An agent of unity — LGBTQA Office and Lutheran Ministry stage an open forum about religion and self-identity

On Inauguration Day, Julia Keleher, program coordinator for the University of Idaho LGBTQA Office, sat in her office discussing how to bring religion and identity together.

The Queer Identities and Christianity forum will be held 6-7 p.m. Tuesday in the Campus Christian Center.

“I wanted to find a place for people who identify as LGBTQA and Christian, to have a place to meet and talk,” Keleher said.

There can be tension amongst Christian and LGBTQA communities, she said, and she wants to bring both parties together.

“(The) Campus Christian Center and Lutheran Campus Ministry are very supportive of LGBTQA people — they’re a safe zone,” Keleher said.

Karla Neumann Smiley, minister of Lutheran Campus Ministry, said she shares the goal of openness and support.

“We have been committed to being an open and inclusive community to people,” Smiley said.

This is the first collaboration between the Lutheran Campus Ministry and the LGBTQA Office, Keleher said. She said she hopes a spectrum of people will join the conversation and set aside doubts.

“With our current societal field, it’s important we re-emphasize (compassion) because of the vitriol that is going through our media right now with current political climate,” Keleher said.

The goal is to help the campus become a more welcoming and caring community, she said. As a professional, Keleher said it’s her personal moral mission to come alongside people’s struggles with sympathy.

“I share that goal of openness and welcome and support,” Smiley said. “A part of my life and work … is that God has called me to advocate those who are considered outsiders, to welcome them to be an agent of unity.”

Keleher and Smiley said no one should have to choose between faith and self-identity. Each person is a collection of identities, Smiley said. She said people should not  have to choose a facet of who they are at the expense of another, and should support the whole person.

Keleher said she emphasizes the struggles of sexual orientation and gender identity. She said she hopes people come, whether supporting a friend or family member, or simply need group support.

“Bring a friend to provide a place of support,” Keleher said. “Because it can be scary to come.”

Smiley said it’s easy to feel alone in the moment, but there are people who care and advocate for a struggling individual. She said that support might seem invisible — it’s there.

“I think it’s kind of my mission and the LGBTQA Office mission to provide safe places and cooperative and supportive environments to all people — regardless of their identities,” Keleher said.

Smiley said she sometimes feels like butting her head against the wall while fighting for effective change, but she is proud to be a part of today’s tradition of removing separation and uncertainty.

“I had a professor who once told me, ‘It’s really daunting to feel like you can go out there and change the world, but what you can do is make your little corner of the world a better place.’” Keleher said.

She said she does not have the power to make the world a better place, but focuses on making Moscow’s corner better.

Catherine Keenan can be reached at [email protected]

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