This Sunday, 10/11, marks National Coming Out Day. It seems
fitting that it falls on a Sunday this year, as my graduate school, Trinity
Lutheran Seminary, is in discussion with Equality for Ohio and Reconciling
Works to learn about how this community can be purposefully inclusive. As a
seminarian who joined the Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus this fall (a mixed group of
LGBTQ folks and straight allies), I’ve been having lots of conversation with
those who hold both faith and inclusivity as core values of living.
Many Lutheran churches have gained status as “RIC.” This stands
for Reconciling in Christ, a label only given to those communities of faith
that have public statements of welcome for those who identify as lesbian, gay, transgender,
bisexual, or queer. Columbus features a handful of these communities, yet our
own seminary has remained voiceless.
A few students met together to give speech to this silence a
few weeks ago; in a small evening gathering, we each told our story of why this
matters. Some seminarians identify themselves in these categories and have
tasted the bitter rejection of the church, yet love the mission of God too much
to abandon faith communities. Others told stories of their great grief that the
Christian church started as perhaps the most inclusive community in history
where all people were invited to the table; it was a movement for the
vulnerable, to “bring good news to the poor and oppressed.” Instead, now many
LGBTQ humans have experienced the church as the oppressor. Still others spoke
about the need for a seminary to educate and prepare those who are working with
youth and young adults who are in the critical process of understanding their
sexual identity, as well as speaking about the need to be educated for
communication with parents who are perhaps challenged with this intersection of
faith and sexuality in their children or in themselves.
When there are so many loud voices coming from religion that
condemn humans based on sexuality, it is Trinity’s time to step up and make a
different statement. I had a strange experience of this contrast of voices at
this June’s Pride Parade in Columbus. I joined my Columbus church community in
marching for inclusion and warm embrace of all people, but along our parade
journey we encountered many other groups who proclaimed messages of hate in the
name of Christianity. It was a vocal clash of followers of the same one Jesus;
this is tragic, and this is reality. For all the extreme hate I heard that day,
I also encountered many people who were shocked to see us, but then would enter
the parade route to shake our hands and say thank you.
Of course, the point is that we love everyone, because it’s
God’s love, not ours. But on this National Coming Out Day, when a crowd of
seminarians gather at my apartment to watch the film Pride and reflect on the role of church as a partner in the
equality movement, I hope we can be examples of this love that is always
reaching outward, always inviting, always redeeming—to all humanity and creation.
