The CLGS Blog
CLGS Welcomes Gwen Thomas as the new Coordinator of Our African American Roundtable
David Kato -- Religious Rhetoric and Violence
All of us at CLGS, along with so many others, were shocked and horrified by the recent, brutal killing of Ugandan gay activist David Kato (click here for the story). As an Episcopal priest, I am ...
Don't Give Up! It Gets Better!
On November 5th and 6th, 2010, a group of more than 70 faith leaders gathered together at Pacific School of Religion for the fourth Transgender Religious Leaders Summit. What was special about this group was that these faith leaders were all transgendered, or friends and advocates for the transgender community. It was a very special event and a lot was shared about faith, hope, and how our faith communities could be more accepting of transgendered individuals.
Rebecca Parker Delivers Inaugural Harkness Lecture
The Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry (CLGS) has led the theological world in posing questions and finding answers to issues involving lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people and religion, but until Tuesday evening, one question the Center had not yet answered was what to call its annual fall lecture.
Leading Voices: Bishop John Shelby and Christine Spong
On July 27, 2010, CLGS presented Bishop John Shelby Spong and his wife Christine M. Spong the Leading Voice Award for their long-time advocacy for LGBT people.
The following are ...
Ex-Gay to Headline Boston's GospelFest
Every year, Mayor Tom Menino’s office of Arts, Tourism, and Special Events puts on its annual Boston GospelFest at City Hall Plaza. Because the GospelFest is a public and taxpayer-funded community event, it’s opened to all, even its African American lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) communities.
The Lingering Shame of Pride
Pride parades and a host of festivities will be taking place all over the country this month. Our packed social calendars reveal something else as well: the deep fault lines marked by race, class, and gender identity. In addition to “Gay Pride” events, there will be a segment of our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) population attending Black Gay Pride and Latino/a Gay Pride events.
Honoring Notorious Gladys Bentley
In celebrating Black History Month, I want to celebrate the courage and strength of sistah-warrior Gladys Bentley (1907-1960).
Bentley, a 250-pound African-American lesbian (who today we would consider transgender), was known as "America's Greatest Sepia Piano Player" and the "Brown Bomber of Sophisticated Songs."
Her fall from the entertainment spotlight, however, is a cautionary tale about what can happen to us during a repressive political era when both church and state are our enemies.
Black and Queer in Nazi Germany
Missing from the annals of African American history are the documented stories and struggles of African Americans, both straight and “queer,” in Nazi-era Germany. Valaida Snow, captured in Nazi-occupied Copenhagen and interned in a concentration camp for nearly two years, is one such story that is forgotten every Black History Month in celebrating our heroes and survivors.
President Obama's Support for Marriage Equality