Finding progressive and empowering conceptualizations around dressing and behaving in ways that protect my energy—how I would define modesty—is a challenge. Bringing those resources into a fold that includes non-binary fashion, however, can feel even harder—and super limiting.…
On this episode of the Asking for a Friend podcast, host Dr. Laura McGuire chats with David Hayward, AKA the NakedPastor, about moving past the “love the sinner, hate the sin” narrative, blending art with spirituality, and making change through cartoons.…
It’s Pride month! And with the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots right around the corner, we’re seeing a hot debate around rainbow washing and performative allyship for profit by major corporations. Yet, one place remains, more often than not, unwashed by rainbows—the church. As frustrating as rainbow capitalism can be, it is at least an invitation for dialogue. If you are willing to rebrand for 30 days each summer, then perhaps we can discuss what support for the LGBTQ community…
In this month’s episode of the Asking for a Friend podcast, host Dr. Laura McGuire chats with Bonnie Violet, a trans genderqueer chaplain, spiritual drag artist living with HIV, and recovering addict, about her experiences with queerness, religion, sobriety, HIV, and being "a chaplain of another sort."…
For as long as I can remember, there’s been a drumming in my heart—a subtle pulse asking me to listen, inviting me to hear its message. This sound has, at times, been a dull murmur, something I can drown out with the distractions of life. At other times, it is a profound drumbeat, silencing everything else. This drumming is the call to ministry, something I have long ignored or made excuses to avoid.…
Yin and Yang. Shiva and Shakti. God and Goddess. Man and Woman. Modern spiritual practices go on ad nauseam about these concepts of the “divine masculine” and “divine feminine.” While these paradigms have infused our spiritual and religious ideologies and dogma for as long as we have been a cultured species, this attachment to binary gender archetypes is, in reality, a very new concept that stems from Western colonialism and modern Judeo-Christian ideas, rather than humanity’s religious, indigenous, and spiritual…
Her name was Gloria. She always sat a few pews in front of me and my family at Sunday service. As the music from the church band swept across the congregation, her arms would rise, her eyes would close, and a peaceful smile would grace her face.…
It's the most wonderful time of the year…or so they say. Packages are wrapped, lights are hung, and holiday songs fill the airwaves. People are making plans to gather together with both their given and chosen families. Whether you celebrate Yule, Hanukkah, Christmas, or Kwanza, this is a time of year that builds many bridges between who we are, where we came from, and where we are going. It’s a season of faith, family, and truth—a combination that can be…
A heart must believe in something. Whether it believes in a higher power, in one’s dream, or in the strength that is exuded from one’s own gifts and talents, a heart must beat for something greater than itself. A heart beats within the halls of St. Peter United Church of Christ in Houston, Texas. St. Peter United is dedicated to the acceptance and visibility of all people. And etched within every stone, there lies a legacy. It is a legacy not…
On May 4, South Bend, Indiana mayor and 2020 presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg gave an impassioned speech and posed for photos at a campaign fundraiser at Chapman & Kirby in Houston’s East Downtown. But before shaking hands with eager fans and donors at the public event, the openly gay Democratic contender sat down for an intimate, transparent conversation with some of the city’s most notable Black spiritual leaders at the private residence of Houston community leaders Vince Pryor and Alan…
