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
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| Trans Pride Flag |
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| Nonbinary Pride Flag |
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| Queer Pride Flag |
I am glad to hear you have made it over the hump so to speak regarding you accepting yourself. As I shared with you when we first started talking a person with an expereince is not at he mercy of someone with an argument.
ReplyDeleteThank you Cori. You are one of the people who have been influential in my self discovery process. I mentioned those above for the fact that I'll be spotlighting them at some point this month.
DeleteLiz Edman says it best:
"Honestly, what is 'evil' other than a denial of everything God stands for? When it comes to us, what God clearly stands for, puts God's heart and incarnate body on the line for, is the idea that we are of infinite value to the God who made us in Hir image.
A person of faith has to perceive this truth in order to stop participating in the abuse of power, either as perpetrator or as a victim. It's how any marginalized, abused community, or individual throws off oppression; by declaring, "The Scandal is not what you say it is. Yes I was crucified. Yes, I am queer. Those things do not make me bereft of value as you say I am. I am who I am, empowered by God, and I will live with integrity."