In this episode, Leigh interviews Reverend Ellen Sims from Open Table United Church of Christ in Mobile and Elizabeth Denham, LGBTQ+ advocate and owner of The Franchise Woman magazine. Both are connected to the advocacy & family support groups, Rainbow Mobile and Prism United.
If you've lived in the South for long, you know that churches can have a huge impact on the violence, fear, discrimination and rejection experienced by many LGBTQ+ persons. Despite the fact that many churches espouse an open door policy for all people, LGBTQ+ people are often met with disappointment at the realization that this inclusion does not extend to them or that their inclusion demands that they remain silent about their experiences.
In this episode, we discuss what true acceptance and inclusion look like beyond the lip service given by many churches, even ones that profess to be progressive. Ellen shares her congregation's open and affirming statement and how she has intentionally changed imagery and language to expound a non-gendered and non-anthropomorphic representation of God. She also addresses trauma inflicted by society and church and how she is particularly sensitive to reconciling and healing such trauma.
As a mother of a gay son and active member of the church, Elizabeth discusses her family's challenges within the church once her son came out and they became more vocal advocates for LGBTQ+ rights. She shares how she had to find a new church and a new denomination to protect her family. That search led her, her husband, their children and her parents to a church where each of them is loved and accepted and where their son is able to fully participate without discrimination.
Join us as we open the conversation.
Music by Emily Ellis Richards @emilyellisrichards
Here are some links for some of the organizations we mention in the episode:
Rainbow Mobile---https://rainbowmobile.org/
Prism United---https://prismunited.org/
Open Table United Church of Christ---https://www.opentableucc.org/
The Franchise Woman, https://thefranchisewoman.com/about-us/
The Gift of Struggle, https://www.thegiftofthestruggle.com/
Matthew Vines The Gay Debate...---https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezQjNJUSraY
If you've lived in the South for long, you know that churches can have a huge impact on the violence, fear, discrimination and rejection experienced by many LGBTQ+ persons. Despite the fact that many churches espouse an open door policy for all people, LGBTQ+ people are often met with disappointment at the realization that this inclusion does not extend to them or that their inclusion demands that they remain silent about their experiences.
In this episode, we discuss what true acceptance and inclusion look like beyond the lip service given by many churches, even ones that profess to be progressive. Ellen shares her congregation's open and affirming statement and how she has intentionally changed imagery and language to expound a non-gendered and non-anthropomorphic representation of God. She also addresses trauma inflicted by society and church and how she is particularly sensitive to reconciling and healing such trauma.
As a mother of a gay son and active member of the church, Elizabeth discusses her family's challenges within the church once her son came out and they became more vocal advocates for LGBTQ+ rights. She shares how she had to find a new church and a new denomination to protect her family. That search led her, her husband, their children and her parents to a church where each of them is loved and accepted and where their son is able to fully participate without discrimination.
Join us as we open the conversation.
Music by Emily Ellis Richards @emilyellisrichards
Here are some links for some of the organizations we mention in the episode:
Rainbow Mobile---https://rainbowmobile.org/
Prism United---https://prismunited.org/
Open Table United Church of Christ---https://www.opentableucc.org/
The Franchise Woman, https://thefranchisewoman.com/about-us/
The Gift of Struggle, https://www.thegiftofthestruggle.com/
Matthew Vines The Gay Debate...---https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezQjNJUSraY
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