an affirming and embracing parish

Our parish announced this summer that they are an inclusive parish and that they will perform same-sex marriages. Subsequently, I was asked to be on a committee to help make this a reality.

The following mind map contains some of the ideas I've been thinking about in preparation for our first meeting:

Click image above for a bigger version.

Click here for a PDF version of this mind map
Note: the PDF version may be more recent.

conference emcee

Hey guys! As good as some of the other resources I highlight have been, I know you've all been waiting for another original cartoon from me -- and here it is!

I work in an office environment where the majority of staff are female, and "guys" is the most common form of address in a meeting of any size. What's worse is "your guys's" as in, "I read your guys's report...".

I remember when the transition from "man" to "human" and from "mankind" to "humankind" was taking place. It was hard for some people to grasp how using the same word for both "all members of a group" and "one specific type of member of a group" should not be done, how it made that one specific type of member the standard for the whole group.

Imagine if there were four kinds of dogs: German Shepherds, Dachshunds, Shih Tzu Bichons, and Dogs. How would that work?

Alternative words to use in welcoming remarks, greetings and more:
Colleagues
Folks
Kin
Friends
Everyone
Participants
Team
Occupational titles as applicable (I.e., Teachers, for a teachers' conference, Social Workers for a social work conference, etc.)
Fellow workers (note that "fellow" here is an adjective, not the noun for a guy. ...)
Members of our community
Neighbours
People
(Or, simply skip "Guys" and better alternatives, and just say "Welcome to our conference!")

Here's some interesting ones shared in a graphic:

[indefinite arts centre]

The Indefinite Arts Centre, based in Calgary, is Canada's oldest and largest disability arts organization. Here's what they say on their site:

We are proud to be Canada’s oldest and largest disability arts organization, founded in 1975 and now serving close to 300 artists per week in our 11,000+ square foot studio and gallery space in southeast Calgary.

Yes, our niche is to serve artists with disabilities, but our vision is to provide them with a platform to stand strong on their merits and their efforts – as artists. Throughout our website, we hope to give you a glimpse into how we provide artistic training, creation and exhibition opportunities for our artists – and at the same time, advocate for more meaningful, inclusive arts policies that shine the light on the creativity of artists living with disabilities.

Read more about them at https://indefinitearts.com/

[standing up for people being called what they want to be called...]

Here's an interesting clip from a TV show, which nicely shows the challenges of challenging other people when they use derogatory and disrespectful terms for others. Ironic though not surprising that the person doing the challenging is a QPOC (queer person of colour).

Watch how this discussion evolves, and some of the classic responses that those challenged pull out.

🚧 SPOILERS AHEAD 🚧 This was a very important scene in the latest installment of @TalesofTheCity. Watch the whole thing on @netflix. https://t.co/LkbYB9T0gh

— GLAAD (@glaad) June 21, 2019

If the tweet and embedded video do not show up above, click here.

Read CBC's article "We need to talk about the dinner party scene in the Tales of the City reboot"

[stranger god: meeting jesus in disguise, by Richard Beck (book)]

"When Richard Beck first led a Bible study at a maximum security prison, he went to meet God. His own faith was flagging, but Beck still believed the promise of Matthew 25, that when we visit the prisoner, we visit Jesus. And sure enough, God met him in prison.

With his signature combination of biblical reflection, theological reasoning, and psychological insight, Beck shows how God always meets us in the marginalized, the oppressed, and the refugee. And stories from Beck's own life illustrate this truth - God comes to him in the poor, the crippled, the smelly.

Psychological experiments show how we are predisposed to like those who are similar to us and avoid those who are unlike us. The call of the gospel, however, is to override those impulses with compassion, to "widen the circle of our affection." In the end, Beck turns to the Little Way of St. Thérèse of Lisieux for guidance in doing even the smallest acts with kindness, and he lays out a path that any of us can follow." (from Amazon)

Read what Richard says about this new book on his blog Experimental Theology.

Read quotes from other things that Richard has written, sometimes with commentary and sometimes with great cartoons (by yours truly), right here on my blog.


Buy the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Stranger-God-Meeting-Jesus-Disguise/dp/1506433758

[150 acts of reconciliation]

Crystal Fraser and Sara Komarnisky have written 150 Acts of Reconciliation. "Many of these are small, everyday acts that average Canadians can undertake, but others are more provocative that encourage people to think about Indigenous-settler relationships in new ways." 

The act in the above poster would be one of the more provocative ones. I had already previously been disillusioned about Canada being better than our southern neighbour after reading about our own "lack of human rights" record. Now, seeing our first prime minister was key in starting the Indian residential schools sure puts a different perspective on our country. You can read more about that in this article by Sean Carleton, a professor in Calgary.

Get a printable list of the 150 Acts here.

Read more about this project here.

Order posters here.

update from Rob

You may have noticed that I am posting far less often than before. That's mostly because of other projects I'm involved in:

• Diversity and Inclusion initiatives at my workplace, including co-leading the development of Employee Resource Groups
• Related: a great resource for employee resource groups that I created during my personal time, called "Employee Resource Groups for the Flourishing of Employees"
• Part of the Reconciliation Committee at my parish
• Reading a lot about Indigenization, Reconciliation, Decolonization, etc. (mostly from Indigenous academics) -- plus reading about Two Spirit peoples (mostly articles by Two Spirit academics). When do I read, you ask? Mostly on the bus to and from work.

Not sure how all this will result in blog content, but I am definitely keeping it in mind.

Rob

[Black Madonna of Czestochowa celebrates Pride...]

... but not everyone is happy.

Elzbieta Podlesna, a human rights activist in Poland who made this poster of the famous Black Madonna of Czestochowa with pride colours in the halos, has been arrested on charges of "offending religious beliefs".

(Read more about it here.)

Personally, I think it's quite beautiful - black and queer together - though I wonder why the Madonna was so sad to begin with...

ancient and modern

Last Sunday June 16 was Trinity Sunday, and the church bulletin included this picture of The Hospitality of Abraham, painted in 1411 by St. Andrei Rublev. Though showing the three angels who visited Abraham in Genesis 18, it is considered to be the "quintessential icon" of the Holy Trinity.

The point was made that this icon illustrates the mystery of the Trinity, the three-in-one, and of how the Trinity is about relationship -- the three all share the colour blue, they are looking at each other, they are sitting around the table in mutuality, etc.

What I personally really love about it is how it illustrates the timelessness of the Holy Scripture in the way it also reflects the people of today...

happy pride

[clarity about church policies]

Church Clarity has a simple goal: make it clear what a church's policy is on things that matter to those who might attend. Here's how they put it on their homepage:

There are millions of churches around the world. They represent a wide spectrum of beliefs, which are translated into actively enforced policies. At the level of the local church, policies are often communicated unclearly, if they are disclosed at all...

Together, we're establishing a new standard for church policy disclosure:  We believe that churches have a responsibility to be clear about their policies on their primary websites. Following a simple, yet consistent method, our crowdsourcers submit churches to be scored on how clearly their website communicates their actively enforced policies. Once the information is verified by Church Clarity, it is published to our database.

Their current focus is on policies related to LGBTQ+. This is critical for LGBTQ+ people, especially if they get involved with a church on the basis of it appearing welcoming, only to find out later that there are policies which prohibit their involvement in leadership, or which prescribe discipline if they get married, etc.

They are currently accepting ratings for Canadian and American churches. Look them up and submit your church, especially if it is LGBTQ+ positive:

https://www.churchclarity.org

You can also sign up to be an advocate or use some of their resources (like the yellow image above) to help promote the site.

[gender in the City of Edmonton census]

The City of Edmonton recently sent out their census, and this is what the gender page looks like:

Nice to see that it more inclusive than it used to be, including not only transgender people but also two spirit!

[Indigenous ally toolkit]

"What does it mean to be a good ally to Indigenous Peoples?

It's something the Montreal Urban Aboriginal Community Strategy Network is hoping to clarify with its recently launched Indigenous ally toolkit.

The toolkit provides an overview on terminology, dos and don'ts, with examples of why the term "Canada's Indigenous Peoples," asking "why don't you just get over it?" or saying "you must be an alcoholic" is problematic."

The toolkit is available from the Montreal Urban Aboriginal Community Strategy NETWORK Resources page.

Read the CBC article about this toolkit.

treaty acknowledgements and redwashing

Hayden King, an Anishinaabe writer and educator who works at Ryerson University, was involved in the writing of that university's territorial acknowledgement. He now regrets what he wrote, and says:

I'd like to move towards a territorial acknowledgement where you provide people with a sort of framework and then let them write it themselves. The really important aspect of a territorial acknowledgement for me, anyway, is this sort of obligation that comes on the back end of it.

It's one thing to say, "Hey, we're on the territory of the Mississaugas or the Anishinaabek and the Haudenosaunee." It's another thing to say, "We're on the territory of the Anishinaabek and the Haudenosaunee and here's what that compels me to do."
…
[Treaty acknowledgement] effectively excuses them and offers them an alibi for doing the hard work of learning about their neighbours and learning about the treaties of the territory and learning about those nations that should have jurisdiction.

(Source: Hayden King as quoted in https://www.cbc.ca/radio/unreserved/i-regret-it-hayden-king-on-writing-ryerson-university-s-territorial-acknowledgement-1.4973371)

employee resource groups for the flourishing of employees

As diversity and inclusion initiatives increase, Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are becoming more common. In fact, your workplace might have some.

"Employee Resource Groups for the Flourishing of Employees" is a resource that I've been working on over the past year, and which I hope will be of use to some of you.

It introduces ERGs, presents seven key principles, discusses their evolution over time and includes steps for starting a new Employee Resource Group, with a particular focus on their purpose being the flourishing of employees.

What's unique about this resource? At least two things:

1. The focus on the flourishing of employees. For the record, the flourishing of employees is not always the reason that ERGs are started. Particularly in the for-profit sector, corporations use ERGs as a way of increasing innovation, attracting new employees, connecting with potential markets, etc. Few in the world of ERGs are emphasizing the flourishing of employees.
2. The seven key principles. There are many resources available online yet I have not seen any that have anything close to these key principles. These principles help ensure that ERGs increase diversity and inclusion overall and focus on the flourishing of employees without becoming introverted.

Access the PDF here and comment below.