Inclusiveness Ministry

Season 1: LGBTQIA+: More Than a Letter

E1: Definitely Not a Plant: Discovering what it means to be Ace

In our first episode we will speak with Libby Lorenson, one of our own here at Trinity UMC in Salina, KS. Libby will share her journey of how she came to realize she wasn’t somehow broken, just asexual, what that means and doesn’t mean, and how media is crucial to visibility.

“You get this analysis spiral of what’s going on and what’s different. And then, right about a year after discovering the word ‘asexual,’ I find, maybe this spiral has and end, and it just means I’m ace?”

Resources and Information:     

http://www.thetrevorproject.org/

The Trevor Project is the world’s largest suicide prevention and mental health organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQIA+) young people. This website offers crisis support as well as advocacy, research, and education.

http://www.asexuality.org/

The Asexual Visibility and Education Network. AVEN hosts the world’s largest online asexual community as well as a large archive of resources on asexuality. AVEN strives to create open, honest discussion about asexuality among sexual and asexual people alike.

https://www.angelachen.org/ace

Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dearlukeloveme/dear-luke-love-me-an-ace-feature-film

Dear Luke, Love Me.  The Kickstarter page where you can learn about this independent film, its evolution, and support its production.

Season 1: LGTBQIA+: More Than a Letter

E2: Transformative Privilege: Becoming fully oneself is not done alone

In our second episode we speak with Gabriel Padilla, a teacher, godfather, uncle, and a member of the trans community. Gabriel speaks to his progression through life as well as the transformative power of having someone in your corner, one of many privileges not afforded to all.

“The world’s not always kind to transpeople. And I’ve always pushed back on that. And I’m still going to push back on that. There are always people that, once they get to know you, they’re like, ‘Oh, you’re just Gabe. Yeah, you’re trans, but you’re just Gabe.’”

Resources and Information:     

• https://thesafezoneproject.com/resources/vocabulary/
  • An excellent resource for questions about terminology relating to LGBTQ+ identities & people, sexualities, and genders.
• https://sites.google.com/a/u.boisestate.edu/social-justice-training/about-us/our-training/privilege-checklist
  • A privilege checklist designed for use during training of consultants for the Boise State Writing Center. It is used to increase critical awareness of privilege and help equip persons to participate in conversations about social justice.
• https://thesafezoneproject.com/activities/privilege-for-sale/
  • This group activity helps participants investigate privilege by inviting them to identify what privileges they find personally important. The full activity with privilege list is viewed by clicking “Download Activity” or “View as Google Doc” under the activity description.
• https://translifeline.org/
  • Trans Lifeline is a grassroots hotline and microgrants 501(c)(3) non-profit organization offering direct emotional and financial support to trans people in crisis – for the trans community, by the trans community.
• www.thetrevorproject.org/
  • The Trevor Project is the world’s largest suicide prevention and mental health organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQIA+) young people. This website offers crisis support as well as advocacy, research, and education.
• https://www.glsen.org/
  • Every student has the right to a safe, supportive, and LGBTQ-inclusive K-12 education. GLSEN is a national network of educators, students, and local GLSEN Chapters working to make this right a reality.
• https://pflag.org/
  • PFLAG ​is the nation’s first and largest organization dedicated to supporting, educating, and advocating for LGBTQ+ people and those who love them.

Production Team:

• Project Manager, Writer, Audio Engineer, Graphic Designer, Assistant Administrator: Anne E.H. Hoekstra (she/her)
• Host, Guest Relations Manager: Stephanie Johannes (she/her)
• Website Design, Administrator: Tyler Breneman (he/him)
• Outreach Management and General Support: Micah 6:8 Ministries Team

Sharing Our Stories is funded by:

• Trinity United Methodist Church in Salina, KS; and through a Social Justice Seed Money Grant from the Mercy and Justice Team of the Great Plains United Methodist Conference. Thank you!

Additional great big THANK YOUs go out to:

• Paul Green, Production Manager and Adjunct of Communication Studies for the Department of Communication Studies & Theatre Arts at Kansas Wesleyan University, Salina, KS
• Pastor Eric Meyer, Senior Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church, Salina, KS
• The Great Plains Conference of the United Methodist Church