How a person contracts a disease should not be the barometer by which Christians determine their attitude toward the sick and needy. We are to reflect the same covenantal, unconditional posture of love and concern that God freely expresses toward His children, especially visible through His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus’ ministry exhibited a compassionate view […]
While the 1980s televangelists were pointing at the “dirty gays” as a deserving target of God’s punishment for anal sex, children who contracted HIV/AIDS through blood transfusions got caught in the public fear-filled frenzy. In December 1984, a gradual shift began to happen in the public face of AIDS. Ryan White, a 13-year-old hemophiliac […]
In November 2011, on the thirtieth anniversary of the first reported cases of a mysterious “gay cancer” in America, I went to the Nevada Museum of Art with my friend Dean to see the documentary “We Were Here”, produced by David Weissman. The film reflected deeply personal accounts of five people living in San […]
When Ronald Reagan was elected to the presidency in 1980, names of faithful members of the conservative right were submitted to his Administration for possible appointment. Virtually all the suggestions were ignored—except the one to appoint C. Everett Koop as Surgeon General. As it turned out, Koop became the Surgeon General no one expected. The […]
The HIV virus gets to Haiti When the Belgians withdrew 87,000 nationals from the Belgian Congo, it left 80% of the government posts unoccupied. All areas of the government suffered, including education. Colonization had elevated the role of European teachers and created a dearth of native Congolese teachers. The United Nations stepped into the […]
The HIV/AIDS story starts around 1921 in Gabon, Africa where one subspecies of non-swimming chimpanzees known as the Pan troglodytes troglodytes (Pan t. t.), have been bound in their native habitat between two rivers for many thousands of years. The chimps developed simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV). Pan t. t. SIV probably originated from the recombination of […]
If a person who lived before the turn of the 20th century were asked about their sexual orientation, they would have been bewildered by the question. Though a wealth of literature depicts same-sex behavior as far back as the ancient Greeks, people at that time would not have understood terms or concepts like “heterosexual” or […]
In 1896, Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) founded a new strain of psychology and called it psychoanalysis. Most of his theories, resolutions, and treatments linked to assumptions he had formulated about various stages of sexual subconsciousness, from infancy through its progression during childhood and into adulthood. Most mental illnesses, he speculated, began with sexual abuse, fear […]
In July 2015, Kathy Baldock and Yvette Cantu Schneider began hosting a weekly 30-40 minute podcast which will be archived. Canyonwalker Connections is one of the foremost organizations working to educate and invite productive dialogue for both religious inclusion, and for social equality for the LGBT community. Kathy Baldock is the Executive Director of Canyonwalker […]
Walking the Bridgeless Canyon: Repairing the Breach Between the Church and the LGBT Community is now available in audio form. Released in April 2015, the 13 hour 37 minute audio is available on the author’s press site at a discounted price of $15. It is also available on Amazon, Audible and iTunes for $16.95. I […]
[FREE AUDIO: downloadable audio. The conversation at the intersection of faith and sexual orientation and gender identity within conservative Christian circle is often quite contentious. We would not think of ignoring scientific and medical advancements in our use of technology, assessment of cancer, or even growing crops. Yet, the same devotees of modern progress, ignore what is […]
On a lovely October evening, I spent three delightful hours talking with Dr. Kenneth Lewes, a pioneer who challenged the American Psychoanalytic Association’s (APsaA) stances on homosexuality in the late 1980s. Dr. Lewes had already graciously given me over two hours of his time on a phone call several months before and had fact-checked a […]
Walking the Bridgeless Canyon: Repairing the Breach Between the Church and the LGBT Community is now shipping! The book took longer to finish than I had expected. Waaaay longer. I’ve laughed numerous times with friends about the fact that often I didn’t know where the next chapter would lead. The original outline was tossed aside well over […]
I am on the board of The Reformation Project (TRP), founded by Matthew Vines. The mission of the organization is to: seeks to reform church teaching on sexual orientation and gender identity. This fall, TRP will host our first leadership conference for 50 straight, gay, bisexual, and transgender Christians who are committed to reform. From September […]
