This Brave Gay Teen’s Family Disowned Him But He’s Surviving and Helping Others Like Him: WATCH
Travis was disowned by his family at 17 for being gay. He used all his savings to move to Los Angeles and lived on the street for weeks before the Los Angeles LGBT Center provided him a bed and helped him find a job. Now he’s helping others in his situation.
“In my mom’s house, it’s God first and then family,” said Travis in a heartbreaking and empowering interview with Now This. Check out his story below.
Join HRC in Stopping a HHS Proposal That Would Rip Away LGBTQ Health Care
A new proposal at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) seeks to strip away explicit health care protections on the basis of gender identity, effectively targeting transgender and gender non-conforming people’s access to critical care.
Here are a few reasons we need to shut this proposal down for GOOD:
Studies have shown that 56% of lesbian, gay, and bisexual patients and 70% of trans patients have experienced discrimination from a health care provider. This discrimination takes many forms, each painful — some life-threatening.
Instances of harsh language or treatment severely undermine care, while the denial or delay of treatment can lead to long-term health problems or death. In fact, nearly one-third of trans people report being denied care because of their gender identity.
The explicit protections under section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) have been a powerful tool in combating discrimination against trans and gender non-conforming people.
“…Yes, they continue in their evil ways, passing laws and allowing even all things which I said they shall not do, provoking Me to anger! Therefore, I shall indeed stretch out My hand against them, and bring upon them desolations of every kind, until My wrath is satisfied and My anger has abated, says The Lord.”
US Catholic Archdiocese Cuts Ties with School for Refusing to Fire Gay Teacher
Indianapolis Archbishop Charles C. Thompson
The Archdiocese of Indianapolis is cutting ties with Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School after it ordered the school to fire a gay teacher and the school refused.
WISH reports: “The school says the Archdiocese of Indianapolis will no longer recognize the school as a Catholic institution. The move, after 57 years of partnership, comes after a disagreement of personnel at the school. The disagreement occurred when the school refused to adhere to a directive from Archbishop Charles Thompson to fire a teacher in a same-sex marriage. The Very Rev. Brian G. Paulson of the USA Midwest Province of the Society of Jesus said the Midwest Jesuits will appeal this decision through the formal appeal process established in church law: first, pursuing local recourse to the Archbishop, and, if necessary, hierarchical recourse to the Vatican.”
The school released a statement on the split: “The decree follows a sincere and significant disagreement between the Archdiocese, on the one hand, and Brebeuf Jesuit and the USA Midwest Province of the Society of Jesus, on the other, regarding whether the Archdiocese or our school’s leaders should make final governance decisions related to internal administrative matters at Brebeuf Jesuit and, in particular, the employment status of our faculty and staff. Specifically, Brebeuf Jesuit has respectfully declined the Archdiocese’s insistence and directive that we dismiss a highly capable and qualified teacher due to the teacher being a spouse within a civilly-recognized same-sex marriage.”
“To our knowledge, the Archdiocese of Indianapolis’ direct insertion into an employment matter of a school governed by a religious order is unprecedented,” the school added, “this is a unique action among the more than 80 Jesuit secondary/pre-secondary schools which operate in dioceses throughout North America, along with the countless Catholic schools operated by other religious orders such as the Christian Brothers, Dominicans, and Xaverian Brothers.”
It continued: “After long and prayerful consideration, we determined that following the Archdiocese’s directive would not only violate our informed conscience on this particular matter, but also set a concerning precedent for future interference in the school’s operations and other governance matters that Brebeuf Jesuit leadership has historically had the sole right and privilege to address and decide. What’s more, we also recognize the harm that adhering to this mandate would cause our highly capable and qualified teachers and staff. As an institution with a mission to develop men and women for others, our intent has been to do the right thing by the people we employ while preserving our authority as an independent, Catholic Jesuit school.”
The Archdiocese also released a statement:
The Catholic Church teaches that Catholic schools are integral to the mission of the Church to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ and to be places of learning where students encounter the living Christ. All those who minister in Catholic educational institutions carry out an important ministry in communicating the fullness of Catholic teaching to students both by word and action inside and outside the classroom. It is their duty and privilege to ensure that students receive instruction in Catholic doctrine and practice. To effectively bear witness to Christ, whether they teach religion or not, all ministers in their professional and private lives must convey and be supportive of Catholic Church teaching. The Archdiocese of Indianapolis recognizes all teachers, guidance counselors and administrators as ministers. A comprehensive description of Catholic Church teaching can be found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
In the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, every archdiocesan Catholic school and private Catholic school has been instructed to clearly state in its contracts and ministerial job descriptions that all ministers must convey and be supportive of all teachings of the Catholic Church. Regrettably, Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School has freely chosen not to enter into such agreements that protect the important ministry of communicating the fullness of Catholic teaching to students. Therefore, Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School will no longer be recognized as a Catholic institution by the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. The attached decree is effective as of June 21, 2019.
DECREE Whereas, the undersigned and officials of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis have been in extensive dialogue with the President and Board of Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School on whether or not Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School was willing to remain as a recognized Catholic institution by the Archdiocese of Indianapolis; and,
Whereas, I accept and respect a school’s right and responsibility to make decisions that result in such a determination; and,
Whereas, it is my canonical responsibility to oversee faith and morals as related to Catholic identity within the Archdiocese of Indianapolis; and,
Whereas, Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School has chosen not to implement changes in accord with the doctrine and pastoral practice of the Catholic Church;
I, the Most Reverend Charles C. Thompson, D.D., J.C.L., with great sadness, acknowledge the choice of Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School to no longer retain Catholic identity according to the doctrine and pastoral practice of the Catholic Church and, therefore, to no longer remain as a Catholic institution in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. Therefore, in accord with canon 803 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law, I hereby decree that:
The institution known as Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School (2801 W. 86th St., Indianapolis, IN 46268), by its own selection, can no longer use the name Catholic and will no longer be identified or recognized as a Catholic institution by the Archdiocese of Indianapolis nor included in the listing of The Official Catholic Directory.
This decree is effective immediately and will remain in effect until such a time as Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School demonstrates their desire to operate in accord with the doctrine and pastoral practice of the Catholic Church. This decree is subject to hierarchical recourse according to the provisions of canons 1734 and following.
Given this 21st day of June 2019 at the Office of the Archbishop The Most Reverend Charles C. Thompson, D.D., J.C.L. Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis
[Android Update] Keep, your personal storage for LINE, is now easier to use!
The Android version of Keep, LINE’s free cloud storage, has gotten some new features, and it’s now much easier to use (The Android version took effect on June 18, with the iOS version expected to come soon).
Keep is a great tool for saving your important
content, such as text, images and links, that were shared in a chat. You can
access them anytime.
In this Android version update, we have introduced new features, Collection and Favorite. Collection organizes your content and displays them beautifully. You can also Favorite your content to store it quickly.
Service and community members attend a Pride Month dinner at the USO Alaska Center at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, June 18, 2019. June is recognized as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender History Month, an annual observance of LGBT history and the history of gay rights, along with related civil-rights movements. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jonathan Valdes Montijo)
