Lenten Devotional: 47 Days of Conversation

People — including the LGBTQ faithful — look to their faith as a source of guidance and inspiration. Throughout the Lenten season, HRC will share devotionals from faith leaders, LGBTQ people and allies. The campaign seeks to create an environment in which LGBTQ people of faith and their allies can practice the spiritual traditions of their faith in a welcoming, inclusive environment.

The Lenten season marks the days leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion and subsequent resurrection. For Christians, the resurrection is both a celebration of life and a reminder that people continue to suffer, including members of the LGBTQ community.

It is important to note that the season of Lent is observed by many Christian denominations and may not resonate with all readers. With this series, HRC seeks to amplify and honor the voices of LGBTQ-affirming faith leaders in many religious traditions.

Today’s post is a reflection on Joel 2:1-17, and it comes from Susan Cottrell of FreedHearts, a national coalition of parents of LGBTQ children.

For more about the Lenten Devotional, visit hrc.im/Lent.

Lent was never part of my faith tradition growing up. It belonged to the Catholic kids in my neighborhood, which was everyone but me because my family was not religious. All I remember is folks receiving ashes on their foreheads.

I’ve since figured out its meaning: Lent is a time to repent and return to God. The 40 days symbolize Jesus’ time of prayer and fasting in the wilderness. The neighborhood kids’ sacrifice of chocolate or TV for Lent echoed the fast.

What about this repenting and returning to God? And what does that mean today on Ash Wednesday? Of course, I want to see the wealthy and powerful repent. I long to see those who exclude and oppress return to God.

But what about the people who have been bullied or excluded simply for their skin color, sexual orientation or poverty? How do those with shattered lives repent and return to God?

The people in today’s passage from Joel face shattered lives. The “day of darkness” is an infestation of locusts, which arrives and devours crops. It’s like an apocalypse.

“Why is God so angry as to destroy our crops,” they wonder. The prophet calls them to repent and return to God, to turn away God’s fierce anger.

But even in this early theology, the writer reveals God’s beauty. God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love. God relents from punishing!

Yes, we repent. We change our thinking.

Yes, we return to God to restore our own peace.

But God meets us in our lament with love, mercy and grace. We are not worms crawling on our unworthy bellies to God. No, we bear God’s image! Soak that in.

We get to bask in the love that is God, and then we get to go be that love to a world that desperately needs it.

The Lenten Devotional is a faith-driven resource that compiles meditations written by 47 faith leaders from across the U.S. This project and other public education work with faith leaders in HRC’s Project One America states and HRC’s Religion and Faith Program is made possible in part by the generous support of the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation.

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#AM_Equality Tipsheet: March 5, 2019

HRC REITERATES CALL ON U.S. SENATE TO REJECT JUDICIAL NOMINEES RUSHING, MURPHY AND READLER: “Rushing, Murphy and Readler’s records make clear they would continue the Trump-Pence administration’s harmful attacks on LGBTQ equality instead of defending and upholding civil rights laws for all Americans,” said HRC Government Affairs Director David Stacy (@david_stacy). “The Senate must reject these anti-LGBTQ nominees and make clear to the Trump-Pence White House they will only confirm those who will treat all Americans equally with the dignity, objectivity and fairness they deserve.” The Senate is scheduled to vote on the nominations this week. Read more from HRC.

IN PROMISING ADVANCE, HIV CURED IN 2ND PATIENT, RESEARCHERS SAY: Reports The New York Times, “For just the second time since the global epidemic began, a patient appears to have been cured of infection with H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS.” The report is to be published today in Nature, and presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Seattle. Said HRC Foundation Acting Senior Vice President Jay Brown, in response to the report: “We are a long way off from a cure. While this is a step forward, let’s be clear — treatment and prevention is key. We have the tools today to end HIV once and for all. We must ensure affordable access to HIV-related care and that programs are targeting those who need them most.” Read more at the New York Times.

TUESDAY TWEET — ADVOCATES SPEAK OUT AGAINST SLEW OF ANTI-LGBTQ BILLS IN TENNESSEE: “Let’s be clear: this ‘slate of hate’ aims to use LGBTQ Tennesseans as pawns to win cheap political points,” said Nick Morrow, HRC Press Secretary, Southern States & Project One America (@NRMorrow). Read the full piece from NBC.

“These lawmakers are supposed to look out for all of us, not just some of us, and they certainly shouldn’t be using their power to make life worse for LGBTQ Tennesseans.” – @HRC‘s @NRMorrow blasts #SlateOfHate targeting LGBTQ folks in his native Tennessee. t.co/o0328kBo4l

— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) March 5, 2019

HRC & NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION HOST JAZZ AND FRIENDS READING IN ARLINGTON, VA.: The annual national day of school and community readings supports transgender and gender-expansive youth and helps foster safe and welcoming schools and communities for young people who still rarely hear affirming stories of LGBTQ people. “All children should feel included, they should feel safe and dignified in their schools and communities, and what we find is LGBTQ children are especially vulnerable to violence and discrimination, especially in school and communities,” said Charlotte Clymer, HRC Press Secretary, Rapid Response, (@cmclymer). Watch at Fox 5 DC.

TRANSGENDER STUDENT DREW ADAMS’ LAWSUIT AGAINST FLORIDA SCHOOL DISTRICT COULD REACH FEDERAL APPEALS COURT: Last week, HRC filed an amicus brief on behalf of 32 major U.S. companies in support of Adams. Said Sarah Warbelow, HRC Legal Director: “Employees may be reluctant to be transferred to a state in which your child might experience discrimination.” More from NBC.

TRANSGENDER TWINS TAKE LEGAL ACTION AFTER ANTI-TRANS DISCRIMINATION AT LAST YEAR’S COACHELLA: More from the Georgia Voice.

NYU TO COMMEMORATE THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF STONEWALL: More from Washington Square News.

 GLOBAL EQUALITY NEWS

HRC WRAPS UP THIS YEAR’S PARTNERSHIPS IN INNOVATIVE ADVOCACY PROGRAM: Read more from HRC.

That’s a wrap on another successful year of @HRC Global’s Partnerships in Innovative Advocacy Program! We visited:
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— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) March 3, 2019

LGBTQ ACTIVISTS IN KENYA CONTINUE TO ADVOCATE FOR LGBTQ RIGHTS AND EQUALITY: The Kenyan High Court recently postponed until late May its decision on  the decriminalization of same-sex relations. More from The New Yorker.

SUSPECTS ARRESTED IN ANTI-LGBTQ ATTACK ON YOUTH IN TEL AVIV: More from The Jerusalem Post.

READING RAINBOW – Bookmark now to read on your lunch break!

Yahoo! collects seven inspiring speeches by women ahead of International Women’s Day; Pink News reports that actress Emma Thompson has signed on to an open letter supporting transgender women; Gay Star News reports that the award-winning LGBTQ film “Evening Shadows” is streaming on Nexflix

Have news? Send us your news and tips at [email protected]. Click here to subscribe to #AM_Equality and follow @HRC for all the latest news. Thanks for reading!

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