On Oct 21, 2015 ⋅ 2 comments
I have been pondering upon a lovely reception the other night where Parity, a faith-based LGBTQ-focused organization based in New York City, honored me with their Faithful Servant Award. They invited me to speak for three minutes after some very kind words about me from Ashley Birt, Director of Christian Education at Rutgers Presbyterian Church. […]
On Nov 10, 2014 ⋅ No comments
How the Presbyterian Church (USA) can find common ground and a space for gracious conversation continues to occupy my thoughts and imagination. In my latest post for More Light Presbyterians, I recount lessons learned from the movement to ordain women and the Kenyon case – forgotten history, perhaps, for some, but a vivid memory for […]
On Nov 4, 2014 ⋅ No comments
In a follow up to my piece on forgiveness, I share with you my experience visiting Marc Benton in York. This was not easy to write. Below is a short excerpt from the piece, which you can find in full on MLP’s website. Some days have passed since then. As a slow feeler, I needed […]
On Oct 27, 2014 ⋅ No comments
When I heard that Marc Benton stood before the Hudson River Presbytery in September to ask for forgiveness, I was floored. Nearly 15 years earlier, Benton brought charges against the presbytery for allowing same-sex weddings, setting in motion a series of trials and accusations within the PCUSA that sent ripples far beyond the Hudson River. […]
On Sep 25, 2014 ⋅ No comments
When I wrote about my “straight privilege” for Believe Out Loud during Holy Week this year, some readers took issue with what they interpreted as a message that Bi folk have it easy. It couldn’t be further from the truth. Bisexual people face higher rates of suicide, illness and poverty than their gay and lesbian […]
On Aug 4, 2014 ⋅ No comments
This May, something I thought impossible happened: through the action of a federal court in Pennsylvania and the 221st General Assembly of the PCUSA, I was, for the first time, allowed to pursue my freedom of conscience to preside at weddings of loving same-gender couples in my home state. Freedom of conscience is often cited […]
On Jun 6, 2014 ⋅ No comments
As we gear up for the 221st General Assembly, I am reminded that some communities, like youth and LGBT people, have been sitting at the margins of the church for too long. It’s time for everyone to have an equal voice in shaping the future of the church. Mieke Vandersall, John Russell Stanger and I […]
On May 13, 2014 ⋅ 42 comments
The pilgrim’s journey has been central to Christian tradition from the beginning. It’s a helpful image for the still unresolved discernment among Christians about the place of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in God’s heart and in the church. We inherited the spiritual practice from the Jews: remember Jesus’ repeated treks to Jerusalem […]
On Apr 16, 2014 ⋅ 3 comments
Holy Week offers itself to us as a time for prayerful reflection and examination of our actions, but also as a chance to engage in the Christian tradition of confession. Over the course of this past year, I have become especially aware of the straight privilege I am granted through my marriage to a man—even […]
On Nov 5, 2013 ⋅ 13 comments
While I identify as bisexual, my sexual orientation has been a point of confusion for me throughout my life. In my latest Believe Out Loud piece, I explore the fluidity of my personal experience of gender and how it contributes to whom I am capable of loving.
