Rev. Irene Monroe

Presbyterian Church’s Ordination of Gays Bittersweet

Before returning to New England for the second time, I served two African American Presbyterian Churches. And during that time I never thought, two decades ago, that the entire church body would change its position on LGBTQ worshippers.But a historic yet bittersweet moment happened on October 8th in the Presbyterian Church (USA).And the moment didn't happened without a long and arduous … [Read more...]

The Past Is Never Dead with the N-Word

By Rev. Irene Monroe

In a supposedly post-racial society one would think that the n-word was buried and long gone with it troubled eras of race relations in this country.But as American novelist William Faulkner wrote in his 1951 novel Requiem for a Nun, "The past is never dead. It’s not even past."As we all try to move from America’s ugly racial past, there are still rock solid vestiges of it.At the … [Read more...]

Flying While Gay

By Rev. Irene Monroe

Southwest Airlines has issues.And those customer issues, on any given day or flight, appear arbitrary.For example, little did lead guitarist for the punk rock band Green Day Billie Joe Armstrong know that flying while wearing "saggy pants" can evict you off Southwest Airlines. This past Labor Day weekend, on September 1, Armstrong was booted off a Southwest Airlines for "saggy pants." When … [Read more...]

Repeal of DADT for LGB’s, but not T’s

By Rev. Irene Monroe

One minute past the stroke of midnight on September 20 the long-awaited repeal of President Bill Clinton’s 1993 "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" (DADT) policy went into effect.At precisely 12:01 a.m. EST, the popping of champagne bottles began along with cheers and tears celebrating the end of a repressive era that prohibited LGBTQ servicemembers from honestly and openly serving in the … [Read more...]

Homophobe Tim Hardaway’s Change of Words

By Rev. Irene Monroe

In the African American community we desperately need public role models denouncing anti-homophobic bullying, vitriol, and discrimination.Since too few role models come from the Black Church, many of us lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) brothers and sisters of African descent look to black role models, especially males, in the areas of entertainment and sports.But sadly … [Read more...]

Why Can’t Bert and Ernie Marry?

By Rev. Irene Monroe

"Sesame Street’s" most famous duo, Bert and Ernie, first appeared in 1969, the same year as the Stonewall Riots, which to the nation’s surprise catapulted the LGBTQ Liberation Movement. And at that time, the idea of partnering these two lovable striped-sweater-wearing puppets as gay was as inconceivable as the idea of legalized same-sex marriage.But four-plus decades later, with Bert and … [Read more...]

Out Gays Barred from Rick Perry’s Mega Prayerfest

By Rev. Irene Monroe

More than 30, 000 people packed Houston’s Reliant Stadium to attend Republican Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s mega prayer fest named, "The Response", a clarion call to all Christian Americans for a national day of prayer for our troubled nation.But lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) Americans―Christians and non-Christians―were not invited.And you wouldn’t have known … [Read more...]

NPR’s Foxification of Ex-Gay Rhetoric

By Rev. Irene Monroe

If it were Fox News I wouldn’t have flinched. But it was National Public Radio.To my surprise, I didn’t know, especially in 2011, my sexual orientation was still up for debate. But on August 1 on the “Morning Edition” of National Public Radio (NPR) it was. The topic on the show that morning was “Can Therapy Help Change Sexual Orientation?”“Today in Your Health, a controversy … [Read more...]

Massachusetts’ Throw-Away Kids

By Rev. Irene Monroe

Throwaway Children in AmericaMassachusetts is one of the nation’s LGBTQ-friendliest states in the country. And the state’s welcoming of us lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) citizens is evident throughout many of its private and public institutions, such as churches, businesses, workplaces, schools, colleges and universities, to name a few.However, according to a new … [Read more...]

Our Bi-Phobia Placed on Sheryl Swoopes

By Rev. Irene Monroe

To some in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer communities (LGBTQ), three-time Olympic gold medalist and three-time MVP of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), Sheryl Swoopes, is a "lie-sexual," another sister-girl on the "down low" with the incredulous news that she's now engaged to marry a man.To incurable homophobes, especially of the fundamentalist Christian … [Read more...]

Obama, Slavery, States Rights, and Same-Sex Marriage

By Rev. Irene Monroe

Mildred Loving holds a photo of her husband Richard as a young man. The Lovings were codefendants in the 1967 U.S. Supreme Court case that overturned state bans on interracial marriage. The Lovings' children stand in the background:

Last month, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) Americans and our allies celebrated New York State becoming the sixth and largest state to allow same-sex marriage.And, of course, it sent an urgent message to Obama.But what does it signal to us LGBTQ citizens when the first African American president wants to employ states’ rights, which once upon a time in this country … [Read more...]

Tracy Morgan’s Homophobic Rant Is About Black Manhood

By Rev. Irene Monroe

While I will continue to argue that the African American community doesn’t have a patent on homophobia, it does, however, have a problem with it.And Tracy Morgan, comedian and actor on NBC’s "30 Rock," is another glaring example of the malady.During a recent standup performance at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, Morgan’s "intended" jokes about LGBTQ people were nothing … [Read more...]

Provincetown’s Not Safe for Black Lesbians

By Rev. Irene Monroe

At the tip of Cape Cod is the LGBTQ-friendly haven Provincetown, fondly called P-town, and known as the best LGBTQ summer resort on the East Coast.Of late, more lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people of color (POC) have not only begun vacationing in P-town, but we have also begun holding POC events.For the past several years now, the “Women of Color Weekend” … [Read more...]

Pride Celebrations? Haven’t We Assimilated?

By Rev. Irene Monroe

As we all know, June is Pride Month for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) communities across the country -- and parades abound.Unlike the revolutionary decade of the 1960s during which the air bred dissent, we LGBTQ people appear to be residing in a sanguine time -- rebels without a cause, a context, or an agenda. Many of us would argue that we have moved from our once … [Read more...]

Are We Writers or Gay Writers?

By Rev. Irene Monroe

The twenty-third annual Lambda Literary Awards, LLA, (also known as the "Lammys") took place at New York’s School of the Visual Arts Theatre on May 26. This red carpet event brought out our finest in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) literature and publishing traditions.Celebrities like Bryan Batt ("Mad Men"), former New Jersey governor Jim McGreevey, TV icon Stefanie … [Read more...]