If you know an LGBTQ person who is feeling alone and needs some love and encouragement please consider telling them about “Serendipitydodah Mama Bears to the Rescue”
Serendipitydodah Mama Bears to the Rescue is a private Facebook group made up exclusively of moms of LGBTQ kids who love, support and affirm their own LGBTQ kids and want to love and support other LGBTQ people who don’t have that kind of support and affirmation in their life.
The focus is small acts of kindness, making personal connections and being a loving presence in the life of LGBTQ people who have lost support due to their LGBTQ status.
The members of Mama Bears to the Rescue do things such as include LGBTQ people who need support in their holiday gatherings, stand in as affirming moms at same sex weddings, send notes of encouragement, find helpful resources, talk on the phone, text, get together for coffee or lunch etc
If you know someone who is an LGBTQ person who could use some Mama Bear love and encouragement please click on the following link and fill out the form:
Jacksonville teenager, Seth Owen, shared his remarkable story with talk show host Ellen DeGeneres Tuesday, completing a journey that has taken him from virtual homelessness to the embrace of the nation.
Serendipitydodah Mama Bears to the Rescue was started in March 2018. There are currently more than 500 moms of lgbtq kids in the group who are scattered across the country, ready to offer support, connection and care to lgbtq people like Seth Owen, who have lost the support of their family due to their lgbtq status. Serendipitydodah Mama Bears to the Rescue is a subgroup of Serendipitydodah for Moms, a private facebook group for moms of lgbtq kids.
Members of the group are available to connect with lgbtq people in their local area who need some support, connection or care.
The group is a place where these moms can connect with each other in order to plan and coordinate small acts of kindness such as being a stand-in affirming mom at a wedding, visiting someone in the hospital, helping someone get settled in a new area, providing some transportation, including someone in their holiday gatherings, sending a note of encouragement etc.
The most important thing the members of Mama Bears to the Rescue want to do is be a loving and supportive presence in the life of lgbtq people who have lost the support of their family due to their lgbtq status.
If you know of an lgbtq person who could use some Mama Bear love please email lizdyer55@gmail.com
Serendipitydodah Mama Bears to the Rescue is a subgroup for Serendipitydodah for Moms. The members of the group are available to do small acts of kindness for lgbtq people in their local community who may need connection, care or assistance.
I have a private Facebook group for moms of LGBTQ kids. We have more than 1,600 moms in the group. The group was especially created for open minded Christian moms of LGBTQ kids who want to develop and maintain loving, healthy, authentic relationships with their kids. One of the bonuses of the group is that many of the moms become passionate advocates for all LGBTQ people. Sara Cunningham and Laura Beth Taylor are two of those moms! They are both passionate LGBTQ advocates who pour their hearts into working to make the world a kinder, safer place for all LGBTQ people to live and this spring they plan to hit the road and take their love and support for LGBTQ people across the country and they are calling it the “Free Mom Hugs Tour.”
photos by Taylor Elaine
I’m really excited about the Free Mom Hugs Tour that Sara Cunningham and Laura Beth Taylor are putting together!!!
Their adventure will begin in Oklahoma City and end up in New York City on Mother’s Day near the historic Stonewall Inn. Along the way they will stop at 10 cities where they will meet with local community leaders at a planned luncheon to discuss the necessity and value of supporting the LGBTQ community. Following each luncheon they will march through an area of each city with the Free Mom Hugs banner.
The purpose of the tour is to demonstrate what love and support for the LGBTQ community can look like and educate community leaders about the unnecessary risks LGBTQ children, youth and young adults face on a daily basis.
Sara and Laura put out a press release this week and it has lots more details.
Please share it if you can!!
PRESS RELEASE:
Oklahoma City, OK – On May 1, 2017, the first ever “Free Mom Hugs Tour” will launch in Oklahoma City, making its way through 10 cities and wrapping up near the historic Stonewall Inn in New York City on Mother’s Day.
The purpose of the Tour is to reassure the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer/Questioning) community that they are valued and loved, and to raise awareness of their dignity and worth.
The Free Mom Hugs Tour is the brainchild of two mothers of LGBTQ children: Sara Cunningham of Oklahoma City and Laura Beth Taylor of Dayton, Tenn. Cunningham, the parent of a gay man and author of How We Sleep at Night, is a well-known advocate for participating in PRIDE events, carrying her “Free Mom Hugs” banner. When she reached out to Taylor, a transwoman who is the parent of LGBTQ children and author of Shattering Masks, the plan took shape.
“This isn’t a march; we’re not setting out to protest something, but rather to attest that all people – regardless of the margins in which they find themselves – are deserving of love, dignity and compassion,” Taylor explains. “Our goal is to express that in each city we visit as we encourage others to do so, too. It’s a simple exercise of loving our neighbors,” she adds.
Cunningham notes, “Every time I’m out with the banner, I meet more youth and young adults who need reassurance that they are not alone, that there are people who love and support them. I also meet parents who need to be encouraged on their path of loving and accepting their LGBTQ kids. That’s the message we will carry along with our banner.”
The event will include a luncheon for civic and faith leaders in each community along the Tour, followed by carrying the Free Mom Hugs banner through an area. Cities on the Tour include May 1 – Oklahoma City, Okla.; May 2 – Tulsa, Okla.; May 4 – Kansas City, Mo.; May 5 — St. Louis, Mo.; May 6 – Indianapolis, Ind.; May 8 – Cincinnati, Ohio; May 9 – Columbus, Ohio; May 11 – Pittsburgh, Pa.; and May 13 – Philadelphia, Pa. The Tour culminates in New York City on May 14, which is Mother’s Day, near the historic Stonewall Inn, considered by many to be the birthplace of the LGBTQ equality movement. Subsequent annual Tours will conclude on Mother’s Day at other landmarks significant in the history of the LGBTQ equality movement.
The overall rate of homelessness and suicide in the LGBTQ community is nearly 10 times the rate of the general population, according to the CDC. Furthermore, it is estimated that 25 percent of LGBTQ youth who come out in religious circles are immediately turned away by their families. The Free Mom Hugs Tour will demonstrate what love and support can look like and educate community leaders about the unnecessary risks LGBTQ children, youth and young adults face on a daily basis.
For more information:
Sara Cunningham sara@sophiasojourn.com 405-473-2913
Laura Beth Taylor laurabeth@sophiasojourn.com 817-676-2739
Stories have the power to change the world … they inspire us, teach us, connect us.This is the thirty-first installment in the “Stories That Change The World” series.
One thing that is often discussed in the group is the pain and sorrow over the way that many Christian leaders speak and write about LGBTQ people and those of us who love and support them.
We know the pain of being rejected, shunned and misjudged.
So, when someone like Jen Hatmaker comes out and says she believes a same sex marriage can be holy, she would attend a gay wedding with gladness and she believes the church should welcome gay couples, we are VERY encouraged to say the least … so, today we sent the following letter to Jen to express our support and gratitude … because we believe people like her are changing the world!
Dear Jen,
We are members of a large private Facebook group for Christian moms of LGBTQ kids.
More than 400 of us are signing this letter to express our support and gratitude. We want you to know we have been encouraged by your brave stand for grace and love; and we commend you for being a Christian leader seeking to follow Christ’s example of radical love and inclusion.
Many of us have left our local faith communities because we no longer found them to be safe places for our family. Hearing about Christian leaders such as yourself gives us hope about the future for our families.
We understand how difficult it can be to take an affirming and inclusive position such as you have taken. We have firsthand experience regarding the cost of taking such a stand. We were disappointed and saddened to hear that LifeWay made the decision to no longer sell your books, but many of us plan to show our support by purchasing your books from other outlets. We appreciate the risk you are taking and are praying that God will protect, strengthen, guide and bless you.
We believe that the inclusiveness and acceptance of ALL God’s children reflects the idea that Paul put forth in Galatians 5:6 when he wrote “the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love” and are hopeful that other Christian leaders will follow your example of living a life of faith expressing itself through love.
We believe that people like you are helping change the world into a kinder, safer, more loving place for all LGBTQ people to live and for that we are forever grateful.
May God keep you and bless you abundantly!
With sincere gratitude and affection,
Liz Dyer, Founder & Owner
Abby De Fiesta Cortez
Adele Berardi
Alecia Moss
Aletheia Wall Zambesi
Alise D Chaffins
Alison Defrese
Allena Brown
Amanda Corry Thorderson
Amanda Curtis Dwyer
Amanda Dalton
Amy Goad
Amy Hansley Bennett
Amy Rueter
Andrea Larson Schultz
Angie Laws
Angie Silver
Angie Stratz Ashmore
Anita Jewell Carter Cockrum
Ann McGee Green
Ann Zweckbronner
Arlene Schulz
Barb Cressy
Becky Cantrall
Beth Barndt Ruthenburg
Beth Breems
Beth McGill-Rizer
Bethany Kirwen
Betsy Bruce Henning
Billie Jo Marrs
Bonnie Miranda
Brenda Holloway Bratcher
Bridget Murphy
Candace Winters
Carie Poynor Downes
Carla Iturregui Picasso-Brown
Carla Michaelsen
Carla Short Spivey
Carol Beth Wiggins Baswell
Carol Mason
Carole Bass
Caroline Williams Joyce
Carolyn Cage Johnston
Carolyn Walker
Carrie Garske Shank
Caryle A Cox
Cassy Taylor Campos
Cathleen Frantzen Schaber
Chasity Davis
Cheri Nill
Cheri Simpson
Cherie Walker
Cheryl Bakkila-Perkins
Chris Behne
Christie Hoos
Christie Nader
Christina Lehmann Bergevin
Christina Rosbury
Christy Emigh
Cilla Thomas
Cindy Helzer Baldwin
Cindy Jo Conner
Cindy Morgan
Cindy Richard Broussard
Colleen Hepler Brassington
Colleen Kane
Connie Dupuis
Crista Mason
Crystal Baker
Crystal Wagner
Cyndi Silva Raugh
Cynthia Corsetti
Cynthia Gaye Rahm-Clark
Dana Baker
Dana Huntington-Smith
Danette Mohring
Dawn Bellotti
Dawn Bennett
Dawn Pulley Ervin
Deb Gallagher
Debbie McCullough Hayhurst
Debbie Rogers Greenan
Debbie Wasielewski Tavarez
Debby McCrary
Debi Jackson
Debi Tucker Boland
Deborah Carlyle Enman
Debra Honeywell Myott
Dee-Ann Bodenheimer-Enslin
Deena Corwin Pfahler
Deleise Carper Brewer
Denise Ramirez-Tatum
Denise Trainer Webb
Derry Cronin Gleason
Diana Dermit McCarthy
Diana Walla
Diane Blevins Smith
Diane Simms
Donna Holmes
Donna Thompson Spencer
Donna Turner Hudson
Dorene Rose
Doris Wright
Elaine Falk Parker
Elisa Stoneman
Elizabeth McConnel Sutton
Elizabeth Pierce
Eva Sullivan-Knoff
Felicia Dodd
Frances Lavender
Gena Rogers
Genell Brown
Georgi Persons
Gerry Phifer
Gina Williamson
Glenda Crump
Glenda Purkis Boulton
Gloria Melton
Greta Medrano
Gretchen Doornek Mueller
Harriet Sutton
Heather Clevenger
Heather Gee-Thomas
Heather McCracken Bottoms
Ineka Estabrook
Irene Gilliland
Jacqueline Rutledge
Jade Cutter
Jamie Hovland
Jamie Tessing Bruesehoff
Jammie Risley Hahn
Jan Pezant
Jan Roberts
Jan Wightman
Jane Clementi
Jane Moody
Janet Phillips
Janice Dunn White
Janie Romine
Janine Sarah Moore
Jaron Terry
Jeannette Cona-Larock
Jeannie Babb
Jenna Robertson
Jennie Young-Walczyk
Jennifer Donovan Jasgur
Jennifer Dunnam Stringfellow
Jennifer Hancock
Jennifer Robinson
Jennifer Schaffner Burkhardt
Jennifer Seeger
Jennifer Stake White
Jennifer Teeter
Jennifer Wilkins Pearson
Jenny Bishop Morgan
Jerri Surles Collins
Jessica Fahlgren
Jill Blythe
Jill Johnstone
Jill Pote Yarbrough
Jillian Jones
Joani Lea Jack
JoAnn Forsberg
Joann Thompson
Jody Miller Vanderzell
Joy Denton
Judie Brown Gordon
Judith K Volkar
Judy Witzel Harper
Julia Lunardo
Julie Ackerson-Armstrong
Julie Bean Bisgaard
Julie Elliott O’Neal
Julie Greene
Julie Kennedy Eaton
Julie Lenox Haines
Julie Manning Waters
Karen Adams
Karen Decker Kusserow
Karen Sullivan
Karin Paulus
Karin Triola
Katherine Brown Leidy
Kathi Nicholson
Kathie Moehlig
Kathrine M Kraft
Kathryn Zentner
Kathy Ann
Kathy Ewing-Finley
Kathy Green
Kathy Reim
Kathy Renne Post
Kathy White
Katie Jenifer
Katie Willhite Brooks
Katrina Black
Kay Kelley
Kay Otting
Kay Whistler
Kelli Henry Alamond
Kelli Lewis Decker
Kellie Taylor- Lafevor
Kelly Beane
Kelly Cantwell
Kelly Dembiczak
Kelly M Hunsaker
Kelly McKinsey
Kelly Rae Holiday
Keri Lynn Riley
Kim Belcher Messick
Kim Freeman Weill
Kim Kendall
Kim Lue
Kim McMahon
Kim Sonntag
Kimberly Jones
Kimberly Shappley
Kimberlyn Graham
Kirsten Shaw
Kris Gromm
Krista Burdine
Kristen Capp
Kristi Chenoweth Dubois
Kristi Kodos
Kyle Jump
Lannette Sargent
Laura Beth Taylor
Laura Sparks Turner
LeAnn Fenner
Leba Shallenberger
Lee Ann Howdershell
Lenora Lea Gill
Lesa Edwards-Schepers
Lesley Davis
Leslie Jones Webster
Linda Baker
Linda Ling
Linda Rooney
Linda Slater Tow
Linda Wiebe Dickinson
Linda York O’Connell
Lisa Bray
Lisa Cousins
Lisa Giordano Bontemps
Lisa Golden Dugger
Lisa MacGregor
Lisa Maniscalco Hildebrand
Lisa McCrystal Holley
Lisa Osborne
Lisa Reinhart Hard
Lisa Schramm
Lisa Scott Wofford
Lisa Wetmore Shinn
Liz Dyer
Loretta Davila
Lori Black Manning
Lori Bradley-Lewis
Lori Chavers Blankenship
Lori Love-Wise
Lori McCoy Simmons
Lori Rogers
Lyndah Kolkmann
Lynette Joy
Lynn Kato
Madai Girard
Maleea Shaver Castillo
Mally Shell Hatch
Marcie Castiglione
Margi Wilmans
Margie Candler
Maria Breeden
Marianne Minier Walker
Marjorie Rudolph
Marlene Hoefer Brummond
Marlene Lund
Marsha Ladd
Martha Maust
Marti Parsons Grahl
Mary Estelle Montgomery
Mary Jo Whitley
Mary Kay Weil
Meg Shull Bierwirth
Melea Broekers
Melissa Ballard
Melissa Brady Silva
Melissa Morritt Coble
Melissa Sosenko DeStefano
Meredith Webster Indermaur
Merryl Dietz
Micah Hoshi
Michele Engle
Michele Manuel Fuselier
Michele Wessel Tarnow
Michelle Bradshaw McComb
Michelle Zulch
Millie Donnell
Miriam Pendley
Monica Ausderau Larmon
Monica Maday
Monica-Niki Elenbaas
Morven Roberts Baker
Najla Samaan
Nancy Barron Booher
Nancy Johnson Campbell
Nancy MacDonald
Nancy Ruh
Nancy Thompson Flikkema
Nancy Villegas
Nancy Wance
Nicole Havlen Hair
Olivia Santos
Paige Gant
Paige Stover
Pam Ensinger Antos
Pam Swendig
Pam Walsh
Patricia Detzel
Patricia Sjöberg
Patti Atwood Grossman
Patti Mercer Churner
Patti Stone
Patti Stratton
Paula Unrau
Pauline Carlson
Pauline Daly
Phyllis Barber
Rachel Drouillard
Rachel Keyte
Rachel Sargent
Rebecca Fako Uecker
Rebecca Hedges Lyon
Regina Pitts Woods
Renay Boyes
Renee Utley Bennink
Rev. Mally Baum
Rhonda Hartzell
Rhonda Morrison
Rita Daruvala
Rob Ullinger
Robin Gowan
Robin Protsman
Robinette Nacca-Cooke
Robyn S Haag
Ʀosaııie Ĺane
Rose Stucchio
Roseanne M. Shannon
Rosemarie Varrichio Campbell
Rossana Neglia McLaughlin
Roxanna Villars Gambrell
S Anderson
Sandra Cathers
Sandra Van Dyne
Sandy Collins
Sandy McClure
Sara Cunningham
Sara Hoel May
Sarah Langley
Sarah Mills Holbrook
Sarah Thacker-Estell
Shannon Eaton
Shawna Dicintio
Shay Bisbee Haude
Shelley McBride
Sheri Martin
Sherrl McFerrin Townsend
Sondy Eklund
Stacey Frazier
Stacey Jackson Baeumler
Stacy Gouge Drake
Stephanie Anderson
Sue Howard
Sue Tresatti
Susan Berland
Susan Cloys Seaman
Susan Cottrell
Susan Foss Naranjo-Stultz
Susan Hammontree Fortney
Susan Ledbetter
Susan Merritt Slattery
Susan Metcalf
Susan Wardzinski
Susy Rowe Barnhill
Suzanne Lambert Mann
Tamara Darbin
Tamara Totoro Dick
Tammi Perkins
Tammy Flowers Mejdrich
Tammy Watson
Tammy Wenzinger
Tamra Jennings
Tana Lightbown Hendricks
Tari Card
Tenley Dyck
Teresa Medlin Poston
Teresa Parker
Teri Henderson
Teri Stueland Kay
Terri Cook
Terri Gervasi
Terri Nolt
Terri Schempf
Terry Hall Sanchez
Theresa Moore Martinez
Theresa Tasker
Tina Tocheri Thomas
Tonda Campbell Hoyt
Toni Ann Bradley
Tracie Sells
Tracy Jepson
Tricia Kaufman-Waddell
Tricia Willard
Valerie Amoling Cronin
Vanessa Horton-Hendershot
Vanessa Melchiori
Vicki Kemp Whorton
Vicki Westphal
Vicky Barnes
Vlada Knowlton
Zenia Robertson
Serendipitydodah for Moms is a private Facebook group created as an extension of the Serendipitydodah blog. The group is private so only members can see who is in the group and what is posted in the group. The group was started in June 2014 and presently has more than 1,400 members. The space was specifically created for open minded Christian moms who have LGBTQ kids and want to develop and maintain healthy, loving, authentic relationships with their LGBTQ kids. In addition to providing a space for members to share info and support one another, a special guest is added each month for a few days. The guests include authors, pastors, LGBTQ people, bloggers and public speakers.
I love this day but I never want anyone to feel pressure to come out.
I have people contact me all throughout the year, but especially around this day, to talk about coming out.
I always tell them they should keep their personal safety in mind when thinking about coming out.
My advise is come out if you are ready and if you think you will be safe but safety should be the first priority.
Some LGBTQ youth are wise to wait until they are out on their own before coming out. I know of LGBTQ youth who have been kicked out of their homes or denied help with higher education or isolated from their support groups when they came out. Being in the closet is hard but sometimes it is necessary for a period of time.
I also realize that there is a right time for parents to come out as affirming and supportive of their kids. Sometimes relationships need to be managed and sometimes jobs are at stake. Each person and family has to weigh the risks.
The timing needs to be right.
But I do think we should all be working towards being out and helping our kids be out because keeping secrets takes a great toll on people. Keeping secrets, hiding who you are and what you really think and believe affects the ability to form intimate connections and causes a lot of anxiety on a daily basis.
When people can be themselves, live authentically, share honestly and live into the person they were created to be they are always healthier in every way.
Serendipitydodah for Moms is a private Facebook group created as an extension of the Serendipitydodah blog. The group is private so only members can see who is in the group and what is posted in the group. The group was started in June 2014 and presently has more than 1,400 members. The space was specifically created for open minded Christian moms who have LGBTQ kids and want to develop and maintain healthy, loving, authentic relationships with their LGBTQ kids. In addition to providing a space for members to share info and support one another, a special guest is added each month for a few days. The guests include authors, pastors, LGBTQ people, bloggers and public speakers.
***Thanks to Sara Cunningham for allowing me to use this picture. Check out the notes at the bottom of this post to find out more about Sara and her book “How We Sleep At Night: A Mother’s Memoir”
There’s a new #ActivistMommy on the scene these days. I would guess that she is probably a member of the “One Million Moms” group on Facebook that has less than one hundred thousand members. LOL You know the group – it’s the one who boycotts any business or organization that shares anything positive about LGBTQ people.
Anyway … this new #ActivistMommy is similar to the members of the One Million Moms group as she likes to complain and rant (in videos and in Facebook posts) about how horrible the world is because of Pride parades and same sex marriage and inclusive churches and businesses that allow people to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity.
She is all about the doom and gloom and likes to talk about how those who affirm same sex marriage and support churches that are fully inclusive are not really Christians.
Her supporters are even more bold and are likely to tell someone like me that I am going to burn in hell and am leading my gay son into the pit of hell with me … oh, and they are predicting the end of the world will probably happen any day now. LOL
Well …
I’m an #ActivistMommy too but I’m not trying to spread a doom and gloom message.
Instead, I’ve created an online community for open minded Christian moms who have LGBTQ kids and want to develop and maintain healthy, authentic, loving relationships with their LGBTQ kids.
The group was started in June 2014 and we have over 1,100 members now.
We share a lot of info and support in the group and inspire each other to do what we can to make the world a kinder, safer, more loving place for all LGBTQ people to live.
That’s the kind of #ActivistMommy I am.
Email me at lizdyer55@gmail.com for more info about the private Facebook group and how to join.
To all the moms out there who love and support their LGBTQ kids I propose that we take over the #ActivistMommy hashtag and use it to spread a positive message of love and light.
If you post a picture of you and your family at a Pride parade use the hashtag #ActivistMommy.
If you post something that supports equality or protection for LGBTQ people use the hashtag #ActivistMommy.
If you post a picture of a same sex couple getting married use #ActivistMommy.
If you post something about #PFLAG or #GCN or #HRC or #TheTrevorProject or #GayStraighAlliance or #TrueColors or anything that is a positive support system for LGBTQ people – especially LGBTQ youth – use the hashtag #ActivistMommy
That way, when people search for #ActivistMommy they will receive a post or picture or video or thought that will help make the world a better place for all of us to live.
Your move!
************************************
Serendipitydodah for Moms is a private Facebook group created as an extension of the Serendipitydodah blog. The group is private so only members can see who is in the group and what is posted in the group. The group was started in June 2014 and presently has more than 1,100 members. The space was specifically created for open minded Christian moms who have LGBTQ kids and want to develop and maintain healthy, loving, authentic relationships with their LGBTQ kids. In addition to providing a space for members to share info and support one another, a special guest is added each month for a few days. The guests include authors, pastors, LGBTQ people, bloggers and public speakers. For more info email lizdyer55@gmail.com
************************************
***Thanks to Sara Cunningham for allowing me to use her picture for this post. Sara Cunningham is one of the members in the Serendipitydodah for Moms group. She is my kind of #ActivistMommy
She organized a group of moms who went to OKC Pride this year. They marched in the parade, set up a “Free Mom Hugs” booth and helped shield LGBTQ people from those who were there to spread negative messages.
Sara is also the author of “How We Sleep At Night: A Mother’s Memoir” which tells the story of how a Christian mother comes to terms with her son being gay through a personal journey that starts with the Church and ends at the Pride Parade. It’s a great book that I highly recommend.
I have a private Facebook group for open minded Christian moms of LGBTQ kids. We have more than 1,100 moms in the group and one thing we love to do is send letters of support, encouragement and thanks out from our group to people or organizations that we can have a positive impact on.
When we heard about Christian music artist Trey Pearson coming out we knew he would be facing some negative responses so we put together a letter of support and gathered signatures from members of the group and sent it off to him.
We wanted Trey to know that there are people in his corner, rooting for him and loving him for who he is.
Here is the letter we sent to Trey:
Dear Trey,
We are members of a large private Facebook group called Serendipitydodah for Moms. The group was created for open minded Christian moms of LGBTQ kids who love and support their kids and want to develop and maintain healthy, authentic, loving relationships with their LGBTQ kids. We have more than 1,100 members in the group and many of us are working to bring attention to acceptance and equality, sometimes in personal relationships and sometimes publicly.
We are writing to you because we want you to know that we care about you and recognize the courage it took to come out publicly. We are moms who understand because some of our own children have had to exhibit the same kind of courage when they finally determined to come out and begin living fully into the person they were created to be.
Although there is a lot of ignorance and hate out there, we want to encourage you. Every day there are more and more people who are supportive and affirming of LGBTQ people. The tide is turning and things are getting better. Laws are changing and many, many people do care about you and support you.
So, hang in there and never give up on your dream to live a full, happy, successful, good life.
More than 300 of us are signing our names to this letter with much love and encouragement sent your way.
We will continue to fight for you, pray for you and support you just as you are.
Love & light,
Abby De Fiesta Cortez
Adele Berardi
Aletheia Wall Zambesi
Alise D Chaffins
Alison Defrese
Allena Brown
Amanda Curtis Dwyer
Amy Hansley Moorehead
Angie Laws
Angie Silver
Anita Jewell Carter Cockrum
Ann McGee Green
Ann Zweckbronner
Arlene Schulz
Barb Cressy
Becky Cantrall
Beth Barndt Ruthenburg
Beth Breems
Beth Yoder
Bethany Kirwen
Betsy Bruce Henning
Billie Jo Marrs
Bonnie Miranda
Bridget Murphy
Carie Poynor Downes
Carla Iturregui Picasso-Brown
Carla Michaelsen
Carla Short Spivey
Carol Beth Wiggins Baswell
Carol Fuss Reed
Carol Mason
Carole Bass
Caroline Williams Joyce
Carolyn Cage Johnston
Carrie Garske Shank
Cassy Taylor Campos
Cathleen Frantzen Schaber
Chasity Davis
Cheri Nill
Cheri Simpson
Cherie Walker
Cheryl Bakkila-Perkins
Chris Behne
Christie Hoos
Christy Emigh
Cindy Helzer Baldwin
Cindy Morgan
Colleen Kane
Crista Mason
Cyndi Silva Raugh
Cynthia Corsetti
Dana Baker
Dana Huntington-Smith
Danette Mohring
Dawn Bellotti
Dawn Bennett Jones
Dawn Pulley Ervin
Deb Gallagher
Debbie McCullough Hayhurst
Debbie Rogers Greenan
Debbie Wasielewski Tavarez
Debby McCrary
Debi Jackson
Debi Tucker Boland
Deborah Carlyle Enman
Dee-Ann Bodenheimer-Enslin
Deena Corwin Pfahler
Deleise Carper Brewer
Denise Ramirez-Tatum
Denise Trainer Webb
Derry Cronin Gleason
Diana Dermit McCarthy
Diane Blevins Smith
Diane Simms
Donna Holmes
Donna Turner Hudson
Dorene Rose
Doris Wright
Elaine Falk Parker
Felicia Dodd
Frances Lavender
Gena Rogers
Genell Brown
Georgi Persons
Gerry Phifer
Greta Medrano
Gretchen Doornek Mueller
Harriet Sutton
Heather Clevenger
Heather Gee-Thomas
Heather McCracken Bottoms
Ineka Estabrook
Irene Gilliland
Jacqueline Rutledge
Jamie Hovland
Jamie Tessing Bruesehoff
Jammie Risley Hahn
Jan Pezant
Jan Roberts
Jan Wightman
Jane Clementi
Jane Moody
Janet Phillips
Janine Sarah Moore
Jaron Terry
Jennie Young-Walczyk
Jennifer Dunnam Stringfellow
Jennifer Hancock
Jennifer Schaffner Burkhardt
Jennifer Seeger
Jennifer Stake White
Jerri Surles Collins
Jessica Fahlgren
Jill Spicer
Joani Lea Jack
JoAnn Forsberg
Joann Thompson
Jody Miller Vanderzell
Joy Denton
Judie Brown Gordon
Judith K Volkar
Judy Witzel Harper
Julia Lunardo
Julie Bean Bisgaard
Julie Elliott O’Neal
Julie Greene
Julie Kennedy Eaton
Julie Lenox Haines
Karen Adams
Karen Decker Kusserow
Karin Paulus
Kathi Nicholson
Kathie Moehlig
Kathryn Zentner
Kathy Ewing-Finley
Kathy Green
Kathy Reim
Kathy Renne Post
Katie Jenifer
Katie Willhite Brooks
Katrina Black
Kay Kelley
Kay Otting
Kay Whistler
Kelli Henry Alamond
Kelli Lewis Decker
Kellie Taylor- Lafevor
Kelly Beane
Kelly Rae Holiday
Kim Freeman Weill
Kim Kendall
Kim Lue
Kim McMahon
Kim Sonntag
Kimberly Jones
Kimberly Shappley
Kimberlyn Graham
Kirsten Shaw
Kristi Kodos
Kristina Gromm
Kyle Jump
Lannette Sargent
Laura Beth Taylor
Laura Sparks Turner
LeAnn Fenner
Lenora Lea Gill
Lesa Edwards-Schepers
Lesley Davis
Leslie Jones Webster
Linda Baker
Linda Ling
Linda Rooney
Linda Slater Tow
Linda Wiebe Dickinson
Linda York O’Connell
Lisa Bray
Lisa Giordano Bontemps
Lisa Golden Dugger
Lisa MacGregor
Lisa Maniscalco Hildebrand
Lisa McCrystal Holley
Lisa Osborne
Lisa Reinhart Hard
Lisa Schramm
Lisa Scott Wofford
Lisa Wetmore Shinn
Liz Dyer
Loretta Davila
Lori Black Manning
Lori Bradley-Lewis
Lori Love-Wise
Lori Rogers
Lyndah Kolkmann
Lynette Joy
Lynn Kato
Madai Girard
Maleea Shaver Castillo
Mally Shell Hatch
Marcie Castiglione
Margi Wilmans
Margie Candler
Maria Breeden
Marianne Minier Walker
Marjorie Rudolph
Marlene Hoefer Brummond
Marlene Lund
Marsha Ladd
Martha Maust
Marti Parsons Grahl
Mary Estelle Montgomery
Mary Jo Whitley
Mary Kay Weil
Melea Broekers
Melissa Morritt Coble
Meredith Webster Indermaur
Merryl Dietz
Michele Engle
Michele Freemyer Grabbe
Michele Manuel Fuselier
Michelle Bradshaw McComb
Michelle Zulch
Millie Donnell
Miriam Pendley
Monica Maday
Monica Thompson
Monica-Niki Elenbaas
Morven Roberts Baker
Nancy Barron Booher
Nancy MacDonald
Nancy Thompson Flikkema
Nancy Villegas
Nancy Wance
Nicole Havlen Hair
Paige Gant
Pam Ensinger Antos
Pam Swendig
Patricia Sjöberg
Patti Atwood Grossman
Patti Mercer Churner
Patti Stone
Patti Stratton
Paula Unrau
Pauline Carlson
Pauline Daly
Phyllis Barber
Rachel Drouillard
Rachel Sargent
Rebecca Hedges Lyon
Regina Pitts Woods
Renee Utley Bennink
Rev. Mally Baum
Rhonda Hartzell
Rita Daruvala
Rob Ullinger
Robin Gowan
Robin Protsman
Robinette Nacca-Cooke
Ʀosaııie Ĺane
Rose Stucchio
Roseanne M. Shannon
Rosemarie Varrichio Campbell
Roxanna Villars Gambrell
S Anderson
Sandra Cathers
Sandra Van Dyne
Sandy Collins
Sandy McClure
Sara Cunningham
Sara Hoel May
Sarah Mills Holbrook
Sarah Thacker-Estell
Shannon Eaton
Shay Bisbee Haude
Shelley McBride
Sheri Martin
Sondy Eklund
Stacey Frazier
Stacey Jackson Baeumler
Stacy Gouge Drake
Sue Howard
Sue Tresatti
Susan Berland
Susan Cloys Seaman
Susan Foss Naranjo-Stultz
Susan Hammontree Fortney
Susan Ledbetter
Susan Metcalf
Susan Wardzinski
Susy Rowe Barnhill
Suzanne Lambert Mann
Tamara Totoro Dick
Tammi Perkins
Tammy Flowers Mejdrich
Tammy Watson
Tammy Wenzinger
Tammy Wylie Barnes
Tamra Jennings
Tana Lightbown Hendricks
Tenley Dyck
Teresa Medlin Poston
Teresa Parker
Teri Stueland Kay
Terri Cook
Terri Gervasi
Terri Nolt
Terri Schempf
Theresa Moore Martinez
Theresa Tasker
Tonda Campbell Hoyt
Tracie Sells
Tracy Jepson
Tricia Kaufman- Waddell
Tricia Willard
Vanessa Horton-Hendershot
Vanessa Melchiori
Vicki Kemp Whorton
Vicki Westphal
Vicky Barnes
Wendy Wiley Canedy
Zenia Robertson
Serendipitydodah for Moms is a private Facebook group created as an extension of the Serendipitydodah blog. The group is private so only members can see who is in the group and what is posted in the group. The group was started in June 2014 and presently has more than 1,100 members. The space was specifically created for open minded Christian moms who have LGBTQ kids and want to develop and maintain healthy, loving, authentic relationships with their LGBTQ kids. In addition to providing a space for members to share info and support one another, a special guest is added each month for a few days. The guests include authors, pastors, LGBTQ people, bloggers and public speakers.
Stories have the power to change the world … they inspire us, teach us, connect us. This is the twenty-third installment in the “Stories That Change The World” series.
There are so many ways to tell a story. This week I am featuring a story that is told in a beautiful, powerful spoken word poem by Emily Joy.
Emily Joy is a spoken word poet and Midwest native currently residing in Nashville, TN. She cut her teeth on the Chicago slam poetry scene while getting a degree in theology from Moody Bible Institute, then spent a brief hiatus in the Arizona desert, where she met her husband. She now makes her living as a freelance writer, traveling poet and full-time cat mom to a tiny ball of fur named Clive Staples Lewis. Emily is passionate about challenging the status quo of the universe through art and empowering people, especially women, to pursue justice, speak their truths and ask hard questions.
Emily Joy‘s new poem, “How to Love the Sinner & Hate the Sin – 5 Easy Steps” tells a story that too many can relate to.
“This poem is for all the people who’ve ever been made to feel like who they are is a sin or an abomination or unworthy of divine or human love. I love you. God loves you. Your sexuality is a gift, not a curse. Let’s change the story.” – Emily Joy
Watch the video here:
Here are the powerful lyrics:
How to Love the Sinner & Hate the Sin: 5 Easy Steps
By Emily Joy
1. Make sure the sinner knows how you feel about their lifestyle choices.
Silence is considered tacit approval.
Seize every opportunity to remind them your god says they are going to hell.
Don’t be fooled into polite dinnertime conversation,
The devil is in the details.
Structure your entire relationship around opportunities to ask them to change their mind.
Ask them, “Don’t you think this is just a phase?”
Ask them, “Why do you have to find your identity in a word?”
Remind them your word says they are an abomination,
You can’t change that, it’s not your fault,
God said it, not you.
2. Pray with your vote.
Religious freedom means never having to say you’re sorry.
You can still love people and take away their rights,
Trust me, we’ve been doing it for years.
Resist all attempts to allow the sinner equal access
To the legal and social benefits you enjoy,
You don’t want them to think they deserve it,
Let’s not reward deviants and perverts.
Put signs in your yard
Letting the whole world know that you’re voting “NO”
On marriage equality,
It’s much more polite than a banner that says
GOD HATES FAGS.
3. Ask the sinner to meet for coffee.
Tell them you’re concerned for their salvation.
You wondered if they would do a Bible study with you.
It just so happens to be in Romans.
Ask them if they’re a practicing homosexual.
Ask them questions you wouldn’t ask your closest friends,
If they don’t want to answer,
Tell them,
You should have thought of that before you chose to be gay.
Before you go,
Let them know that all sins are equal in the eyes of God.
Bestiality, child pornography, mass murder, voting Democrat,
It’s all the same when viewed from above.
You’re only saying this cause you love them.
When they stop meeting you for coffee,
Remind yourself that this is not your fault.
That the gospel is offensive
And calls us to sacrifice,
And the gospel must have been a bit too pricey for the sinner.
Put them on your prayer list anyway.
There’s not a heart that God can’t change.
When you see them in the grocery store,
Say hi.
Try to ignore the bags under their eyes.
Ask them how they’ve been
But don’t wait for an answer.
You don’t want to know.
4. Under no circumstances should you ever attend their wedding,
Even if the sinner is your child.
Especially if the sinner is your child.
Being there would just send the message that you approve of their lifestyle.
When you RSVP, say something like
“Dear friend,
I regret to inform that I will not be able to attend
As I do not believe in celebrating sin.
Yours respectfully.”
Let everyone know why you’re not going.
But do send them a gift.
A bible. Highlight important passages in Leviticus
And put a bookmark in the story of Sodom & Gomorrah.
If they never speak to you again,
This is not your fault, either.
People hated Jesus too
Cause he spoke the truth,
Just like you’re doing
When you love the sinner and hate the sin.
5. If they commit suicide,
Well, at least you know where they’re going.
At least you can tell their family at the funeral
That they got what they deserved.
When you lay your head down at night,
Quiet your demons by imagining how pleased God must be with you
And all the crowns you’ll get in heaven
For your refusal to water down the gospel.
Don’t think about them popping those pills
Or tying that noose
Or crashing that car.
Don’t think about desperate last minute phone calls,
Bodies crumpled on bathroom floors,
Children sleeping in alleyways.
We live in a sinful world.
There will always be suffering.
You can’t be held responsible for theirs,
You were just speaking the truth in love.
Close your eyes.
Say your prayers.
Goodnight.
*******************************************
This poem was especially meaningful to the moms of LGBTQ kids in my private Facebook group, Serendipitydodah for Moms. Unfortunately too many of us know what it feels like to be the recipient of this kind of love (?).
Serendipitydodah for Moms is a private Facebook group created as an extension of the Serendipitydodah blog. The group is set up so only members can see who is in the group and what is posted there. The group was started in June 2014 and presently has more than 1,100 members. The space was specifically created for open minded Christian moms who have LGBTQ kids and want to develop and maintain healthy, loving, authentic relationships with their LGBTQ kids. For more info email lizdyer55@gmail.com
I have a private Facebook group for open minded Christian moms of LGBT kids. The group was started in June 2014 and has quickly grown to over 1,000 members. We share a lot of information and support with one another. This “answer to Michael Brown’s open letter to Bruce Springsteen” was written by, Alise, one of the members of that group.
(If you are interested in joining the private Facebook group for moms of LGBT kids email lizdyer55@gmail.com and put “Moms Facebook Group” as the subject.)
Stories have the power to change the world … they inspire us, teach us, connect us.This is the eighteenth installment in the “Stories That Change The World” series.
Answering Michael Brown’s Open Letter to Bruce Springsteen – by Alise
There’s an open letter to Bruce Springsteen making the rounds. In case you missed what prompted it, The Boss canceled a concert in North Carolina following the passage of HB2 which, among other things, demands that trans men and women use the bathrooms that align with their sex at birth, rather than their true gender.
I’ll be honest, I don’t have any strong feelings about boycotting a state. It feels a little too big, a little too hard to nail down. I’m going to guess that gay and transgender people have jobs there that are hurt by large boycotts, and I’m not sure how we help the LGBTQ population by damaging the economy of their state. I understand the desire to bring attention to the problem, I’m just iffy on the logistics of most boycotts.
But back to Michael Brown’s open letter to Springsteen. I feel okay answering this on Springsteen’s behalf, not because I know his exact thoughts, but because, shockingly enough, I don’t think the letter was actually written to Bruce so much as written about transgender people. And like most protective moms, I’m having a hard time letting some of the accusations made in this letter go, especially when they seem to be born of ignorance rather than actually seeking understanding.
First, how do you know if someone is really “transgender” or not? Is it determined entirely by how they feel about themselves? If so, do you think that it might be hard to make laws based entirely on how people feel? Did you ever stop to consider that?
I find this fascinating, since the entirety of HB2 is based on how people feel about LGBTQ people in general, and transgender people specifically. We don’t THINK they’re really who they say they are, so we make a law to protect the FEELINGS of those who FEEL like they’re at risk.
Second, what’s the difference between someone with “gender dysphoria” (or, as it used to be called, “gender identity disorder”) and someone, say, with schizophrenia or “multiple personality disorder” or some other psychological condition? In other words, if a man is a biological and chromosomal male but believes he is a woman, is he actually a woman, or does he have a psychological disorder?
If he does have a psychological disorder, should we try to treat that disorder or should we celebrate that disorder? And is it right to call biological males who feel they are women and biological women who feel they are men “freedom fighters”? Perhaps that’s not the best use of the term?
This is a classic case of begging the question. Brown asks if being transgender is a psychological disorder then continues to operate under the assumption that it is a psychological disorder. According to the American Psychiatric Association in the DSM-5, however, “gender nonconformity is not in itself a mental disorder. The critical element of gender dysphoria is the presence of clinically significant distress associated with the condition.” The answer is readily available to those who are willing to look for it.
But perhaps I’m being too abstract here, so let’s get really practical. Let’s say that a 6’ 4” male who used to play professional football and who has secretly agonized over his gender identity for years finally determines that he must be true to himself and live as a woman.
Do you think it might be traumatic for a little girl using the library bathroom to see this big man walk into her room wearing a dress and a wig? Should we take her feelings into account, or is she not important? What if that was your granddaughter? Would you care if she was traumatized? And when you speak of “the human rights of all of our citizens” does that include little girls like this?
This is where we get to the heart of the story. Cis men who are deeply uncomfortable with trans women. Because I have yet, in any of my reading about transgender people using the “correct” bathrooms, come across anyone raising concern about trans men being forced to use women’s bathrooms. There is no concern for the trauma of a little girl running into someone like Buck Angel in a public restroom. There is no concern for someone’s daughter or granddaughter seeing Aydian Dowling washing his hands when they come out of the stall.
The alarms being raised for the safety of our women are red herrings to distract us from the inherent sexism that rears up when ….
Go here to read the remainder of Alise’s answer to Michael Brown’s open letter to Bruce Springsteen.
