“Out and Faithful” event brings LGBTQIA+ and faith communities together

A 72-year-old woman wearing a rainbow headband and a blouse that said “cisn’t” stepped up to the front of the room and grabbed the microphone. 

“Hi, my name is Dani Keil,” she said. “I’m a transgender woman. My pronouns are she and her. My question is in regards to safe spaces. I very much do appreciate being here, because I do feel like this is a safe space.”

Keil said this at a gathering called “Out and Faithful: A Multi-Faith Celebration of LGBTQIA+ Spirituality and Call to Advocacy” on Oct. 11, National Coming Out Day, in the Hammerschmidt Memorial Chapel. 

Elmhurst University community members congregated to affirm queer people of faith and honor Elmhurst alumnus Rev. William R. Johnson, the first openly gay person to be ordained by the United Church of Christ.

Additionally, the diversity of the stories and opinions shared by both speakers and audience members alike showed attendees that there are many different ways one can live as out and faithful. 

Keil’s moment in the spotlight stood out to EU sophomore Emerson Azcoitia, president and founder of Above and Beyond, a progressive Christian organization on campus that aims to offer a safe space for queer people of faith. 

“I loved her,” Azcoitia said. “I absolutely loved her…it’s really important in the trans community to see elders. ‘Cause oftentimes, you don’t see that.”

Azcoitia continued, “You don’t see older trans people, and it’s really heartwarming to see someone talk about her transition and her journey and not really subscribing to the gender stereotype or subscribing to a stereotype of trans people … so I really did love her.” 

The gathering included a panel of six speakers belonging to various queer and religious communities, followed by a Q&A. 

During the Q&A, Keil asked the speakers what their first experiences were like with finding a safe space to be themselves and how to make the world a better place so people of all identities can find a safe space. 

Keil is a partner from HOPE United Church of Christ in Naperville and facilitates Rainbow Faith, a discussion group at the church that talks about faith issues and offers guidance to LGBTQ+ people who have experienced difficulties at churches that are not LGBTQ+ friendly. 

She expressed that the topic of safe spaces is near and dear to her heart. 

“That’s one thing that I think about a real, real lot is safe spaces and places where people who identify as either transgender or as other members of the LGBTQ+ community can be safe being themselves,” Keil said in an interview with The Leader. “And it’s one of the things that led me to HOPE in the first place and is something that I think is very, very vital to any member of the community.” 

EU senior Grace Wadsworth, president of the Spiritual Life Council, felt that there were benefits of hearing from older LGBTQ+ people at the event. 

“Having educated and experienced adults and leaders in religious communities come together for one goal and to spread their different experiences and knowledge and expertise on the topic of just the intersect area between religion and sexuality, gender, all those things, is really important to me,” Wadsworth said. 

Rev. Shawna Bowman, pastor at Friendship Presbyterian Church and executive director at Friendship Community Place, was a panel speaker at the event and mentioned their interest in exploring such intersections. 

“I think there has often been a sense of division between religious communities and LGBTQ communities and for good reason — some religious spaces have been really exclusive and harmful to queer folk,” Bowman said. 

They continued, “But the reality is that there have been queer folk in the church and in other religious communities since their inception, and so any time we are doing a conversation or exploration at the intersection of those, I’m really excited to be part of it.”

Dr. Pamela Lightsey, vice president of academic affairs at Meadville Lombard Theological School and associate professor of constructive theology, was also a panel speaker and shared that the content of the event was meaningful to her personally. 

“As a queer lesbian woman, I’m interested in the liberation of all oppressed people, and the fact that this was being held at the university was very special to me,” Lightsey said. 

Photo by- Adriana Briscoe

Elmhurst alumnus Rev. Sarah Lohrbach, a support staff member from the Illinois Conference of the United Church of Christ, led the coordination of the event and felt that gatherings like this one are important for queer people of faith.

“We need to be that voice as people of faith that sound out a different message than what people are hearing,” Lohrbach said. “Because we’re here. People of faith who affirm and celebrate LGBTQ persons and their journeys, we’re here, and we exist, and we need to be a louder voice than we are.”