Independent since 2002 Issue No. 1102 Week of November 7, 2026 Get the free email dispatch →

Category: Inclusion

Commentary

Beyoncé Does Justice to New Orleans’s Rich Queer Culture

By The Reverend Irene Monroe Editorial Board

In "Formation," Beyoncé unquestionably honors the inimitable black queer culture of New Orleans — a singular look and feeling that’s often either misunderstood or underrepresented in popular art.

"Formation" celebrates identities that once sparked shame but now inspire pride. Beyoncé’s new song “Formation,” released over the weekend and performed at Super Bowl 50, is…

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Commentary

The Love That Now Speaks Its Name

By The Reverend Irene Monroe Editorial Board

We were told by religious conservatives if the U.S. legalized such an ungodly act as same-sex marriage not only would it bring out the death the institution of marriage but it would also bring about the demise of civilization.

Valentine’s Day is for lovers - including LGBTQ Americans. Until last June’s historic Supreme Court ruling — Obergefell v. Hodge — that legalized same-sex marriage in…

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Commentary

Why Homophobic Harlem Church Building Should Become LGBT Homeless Youth Shelter

By The Reverend Irene Monroe Editorial Board

The prevailing thought today in the area of urban development and city planning is that if you want to revitalize a decaying city and get rid of its urban plight you create gayborhoods. And new studies reveals that these enclaves have overall positive economic and cultural effects.

Gentrification of neighborhoods always disrupts existing communities within them. In the past several years, Harlem’s empty lots and burned-out buildings have sprung up luxury condos, upscale…

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Commentary

Francis “Pope-‘splaining” Catholic Church’s Homophobia

By The Reverend Irene Monroe Editorial Board

Pope Francis continues to send seismic shock waves across the globe with his liberal-leaning pronouncements, but the pontiff is complicated, if not confusing, to the LGBTQ community.

Italy is one of the major European countries that don’t recognize marriage equality for its LGBTQ denizens in spite of the fact that the majority of…

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Commentary

Bathroom Laws Policing Our Genitals

By The Reverend Irene Monroe Editorial Board

Across the country, amped-up fear-mongering of the 'predatory heterosexual male pervert' or 'Peeping Tom' has either halted or canned movement forward in getting needed transgender public accommodations bills passed.

Conservatives have always been a demographic group obsessed with policing this nation’s genitals. They feel comfortable with ordinances that mandate, what they do, how we use…

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Commentary

Where Would MLK Have Stood on Marriage Equality?

By The Reverend Irene Monroe Editorial Board

As I comb through numerous books and essays learning more about King’s philandering, sexist attitude about women at home and in the movement, and his relationship with Bayard Rustin, I, too, wonder would King today be a public advocate for LGBTQ rights?

This MLK holiday reminds me how Alabama has always been a troubling state when it comes to upholding the civil rights of its denizens. Martin Luther…

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Commentary

Remember Our Homeless LGBTQ Youth this Holiday Season

By The Reverend Irene Monroe Editorial Board

Our birth, as LGBTQ individuals and as a movement, mirrors that of Jesus. It comes at a time where there is still neither room nor tolerance for us - even in 2015 with U.S. Supreme ruling in favor of marriage equality - in some homes and families.

The holiday season is a difficult time of year for many. Too often we see the glitz and glamour that this holiday brings, totally missing its…

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Commentary

Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays?

By The Reverend Irene Monroe Editorial Board

for more than a decade now, when this holiday season rolls around we can always count on a yearly kerfuffle about what the appropriated season’s greeting should be, exemplifying the continued chapter in the culture “War on Christmas.”

The war on Christmas is not going away any time soon. With Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, and Christmas all celebrated this time of year, one would…

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Cover Story

The Refugees Who Came for Thanksgiving

By The Reverend Irene Monroe Editorial Board

the Pilgrims, who sought refuge here in America from religious persecution in their homeland, were right in their dogged pursuit of religious liberty. But their actual practice of religious liberty came at the expense of the civil rights of Native Americans.

As I prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday, I am reminded of the autumnal harvest time's spiritual significance. As a time of connectedness, I pause to acknowledge…

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Commentary

Where’s Log Cabin Republican Activism This Campaign Season?

By The Reverend Irene Monroe Editorial Board

where is the ground work being done to help the G.O.P move forward on LGBTQ inclusion?

With four GOP debates now aired where all the presidential hopefuls are clearly either conservative or ultra-conservative on social issues, one has to wonder - where…

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