Category: Coming Out

‘I am what I am’ – A reflection on identity

The following text is a reflection I presented today during Morning Prayer at the church I attend with my partner. The church chooses a monthly theme for its services – this month’s theme was Musicals! When my partner and I were asked to lead a service on the theme of musicals, at first I thought: …

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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2013/08/11/i-am-what-i-am/

Waiting for the lovers – Why we can’t rewrite this love song yet

THIS HAUNTING AND POIGNANT SONG is dedicated to those who don’t feel free to love for fear of judgement, or even physical assault, by others who assume their love is wrong: They met across the dance floor just like many other lovers Each of them were caught within a trance And with the nervousness of …

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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2013/05/27/waiting-for-the-lovers/

Photo A Day – December 9: Out and about #FMSphotoaday

TODAY I STAYED at home in the warmth, working on the annual report of the Michael Causer Foundation, of which I am a trustee. To prevent me going stir-crazy from being home all day, I decided to walk to the evening service at a nearby Anglican Church. On the way, I passed the derelict Welsh …

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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2012/12/09/photo-a-day-dec9-out-about/

Photo A Day – November 30: On the wall #FMSphotoaday

‘HOW DEEP dare I go? How far might I reach?’ These challenging questions form part of a framed display of the life story St Ignatius of Loyola on the wall of Loyola Hall Jesuit Spirituality Centre in Merseyside. I went there with an early draft of of my ‘coming out’ story to make an eight …

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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2012/11/30/photo-a-day-nov30-wall/

Photo A Day – November 24: Sound #FMSphotoaday

TODAY I was at a workshop about sharing good practice examples of LGBT work in schools. The sound I heard today was inspiration. As coordinator of the longest running LGBT youth group in the country, I receive requests to speak in schools and deliver workshops on LGBT awareness for young people. Other colleagues from around …

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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2012/11/24/photo-a-day-nov24-sound/

Photo A Day – November 20: Work/Play #FMSphotoaday

I AM very fortunate to be a youth worker, which means often when I’m working, I also get to play! Working with young people aged 13-25 helps keep me young. This is the rainbow umbrella I use to lead my LGBT youth group in the Liverpool Pride march each year. It is a highlight of …

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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2012/11/20/photo-a-day-nov20-work-play/

Come out, come out, whoever you are… Why we need National Coming Out Day

NATIONAL COMING OUT DAY (NCOD) has been celebrated on 11th October in the US and increasingly around the world, since 1988. NCOD celebrates individuals who publicly identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender (LGBT) and coming out about sexual orientation and/or gender identity as a cultural rite of passage for LGBT people. It marks the anniversary …

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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2012/10/12/comingoutday12/

SEEN and not heard? Why I am inspired to work for my community

ON OCTOBER 12th SEEN, the LGBT community magazine for Merseyside, will host the second annual SEEN Awards. This year there are several new awards, including ‘Inspirational Person of the Year’. When the shortlist was announced at the end of August I was pleasantly surprised to find I am on it. Am I inspirational? Clearly someone …

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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2012/09/28/seen-and-not-heard/

The scared and the sacred – Wrestling with identity

THIS is a detail of Jacob Wrestling With The Angel, by Alexander-Louis Leloir (1865). I discovered this image as I began writing my coming-out-in-faith story. I believe the story which inspired it has something to teach us about our identity, which may explain its popularity as a source of inspiration for artists, and why it speaks …

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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2012/09/23/the-scared-and-the-sacred/

Jack-with-no-box – Why I have come out of the church

IN MY LAST POST I explained how I began to find my voice while contributing to The Exuberant Church by Rev Barbara Glasson. As Barbara and I discussed the coming out process, I had a strong sense that I needed to help her write her story and, in doing so, I began to write my …

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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2012/09/15/jack-with-no-box/

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