LGBT

i am sitting on my couch in my home, the home that i am so amazingly blessed to own with my wife, watching the clouds disperse outside my living window. the sun is beginning…

2 0 0 9 / 2 0 1 0 five and a half years ago i married the most amazing woman. we got married in sweden, since she’s swedish. and, after 6 months of…

i’m gonna try to write words, but i know that my words will not do the experience justice. today, i had the pure joy, honor, + privilege to perform my first wedding ceremony. and…

here we are. in 2010. at a rally for marriage equality in raleigh, north carolina.  yesterday was day one in north carolina. what does that mean? it means that it was the first day,…

happy ash wednesday, my friends. you may or may not celebrate the beginning of lent, but i wish you a happy ash wednesday anyway. for me, this day marks the beginning of a very…

you know how some weeks are just regular weeks? well, that’s how this past week was. just regular life – not that that’s bad. but, it’s those weeks that seem regular, boring, mundane, and/or…

Four years ago, on a beautiful, snowy Swedish day, I married my amazing Lina. It has been an incredible 4th year together… full of dreams coming true and strength beyond comprehension, and you know…

do you remember this post of mine from about a month ago? i shared with y’all my views, thoughts, and experiences over some of the injustices happening in the united methodist church (UMC), my…

whoa. i am overwhelmed by the response i have had after telling my story about my experience with the UMC and LGBT issues. you people are truly amazing. thank you! more than anything, though, i thank…

friends, it’s happening again. love is on trial. you know, when people get together and begin to decide who is right and who is wrong. who gets to love whom. who gets to get…

ok. this is just freaking awesome. it’s one of those amazing TED talks, motivational and inspiring talks & videos that make their way around the internet. takes the time to watch this, laugh and…

watch this video, and then read on…  most of y’all know that even though lina and i are legally married, our marriage is not legal or recognized in north carolina (where we now live)…

you know what? i don’t want a job that might not be a place where i can be 100% me. i don’t want a job where i have to perhaps pretend that part of…

“this is no momentary hyperventilation and liberal screaming match, this is a movement.” – rev. william barber in pack square, asheville. 5 august 2013. if you haven’t heard of moral mondays yet, you’re about…

saturday night we did something that is sooooo asheville. we went to bele chere, the 35 year old street festival which has grown to become the largest of its kind in the southeast USA.…

“Bottom line here: the federal ban on recognizing same-sex marriages is dead. California’s ban on recognizing same-sex marriages is dead. There are 12 states in the country where this is now legal, and the…

waiting on pins and needles today as the supreme court is slated to determine the fate of the love and marriages of many families, including mine. yes, they say that today the highest court…

i just gotta write about today’s word prompt for the photo challenge. today’s word is risk. and i’ve been obsessed with risks all freaking day long. and i’m serious about that. i have not…

i’m a woman married to a woman. i’m an ex-pat american living in sweden, but moving back to the states in a few months. i’m also an unordained, master’s of divinity degree holding, minister…

my husband closed the door behind him and i was standing in our, in my, home… alone. it was the beginning of august in 2007, and it was as if the slate had been…

i’m gonna take a little break in the berlin posts now that i’m halfway through them. i have something even more important than travel to write about today. you may or may not know…

the first post is here! i thought about doing it chronologically, day by day. but, then i decided to go with some themes. and today’s post is in honor of all of the history…

  “I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you simply, without problems or pride: I love you in this way because I do not know any other way…

it’s been a long time. too long. i have neglected my “from death to peace” story for many reasons. lack of time, lack of inspiration, the holidays, etc. well, perhaps it’s actually lack of…

forgive me, but i must share a little bit of my american pride. even though i’m way over here in sweden, i made sure to sit myself down in front of this computer screen…

It’s December 26. Rain is falling outside my window. The christmas lights over the bed are lit. I’m sipping coffee & catching up on the morning happenings on GMA (Good Morning America). My love…

42 years. that’s how long edith windsor (in the pic above) & her soulmate, thea, were together. sadly, they are separated now by death. but, edith reflects and says that it was a wonderful…

  it’s the second sunday of advent. the sunday of love. the first week of advent has flown by & i have been pretty faithful to finding some quiet time by myself every day.…

i’m still in shock. i’m amazed. excited. overwhelmed. and so. very. thankful. oh yeah, and tired. hehe. i’m thankful that this is the dawning of a new america, as some news sites are putting…

may 2007 i knew change was coming. i knew that getting on a plane and heading to scandinavia would, once again, change my life. of course, i had no idea how much everything would…

i’ve got something on my mind. something that i think that we, as a society, need to think about. or, without sounding too pretentious & judgmental, something that i think is important for us…

 i need a little break from my ireland posts so i can slide in this little post about breathing. yoga. time for yourself. i went to my yoga class tonight, just sure that i’d…

hey hey! it’s 9pm and completely dark outside. yes, fall is on its way. no more swedish summer sun at 11:30 at night. tonight we’re sitting on the bed, each staring at our computer…

guess what i got?! today my PERMANENT residence card came in the mail… the swedish immigration offices have given me permission to stay! i am officially a resident of sweden! so, tonight, my love…

i snatched this from facebook. one of my former seminary professors posted it on his wall. he’s one of the ones who taught me so much during my master’s degree studies to be a…

a little message from the universe which found it’s way into my inbox. exactly when i needed it. Very often, Liz, when tides start turning, great gears start shifting, and gusting winds start blowing…

a bunch of people inspire me. but, on this day, there is a large group of people who inspire me for a very specific reason…  pic from voteagainstone.org. tomorrow, tuesday the 8th, is a…

hola! it’s may 5th. cinco de mayo! not that that means a lot here in sweden. but, in the states where we find any reason to party, we celebrate mexican heritage & pride on…

today it was all about the jeans and the tee… my go-to outfit. my fav outfit. my i-can-wear-this-everyday outfit. it’s just me. casual. carefree. relaxed. simple. wearing my fav style today got me thinking… about…

today is the day. today the united methodist church will vote once again on their stance/beliefs on homosexuality and the church. it’s something that has been voted on every 4 years for the past…

FINALLY!!! the weather has taken a turn for the better & there is an abundance of sunshine and semi-warm weather (= i still have to wear a jacket). my windows are open, my sunglasses…

i’m sure i’ve mentioned it before sometime… (here.) my favorite book of all time. to kill a mockingbird by harper lee. well, as i was catching up on some news this morning, i ran…

if you know me, then you know that there are a few things that i truly love… i love my wife. so, so much. she is my everything. i love the united methodist church…

i’ve always thought that love conquers all, that love can be strong enough to keep hope alive & make all things well. i still believe that. only now that i am a bit older…

it has been 4 years since i left my job, my family, my world as i knew it behind. why? in search of what? well, i suppose it was in search of myself. it…

in the united states navy, whenever a ship comes back into its home port, there is always a lottery on board among the sailors & their loved ones back home. what are they betting…

sometimes it’s hard to realize that all the suffering that goes on in the world is real. most of us are so removed from it. desensitized from it. we hear about it. think about…

today is national coming out day in the states. what exactly is that? well, to begin with, it’s a celebration & remembrance of the anniversary of the March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights…