Category Archives: Family
My journey began with one small step
For over 30 years of going to my workplace and being fearful that my sexual orientation would be found out, I never dreamed I would be standing in the Oval Office with the President speaking with him about LGBT Rights. …
When I spoke out, support poured out
Rev. Dr. Terence Leathers appears in the Many Voices Video Campaign, a visibility platform that illuminates the powerful presence of Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Christians and allies within the Black church. Watch and share his video here. When …
Things I thought I would never say: An open letter to COGIC
My dear Church of God in Christ, I am about to take a risk and say some things that I more or less thought I would never say. I have concluded that it is time. I am approaching my 60th …
Confessions of a Beauty Queer: Saying Goodbye to Denial
Everyone keeps asking me, “What was it like navigating the pageant world as a queer woman?” I’m honestly not sure what answer anyone is looking for, but the answer I have is simple: It wasn’t like anything. Why? Because I …
What kind of father?
You could probably call my father a social justice minister because he outwardly acknowledged the devastating effects of racism, the gaps between those who had and those who did not, the lack of humanity for people in prison, and the …
Breaking the cycle of shame and silence
This conversation was long overdue, and the time had finally come. For decades I had been living silently in my mother’s presence. I had grown tired of feeling like a coward who couldn’t speak his truth. I entered the guest …
Disclosure: Finding one’s voice amidst HIV/AIDS stigma
His 26 year old body was calculating comfortable, sprawled over a disheveled collection of towels and sheets constituting a makeshift mattress, littered with blood-tinged gauze pads, a towel soiled with oral secretions and a crusty suction tube. Upon seeing me …
5 tips to begin welcoming gay/transgender people in the church
Perhaps you love your congregation, but you’re troubled or hurt by its failure to acknowledge and affirm the presence of gay and transgender (LGBT) people. You know the church is failing in its mission to welcome all, but it’s hard …