Saturday, June 23, 2018

Featuring Rev. M Barclay

As I mentioned in an earlier blog - this month is Pride Month. I wanted to interview different people in the queer/LGBTQAI community and spotlight their stories. The first one up is my dear friend, mentor, and pastor - Reverend M Barclay. They have been an amazing friend to me and I'm really excited to share their story with you all.

Rev. M Barclay is a bisexual, nonbinary, trans clergy in the United Methodist Church. M uses they/them pronouns. M is a theology nerd; but also loves to spend time outdoors (hiking, exploring, or soaking up the sun on a beach) as much as possible. M has been shaped by a lot of different spiritual sources, thinkers, and communities. But M is rooted in their faith by their involvement in the United Methodist Church. Theologies that sustain, challenge, and compel M are feminist, queer, black, liberation, and process theologies. Process Theology is the philosophical and theological position that God is changing, as is the universe (definition from CARM.org).

M has said that "living and serving in The United Methodist Church, where LGBTQ folks are not only not-affirmed but prohibited from a full life in the denomination is a constant challenge." They have seen friends and loved ones treated terribly. M has heard and had to sit with "more stories of harm and struggle than I could possibly begin to count."

M is not a stranger to the struggles that LGBTQ folks face in The United Methodist Church. They have faced their own deep challenges at the hands of the UMC's discriminatory policies as they sought ordination as a deacon.
What has helped M deal with the church's discriminatory policies against LGBTQ folks is "there are so many queer, trans, and ally United Methodists who are in the struggle together that there is sustenance and nourishment and meaning in the midst."

I asked M "Is there ever a time that your faith as made your life as a queer person easier? Describe an event or time when you felt this." M responded with this:
"My faith has been vital to my own ability to survive as a queer and trans person. In particular, coming out as non-binary trans felt so incredibly difficult to me. Even just a few years ago, I felt impossibly alone in the identity - knowing very few others who could even wrap their minds around what it might mean to be non-binary. It was scary and hard to embrace another sort of marker that seemed like it would make life even harder. And yet, I knew it was true for me. My faith has been my foundation for empowering me to do hard things, to rest in love, to lean on community, and to pursue what I believe in and the fullness of who I am."

M is not only a non-binary trans deacon in The United Methodist Church, but they are also the director of a ministry called enfleshed.  enfleshed was birthed alongside Rev. Anna Blaedel and a board of directors. M, Anna, and the board longed for more spiritual resources that center justice, liberation, and delight in centering the conversations that matter most today. "We wanted to create something that moved away from abstract concepts of God and faith and put flesh back on faith by focusing god-words and ideas on the bodies and lives among us." enfleshed provides worship preparation materials for clergy based on the lectionary with an LGBTQ affirming, feminist, anti-racist lens. enfleshed also offers preaching, teaching, and workshops on matters of faith and justice. They also write custom liturgies and offer pastoral care to LGBTQ persons and allies. Soon they will be launching small group resources.

M offered these words of advice to anyone who is questioning their gender identity or sexual orientation and is struggling with reconciling that to their faith, particularly the Christian faith:
"If you can, find some other queer and/or trans people to connect with who can help you do some processing and who can give some encouragement in your journey. Also, consider reading some books written directly by queer/trans people about their own faith and beliefs. There's a lot of good stuff and good people and good organizations making the coming out process and faith reconciliation work a lot less lonely than it once was! Find community - online or in person - who can journey with you and remind you when you doubt it that God loves you and being queer and/or trans is a gift!"

In closing, M offered these final words of encouragement and inspiration:
"Being queer is a joy. Being trans is a delight. They come with challenges but our communities are truly a pleasure to be a part of. And - we have our own work to do in learning to support and protect one another better. White LGBTQ people must be relentless in our commitment to doing our own work around unpacking our prejudice, addressing our biases, unlearning the narratives we have been given about who we are and who others are. We must be reading and listening to voices of color, following their lead in the work of queer and trans justice, and taking care of each other along the way. There is no LGBTQ liberation without attention to racial justice and for too long, white folks in our community - in the church and outside of it - have neglected to prioritize the needs of queer and trans siblings of color. We can do better - and in doing so, we will all be more free."




Rev. M Barclay is serving as Director of enfleshed. M formerly served as Director of Communications at Reconciling Ministries Network where they advocated for queer and trans inclusion in The United Methodist Church. They have also enjoyed working as a hospital chaplain, youth director, justice associate and faith coordinator for reproductive justice in Texas.

M is passionate about bringing fresh and relevant perspectives to the questions, traditions, and theologies that have sustained our faith communities for centuries. They have extensive experience in writing, preaching, and teaching on the gospel's call to communal justice making. 

M delights in queer community, finding the nearest hike while traveling, 
reading theologies, devouring breakfast tacos, and the company of their perfect pup, Phoebe. 

Contact M at m@enfleshed.com. Follow M on twitter & insta at @mxbarclay.

enfleshed's website is http://www.enfleshed.com

Wednesday, June 13, 2018

Our Body = Works Of Art


This comes from Queer Theology's Daily Affirmation. But I felt like writing about it as a blog because the questions are amazing along with the quote.

  The human body is the best work of art. -Jess C. Scott

This quote brings up in me a remembrance of the fact that God, Herself, enjoyed creating us all. She took her time knitting us together and creating us. God created every single queer/trans/nonbinary person and breathed their precious life into them. She gave Her Holy Spirit to each of us to be housed in this temple we call a human body.

I don't know if I see my body as a work of art itself. Quite honestly - there is crap about my body that I really dislike. But I guess this goes along with being in a second puberty, ya know? I didn't like puberty the first time around so why on earth would I expect myself to enjoy every aspect of puberty.

The works of art within my body that I do enjoy -

*my voice cracking and squeaking because my voice is changing and becoming deeper
*my hips going away due to male fat redistribution
Plus I enjoy the four pieces of artwork that are on my body too. Artwork on top of artwork. Building a masterpiece! I have four tattoos that I consider each a piece of artwork.

Tattoo One: a infinity symbol with a two-shade purple heart. LIFE GOES ON AS LONG AS YOU HAVE HEART OR LOVE IN THE MIDDLE OF IT.

Tattoo Two: semicolon. MY QUEER/TRANS STORY ISN'T OVER YET!

Tattoo Three: phoenix in fire colors. I RISE OUT OF THE ASHES OF MY PAST CIRCUMSTANCES.

Tattoo Four: archangel wings with stars, a single one with no name in yellow and then each of my biological name in their own star. THE STARS REPRESENT THE ACRONYM S.T.A.R.S. (Siblings That Are Really Special). THE EMPTY YELLOW STAR AND ARCHANGEL WINGS REPRESENT THE ANGELS IN MY LIFE WATCHING OVER MY LIVING KIDDOS.

Being queer and trans has definitely changed my relationship with my body. I did not love my body before starting hormone replacement therapy and I'm not quite there yet. But I can tell you that because of hormone replacement therapy - I am beginning to love my body more than I have in the past. I am slowly becoming more comfortable in my own skin as I see the changes that happen with HRT.

God, Herself, meant for us to love our bodies, ourselves, our neighbors and herself the very best we can. Sometimes in order for some of us to start loving our bodies (the first step towards loving ourselves) we need HRT and other gender confirming surgeries. The United Methodist Church always emphasize when giving the Eucharist that we are to love God, ourselves and our neighbors the very best we can. I believe that in order to do those three things urged upon us each time we partake of the Eucharist - it begins with loving our bodies and seeing them as a work of Her art.

MAY THE PEACE OF CHRIST BE WITH YOU,



Brian Lee

Thursday, June 7, 2018

Beloved Community and Belonging



   
          Hello everyone! How are you folx doing or been doing this first week of Pride Month 2018? I will be honest it has been a busy week filled with a LOT of emotions for me. Personal stuff that is going on with those I love & this is my first Pride Month as my true self. But wow what a first week of Pride it has been and I haven't even attended anything either.

     For me - the biggest change is I've been reading this book by Rev. Elizabeth Edman called Queer Virtue. AMAZING and LIFE CHANGING! I have struggled a good bit with being queer-identified and being Christian during my transition journey. Liz has been amazing at stringing along words to explain how Christianity is inherently queer and how queer people and Christian people hold the same values in the end. I am grateful for the opportunity to spotlight her and Queer Virtue in a blog later on in the month.
     One quote from her book, Queer Virtue, that meant a lot to me is the following:
                    "To walk the Christian path is to encounter God's self-revelation,
                     which constantly advances both of these ends - shaking us up,
                     and breaking us open. Both of these ends have something to do
                     with liberating us, which is to say: God queers our world, our lives,
                     our hearts in order to set us free."
     This was pivotal for me because I honestly never thought of God, Herself, queering our world. Let alone our lives and hearts in order to SET US FREE! God has led me on this journey of self-revelation and discovery since July of last year. This journey all started with being kicked out of a church I attended for 10+ years all because I identified as a queer sexual at first. Without harmful religious beliefs being crammed down my throat - I was free to finally explore why I felt differently throughout my childhood. I didn't have a name for what I was feeling until I met some transgender people. I heard their stories and was like HOLY CRAP THIS IS ME! I mean it was comforting to know that I was not alone.
     Then I began to struggle with being queer and being Christian. Could I be both? Was my identification of being queer sinful in the eyes of God? Would I have to choose between who I realized I was and my identification of a Christian? Thank God herself for placing people into my life who were queer clergy or queer spiritual people in my life.
     One of the most influential connections was with my friend M Barclay. They are the first openly trans nonbinary deacon within the United Methodist Church and run a ministry called enfleshed. You'll hear more about them and their life/ministry later on this month because I'll be spotlighting them. M became a friend, a spiritual mentor and even a pastor of sorts to me. I'm a new, young United Methodist and had a ton of questions about beliefs and doctrine that the UMC believes and follows. It was nice to have someone, besides my local pastor, to pick their brain! But the thing that I have gotten most out of my friendship with M -  they have helped me to see that I could be both queer and Christian. That being queer wasn't sinful and that being queer is divine!  I didn't have to choose between my gender and being a Christian. God loved me for both. M helped me discover that for myself.
     Another pivotal connection ended up being my Big Sib, Sam Allen. They are a Unitarian Universalist and will be featured on the blog later this month. Sam has been amazing, warm, and caring. They have been there for me as I've dealt with stuff and offered their own spiritual counsel. I love Sam's unique insight on things and it is refreshing to get a different perspective on issues.
    Relationships have been so essential for my discovery process. Without each of these pieces - I do not believe I would be who I am today or that I would be where I am at. I am becoming stronger, more prideful of my identity as a queer, trans, non-binary Christian. Pride used to be an evil or bad word in my eyes. But I see it as necessary for my life to be one of happiness and fulfillment.
     As you can see, the blog will be very active because I plan on spotlighting people of different faiths and how their queerness and their faith paths have helped them and relate to Pride Month. So it will be very busy and I hope that you will enjoy it.

Be Blessed in Your Coming and Goings,


Brian Lee

Trans Pride Flag
Nonbinary Pride Flag

Queer Pride Flag