16 April 1963 My Dear Fellow Clergymen: While confined here in the Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling my present activities “unwise and untimely.” You deplore the demonstrations taking place in Birmingham. But your statement, I am sorry to say, fails to express a similar concern for the conditions that brought […]
“I sat in my quiet bookshelf lined study, listening intently to the young man awkwardly perched on the chair next to me. The thin pale man was silently leaking tears, and finally spoke, “He was lying on the couch and said, ‘I’m going to take all the pain killers we have, everything. Then wait half an […]
As a pastor, I am always happy when one of my congregants represents our church in the community. Recently, a congregant was attending a community event and was approached by someone she did not know. This person said to my congregant, in a gossipy stage whisper, “I knew your pastor when he was a she.” […]
Since the inception of the Latinx Roundtable we’ve had the intention and expectation that all of our resources would be available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. For some of us, having materials developed in – or translated to – Portuguese is beyond our individual expertise – but we have partnered with others and made it […]
Some years ago I was grocery shopping with my then young son Asher during the weeks leading up to Christmas. As we were checking out, the clerk smiled and said to Asher, “I hope you’re being a good boy so that Santa will visit you.” Asher replied, “I don’t have to be good; I’m Jewish.” […]
CLGS Jewish Queeries: Abby Stein Abby Stein is a Jewish educator, author, speaker, and activist. She was born and raised in a Hasidic family of rabbinic descent and is a direct descendent of the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidic Judaism. Abby attended yeshiva, completing a rabbinical degree in 2011. In 2012, she left […]
Click here for “7 Ways to Support Trans and Gender Expansive People Right Now”! Kelsey Pacha is a queer-identified transman who has worked with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people for 13 years, primarily in non-profit settings. He holds a Master of Arts in Religion and Psychology, a Master of Divinity, and a Certificate […]
The CLGS Trans Seminarian Leadership Cohort, now entering its seventh year, is a year-long educational opportunity for transgender, gender non-conforming, and nonbinary seminary students. A shared project of CLGS, the National LGBTQ Task Force, and the Freedom Center for Social Justice, our new Cohort includes the following people for the 2019- 2020 academic year: Abbey […]
The CLGS Jewish Roundtable is hosting the first-ever gathering for adults who were raised in Jewish and queer families and communities. Over forty young adults ranging in age from eighteen to late thirties will attend the retreat on Sunday, 3 November 2019, on the Pacific School of Religion campus in Berkeley, California. “I feel that […]
The Trans Seminarian Cohort, a joint project of CLGS, the Freedom Center for Social Justice, and the National LGBTQ Task Force, enters its seventh year this fall! Every year, five to six seminary students who identify as transgender, genderqueer, nonbinary, or gender nonconforming are selected to journey together for one academic year. In this program, […]