Launch of New Blog on Queer Chican@ Theology

Over the past few years I have been shifting my work to have a more theological focus, as my way of approaching how I engage LGBT and Queer activism. It was during my time at Harvard Divinity School that I began to tease out my interests and begin honing in on what I wanted to focus my energy and time toward. I have wrestled with developing a queer theology that moves beyond homonormative thinking, while affirming the multicultural make-up of queers. I've been trying to liberate myself from a liberation theology that does not foreground my queerness as something that deserves to be liberated from the structures in place that oppress me. And I have arrived at a space where I find it necessary to begin having those conversations.

With the rise of jotería studies, an emerging field engaging queerness and Chicana/o studies, I am interested in how using this new language in conversation with my background in theology will open doors to begin looking at how we talk about same-sex desire in Latin American and Chicana/o contexts. What I'm basically getting at is, I started a new blog! One that will be receiving more attention than this, as that's where I feel my heart is at right now.

JOT(E)LOGÍA is an experimental conversation about understanding same-sex desire and queerness on a postcolonial, theological level. In other words, how representations of the sexualized body function as religious and spiritual practice. I endeavor to use an intersectional, intertextual, and intersexual approach to looking into what this new area looks like, making use of texts, images, videos, art, etc. So please make you're way over there to bookmark it and join in on the conversation! I really do look forward to seeing what comes of this project.

While my energy will focused on moving into this next chapter of my writing and thinking, I am still committed to speaking out against the ex-gay movement and affirming safe-spaces within the church and religious institutions for LGBTQ individuals. I look forward to still traveling the country to share my story and the stories of others on how we have found a place of reconciliation within ourselves. For information on booking me to speak at your school, church, or event, please email booking@vincentcervantes.com for more information.

I'm Proud to be _____sexual!

Pride season is well underway across the country. With the recently passed festivals and parades in San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and many more, LGBTQs are proudly taking to the streets to celebrate. Every year I think about what it is that I'm proud of and how that is related to our queer history that we celebrating in the streets. In other words, what's the point of Pride?

Tonight is the 43rd anniversary of the Stonewall raid and protest, which would carry on through the morning of June 28th. As many of us will recall, Pride parades are a reminder of the Stonewall actions. After standing up the police raid at the Stonewall Inn groups of queers protested up and down the streets in solidarity to put a face to the issue of queerness and to remind the rest of the world that we're not going anywhere. In many ways, our contemporary Pride parades and festivals renew that reminder of our queer presence and pay homage to our brave LGBTQ predecessors, but I can't help but wonder if we're losing the spirit of the initial queer liberation movement.

Are you REALLY a Christian?

President Obama's identity as a Christian has really been called into question. With his support for the building of a Muslim cultural center near Ground Zero, 1 in 5 Americans believe that Obama is actually a Muslim, and not a Christian. Whether he be a Muslim, Christian, Sikh, or even an atheist altogether doesn't really matter to me. But basically, America is waiting for Obama to prove that he is indeed really a Christian. Welcome to my world, Mr. President!

"The Right to Serve" v. "The Right to Marry"

Last night was the film screening of ASK NOT in West Hollywood.  After the film, there was a panel discussion that followed (I was a guest on the panel).  First, the film was absolutely amazing!!  It really shed light on the issues attached to the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy and the ways that the policy affects real people.  The questions we got asked on the panel were some very great questions; they were actually rather challenging questions, but that's good though, because this is a challenging issue.

There was one question that was asked that stuck with me the rest of the night and it's still in my head.  The question was something like, "Given that the LGBTQ community is more liberal, they tend to be anti-war and thus, anti-military, do you think that LGBTQ persons don't care as much about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" as they should?  Additionally, given the recent rulings of Prop 8, do you think that the movement for the right to marry has overshadowed the movement for the right to serve?"  (This was not the exact wording, but the gist of what was asked).

This was such a great question!!  I can't even count the number of times I have heard gay and lesbian people say, "At least I'll never be drafted, because I'm gay!"  Responses like that make me upset, because they are accepting policies that discriminate against them.  I wanted to share my response to this question through my blog, because I believe it's important for us as a community of LGBTQ people and allies to understand this.

A person's personal feelings about war, militaries, etc., are irrelevant when it comes to legality of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."  The larger issue here is discrimination.  While, the issue of marriage seems to be more of a current event, I don't think it has entirely overshadowed the right to serve movement; because at the heart of both issues is the need to end discrimination.  Regardless of how someone feels about certain topics, everyone should have access to marriage and the opportunity to serve in the armed forces (if they so choose) without being discriminated against on the basis of their sexual orientation.  Plain and simple.

For more information about research being done on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," please check out the website for the Palm Center at the University of California Santa Barbara (http://www.palmcenter.org)

District of Columbia will recognize same-sex marriages

On the same day that Vermont rose to the bar of marriage equality, the District Columbia also made the decision today to that will introduce legislation that will recognize same-sex marriages from other states.  It is still a very great day!

CNN reports:

Washington City Council voted 12-0 Tuesday in favor of allowing same-sex marriages performed in other states to be recognized in the nation's capital.

Congress may vote on whether Washington will allow same-sex marriages to be accepted in the nation's capital.

But nothing is set in stone yet.

The Washington council is expected to hold a final vote on May 5. The bill would then go to Mayor Adrian Fenty, a Democrat who supports gay marriage but told WTOP.com Tuesday that he has yet to review the legislation.

If approved, the measure would then encounter its biggest potential hurdle: It would be sent to Congress for a legislative review and vote, setting up what would amount to a straight up-or-down vote on same-sex marriage.

Because Washington is not a state, its legislation must pass congressional muster. Some measures approved by overwhelmingly Democratic Washington voters, including a restrictive gun law and a proposal decriminalizing medical marijuana use, have been vetoed by Congress in recent years.

"This is a right that should be enjoyed by all of our citizens," Council Member Jack Evans, a Democrat, said in an interview with WTOP. "Today is another major step toward the ultimate goal of all of us living in a city and a country where everyone is treated equally."

Vermont passes gay marriage bill

Today (April 7, 2009), Vermont became the fourth state to allow same-sex marriage (well technically fifth, if you count California).  The governor initially vetoed the bill, but state legislatures overrode the veto and now Vermont joins the ranks of states that recognize marriage equality.  It is a beautiful day for celebration!

Reuters reports:

The Vermont House of Representatives passed the bill by a 100-49 vote after it cleared the state Senate 23-5 earlier in the day. In Vermont, a bill needs two-thirds support in each chamber to override a veto.

Vermont's vote comes just four days after Iowa's Supreme Court struck down a decade-old law that barred gays from marrying to make that state the first in the U.S. heartland to allow same-sex marriages.

Vermont's gay marriage legislation looked in peril after a vote Thursday in the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives that failed to garner enough support clear a veto threat from Republican Governor Jim Douglas.

California briefly recognized gay marriage until voters banned it in a referendum last year.

Vermont, which became the first state in the country to allow full civil unions for same-sex couples in 2000, joins New England neighbors Connecticut and Massachusetts in allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry.

Maine and New Hampshire are also considering gay marriage bills.  Now if only the California Supreme Court Judges could get on board!!

We Are Not Alone

When I was being trained in nonviolent resistance I was reminded that it is always nice to have something in your head and heart to fall back on, whether it be a verse, a quote, or even a song.  I kept that advice with me as I began the Equality Ride in 2007 and I continue to keep it with me everyday.

This past weekend thousands of people across the nation who believe in equality and justice took their voices to the streets.  I was in San Diego, California where I marched with over 20,000 people to the County Administration Building.  On our route we passed a handful of counter protesters who wanted to continue delivering a message of untruth and intolerance.  I naturally began singing to myself the song that I have kept in my head and my heart over the past two years of my life.

I encountered this song while in choir at Azusa Pacific University.  The name of the song is "We Are Not Alone," written by Pepper Choplin.  I remember when I first sang this song at Azusa Pacific that this song would mean more to me in the long run, and it has.

We are not alone

We are not alone

God is with us

We are not alone

We are never alone

We are not alone, for God is with us

...God will make us strong

For God is with us

We will press on

For God is with us.

We are not alone

As I march down those streets I know that we are not alone and we will never be alone.  We are guided by the soul force of love, equality, and peace.  Let us not forget to keep these words in our hearts and continue to march forward.  Listen to "We Are Not Alone" below.

Response to Proposition 8

Like many Californians I am heartbroken and devastated by the passage of Proposition 8.  It is unfortunate and despairing that millions of voters agreed to enforcing discrimination, hate, and intolerance.  The passage of Prop 8 has taken a tremendous toll on my heart and the hearts of many others.

But despite my pain I am not taking a passive position; however, I am also not taking the position of aggressor.  I may be hurt and upset but above anything else I have class and heart of love.  It is unfortunate that millions of voters don't understand the true meaning of selfless love, love without reservations, and love that does no harm--but I do.

I respond to my adversaries in the way they couldn't respond me:  through love and grace.  I am reminded by Christ in Matthew 5:44 to "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."  A task that is certainly difficult in a time of pain and defeat, but we must try.  Because if we don't then we achieve nothing.  As Gandhi once said, "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."

As a country we have overcome injustice time and time again and this time we will certainly overcome again.  Let us not be discouraged but rise as a community in true solidarity and we will repeal injustice and discrimination. 

Straight Allies Supporting Marriage Equality

Today being a very important day in American history (and Californian for that matter), I thought I would share some words and thoughts of a person who is very close to me.  My former youth pastor Jay has been a person that I have been able to come to and share my story with and know that I am going to be embraced with love and grace.  Jay is committed to understanding the love and grace behind spirituality by being a living example of that.  Today Jay voted against Proposition 8, here are some of his words and thoughts from his blog:

Gay marriage is another evolution of this fluid institution. Instead of rejecting a healthy and committed expression of love toward the another (singular), we ought to be embracing the decision and desire of homosexual men and woman to join into and make their own “moral expressions” of commitment to one another. Gay marriage is something to be celebrated and something to give thanks unto God for. I believe it is a beautiful thing for people to make moral commitments to one another, and for the Church to embrace, through active grace, those decisions.

That’s why I voted NO on PROPOSITION 8.  Read Jay's blog here.

I love you brother!

The Marriage Debate

As many of us know, one of the last bastions of discrimination against the lesbian and gay community are at present not allowed to marry.  By governments not sanctioning same-gender marriages, they are voicing that do not recognize love that is shared by two consenting adults that want to proclaim their love with one another.

There are many couple rights that are not awarded to gay and lesbian partnerships, both big and small.  To allow gay couples to marry would enable them to take advantage of the various fiscal benefits accorded to married couples in general.  Gay couples at this time are unable to claim their spouses on their tax returns.  As a college student, I am forced to list "single" on my financial aid (FAFSA) application, because the federal government aid will not recognize my marital status.  Many universities, including my own, will not recognize gay couples as "independent students" even though it is granted automatically to straight married couples.

It is completely inaccurate to perceive marriage merely as an institution for child-raising purposes.  For one, there are many married couples today that do not have any children, nor intend to.  Likewise, there is increasing number of children that are being raised by single parents today.  Furthermore, there is psychological evidence and studies that have proven and continue to argue that being raised by two fathers or two mothers is just as healthy as being raised by one mother and one father--as long as the child's well-being is in mind and cared for, there is no argument for why that child cannot have a healthy and viable family life.

Civil unions and domestic partnership registrations are not equivalent to marriage.  They do not grant similar rights, nor are they treated the same way.  Equality means that we share the same civil rights and liberties as our neighbors, not a generic brand of the real thing.

Marriage in this country is also not a Christian institution, as marriage is granted to non-Christian straight couples all the time.  The debate over marriage is not a moral issue, this is a civic issue.