Last Monday, I visited the Georgia State Legislature to advocate, as clergy, for affirming medical interventions for trans kids. When I arrived, there was chaos on the 3rd floor, the good kind and the bad. There were many wonderful human beings present supporting our trans siblings and they were everywhere.
There were also senators and representatives who claimed to be "pro-life" as they wrote the HB 140 to "help the children." To "help the children" was all they could say when asked why they wrote it. The other common argument I heard was that "we have senators who are doctors and I trust their opinion."
Assuming that they are decent doctors, with all due respect, would you have a dermatologist perform open-heart surgery on a family member? Well then, you shouldn't have anyone but an endocrinologist determine how safe affirming medical interventions are for trans kids. And by the way, over 500 doctors who actually work with trans kids signed a petition saying this bill was a really bad idea. But what do they know.
If that wasn't enough, my dissertation research proves (my committee chair hates it when I throw around that word) that transitioning before college will enable trans college students to be more successful academically and socially in their college career. In addition, they will not experience NEARLY the amount of suicidality that their peers who had to wait until college do. But what do I know.
Unfortunately, the bill passed the following day, and it truly was a sad day. I mourned the decisions of the people we voted into office, took a nap, and had some good coffee. I arose from this with a plan. It was time to kick the campus ministry project into high gear and pray with my feet. So here we are.
Welcome to my blog. Welcome to The Church Lot. If you have been looking for an affirming campus ministry that supports our LGBT2SQIA+ siblings, look no further. We aren't perfect. We will mess up. But we know the importance of having a place to belong. A place to just be. So if you are looking for that with no strings attached, please give us a try. We would love to have you. Oh, and our coffee doesn't suck.