Sunday, January 13, 2013

Open And Affirming

We often hear only about churches that are against LGBT people, they are the ones that the news media brings out for interviews whenever the news topic is marriage equality or human rights for us. The media doesn’t want people who agree, they want to create controversy… it sells newspapers.

However, there are churches that are open and affirming.
Cameron Partridge, Transgender Episcopal Priest And University Chaplain, On Crossing Boundaries
Huffington Post
Gay Voices
Posted: 01/04/2013

“I seemed to need to pass through a certain kind of fear before I could embrace a fuller vocation to contribute to conversations on trans and wider LGBT equality in and outside ecclesial contexts, as well as to explore these themes in academic contexts.”

That's how Cameron Partridge, a Massachusetts-based Episcopal priest-turned-university chaplain, describes his motivation to engage in advocacy and political action since transitioning from female to male over a decade ago.

The subject of a compelling new Religion & Politics profile, Partridge is reportedly one of just seven openly transgender clergy in the Episcopal Church. Since 2011, he's also served as chaplain to Boston University, giving him the distinction of being one of the first transgender chaplains at a major U.S. university, too.
As the article mentioned she is only one of several priest in the Episcopal Church and they have numerous lesbian and gay priests included a gay Bishop (Who I think might have retired recently).

When I came out to my brother he said that one of the reasons why he was so accepting was that as treasurer of his local Episcopal Church, he worked with the lesbian priest and got to know her as a person.  When I was first exploring my coming out I went to Twenty Club (a support group for trans-people) meetings that were held at the time in an Episcopal church in Hartford and the meetings were facilitated by an openly gay priest, the Rev. Cannon Clinton Jones. I also know an out transgender Episcopal priest that I have known for probably over ten years now and she is on the Board of Directors of CTAC with me. In addition, when the hearing to pass the Connecticut gender inclusive anti-discrimination law an Episcopal bishop spoke in favor of the law (there was also one Episcopal priest that spoke against it).

So please do not paint all religion in a broad brush, some of them are open and affirming.

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