"My faith informed me by saying, 'Being who you are is important and being the truth of who you are is important.' And that's what faith is really about. It is being the truth of a thing."
Tell me a little bit about your past ministry and your leadership roles?
There were several areas where I was involved in ministry and I'm still involved in ministry, but it's just as a retired minister now. My leadership roles, one was as a healing minister. And that was not only just healing the physical body, but also the mental, emotional and spiritual bodies. In terms of healing community, another role was social activist minister, deeply involved with social issues, such as marriage equality. I was a marriage equality spokesperson. I held various leadership roles that included creating resources, building community and overall collaborative efforts to empower and lift up people of African descent inside white- dominating spaces, across various faith traditions, and within the LGBTQIA queer and political spaces.
Tell me a little bit about your ministry here at Creating Change.
I'm a part of a spiritual care team called Many Paths, and we are an interfaith group team being present for the [Creating Change] conference for people of faith and people of no faith. Providing spiritual care or whatever that might look like for individuals. The Creating Change Conference is a conference providing space for queer and LGBTQIA individuals where they can find resources, where they can find support, where they can have fun. Where we can have a space that's just for us.
What advice would you have for other queer folks of faith, especially the younger generation or people who are still struggling to find affirming faith communities?
For other queer folk of faith, I would share that it's important to do personal introspection that has nothing to do with what faith tradition you come from, has nothing to do with what your family says and your family traditions. But really it's about exploring who you are at your deepest parts. And if you don't know, then that's a part of your journey to learn about yourself. Learn about yourself aside from all the other trappings, the faith trappings, the familial trappings, the world trappings, just you. Find a way to learn about you.
Once you have that core, that foundation about who you are at your core, then build upon that and whatever that means, because your core, your foundation will give you the strength. It will give you the chutzpah. It will give you the intestinal fortitude. You'll hold onto yourself no matter what. No matter what people say, no matter what people do, no matter what law is passed, hold onto yourself and never let someone take that away from you. That's the building block. I would say build. If you're struggling with your faith. Struggling with how to discern what's right for you. Go back to who you are first and then build from there. Because God made you who you are.
Do you have any scripture that resonates with you?
Psalm 23. It's different in different versions of the scriptures, but it's the “Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. You maketh me to lie down in green pastures.” That verse, that whole psalm. And the most progressive version of that. You might find that in The Message. I love The Message version of Psalm 23.
I’ll just read a little bit so you can hear it. It says, “God, my shepherd, I don't need a thing. You have made me to lie down in lush meadows. You find me quiet pools to drink from. True to your word, you let me catch my breaths and send me in the right direction. And then the way it goes through the death valley, I'm not afraid, when you walk at my side. Your trusty shepherd's crook makes me feel secure. You serve me a six course dinner right in front of my enemies. You revive my drooping head. My cup brims with blessings. Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life. I'm back home in the house of my God for the rest of my life.”
And what about that resonates with you?
Because it uses contemporary language, number one. It's not gendered and it allows you to see yourself in the scriptures versus being told that you have to be one way or the other. I like that message, it really is more inclusive. I really love it.
The main message is that knowing you're not alone and that everything you need, you can find it. The universe will provide it. And that spirit, God, the universe, higher power, whatever you choose or I choose to call that higher being, that higher energy is always present. That for me, especially in our world, gives me such comfort.
Anything else you would like to add?
I want to add that the journey of integrating one's sexuality and spirituality isn't necessarily an easy journey. There are many potholes and there are times of sadness, there are times of joys. Give yourself grace as you move in that direction. But just don't stop. Many of my friends stopped. They turned around. Or they never left their original faith places because they didn't feel like they could make it.
I think it's important to speak to the journey and what it really means to embrace it. And to do it even if you are afraid. Trust that the universe, that God, that spirit will make a way and will provide a way even when you don't know the way.