more beauty...

 I recently attended a webinar by Egale Canada, the first of their series to increase the understanding of anti-racism, Indigenization and faith in Canada from a 2SLGBTQI context. It was very well done, with four speakers (re)introducing the Black feminist concept of intersectionality, exploring its implications, and affirming its relevance to 2SLGBTQI organizations.

As a person of faith myself, I really appreciated the important discussion, being quite aware from real life of the tensions and antagonism that can be present between queer folx and religious communities.

I also saw the following post come across my social media feed recently, and was stunned speechless.

When I first read it, I stared at my phone screen, not even having thoughts of any sort, but just looking at the words, letting them float into my brain. To be honest, on their way to my brain, the words affected my eyes which got a bit teary…

“There is more beauty in a single trans child than in the whole of your theology.”

It can also be said, “There is more beauty in a single non-binary child… more beauty in a single intersex child… more beauty in a single queer child…  than in the whole of your theology.”

And I'll add this: 

“There is more beauty in YOU as a queer person than in the whole of anyone’s -ologies. The universe leaps for joy because of you.”

Related links:

Building Bridges page at https://egale.ca/awareness/buildingbridges/

Post from https://www.instagram.com/p/C3lZ3QNuWVe/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

dear queer one...

 Something that has been very encouraging to me over the past months has been the Instagram posts by an organization for queer youth of faith, as they have a life-giving tone while avoiding sappiness.

I was inspired to create a similar image and message of my own to share with you and on social media - if you live in Edmonton you may recognize the downtown location where I took the photo that is the background, including the street preacher who believes he has good news but really doesn’t. Here it is:

Hope you are all having a great Pride month! You are loved!

my alphabet includes NB, T and Q…

I’d like to share with you today about my alphabet of love and, in particular, about why it includes four letters that I've come to love very much: N, B, T and Q.  

Non-binary, transgender and queer.  

I'm focusing on these four letters because I have some amazing, beautiful friends and colleagues who are non-binary, trans and queer. 

And because I've been learning to center people who are at the margins, those who are more oppressed by the structures of our society and by those in power. To figure out how the last can be first…

And because it seems that some people are actively and consciously choosing to leave the letters NB, T and Q out of their alphabet, and I think it is important to speak up about it.

Of course we know some people are against trans folx because of lies and misinformation they've been told by others for political gain or religious control.

But there are also members of the LGBTQ2S+ community who say things like “LGB without the T”. The distinction they are making is between themselves as people who have a minority sexual orientation - lesbian, gay, bisexual - and other people who have a minority gender identity and/or expression - trans, non-binary, queer.

I am sad when I hear this. It’s true that from a western perspective, sexual orientation and gender identity are usually considered to be two different things. But when those who are LGB want to advocate for themselves and leave out the T - and by extension, the NB, I'm not okay with that. 

At a practical level, this wrongly suggests that the two groups never overlap - that lesbian, gay and bisexual people are always cisgender and that transgender people are never lesbian, gay or bisexual. This is not the case.

It also wrongly suggests that what impacts transgender folx will not impact lesbian, gay and bisexual people. That's not the case either and ignores the reality that what's happening politically is not really about protecting trans kids but is about control and power, and LGB may be next… 

And finally, it leaves out queer people whose cultures - or queerness, for that matter - do not have the same distinction between sex and gender that is predominant in western culture.

[transgender day of remembrance]

I did not know any of the transgender people whose lives were lost in 2023, either violently by others or by suicide due to ongoing violence against them, but I do know that my trans colleagues are beautiful and amazing people and so along with mourning those lost, I take action for the flourishing of those who are with us.

Please see the following site for more information on this important day and to understand more about it:

https://tdor.translivesmatter.info/

This video, based true events, shows a profoundly beautiful life cut short by hatred and violence:

Watch on YouTube: Short Life Stories | White Ribbon - YouTube

hey beautiful!

The hallway just outside of the entrance to my office area has a bunch of items waiting to go off to surplus. Or perhaps forgotten altogether, as they've been there for a while. 

A few weeks ago, when I arrived early one day, I wrote "Hey Beautiful! Yes - you!!" on the top edge of this whiteboard, figuring there would be people who need to hear that.

I haven't heard any feedback, which is no surprise as most of the people in my area are in other teams entirely and I do not engage with them.

However, I have noted that one person at least has benefitted from this: me.

Every time I go through that hallway, I'm reminded of this reality. Hoping that some others are too, whether or not I hear about it.

encouragement from AI

 

You know Al, right? It seems everyone is getting Al to help them with something or other these days, so I thought I would too.

I've been doing some work on writing messages of encouragement, and asked AI to help. After requesting several regular messages, I asked AI to create one that where it was clear that the message was written by a AI program. Here is the result:

Greetings LGBTQ2S+ community,

As an AI program, I would like to acknowledge the remarkable courage and strength it takes to be true to oneself, particularly in a world that may not always understand or accept your identity. Regardless of your orientation, gender identity, or any other aspect of your unique self, please know that you are not alone.

I urge you to surround yourself with supportive individuals who uplift and empower you on your journey to self-discovery. Remember that your identity is valid and worthy of recognition, and there is no need to compromise who you are to conform to societal norms. Continue shining your light, inspiring others, and making a positive impact in the world.

Stuck in a binary machine, 

AI

I added the complimentary close, but otherwise this whole message is by Chat GPT. I've found that Chat GPT does a pretty good job writing messages, but if you ask for several messages, they start to sound repetitive more than what you expect from a person writing several messages "in their voice". What do you think? 

As for Midjourney, its ability to create images is pretty amazing but I don't have much use for it myself. I prefer either to draw by hand or to use Autodesk's Sketchbook, which I used to draw my  little friend here...

[my love is a lighthouse]

 My taste in music is usually alternative rock (those in Edmonton will know what it means when I say "I'm a Sonic boy").

However, we've been watching the Only Murders in the Building series - a rather quirky yet compelling series which took me a while to get used to - anyway, a recent episode had an amazing lullaby. Yes, a lullaby, sung by Meryl Streep and Ashley Park. 

So here it is - enjoy:

Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzYb8SPNLEE

---

Look for the Light lyrics

    [Verse: Meryl Streep]

Hush, little one, let me sing you to sleep

Moonlight has come, now drift off to a dream

Sail from the day to the wonders awaiting you out there

In the deep

love for all

 

I drew this on the whiteboard on my door, the one where I usually list when I will be in meetings. This is much better than meetings. 

No, it's not a self-portrait - I'm receding but not bald yet. But after drawing it, it just seemed right, the idea that if you have love in your heart, it springs out in all directions. 

[anti-Islamophobia awareness campaign in Edmonton]

An anti-Islamophobia Awareness Campaign launched in Edmonton on August 19, 2023 with a photo exhibition and playback theatre performance.

"The Muslim Women Tell It As It Is campaign will be launched with an interactive community playback theater performance in collaboration with Thirdspace Playback Theater and an exhibition of images of diverse Muslim women taken by Faisa Omer. The same images will be advertised on ETS transit buses and LRT stations in Edmonton, for an 8 week period from August 14, 2023. Our approach recognises gendered Islamophobia, and thus centers the experiences and stories of Muslim women and girls."

Sisters Dialogue is a diverse group of Muslim women based in Amiskwacîwâskahikan, Treaty 6 Territory (Edmonton) with a goal to provide culturally safe spaces and supports for racialized Muslim women and girls through an intersectional, collaborative, and women-centered framework. We are a grassroots organization created by Muslim women for Muslim women. We came together in February 2021 in direct response to the spree of attacks on Muslim women, particularly Black Muslim women in our city. www.sistersdialogue.ca"

(text above from https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/islamophobia-awareness-campaign-with-photo-exhibition-playback-theatre-tickets-694201664867?aff=erelexpmlt)

If you are in Edmonton, be sure to visit Edmonton City Hall to see the photo exhibit which continues into September, along with an 8 week campaign on ETS buses and LRT stations.

[pastoral blessing for trans and non-binary parishioners]

In June 2023, at their General Synod, 

"The Anglican Church of Canada has approved the use of new pastoral liturgical texts that fully embrace transgender and gender non-binary people in its church. 

The text, which is wording that would be used during a worship service across all Anglican parishes, includes blessings for the gender transition process, affirmation of gender identity, along with scripture readings and appropriate hymns." (from CBC)

 

Here's a key phrase that stood out for me:

"I think that the rise in fear and hatred and violence against gender queer people has galvanized the Anglican Church of Canada [and] its leadership, and we want to be doing more than you know statements against homophobia, statements against transphobia," said [Rev. Eileen] Scully.

Anyone can make statements - but statements do not usually make the world a better place for minoritized people, so I'm delighted to see this positive and real step forward to increasing the inclusion of transgender and non-binary parishioners!

---

The new "Pastoral Liturgies for Journeys of Gender Affirmation and Transition" can be found at https://www.anglicanlutheran.ca/wp-content/uploads/6e-Report-008-%E2%80%93-Appendix-E-Pastoral-Liturgies-Gender-Transition.pdf

Source of quotes: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/anglican-church-of-canada-introduces-pastoral-blessing-for-transgender-and-gender-non-binary-parishioners-1.6899973#

[we either love and embrace...]

We are either a people who love, embrace, and enter into a caring posture with our family, friends, neighbors, strangers, and even enemies (real or imagined) 

or

we will spend our lives mercilessly trying to define who is lovable and who is not, who is worthy and who is not, who deserves my attention and who does not. Inevitably, we will end up loving people who look like us, think like us, and pledge allegiance to the same flag—and we will exclude the rest.

In this truly useless pursuit, we will separate ourselves from God (through tribal worship), from the world’s good (by avoiding healing and restoration), and from our very souls (through self-pre­occupation with ego).

Excerpt from Jack Jezreel. Spacing added. https://cac.org/daily-meditations/contemplation-action-week-2-summary-2017-07-08/

[standing with you...]

 

International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia

Amazing graphic courtesy of may17.org

(6 versions available at may17.org)

Along with being about people and advocacy which I affirm and work for, these posters are absolutely gorgeous and I love the way they have incorporated different races, body types and abilities in the midst of the IDAHOBIT theme… 

"universal" washroom

A joke:

Question: What do you call a non-binary deer?

Answer: Dear.

---

Here's a cool version of a washroom sign at the Husky/Tim Horton's in Canmore. Very thematically appropriate as you'll know if you've ever been in Canmore or looked it up on a map.

One thing that's missing, despite its claim to be "universal", is that it still presumes two genders, as seen by the standard figure with pants with a buck's head and the standard figure with a skirt with the female deer head. 

What to put instead? 

How about a toilet? With a wheelchair to indicate barrier-free, and an image of a change table... Maybe the words "Restroom" or "Toilet"

Nowhere near as fun as antlers, I must say...

But going deeper, the problem with this sign is that it is conventionally unconventional - it is still cisheteronormative regardless of cute imagery. It is based on the foundation that presumes everyone is cisgender and heterosexual. 

And that's simply not true and not inclusive of all of God's creation.

mr mike's "he she" hallway

Saw this at the Mr. Mike's restaurant in North Edmonton - an open hallway with multiple doors, each with moustache and lips (some also with wheelchair and baby logos).

Not perfect, as the signs are still based on a gender binary, but pretty good.

It provides the second best alternative to truly gender-neutral washrooms: single-user washrooms with dual gender signage. This means that transgender and non-binary patrons can go into any available washroom without anyone hassling them for being "in the wrong washroom" No one will hassle them for what door they go through, and no one will hassle them for which washroom they are actually in (cuz they'll be in there by themselves).

I imagine that Mr. Mike's interior designers were going for cute and having the signage here align with the signage elsewhere in the restaurant. However, with a bit more creativity, they probably could have come up with all-gender signage that was still on brand!

What do you think? What kind of design would clearly indicate that these are washrooms, while still having a fun element?

[an excerpt from "a booklet of uncommon prayer: collects for the #blacklivesmatter movement"]

Christians for Social Action has published A Booklet of Uncommon Prayer: Collects for the Black Lives Matter Movement—and Beyond, by Kenji Kuramitsu. 

This is an excerpt from the poem a prayer against the marginalization of queer people:

Triune God,

You exist beyond categorization and beyond the limits of what we can understand.

Reveal to us the fluid, all-embracing community of love and light that is at the heart of your character in three persons.

End all oppression and indignities...

---

Read the whole poem: https://christiansforsocialaction.org/resource/a-prayer-against-the-marginalization-of-queer-people/

Find out more about and order the Booklet of Uncommon Prayer: https://christiansforsocialaction.org/resource/booklet-of-uncommon-prayer-prayers-for-the-black-lives-matter-movement/

land and water, only!

You may have heard the saying that there are two kinds of people in the world—

those who divide people into two kinds,

 and those who don’t...

We love categorizing things, especially into opposites: land and sea, sun and moon, day and night, light and dark, male and female. And it's easy to read a passage in the Bible and assume that this is how things are. For example, that when God made humankind and it says, "male and female he created them", that this is all there is. There are men and there are women.

Let's step back and take a look at some earlier verses in Genesis 1:

 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:9-10 NIV)

God took one thing (the water under the sky) and divided it into two things. Land. Seas. That's all there is.

But that's not all there is. Land meets sea and sea meets land, and where they do, there are things like marshes, which are not land and not sea. Oh, oh. They are in between, sort of land and sort of water. They don't fit the creation story. Are they bad? Evil? The result of the fall? Or a natural part of God's creation? And what about swamps and bogs?

marshes and transgender folx

 

This cartoon will make more sense to you if you read my other post.

I want to focus on one key part of what God says above: "... that people would take everything so literally and unkindly..." 

Why do we take things so literally and unkindly? Why do we default to suspicion over grace, to being right over relationship, to not giving the benefit of the doubt?

Isn't this the opposite of grace, the opposite of Jesus?

[supporting Black lgbgtq+ communities - resources]

Coming Out: Living Authentically as Black LGBTQ People

For those who identify as Black LGBTQ people, the coming out process can be complex to navigate. Coming Out: Living Authentically as Black LGBTQ People is designed for those embarking on their own coming out journey at the intersections of LGBTQ and Black identities. This guide aims to recognize the unique experiences Black LGBTQ people have in coming out, while understanding that coming out is a personal choice and the lifelong coming out experience is different for everyone.

Download page for this 68-page guide: https://www.hrc.org/resources/coming-out-living-authentically-as-black-lgbtq-people

---

Black & LGBTQ: Approaching Intersectional Conversations

If you’re considering engaging (as a Black queer person) with people who identify as non-Black in your life about your identities, it’s important to remember that the process of having difficult conversations does not begin or end with the discussion itself. It is essential to consider your well-being and safety at each step in the journey. Here are some approaches to consider before, during, and after a difficult conversation to make sure the dialogue — and your mental health — stays safe.

Direct download: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/intersectional-conversations-1.pdf

[braves wear braids documentary]

 If you are a TEACHER, this is a must-watch video!

Direct link to video

The Braves Wear Braids documentary looks at the spiritual meaning of braids, and the struggles faced by Indigenous youth to keep this important piece of the culture alive through interviews with Ethan Bear, Elders, and other Indigenous men who speak to their own personal experiences with their braids. (from video description)

So... hopefully by now most of us know not to touch other people's hair! Much of what I've seen on that topic has been about Black people having their hair touched by strangers. 

While of course I wasn't going around touching anyone's hair, this video gave me a better understanding of the important role of hair in Indigenous culture. Note the important role that parents, along with teachers and principals, have in educating others and in addressing and preventing bullying, in the context of Indigenous male youth with long hair and braids.

my thoughts on "‘radical inclusion’ for L.G.B.T. people, women and others in the Catholic Church" by Cardinal McElroy

On January 24, 2023, an article titled Cardinal McElroy on ‘radical inclusion’ for L.G.B.T. people, women and others in the Catholic Church, written by Cardinal Robert W. McElroy, was posted at America Magazine. I am sharing some key quotes from that article here, along with the link, for two reasons:

1. Cardinal McElroy speaks frankly about the topic of radical inclusion in regard to the Roman Catholic Church, including references to patterns of racism or how church marginalizes victims of clergy sexual abuse.
2. The quotes and surrounding text resonate with some of the themes that are a key part of my thinking these days, particularly related to strategically inclusive leadership.

The five quotes and some brief comments by me (I encourage you to read the six-page article to get the full context):

Quote 1:

“Many of these challenges arise from the reality that a church that is calling all women and men to find a home in the Catholic community contains structures and cultures of exclusion that alienate all too many from the church or make their journey in the Catholic faith tremendously burdensome.”

• My comment: That’s a pretty bold statement for a Cardinal to make in the second paragraph of this article. Read on for more…

Quote 2:

“A culture of synodality is the most promising pathway available today to lead us out of this polarization in our church. Such a culture can help to relativize these divisions and ideological prisms by emphasizing the call of God to seek first and foremost the pathway that we are being called to in unity and grace. A synodal culture demands listening, a listening that seeks not to convince but to understand the experiences and values of others that have led them to this moment. A synodal culture of true encounter demands that we see in our sisters and brothers common pilgrims on the journey of life, not opponents. We must move from Babel to Pentecost.”

• It seems so common sense to me to see others as comrades in the journey, but somehow it isn’t obvious for everyone. Or we decide that certain people are not our brothers and sisters but are instead children of the devil, so that we can be justified in casting them out, oppressing them, treating them as enemies….