Tutti Frutti No More

3 CommentsFamous and Not-So, Gay community, Heaven/Hell, Pastor's P.O.V., ,

LITTLE RICHARD DIED TODAY. Did he go to Heaven or Hell?

He was one of the fathers of rock ‘n roll and described himself as an “omnisexual” where he gloried in a life of pervert practices that included orgies with men and women. Rolling Stone magazine said that his “fervent shrieks, flamboyant garb, and joyful, gender-bending persona embodied the spirit and sound of that new art form.”

Known for such hits as “Tutti Frutti,” “Long Tall Sally,” “Lucille,” and “Good Golly Miss Molly,” Elton John was even influenced by him: “I heard Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis, and that was it. I didn’t ever want to be anything else. I’m more of a Little Richard stylist than a Jerry Lee Lewis, I think.”

The Beatles recorded his songs as did such diverse bands as the Everly Brothers, Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Kinks and Elvis Costello. His style even influenced Prince. As he told Joan Rivers in 1989, “Prince is the Little Richard of his generation. I was wearing purple before you was wearing it,” he said, as he looked straight into the camera.

He gave up rock ‘n roll in 1957 to become an ordained minister after experiencing many signs and a dream about his own damnation and the end of the world.

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My Queer, Communist Friend

1 CommentGay community, , , , , , ,

I WISHED A HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY RADICAL, LEFT-WING, COMMUNIST, QUEER ACTIVIST, 30-year-old Facebook friend whose nom de plume is Cher Guevara. He would add this to his description: He would add this to his description: “anarcho-syndicalist, gender non-conforming, poet, journalist, performance artist, actor.”

We have had many spirited yet respectful conversations over the past few years. He knows where I stand on the issues and I know where he’s coming from. We have a lot of fun discussing the various social, political and religious topics that make their way onto social media. Even though his viewpoints are always completely off-the-wall and 100% wrong, I’m glad to have him as my friend.

He asked me some questions a while ago about who I am and why I held particular views; here is how I answered him: 

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I’m Out of the Closet Today

1 CommentCulture, Gay community, Pastor's P.O.V., , , , ,

SINCE IT’S NATIONAL COMING OUT DAY, I’VE GOT SOMETHING TO CONFESS….

It’s 2017 so I feel comfortable enough to do so. Those who know me well may not be too surprised when I reveal this very personal truth. But, this is the day that I feel emboldened enough to do it, so, please, accept me for who I am; I cannot turn back.

With all the current talk about trans-people from transgender to transsexuals, I now will also admit something. Please, don’t be shocked. I was born this way and had these feelings since I was very young. I can never change who I really am.

Yes, I’m trans.

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Can an LGBTQ Person Be a Christian?

1 CommentGay community, , ,

On July 6, 2016, my wife and I celebrated our 20th anniversary at the Cheesecake Factory in Austin and was waited on by a very gracious and professional server named Trey, who told me that he had good news: that he was getting married soon to his boyfriend. My wife and I said, “Congratulations.”

I wrote a post about the incident and it blew up!  (Read it here.) Though the vast majority of my Christian friends understood what my intent was, there were a few who missed the point entirely. What was my point? To be gracious to a member of the LGBTQ group. Christians for too long have made a big deal of homosexuality as if that was the only sin that mattered and believers have been an absolutely horrible witness in this post-Christian society with their judgmental attitudes, pointy fingers and furrowed brows. I understand that some may not want to say “Congratulations,” but don’t I have that right? That was the point. (By the way, if it should ever happen again, I will probably say, “I wish you well.”)

Flash forward one year. The Facebook app called “On This Day” reminded me of this post from a year ago. Of course, I posted it again. This time though, I tagged a few of my Facebook friends who are LGBTQ. Wow! Not only did I get clobbered by the judgmental Christians again, (no surprise), but also from the community I was trying to be gracious to. They also entirely missed the point, saying I was publicly shaming our server, that I was judgmental, and a few even used some family-unfriendly words and blasphemous memes to make their point.

So much for tolerance and inclusiveness.

I consider myself to be a friend to all. I want Jesus to be reflected in everything I do. Still, I fall short as everyone does, but my over-arching purpose for writing that post and re-posting it, was to demonstrate what I  consider a better way to reach those who disagree with what I believe. I also try to do this with a good dose of humor. I’m not mad at anybody. I hate no one.

The big question, I suppose, is this: Can a person be LGBTQ and a Christian?

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