Tuesday, June 28, 2016

A Moment of Personal Privilege

Please take a minute to read this letter from our Presiding Bishop and President of the House of Deputies calling for a repeal of HB2 in North Carolina and for solidarity with our transgender brothers and sisters being denied dignity and humanity as children of God.

And indulge me, if you will, in a moment of personal pride and bittersweet celebration that my late wife Louise’s last documentary project – “Out of the Box” – is called out and commended to the church for the work ahead:
In the face of the violence and injustice we see all around us, what can we do? We can start by choosing to get to know one another. TransEpiscopal, an organization of transgender Episcopalians and their allies, has posted on their website a video called “Voices of Witness: Out of the Box” that can help you get to know some transgender Episcopalians and hear their stories. Integrity USA, which produced the video, and the Chicago Consultation are two other organizations working for the full inclusion of LGBT people in the church. Their websites also have online materials that you can use to learn more about the stories of transgender Christians and our church’s long journey to understand that they are children of God and created in God’s image.
Louise's inspiration to capture the TransEpiscopal stories that changed hearts and minds at General Convention in Anaheim in 2009 and make them available to the wider church in her last film project released for General Convention 2012 is a powerful tribute to her vision, tenacity and commitment to leave the world a better place than she found it.

It was a true labor of love – supported by Integrity, TranEpiscopal and a truly stellar production team – which she embraced through the battle with cancer that eventually claimed her life in September 2012 – just weeks after “Out of the Box” premiered in Indianapolis.

The struggle continues – and it delights me in a deep, profound way that Louise’s legacy lives on in that struggle.

Thanks for letting me share.

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