Lives and Human Dignity—LBGTQIA+ people and their families (part 1 of 6)

Last updated on: August 30, 2022 at 9:33 am by Julie Nichols

Lives and Human Dignity—LBGTQIA+ people and their families (part 1 of 6) 2022-08-30T09:33:44-05:00 Julie Nichols

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Now that the loan forgiveness announcement has passed, I am going to move on to a topic I hold dear, the lives and human dignity of LBGTQIA+ people and their families. I confess that I didn’t understand the LBGTQIA+ experience as a heterosexual married conservative Catholic-Christian mother until my profession as a pediatric disability therapist in secular employment strongly encouraged me to do so. Since I am Catholic, the spiritual component was a significant part of both conflict and resolution for me becoming a fully-affirming Catholic pediatric therapist which is one of the best decisions I have ever made as a professional and as a Catholic-Christian.

I actually made this Facebook post about my “pro-life experience” at a Pride Festival, something I would have NEVER thought to do even five years ago.

“Alright pro-lifers, do you want something pro-life to do, attend a Pride festival wearing a Free Moms Hugs/Free Dad Hugs shirt. In doing so, you will maybe save a life and prevent a suicide. I went today as a practitioner and mom to those who have been rejected. Five young adults came up and hugged me today, one being a young woman who was sadly disowned by her family for being gay. We need to give people a lot more love and grace than we do. The worldwide medical consensus came to a fully-affirming stance 1.5 years ago. Every word and action of affirmation brings life and health. Every negative word causes harm, can lead to permanent damage, and even death. Be the person who brings life and unconditional love, not death and hate.”

Here is the first article I published about my journey to becoming an affirming LBGTQIA+ Catholic therapist.

www.faithonview.com/affirming-lgbtqi-youth-is-pro-life/

Throughout my journey as a Christian and then converting to Catholicism later in life, I came from very conservative church circles. It wasn’t until Trump mocked the disabled reporter that my eyes started opening to one injustice after another. This lead to me where I am today in my faith as a progressive supporter of justice, Catholic Social Teaching, and a better understanding of the Gospels.

Supremacy, Control, and Wounds from the Church

In my first article above which is titled, “Affirming LBGTQIA+ Youth is pro-life,” I speak about the significant life and human dignity issues of LBGTQIA+ people, especially youth, in both church and in society. My profession as a pediatric specialty therapist gave me the clinical skills to bridge between the disability world and the LBGTQIA spectrum of psychology. I am ashamed that I didn’t make these clinical connections sooner. I apologize to LBGTQIA+ people and their families for not coming to affirmation sooner in life.

In that regard, my past conservative hyper-focus on sexuality held me back, but it was my love for my patients/students and people which lead me to search for the truth about the LBGTQIA+ experience. In short, I went from listening to a fundamentalist theological approach to an approach of unconditional love of humanity. Pope Francis has been my guiding light in not only coming to an LBGTQIA+ affirming status but understanding the crisis humanity is globally facing in all secular social justice efforts: immigration, racism, climate justice, racial injustice, healthcare, refugee crisis, income gaps, gun violence, hunger, and equity. In Catholic Social Teaching and the 2000 Bible verses which speak of the marginalized, these faith tenets would be the Life and Dignity of the Human Person, Call to Family Community and Participation, Rights and Responsibilities, Option for the Poor and Vulnerable, The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers, Solidarity, and Care for God’s Creation.

Please join me for the Lives and Human Dignity—LBGTQIA+ people and their families (part 2 of 6) next time.

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August 27, 2022

Oppression Lifted for Some yet Hated by Others

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September 3, 2022 Life and Human Dignity (Part 2 of 6)

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