Border Crosser: Into the Wilderness

In a little less than two weeks I will be joining a group from school to visit the US/Mexico border by way of the Arizona border. Our objective as a study group is to examine the border in a theological perspective (if the task can be done at all). We will be spend a week in the Tucson, Arizona (US) and Nogales, Sonora (MX) areas having conversations with local organizations, churches, and community members. I'm definitely looking forward to blogging about my experiences when I return from my trip.

As I prepare myself logistically for our trip, I'm also spending time preparing myself mentally and spiritually. When I think about borderlands and the idea of borderland theories, liminality, and all that academic jargon, I can't help but wonder if any of it is relevant. Can I expect to put a label on the experiences of border crossers? Why does that space need to be labeled?

2011: Time For Change

As I reflect on 2010, I am thankful for the many opportunities that were presented to me. I am thankful for the experiences I had. I graduated from the University of California, Riverside, moved clear across the country to Boston and here I am.

Moving to Boston has been a time of rebirth and new-birth for me in many ways. I find myself passionate about different things, writing about different things, talking about different things. My resolution for 2011 is to embrace the changes in my life. That begins with changing the look and feel of my websites. Both my blog and personal site have taken on new looks and new objectives.

Season's Greetings from California!

I'm in California as I'm writing this blog post. I have finished my first semester as a grad student at Harvard Divinity School. I'm glad to be done and out of the cold for a little bit. As 2010 comes to a close I will reflect on my year and how I've seen the movement grow and not. But that will have to wait until I return from my vacation. In the meantime, enjoy this photo of the blue skies in San Diego. Happy Holidays!!

Queer Youth Speaking Up: Reteaching Gender and Sexuality

Check out this video I came across yesterday. It's been the repost of the day on Facebook by queers and trans folk across the interwebs. Young people in Seattle from the Put This On The Map project put together this fantastic short video. I think it's vitally important that we allow young people to speak for themselves and define their own queerness and their own spaces; as opposed to just telling them, "It Gets Better" — which these young people also critique in this video.

My favorite line: "We need to move past safe spaces ...how about liberating spaces?"

Exodus International Targets Young People for 2011

Despite the substantial scientific, and even theological, evidence that debunks the myth that homosexuality, bisexuality, and gender variance are not embodied ‘disorders’, ex-gay organizations, like Exodus International, have refused to close their doors and rescind their claims that LGBTQ folk are morally flawed and in need of fixing.

Instead, for 2011 Exodus International has refocused their mission and their strategic vision planning has developed into the following manifesto for the upcoming year: Simplify, Amplify, and Intensify.

In an open letter to their supporters, Alan Chambers elaborates on these concepts as they move forward to refocus their mission (simplify), refocus their target audiences (amplify), and refocus the cultural impact their message carries in the world (intensify).

As expected, I have many contentions with Chambers’ message. I find his argument within these categories to be theologically problematic. However, despite my best efforts to disagree with Chambers and Exodus, their organization continues to exist and their message continues to reach the lives of many individuals every day.