Rev. Nicole Garcia Talks LGBTQ Faith Work & More (AUDIO)

 

 

 

 

 

 

In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with Reverend Nicole Garcia about her new role as Faith Work Director for the National LGBTQ Task Force. Nicole is an ordained minister of Word and Sacrament in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). She firmly believes that her experience as a transgender and Latina seminarian has prepared her for this new position at the Task Force to help bring all denominations of our community together. This comes at a time when LGBTQ people are under attack with hundreds of anti-LGBTQ bills pending across state legislatures and 7 states have banned transgender women and girls from competing in sports teams consistent with their gender. Four years ago there were 41 expressly anti-LGBTQ bills introduced across the country and today we are dealing with a barrage of over 300 bills rooted in hate. Then we’re dealing with states like Arizona, Texas and Alabama moving to ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth. Thankfully in Alabama a federal district court judge has issued a ruling blocking enforcement of Alabama SB 184 while a legal challenge to the law that criminalizes parents who seek to get essential medical care for their transgender children’s needs has its day in court. Not to mention other states following Florida's lead which passed the "Don't Say Gay" bill and are eyeing restrictions on teaching LGBTQ topics in schools. Though President Biden has stated that the onslaught of state laws targeting transgender Americans and their families is simply wrong nothing has been done nationally to stop these malicious bills that are spiritually and physically dividing our country by radical rightwing conservative politicians and religious leaders preaching hate from their bully pulpits. We talked to Reverend Garcia about what she hopes to accomplish at The Task Force and her spin on our LGBTQ issues. 

Reverend Nicole M. Garcia, M.A. LPC identifies as an out and proud queer transgender Latina. She is also a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Colorado. Nicole has been practicing as a therapist and a clinical supervisor at the Umbrella Collective in Boulder CO since 2018. She is a former member and faculty emeritus of the Trans Seminarian Leadership Cohort. Nicole currently serves on the board of directors of Out Boulder County a nationally recognized LGBTQ advocacy organization and the Boulder County Wildfire Fund Advisory Committee of the Community Foundation of Boulder County. The National LGBTQ Task Force advances full freedom, justice and equality for LGBTQ people. They are building a future where everyone can be free to be their entire selves in every aspect of their lives. Today despite all the progress that has been made to end discrimination millions of LGBTQ people face barriers in every aspect of their lives including housing, employment, healthcare, retirement and basic human rights. For More Info…

 

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Filmmakers Address Catholic LGBTQ Religious Freedom (AUDIO)

 

 

 

 

 

 

In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with Father James Martin and director Shannon Post about their documentary “Building a Bridge”. The documentary named after the book by Father Martin “Building a Bridge” follows a priest on his mission to make the Catholic Church more accepting of our LGBTQ community despite loud opposition from both inside and outside the Church. The film tells the stories of people whose lives intersect in emotional and complicated ways with Father Martin’s journey as a voice for acceptance within the Church and the conflict between conservative and liberal Catholics over LGBTQ issues including Pope Francis. One of the highlights of the film is when Father Martin talks about how horrified he was by Catholic leaders’ silence in the wake of the Pulse Nightclub Massacre. He addresses this issue with a grieving Pulse mother Christine Leinonen whose son Dru was killed in the massacre. The film also follows Father Martin and the lives he has impacted including a family with three LGBTQ siblings and a college student trying to reconcile his gay and Catholic identities. Shannon co-directed and produced the film with Evan Mascagni a Catholic who was disenchanted by the Church but inspired by Father Martin’s message of building a bridge between the Church and our LGBTQ community that also resonated with Shannon as a queer person. The film came to the attention of Martin Scorsese who served as Executive Producer of “Building a Bridge” which premiered at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival. We talked to Father James and Shannon about what they hope to accomplish with this film and their spin on our LGBTQ issues. 

Father James Martin is a Jesuit priest, editor at large of America magazine, consultor to the Vatican's Dicastery for Communication and the author of many books including the New York Times bestsellers “Jesus: A Pilgrimage”, “The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything” and “Learning to Pray”. A graduate of the Wharton School of Business Father Martin worked in corporate America before entering the Jesuits. Currently he recently launched Outreach a new website designed to help LGBTQ Catholics, their families and friends with respect, compassion and sensitivity. For More Info… Shannon Post is a queer documentary filmmaker and is currently producing a documentary feature supported by The Redford Center. She co-founded the film production company Player Piano Productions which creates social impact documentary films. "Building a Bridge" is now available on Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, Vimeo and YouTube. The film will launch on AMC+ on June 21st and have its broadcast premiere on Sundance TV on June 26th.  For More Info…

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