My parents were well-meaning white feminist types in the 1970s, so I was raised to believe I could be anything I wanted… but neither I nor my parents had any kind of language or framework to think about anything other than male or female. Unlike some trans folk, I didn’t feel like I was a boy. I just knew I wasn’t very good at being a girl. And because I wasn’t good at being a girl, I leaned toward patriarchal values — logic, reason, athletics, academic achievement, strength as power. There is a way that I think this was self-protection.
An important part of my journey was a lesbian-feminist awakening that helped me to revalue things like emotions, spirit, bodies, vulnerability. There was a phase when I was “woman-identified” and that was an important step towards honoring all of the parts of me. Being a baby dyke with a butch presentation was also an important opening in my efforts to navigate the world. But in the end, that still wasn’t all of me. I now identify as OtherWise, not male or female. Continue reading “Reflecting on Women’s History Month”
Despite Paul’s gifts for ministry, the Presbyterian Church would not ordain him because he is openly gay. The dually aligned status of our congregation presented him with a choice and an invitation: He could stay in the Presbyterian Church, which was his home, but where he could not fulfill his calling, or he could transfer his affiliation to the UCC and pursue ordination.
To Be OtherWise 