Unemployed Theologian

Happy first day of Pride everyone. At least, I hope it's happy for y'all. I genuinely do. Unfortunately, it just can't be for me this year. That would be setting an unfairly high expectation for myself.  My Pride this year will be one steeped in grief, and not just because our far right authoritarian government continues its seemingly unimpeded assault on me and people like me. No, the primary wellspring of my grief this year is the sudden and devastating loss of my beautiful mother, Marilyn. My mom was the best possible mom I could have ever hoped for. She was my biggest fan, and the only person in the world constitutionally incapable of judging me. While some of my peers inherited from their parents a self-critical streak born of parental disapproval or the withholding of affection, all my mom ever gave me was a genuinely unconditional love that instilled within me an unshakeable belief in my own talents and abilities. My sister Marlie and I often joke that, while it'...

I came out five years ago today.  In many ways, the world feels more dangerous for people like me now than it was five years ago. Bathroom bills, “don’t say gay'' hysterics, pundits calling for the eradication of transgenderism from public life, politicians making hay by scapegoating LGBTQ+ people at every opportunity, queer adults being called “groomers” and “pedophiles” for simply living their lives in public, or for no reason at all. Incidentally, you should check in with your gay, bi, and (especially) trans friends; they’re very likely exhausted. I know I am. I left vocational ministry because I knew it would be neither safe nor possible for an out queer man like myself to make a living in that world, especially in Springfield, Oregon. Not because I ever lost my drive or doubted my calling, but because I knew that my brothers and sisters in faith would never allow for the possibility. That I would be seen as dangerous, even predatory, for simply wanting to work with kids, d...

I remember, vividly, the Sunday after Obergefell v. Hodges made marriage equality the law of the land. I remember because I worked at a conservative Evangelical church at the time, and that Sunday I overheard a dozen conversations lamenting the state of moral decay in America. Grown men swearing (in church) and on the verge of tears, incensed that our nation would deign to extend marriage rights to same sex couples. At that point I had more or less come to terms with my own orientation, but I was not out, nor could I have been while working at that church. It’s an interesting experience indeed, to have your identity so publicly and thoroughly skewered, right in front of you. They didn’t know they were talking about me, but they really told on themselves that day. I learned that I was not safe to be myself in that environment. That people like me were not welcome. The last few years have reminded me, over and over, that certain people will stick to their guns in refusing to acknowledge ...

I tried to fall asleep early on the night of November 8th. I figured, as did many Americans, that the election would go in Hillary’s favor, but that it might be a rough ride to the finish line, so I tried to skip the drama and wake up in the morning with a new president-elect. Needless to say, sleep proved elusive, as I checked election results on my phone every five minutes or so for hours. Around midnight, when the unthinkable suddenly became the inevitable, I sat up in my bed and started sobbing. Few of my friends spent much time before the election worrying about the results. Hillary would take it for sure, they figured. Nobody seemed to seriously consider the possibility that we might elect an unstable reality tv star (with a racist and sexist streak) to the highest office in the land. But it was all I could think about. I carried a sense of dread with me every day for about six months, as friends, coworkers and family assured me it would turn out alright. But on that night, ...

INTRODUCTION Anxiety - For the last few months, little has been on my mind apart from one glaring issue which has induced acute anxiety in me and resulted in many sleepless nights: the election. It’s all I can think about. It’s practically all I dream about. So I figured I’d vent some of my excess thoughts and feelings on the matter into a blog post, and in doing so provide my friends and loved ones some insight into my perspectives. Disclaimer - This is not an unbiased appraisal of both candidates. I have an agenda, and that is to see Hillary Clinton win the presidency next month, for reasons I hope to elucidate here. Some of my points may be broadly drawn, and some of my policy perspectives may be shallow (particularly economic policy) because fundamentally, I’m not a political person. I try to follow politics as much as I can in order to be a responsible citizen, because political elections and decisions really do affect our daily lives, but it doesn't come naturally t...