😴

A prayer for transgender souls and the protection of all trans people 🕊️

sit/stand up straight

relax your shoulders

chest out

take a deep breath in all the way down to your belly

exhale slowly

and another deep breath

The Black Rabbit of Inle

mixed media on cold press paper

buddy you hate other religions cause you were told to hate them when you were a christian.

yes, not all religions are good. and no, not all religions are bad. and yes, going around telling random religious people from cultures you don’t understand that they’re bad people and should be abolished for being religious isn’t cool.

This is a post [the student in question] made a few days ago. "I hold to a traditional biblical view on sexual ethics. I believe sex is reserved within a union between a husband and wife. More than that, though, I believe that all believers are held to a high standard when it comes to stewarding their sexuality, regardless of orientation." But it's not enough that Jesse abstains from his sexual proclivities, and that he believes in the statements and the doctrines of the seminary. It's that they want him to lead with it. They want him to lead with a fist of denunciation. You know, I wonder how my Christian audience would react if I felt the need to open all my videos with a long-winded disclaimer ... "Hi, my name is Jared, I'm an atheist, and I want to flatly denounce the crimes of the Crusades. I want to unilaterally condemn the homophobia of the conservative church. And I denounce the baseless fearmongering of the doctrine of eternal conscious torment." And, spoiler alert, I do condemn those things. But I think you'd be understanding if I didn't begin every conversation with a disclaimer like that.

It’s not just isolation. It’s violence and hierarchies. It’s condemnation. It’s handing the rod to the queer person and saying if they don’t strike themselves hard enough every time they enter a room, they must not realize their depravity enough. Because nothing will ever appease that kind of bigot. No matter of assimilation or self denial or celibacy or whatever else will make them actually see you as an equal. To them, you’re still rot—and one of the worst kinds—and if you do not publicly announce that you believe that and that you ascribe that to others like you, they will tear you apart all the same as they’ll tear apart the side A queer. Most of them don’t even accept identifying as gay at all. It’s complete shame and condemnation and conversion therapy or nothing.

At first, it was amazing. I had community, people who loved me, access to the Eucharist-- I was on cloud nine! But, slowly, slowly, there were comments. Some about my appearance, my dressing, my haircut, the way I spoke. One that I will never forget is how I was told that they would have loved for me to join the church band, but with my voice so low, it just wouldn't work. If only I had never ruined my voice with testosterone.... or if I even stopped taking T.... well. It would be nice to be in the band, right?

The emotional manipulation and gaslighting, looking back at it, were obvious, but I was so happy to be with God again that I didn't notice. It wasn't until someone mentioned I should start looking into becoming a member on the church registry list that it all started to fall apart. They told me that they would LOVE to have me here permanently, but that there were changes that I'd need to be okay with. Sacrifices.

Crosses I had to realize I was being called to carry.