As I got older, I learned what Juneteenth was really about. Although the Emancipation Proclamation took effect on January 1, 1863, it wasn’t enforced in Confederate states. Because of this, enslaved people in Texas didn’t learn of their freedom until Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas on June 19th,
MoreJune is approaching fast which means that Pride month will be upon us soon. Queer and Trans folk all over the country will prepare for parades, dances, drag shows, teaching moments and so much more. But in the last few years, Pride has taken a turn into more capitalistic ventures
MoreForming a Christian Ethic of Non-Monogamy
According to a 2023 YouGov poll, 12 percent of Americans have engaged in some level of ethical non-monogamy. Around 4 to 5 percent identify as polyamorous, and this is on the rise, especially among people under 45 and those who consider themselves LGBTQ+. A separate study from 2017 conducted by
MoreAmong the obsessions of Christian Nationalist circles today, the infamous question of Pontius Pilate arguably looms largest: What is truth? I was curious to know, too, so I posed the question to two very different picture books.
Both works are aimed not at children but at adults. The first, titled Johnny
MoreWhat the Church Can Learn from “Gay Christmas:” Halloween as Queer Spiritual Resistance
Halloween and Christmas have a lot in common. Both started as pagan traditions appropriated by Christians and adopted into the liturgical calendar. Halloween as “All Hallows’ Eve” was originally celebrated the day before All Saints’ Day to remember the dead. Christmas as the “Christ Mass” of
MoreThis was the first Valley Wide Pride Fest in Hudson, Wisconsin. If you head East out of the Twin Cities Metro area, Hudson is the first exit you will come to across the St. Croix River entering into Wisconsin. It is in this town where I am on staff at
MoreRaise your glasses for history in the making! It’s been one year since the world was taken by storm with Beyonce’s life-altering “Renaissance” album. Starting in Europe, this masterpiece has finally hit the live stage. And my goodness, it has already been a joy to experience the rollout of this
MoreI took my first footsteps into seminary and drag around the same time (though I only wore heels to one). For months as I got myself ready for my first classes, I was also singing and dancing in a few clubs in San Francisco. Every night was thrilling, exhilarating, soul-filling.
MoreOver the past month, a commentator declared that “transgenderism must be eradicated from public life entirely” at a political action conference. The speaker threatened to sue Rolling Stone for running the headline “CPAC Speaker Calls for Transgender People to Be ‘Eradicated.’” The magazine changed the headline to say “transgenderism,” a word currently only
MoreBrittney Griner: Queer, Black, Woman, Waiting
“Advent is a season of waiting.” This is what we say every year, acknowledging the significance of this time before Christmas. As we wait for the birth of our savior, we consider the world we live in. We study Scripture. We prepare our surroundings and ourselves for what is to
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