I’m transgender, I’m a layperson, and I’m 39 years old. I grew up in a tongues-talking United Methodist Church in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, where my dad was the pastor. We were a poor congregation in a poor community, deeply divided over the inclusion and dignity of LGBTQ+ people. I remember thinking to myself, even as a kid, “Why are we so obsessed with gay people? Half this congregation can’t afford heat in the winter whether they’re gay or not.” Lots of early experiences like that shaped my sense that issues of justice and dignity are always interconnected—that white supremacy, patriarchy, and queer- and transphobia aren’t about individual meanness but serve to divide and conquer the masses, and hurt people. When we’re constantly at each other’s throats, it’s impossible to look up the food chain and see who’s benefitting from our lack of solidarity.
Read more at https://www.episcopalchurch.org/racialreconciliation/meet-our-new-staff-officer-for-gender-justice-aaron-scott/
