This week at Princeton Theological Seminary is BGLASS Week (BGLASS stands for Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian and Straight Supporters). The theme for this year’s BGLASS Week is “It’s About People” and on the right is the design I did for the t-shirts. There are a lot of great activities going on this week; yesterday began with a panel of three LGBT seminarians speaking about their experience here at PTS. I thought it was a helpful way to start off a week focusing on the theme of “It’s About People.”
This is something I think we often need to be reminded of in the church, especially with the PCUSA’s focus on the “issue” of homosexuality in the church, and on the ordination of LGBT folk for ministry. It’s often very easy for us to discuss the topic of homosexuality, or the issue of homosexuality, or talk about a desire to have dialogue about the issue, but it is very easy to forget that behind all of these “conversations” and debates and issues exist real people. Real people who struggle on a daily basis with existential questions; real people who are more than just their sexuality; real people who are just like you and me. It’s been very encouraging to see just how many people are picking up the BGLASS shirts this week. On Friday there is the annual BGLASS photo on the steps of the Chapel – a way for those who choose to wear the shirt to publicly show their support for the LGBT community here at Princeton.