Part 2 of 2. Interview with a gay Christian trans man in Houston Texas (Other Conversations project)

Part 2 of 2. Interview with a gay Christian trans man in Houston Texas. We discuss the church and related activist communities he's been involved with, his history with conservative and liberal Lutheran churches, the Seminex movement and the schism within American Lutheranism, accepting the harmful status quo or proactively changing things for the better, his shift toward involvement in the Episcopal Church, and how his faith grew from being accepted as a gay trans man.

I also talk a little bit about a Quaker organization's early and very open acceptance of gay people during the height of the AIDS/HIV crisis in the mid-to-late 80s.

We further discuss other individual welcoming/affirming denominations in Houston and their struggles with their governing bodies, AIDS/HIV hospice care by churches, how pastors pushed back on gay marriage restrictions, struggles with welcoming churches not being public about LGBT+ acceptance, the Integrity USA movement within Episcopal churches, participating in Pride events and being asked about why he's a Christian, the harm of quietism, how well-to-do, liberal Christians sometimes hide out and don't do progressive activism even when it's desperately needed, and how the Religious Right effectively pushes their regressive anti-gay and anti-trans agendas.

We also discuss privilege, diversity, and opening up the trans group he helps lead (TMAH, see link below) by directly addressing issues of race and ethnicity, the difficult topic of being a "white savior", and sharing power and leadership with POC.

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Links to topics in part 2.

LCMS - Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (conservative)

https://www.lcms.org/

ELCA - Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (liberal)

Seminex movement in the Lutheran Church

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seminex

St. Stephens Episcopal Church

https://ststephenshouston.org/

Bering UCC (United Church of Christ)

Trinity Episcopal

https://www.trinitymidtown.org/

Integrity USA movement within the Episcopal Church

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrity_USA

Saving our Sisters United (SOSU)

https://sosuinc.org/

Saving Our Brothers

https://sosuinc.org/new-houston-social-org/

Houston Activists Launch New Organization for Transgender Men of Color

Trans Masculine Alliance of Houston, TMAH

https://transmasculinehouston.com/

The Montrose Center

https://montrosecenter.org/

Houston LGBT history timeline, the 2000's (mentions formation of the STAG group)

https://www.houstonlgbthistory.org/timeline2000.html

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Other Conversations is an independent, informal oral history project by Shane Brodie, a multi-issue activist and sculpto