We have reached a time when there is no turning back from the full participation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in our society or in our faith communities. The national outrage over the Indiana law is surely a sign that we are approaching a time when sexual and gender diversity will be seen as a blessing that enriches all as surely the Creator intended.

….As the number of corporate , governmental, and sports officials calling for the boycott of Indiana and the repeal of Indiana's expanded so-called Religious Freedom Restoration Act grows daily, we are witnessing in real time the sea change that has occurred in America's acceptance of gay and lesbian people (but not bisexual and transgender people) and marriage equality. If this law had been passed just ten years ago, it is highly doubtful that there would be this type of national engagement and indeed alarm. full article

CINCINNATI —On Wednesday, City Council passed a resolution supporting marriage equality and appreciation for the work of Why Marriage Matters Ohio, a grassroots public education campaign to build support for marriage equality in Ohio.  continue

Yesterday was the feast of the Annunciation. While I can't pretend to understand the mystical encounter narrated in Luke's Gospel, Sojourner Truth's take on the story always brings a smile:

"Then that little man in black there, he says women can't have as much rights as men, 'cause Christ wasn't a woman! Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him."

A bit irreverent perhaps, but as Luke's Gospel tells it, quite true. At the March 8 Voices of Faith program from the Vatican (now available via webcast), British theologian Tina Beattie pointedly noted that the faithfulness of women both opens and closes our Gospel stories. Yesterday's feast marks the beginning of Jesus' earthly sojourn. On Palm Sunday, we commence a weeklong journey remembering Jesus' passion, death and resurrection.

And truly, as Sr. Helen Brancato's painting (above) eloquently reminds us, "it was the women who stayed."  continue

When it comes to women, Pope Francis has five strikes against him, but he also has some good points.

First strike: He is male. Any man who thinks he has something to say about women to women needs his head examined. The smartest thing men can do when it comes to women's topics is shut up and listen.

Second, he is celibate. Not having sex is not what makes celibates ignorant of women; it is not having a wife to set you straight when you say something dumb.  continue reading

NYT - PARIS — France, which often seems to have style and elegance written into its genetic code, is again confronting one of the dark sides of fashion: the glamorization of too-thin women.

The French Parliament is debating legislation that would effectively set minimum weights for women and girls to work as models, a step that supporters of the bill say is necessary to combat the persistence of anorexia.  

If it becomes law — it is backed by President François Hollande’s Socialist government — modeling agencies and fashion houses that employ models whose body mass index measurements do not meet minimum standards would face criminal penalties.  continue

The tide has turned for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender couples seeking to be married in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A).

Following years of debate and introspection, America’s largest Presbyterian denomination has announced a change to its constitution that allows for a more inclusive definition of marriage.

Officially called Amendment 14-F, the new wording in the denomination’s Book of Order will describe marriage as being “between two people.”  continue

Mary, Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community, this is the day God has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it as we ordain a woman priest!

Luz Galilea is 50 years old, married with one daughter. She has studied theology in Strasbourg University in France and is now enrolled in theology classes in the university in Bogota.  Luz has ample pastoral experience in her community of "Homo Novo" and in the past in parishes in France and Spain.  continue

We will no longer discriminate based on sexual orientation and demand lifelong celibacy as a precondition for joining…

Imagine feeling this from your family or religious community,” the letter states. “‘If you stay, you must accept celibacy with no hope that you too might one day enjoy the fullness of intellectual, spiritual, emotional, psychological and physical companionship. If you pursue a lifelong partnership, you are rejected.’ This is simply not working and people are being hurt. We must listen and respond.  continue

Two years ago when James Obergefell decided to sue the state of Ohio to recognize his marriage to his dying spouse, he didn’t envision his could be the case that decides the fate of marriage equality for the nation.  continue

Reverend Libby Lane - the Church of England's first female bishop
Kate Kelly - the movement to ordain women in the Mormon church
M. Hasna Maznavi & Sana Muttalib - the first Women's Mosque in the United States
Women Clergy in the #BlackLivesMatter Movement
Rabbi Angela Warnick Buchdahl - elected head rabbi of New York's historic Central Synagogue
Linda Sarsour - director of the Arab American Association of New York
Malala Yousafzai - world-renowned peace activist and champion of children's rights
Sister Cristina Scuccia - won "The Voice of Italy"
Rev. Amy Butler - the senior minister and first woman to hold the job at the historic Riverside Church
READ MORE about these leaders

VATICAN CITY — In the first two years of his papacy, Pope Francis has stirred great expectations for change among Roman Catholics who believe that the church has not kept pace with the social transformations of secular society.

Nowhere are those hopes felt more keenly, perhaps, than among women, often the driving force behind local church communities, but who say that their voices remain marginalized. continue

Today, HRC commended the government of Slovenia for passing legislation that will make it the 21st nation to grant full marriage rights to all of its citizens.  continue