, queer person, or any of the others in that alphabet are supposed to be. They’ve
In the pantheon of slain Americans who have furthered civil rights gains of a marginalized group, Rita Hester, an African-American transgender woman, is among them. There had been several transgender murders prior to Rita’s — including that of Chanelle Pickett in Watertown, Mass., in 1995,
The 2022 Violence Against Women Act, which Congress re-authorized in March, includes the first federal grant program specifically designed to serve LGBTQ survivors of domestic and intimate partner violence. The new funding could lead to expanded trans-friendly services to which pastors and laypeople can refer
As a longtime transgender ally, this time of year hits a bit differently for me than it does for a lot of people. Due to the timing of Transgender Day of Remembrance — always shortly before Thanksgiving, and therefore also Advent — I inevitably go
If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you. (John 15:18 NASB) They will ban you from the synagogue, yet an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering a service to
Part of an occasional series celebrating Whosoever’s Silver Jubilee. (Author’s note: I use the term “queer” throughout this essay for consistency, even when it is anachronistic.) If I remember correctly, I saw a print edition of Whosoever at a newsstand near my college. I was excited
In today’s world we have an ever-growing selection of LGBTQ+ focused books; however, the pool is still lacking on the transgender front. I am a trans man and have scoured countless shelves to find proper representation. Luckily, I came across If I Was Your Girl