Resources
A word about pronouns: One of the spiritual practices Haven has committed to as a community includes the use of gender-inclusive pronouns (they, them). This reflects our commitment to diversity and inclusion, and the worth and beauty of every individual. It is how we show love. Please share your pronouns with others in the community and respect theirs.
For some, this is a familiar and natural habit. For others (even some staff) this is a new and growing practice. When we mess up or are inconsistent, we will remind one another in gentleness and kindness, quietly without a fuss or undo attention. For more information on gender-inclusive pronouns, check out https://uwm.edu/lgbtrc/support/gender-pronouns/
Holding Faith / Holding Family resources
General resources
Glossary of terms: https://www.hrc.org/resources/glossary-of-terms
Suicide prevention: The Trevor Project (thetrevorproject.org)
Parental support: Serendipity/ MamaBears facebook page
The Genderbread Person (genderbread.org)
Advocacy: https://pflag.org/
The Bible and Gay, Lesbian and Bi Sexuality
Torn, by Justin Lee.
Changing our Minds by David Gushee
Unclobbered by Colby Martin
God and the Gay Christian by Matthew Vines
A Bigger Table by John Pavlovitz
Q Christian: https://www.qchristian.org/
Gay Christian network: https://gaychristian.net/
Transgender and Non-binary Gender Identity
Beyond Pink and Blue workshop
Jennifer Finney Boylan: She's Not There: a Life in Two Genders.
SAP Netflix special by Mae Martin
Season 8, episode 5 of Call the Midwife on Netflix on intersex persons
Gender-inclusive pronouns: ttps://uwm.edu/lgbtrc/support/gender-pronouns/
Austin Hartke, Transforming: the Bible and the Lives of Transgender Christians
Finding an Affirming Church
https://www.gaychurch.org/find_a_church/
list of affirming denominations: https://www.gaychurch.org/affirming-denominations/
In particular, our experience with these denominations has been positive. Note that there are multiple denominations within Presbyterian, Lutheran, Methodist and other "families" so look for these particular varieties:
Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA) (this is Haven's denomination)
United Church of Christ
Disciples of Christ
Episcopal Church
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
Metropolitan Church (the oldest affirming denomination)
Two good sources for PCUSA affirming churches: Covenant Network https://covnetpres.org/ and More Light Presbyterians: https://mlp.org/
Within the United Methodist church look for churches that are part of Reconciling Ministries: https://rmnetwork.org/
Note that in most affirming denominations, some degree to which individual congregations include or affirm LGBTQ persons varies. When reading church mission statements, note that (frustratingly) "welcoming" does not always mean inclusive, unless followed by a specific invitation to the LGBTQ community. Instead, look for words like "open and affirming" and/or membership in Reconciling Ministries, More Light Presbyterians, or Covenant Network.