- D
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I cannot bear to hear another headline:
Another transgender person of color murdered.
Another pious faith voice decrying the dignity of immigrants.
Another gay teen commits suicide.
Another person of color [harassed/assaulted/killed] by someone in power.
Another act by an elected official to deny women their rights.
ENOUGH!
I can no longer sit idly by as a person of faith and a person of privilege and not do more.
Since leaving my career in 2014 to work in the non-profit social justice arena, my time in Dallas has been spent laboring not just for gay rights but also for movements to end racism, sexism, transphobia, and classism. Through community and in coalition, I have learned so much about who we are and what we need to do for each other.
But it is time to move on. Here's why:
So I am uprooting my life of relative comfort and transitioning into a small dormitory room and a long-distance relationship to pursue education at Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, CA where they prepare spiritually formed, theologically rooted leaders for social transformation. And I am asking you to help me cover the costs of my first year of school—which amounts to roughly $17,000 per semester. I currently have enough cash to pay for about half the first semester. And I’m committed to working at a level that will earn me scholarships for subsequent years.
Frankly, I am sick and tired of faith and religion being used to hurt people, exclude strangers among us, and justify bigotry. Engaging in this kind of work is my true calling—my passion. (One of my sisters calls it “radical activism—speaking loudly for those whose voice is too soft, standing up for those who are unable to stand and demonstrating through his actions that we can live in a world where there is equal treatment and justice for every human being on this earth.” That about sums it up.) So to be as effective as I can possibly become, I want to secure the knowledge and skills that will help me continue to inspire people of faith within a broader movement designed to reclaim the narrative of what it means to love your neighbor as yourself.
This work is what I am called to do. By donating, you can help me take this calling to the next level as I labor to make sure that faith is something that gives the voiceless a voice, the downtrodden a hand up, the hopeless a reason to hope again.
I believe in myself and I’ve seen the impact of standing together, united in our belief in the dignity of all. I have seen the difference it makes when white gay Christians go outside the gay ghetto and stand with people of color to fight racial injustice. When natural citizens advocate for the undocumented. When gays and lesbians stand with their transgender sisters and brothers. When men fight alongside women in the struggle for women’s dignity and respect.
And I believe you can be a part of this movement right now—just by standing up for someone who needs you. But quite frankly, I need your support. And in return, you have my commitment that I'll do my best to continue changing the world. I have a natural aptitude for this work—but there’s so much I don’t know, that I need to know so that I can become a leader in the fight against structural inequality, institutionalized oppressions, and systemic injustice.
I am taking this leap of faith to change the world and ask you to jump with me.
Details
// I chose Pacific School of Religion (or it chose me) because it “has been on the cutting edge of emerging movements for change in the Christian tradition, representing an early voice for the equality of women, resisting racial prejudice and war, and advocating for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people and the economically disadvantaged.” I cannot imagine any better place to learn or be equipped for this calling.
// I am enrolled in the Master of Arts in Social Transformation and the Certificate of Sexuality and Religion programs. My goal is to supplement my natural passions around and inclinations for social justice and gain an understanding of the socio-political dynamics at work in our society today and how religion and theology can influence social change.
// At PSR, I will have access to some of the brightest and most progressive thought leaders in the world and will be a part of the Graduate Theological Union, an internationally recognized ecumenical consortium recognized for its interdisciplinary religious thought, study, and practice—a place where “the world’s religions engage with each other and with the broader global culture.”
// Each person who donates will have access to my weekly video blog where I will talk about my experiences at PSR and what I am learning.
More About Me
// I have four grown sons, two grandsons, and am engaged to my partner of three years. I worked for 26 years for a private healthcare company, retiring in 2014 to find a greater purpose for myself.
// I have worked within a faith-based social justice organization—Hope for Peace & Justice —serving as its board chair and most recently its executive director. There, I gained much of my passion and on-the-job training in non-profit social justice work and coalition building.
// I am an active member of Cathedral of Hope—UCC , the world’s largest progressive faith community around and beyond lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.
// I am a blogger and have served as a contributing columnist for the Dallas Voice , writing almost exclusively about social justice issues. Some of my writing is presented below.
Selections from My Blog
// The Path Yet Traveled
// Finding My Bliss
// Part of Something Greater Than Ourselves
// Shocking Discovery: Everyone just pees
// Open Response to Rick Perry
// Blood is on the Hands of White America
Selections from the Dallas Voice
// If It's Not Gay Do We Care?
// We Are Ty
// The ‘Golden Rule’ is not enough
H4PJ Statements
// People of Faith Must Stand Against Police Brutality
// Judge Wrong to Delay Executive Order on Immigration
Video/Audio
// Speaking to the Dallas City Council urging them to pass an LGBT equality resolution (03/14)
// State of Belief Radio Extended Interview with Todd Whitley and Transcript (03/15)
// Lambda Weekly KNON 89.3 Interview with Todd Whitley (07/15)
Social Media
// Twitter
// Facebook
// Instagram
// LinkedIn
// YouTube
And finally, this passage provided me courage to undergo this transition—to seek out my purpose and do so boldly:
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
--Marianne Williamson, Spiritual Activist
As I attempt to shine as brightly as I can, thank you for your consideration and most of all for your prayers and positive thoughts as I continue onto the next leg of this journey.
Todd
Another transgender person of color murdered.
Another pious faith voice decrying the dignity of immigrants.
Another gay teen commits suicide.
Another person of color [harassed/assaulted/killed] by someone in power.
Another act by an elected official to deny women their rights.
ENOUGH!
I can no longer sit idly by as a person of faith and a person of privilege and not do more.
Since leaving my career in 2014 to work in the non-profit social justice arena, my time in Dallas has been spent laboring not just for gay rights but also for movements to end racism, sexism, transphobia, and classism. Through community and in coalition, I have learned so much about who we are and what we need to do for each other.
But it is time to move on. Here's why:
So I am uprooting my life of relative comfort and transitioning into a small dormitory room and a long-distance relationship to pursue education at Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, CA where they prepare spiritually formed, theologically rooted leaders for social transformation. And I am asking you to help me cover the costs of my first year of school—which amounts to roughly $17,000 per semester. I currently have enough cash to pay for about half the first semester. And I’m committed to working at a level that will earn me scholarships for subsequent years.
Frankly, I am sick and tired of faith and religion being used to hurt people, exclude strangers among us, and justify bigotry. Engaging in this kind of work is my true calling—my passion. (One of my sisters calls it “radical activism—speaking loudly for those whose voice is too soft, standing up for those who are unable to stand and demonstrating through his actions that we can live in a world where there is equal treatment and justice for every human being on this earth.” That about sums it up.) So to be as effective as I can possibly become, I want to secure the knowledge and skills that will help me continue to inspire people of faith within a broader movement designed to reclaim the narrative of what it means to love your neighbor as yourself.
This work is what I am called to do. By donating, you can help me take this calling to the next level as I labor to make sure that faith is something that gives the voiceless a voice, the downtrodden a hand up, the hopeless a reason to hope again.
I believe in myself and I’ve seen the impact of standing together, united in our belief in the dignity of all. I have seen the difference it makes when white gay Christians go outside the gay ghetto and stand with people of color to fight racial injustice. When natural citizens advocate for the undocumented. When gays and lesbians stand with their transgender sisters and brothers. When men fight alongside women in the struggle for women’s dignity and respect.
And I believe you can be a part of this movement right now—just by standing up for someone who needs you. But quite frankly, I need your support. And in return, you have my commitment that I'll do my best to continue changing the world. I have a natural aptitude for this work—but there’s so much I don’t know, that I need to know so that I can become a leader in the fight against structural inequality, institutionalized oppressions, and systemic injustice.
I am taking this leap of faith to change the world and ask you to jump with me.
Details
// I chose Pacific School of Religion (or it chose me) because it “has been on the cutting edge of emerging movements for change in the Christian tradition, representing an early voice for the equality of women, resisting racial prejudice and war, and advocating for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people and the economically disadvantaged.” I cannot imagine any better place to learn or be equipped for this calling.
// I am enrolled in the Master of Arts in Social Transformation and the Certificate of Sexuality and Religion programs. My goal is to supplement my natural passions around and inclinations for social justice and gain an understanding of the socio-political dynamics at work in our society today and how religion and theology can influence social change.
// At PSR, I will have access to some of the brightest and most progressive thought leaders in the world and will be a part of the Graduate Theological Union, an internationally recognized ecumenical consortium recognized for its interdisciplinary religious thought, study, and practice—a place where “the world’s religions engage with each other and with the broader global culture.”
// Each person who donates will have access to my weekly video blog where I will talk about my experiences at PSR and what I am learning.
More About Me
// I have four grown sons, two grandsons, and am engaged to my partner of three years. I worked for 26 years for a private healthcare company, retiring in 2014 to find a greater purpose for myself.
// I have worked within a faith-based social justice organization—Hope for Peace & Justice —serving as its board chair and most recently its executive director. There, I gained much of my passion and on-the-job training in non-profit social justice work and coalition building.
// I am an active member of Cathedral of Hope—UCC , the world’s largest progressive faith community around and beyond lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.
// I am a blogger and have served as a contributing columnist for the Dallas Voice , writing almost exclusively about social justice issues. Some of my writing is presented below.
Selections from My Blog
// The Path Yet Traveled
// Finding My Bliss
// Part of Something Greater Than Ourselves
// Shocking Discovery: Everyone just pees
// Open Response to Rick Perry
// Blood is on the Hands of White America
Selections from the Dallas Voice
// If It's Not Gay Do We Care?
// We Are Ty
// The ‘Golden Rule’ is not enough
H4PJ Statements
// People of Faith Must Stand Against Police Brutality
// Judge Wrong to Delay Executive Order on Immigration
Video/Audio
// Speaking to the Dallas City Council urging them to pass an LGBT equality resolution (03/14)
// State of Belief Radio Extended Interview with Todd Whitley and Transcript (03/15)
// Lambda Weekly KNON 89.3 Interview with Todd Whitley (07/15)
Social Media
// YouTube
And finally, this passage provided me courage to undergo this transition—to seek out my purpose and do so boldly:
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
--Marianne Williamson, Spiritual Activist
As I attempt to shine as brightly as I can, thank you for your consideration and most of all for your prayers and positive thoughts as I continue onto the next leg of this journey.
Todd