Blessed Are The Binary Breakers

Listen or read along in the episode transcript for two reflections kicking off the Lenten season: Ash Wednesday coincides with Valentine's Day this year — what can Ash Wednesday + the story of Saint Valentine teach us about facing our own mortality and resisting the pressure to put romantic love on a pedestal? Next, let's connect the glowing coal touched to the prophet's lips in Isaiah 6 to the ashes we wear on our foreheads today. Why are physical signs of spiritual truths important? How does acknowledging our limitations open us to divine blessing? Announcement: The Blessed Are the Binary Breakers podcast will likely be updating more sporadically this year! To keep up with all that I'm up to, visit linktr.ee/queerlychristian. Interested in hiring me to workshop with your faith community? Learn more here. Talking Points: (0:00) Housekeeping — my plans for 2024 (2:51) Connecting Ash Wednesday and the legend of Saint Valentine of Rome (4:30) Resisting amatonormativity on Valentine's Da

Listen to — or read along in the episode transcript — Jewish, Christian, and Muslim poems by Palestinians and their supporters. Poetry empowers us to imagine liberation that we can then work towards, together. Some pieces explore the Nativity story through this lens: Christmas joy must break bread with pain, birthing solidarity with all oppressed peoples. Talking Points: (0:00) Ross Gay on mixing pain and joy to birth solidarity; poetry as resistance (7:11) Aurora Levins Morales on the history of antisemitism + envisioning solidarity & interdependence in “Red Sea” (12:30) Najah Hussein Musa dispelling anti-Palestinian myths in “Bethlehem” (14:42) Avery Arden — “Christ is Barred from Bethlehem”  (17:48) Basman Derawi — memorializing a fun-loving friend killed in an airstrike in ”His Name Was Essa” (19:52) Hiba Abu Nada, killed in an airstrike, longs for safety in “I Grant You Refuge” (23:30) Rev. Munther Isaac & Avery Arden — Christ born into rubble (28:10) Refaat Alareer & Ibtisam B

I sit down with public historian Emma Cieslik (she/her) to hear all about her Queer and Catholic Oral History Project, supported by the Pacific School of Religion. For Emma, the word catholic is truly "universal" — she's interviewed Roman Catholics and folk Catholics, ex-Catholics and "it's complicated" Catholics, queer religious and lay folk. In documenting these diverse perspectives, Emma is preserving the beautiful breadth of queer Catholic stories and gifts so that no one can claim they don't exist. ⁠Click here to view the project's webpage⁠. For links to other articles and projects Emma mentions in her interview, as well as for resources on current events in Palestine, visit the episode transcript. Find Emma on Twitter or Instagram @eocieslik. Reach out to her at eocieslik@gmail.com or queerandcatholicoralhistory@gmail.com. ___ Talking Points: (0:00) Opening remarks (2:27) Emma's background: Raised Catholic with Purity Movement influence; museum studies focused

Isaiah 56:1-8 shares God's message of not only tolerance but radical welcome for the ultimate Others of the biblical world: eunuchs. How did Isaiah 56's author come to understand Divine affirmation for this denigrated group, when Deuteronomy 23's author had offered only rejection? And why does this scripture resonate deeply with many transgender persons of faith today? Click here for an episode transcript. For my Isaiah 56 translations notes, click here. For other thoughts and resources on Isaiah 56 and biblical eunuchs, scroll down to "Better Than Sons or Daughters" on this webpage. Talking Points: (0:00) Message from a listener — Rowan brings news of London Pride, finds blessing in their daily work (4:28) Introducing my sermon on Isaiah 56:3-8; reading the scripture passage (7:30) My personal story — realizing my church's promise of unconditional welcome was conditional, after all; finding solace in God's good news for eunuchs and foreigners in Isaiah 56 (11:53) Eunuchs

Jayne X Praxis (she/they) is many things — she’s Buddhist and a tantric witch; she’s an ordained minister and a Satanist; she’s a Sister of Perpetual Indulgence and a licensed therapist — but above all, Jayne is forever becoming more and more their authentic self, and they invite you to do the same through curiosity, humor, and embodied self-exploration. Content Warning: swearing and sex talk; religious trauma; mentions of childhood sexual trauma. Click here for the episode transcript. Talking Points: (0:00) Introducing Jayne (2:05) Growing up with a conservative minister father, anti-sex views; coming out as bisexual in college and engaging in gender-fuckery (6:30) Adding Jayne to their name, rolling it back after getting married, returning to gender fuckery and embracing nonbinary identity after divorce (12:49) Exploring spirituality: DnD; Wicca and paganism; ordination in the Universal Life Church; Shambhala Buddhism and embodiment (22:43) Tantric practices help Jayne recover her body, discover th

June was Queer Pride Month, July is Disability Pride Month, and that means it's the prime time of year for certain people to remind us that "pride is a sin, didn't you know?" So I called up my dear friend Laura, a fellow disabled trans Christian, to discuss how the kind of pride that marginalized communities use as an antidote to shame is not sinful, but indeed essential in our pursuit of justice and abundant life for all! Listen as Laura and I — interspersed with excerpts from Eli Clare's 1999 text Exile and Pride — contrast marginalized pride with nationalist, supremacist pride; explain why "awareness" and "acceptance" aren't enough; and emphasize the need to join pride with witness. Click here for an episode transcript. Hear more from Laura on their podcast, the Autistic Liberation Theology Podcast. Click here for their website of essays and biblical Playmobil art. Talking Points: (0:00) Intro to the topic, Laura, and Eli Clare's book (4:37) Disabled &

Matthew 25:31-46 is sometimes misused to preach hellfire & brimstone, but its focus is on compassion & community, mutual aid in the here & now. In this sermon, minister Avery Arden explores how the Divine identification with the world's outcasts has empowered disenfranchised Christians to envision Christ as Black, disabled, gay, trans, and more. Click here for an episode transcript. Talking Points: (0:00) Invitation to sign up for daily text prayers for July's Disability Pride Month; introduction to the sermon (4:00) Reading the Matthew 25 text (7:00) It's not about threatening or bribing us into good works; establishing this text's context (12:00) Moving beyond a focus on the individual to a communal focus: we are one big flock of sheep-goat hybrids, called to practice mutual aid! (18:49) Jesus's intimate identification with the outcasts; subverting the text's kingly imagery; Christ is Black, disabled, gay, trans (25:25) How do you experience Christ in your hung

Água (they/them) shares the story of their lifelong relationship with Weelaunee Forest, whose leaves form the second half of the lungs that begin in Água's own body. After discussing the Stop Cop City movement's past and present, Água guides us through abolishing the cop in our own head; recognizing the interconnectedness and sacredness of all bodies; and breaking down binaries of "us" versus "them." Check out Água's own podcast, The Somatic Scribing Podcast, ⁠here or wherever you get podcasts⁠. Click here for an episode transcript. Click here for information about the call to gather at Atlanta City Hall on May 15. Find out about the new, nonviolence-focused Stop Cop City movement space here. Consider donating to the Atlanta Solidarity fund here. ____ Talking Points: (0:00) Call to action (2:10) Introducing Água: a queer, Chicanx, trans parent who's spent most of their life in Atlanta on Muscogee territory (7:10) Água's intimate relationship with Weelaunee Forest; burno

For Shining Oak (she/her), activism and queerness have been catalysts for reconnecting to her Jewish faith. Learn about Shining Oak's experiences with the movement to Stop Cop City, from organizing a kid-friendly event for a 2021 Week of Action to attending a powerful Shabbat service in Atlanta's Weelaunee Forest. Click here for an episode transcript. Find out about the new, nonviolence-focused Stop Cop City movement space here. Consider donating to the Atlanta Solidarity fund here. Talking Points: (0:00) A new nonviolent movement space; introducing Shining Oak — queer Jewish forest defender (3:30) First week of action in spring 2021; organizing a kid-friendly event (9:10) Comparing then and now — larger numbers, more widespread, clearing begun (15:00) The power of a diverse movement — Jewish members, queer members, BIPOC members, and more (19:53) Shabbat in the forest (24:55) Growing up Jewish in a white Christian suburb — pressure to assimilate (30:45) Get involved with the movement in your own smal

Learn about the Movement to Defend Atlanta's Forest through the stories of forest defenders for whom queerness and faith intertwine with activism. In this episode, Tov shares the dream that drew them to March's Week of Action, discusses Weelaunee's history and the environmental threat Cop City poses, and uplifts the power of humor in the face of police intimidation. Click here for an episode transcript. Support the fight to Stop Cop City by donating to the Stop the Swap lawsuit fundraiser, or to the Atlanta Solidarity Fund. Click here for information about getting active this upcoming Earth Week, which is also Tortuguita's birth week. Tov's recs: a zine about Weelaunee Forest; another zine about the Atlanta City Prison Farm ___ Talking Points: (0:00 - 5:10) Intro: some history Weelaunee forest — millennia of Muscogee stewardship followed by colonialism, enslavement, and Black prison labor (5:11) Getting involved after getting informed; the power of a common cause (9:00) Tov’s spirituality:

Coal (he/they) is organizing a solidarity group in Springfield, Illinois, for the Movement to Defend Atlanta's Forest and Stop Cop City. He understands that what happens in Atlanta will have wide-reaching impacts — from environmental devastation to the way such a huge, hyper-militarized police training facility would set a precedent for similar projects across the nation. In this second episode in the Stopping Cop City series, Avery deconstructs "outside agitator" rhetoric, while Coal offers their insights on how to support the movement from afar. Together, they also discuss trans intersections and the power behind being able to laugh at our oppressors. Check out Coal's Springfield Stop Cop City group @217dtaf on Instagram. Click here for an episode transcript. __ Talking Points: (0:00) Avery delves into the rhetoric of "outside agitators," and how it has been used to repress revolution in the US South from the pre-Civil War era, through the Civil Rights Movement, and now with Cop

Learn about the Movement to Stop Cop City and Defend Atlanta's Forest through the stories of forest defenders for whom queerness and faith intertwine with activism. In this first episode, Siihasin describes their experiences as a Diné nádleehi, frontliner, and land defender. Siihasin was one of around 20 Indigenous two spirit persons invited to the latest Stop Cop City Week of Action to facilitate conversations around Indigenous sovereignty, land rights & protection, and Black liberation & solidarity. How can activist movements work to protect and center their most vulnerable members? Click here for an episode transcript. Click here for more information about the Movement to Defend Atlanta's Forest. Support the fight to Stop Cop City by donating to the Stop the Swap lawsuit fundraiser, or to the Atlanta Solidarity Fund. __ Talking Points: (0:00 - 8:50) Avery offers a basic introduction to the Movement to Stop Cop City and Defend Atlanta's Weelaunee Forest. (8:51) Siihasin is a two spirit

The world is a scary place right now — particularly for trans people. Our youth are being targeted. Our bodily autonomy is under threat. We are made into scapegoats by extremists who want to eradicate us. In these tumultuous times, where is the hope? In this special episode, you'll hear from people of various genders and faith experiences about what keeps them going — from Higher Powers to the power of storytelling; and from friendship & solidarity to the natural world. Click here for an episode transcript. Talking points: (0:00) Complicating hope — not to be confused with toxic positivity, and not at odds with hopelessness (4:30) Naiomi Gonzalez (she/they): hope in lamentation and bringing fears & pain to God (10:40) Avery (they/ze): hoping against hope that Cop City will never be built (15:29) Amir (he/him): chronic pain & the power of a friend who shares your experience (17:05) K Kriesel: (they/them): When an old support system ceases to support you — K’s journey from white feminism into “t

In the anti-trans flood, I don't want my anger and hurt to wither into bitterness; I want to channel it into planting a garden of trans joy, queer rest, intersectional justice. Click here for the episode transcript. Content warning: anti-trans rhetoric & legislation, swearing. Talking points: (0:00 - 2:07) Garden dreams (2:08) The frustrations of seeking healthcare while trans; finding trans joy where it is (5:43) Despair over Tennessee's anti-drag bill; hope in the defiance of drag performers like Bella DuBalle (12:42 - end) We will resist — but I dream of rest. How do each play our part in cultivating rest and wholeness for all? _______ Blessed  Are the Binary Breakers is part of the Rock Candy Podcast Network. Find more shows at www.rockcandyrecordings.com. This show's theme song is "Aetherium" by Leah Horn. This episode also makes use of "Beaconsfield Villas Stomp" and "The Ants Built a City on His Chest" by Doctor Turtle.

In saying yes to bearing God Themself outside of marriage, Mary said yes to disgrace in the eyes of the world — not unlike the rejection LGBTQA+ persons can face when we accept God's call to live into our full, beautiful, queer selves. In this short story from Squirrel House Publishing's 2021 anthology Reconstructing Christmas, the Mother of God emboldens a nonbinary college student to take a courageous step. Click here for an episode transcript. Talking Points: - 0:00 - Exploring the queerness of Mary in Luke 1, as well as in her apparitions to marginalized persons across the ages - 9:50 - "Joe and Our Lady Defiant" — short story reading _______ Blessed Are the Binary Breakers is part of the Rock Candy Podcast Network. Find more shows at www.rockcandyrecordings.com. This show's theme song is "Aetherium" by Leah Horn. This episode also makes use of "Let's Just Get through Christmas" by Doctor Turtle.

K Kriesel (they/them or she/her) is not afraid of "messy," with a spiritual life that blends Catholicism and Wicca, and holds space for time adrift.  K has broken away from a variety of groups that proved too limiting to uplift the most marginalized, including any feminism that prioritizes white, cis women. As they search for a spiritual community built with people like them in mind, K serves as a chaplain and creates the kind of queer Catholic art they want to see in the world. You can contact K and view their work at kkriesel.com or @kkrieselart on Instagram or Facebook. Click here for an episode transcript. Click here for K's Google Doc of Nonbinary spiritual resources. Talking Points: 0:00 - Intro material 4:01 - K's youth: moving from an abusive Catholicism to a more open version, with room for Wicca 9:34 - Studying feminist & queer theologies; grappling with the limitations of feminism — too white, cis, upper class 21:42 - K's gender journey — comfort characters as a kid; claiming lesbian as th

After growing up Southern Baptist and pressured to conform to gender norms, it took time for Ynza Morgan Star (she/her & zey/zeir) to live fully into her genderqueer, agnostic, pagan, game designer self. In this episode, Ynza shares how neurodivergence and the power of story have shaped her journey; how zey crafted zeir own name; how zey joined zeir local Unitarian Universalist fellowship; and so much more! Content warnings: lots of discussion about conservative Christianity and transphobia, including the intense policing of a child’s self-expression. There are also brief mentions of dementia and parent death. Click here for the episode transcript, which includes links with info on various discussion points throughout. Talking Points: 0:00 - Intro, including Avery's visit to Ynza's UU fellowship 6:54 - Overview – gaming, pagan-inclined Unitarian, didn’t realize trans till 40s 18:20 - Earliest memories – gender policed by adults; refuge in stories with gender transformation 23:56 - The Oz stories – queer i

This episode is a slightly abridged version of part 1 of the Neuroqueer Joseph series over on The Autistic Liberation Theology podcast. Be sure to visit Laura's podcast for parts 2 & 3 once you've finished this episode! My friend Laura and I explore all the queer + autistic elements of Joseph's story, starting with Genesis 37. Joseph wears makeup and the colorful dress of a princess, toe-walks, and dreams dreams that threaten the status quo — a queer and neurodivergent figure if there ever was one. Content warnings: discussions of transphobia & anti-autistic ableism, bullying, familial violence, hate crimes. Click here for an episode transcript. ______ Timestamps: (0:00) Introducing the episode (4:24) Introducing Joseph of Genesis, term "neuroqueer" (9:00) Rabbi Ruttenberg's article; Midrash about Joseph & Dinah (12:05) Genesis 37:1-11 & Joseph's neuroqueerness — Joseph's coat; Joseph as "na'ar" or youth; naivety, dreams... (27:31) Genesis 37:12-36 & Why the brothers can't tolerate Joseph

Avery reads more passages from Leslie Feinberg's 1996 work Transgender Warriors — this time ones that respond to the same tired arguments people have been making against the trans community for decades now. How do you respond when someone insists that women's spaces shouldn't include trans women, that drag queens make a mockery of femininity, that trans women have male privilege? Feinberg offered concise, helpful answers years ago that can help us continue the good fight today. Click here for an episode transcript, which contains source links. Talking Points: (0:00 - 4:30) Call for stories + introducing the topic (4:31 - 10:14) Resisting biological essentialism when defining womanhood – "biology is not destiny"; no universal experience (10:15 - 13:14) Masculinity isn't inherently toxic + drag queens don't make a mockery of womanhood (13:15 - 20:23) Do trans women have male privilege? — Laverne Cox's view + Feinberg's additions (20:24 - 25:14) Making women's spaces safe for all women — there are no high-risk g

Avery reads excerpts from Leslie Feinberg's Transgender Warriors. Though the book was first published in 1996, the history it relates could not be more pertinent. In the shared passages, Feinberg emphasizes how we must not only demand and win but also defend our human rights. The fight isn’t over until systems that deny us our rights are also overthrown, and every single person is free. Click here for an episode transcript. You can read Transgender Warriors for free online. Talking points: (0:00 - 4:48) Introducing Leslie Feinberg and Transgender Warriors (4:49 - 15:42) Resisting divide-and-conquer tactics, fighting to win and keep trans rights and all rights 15:43 - end) Wrapping up — send Avery your thoughts, fears, responses to current events