James Finn

LGBTQ columnist. Publisher of Prism & Pen. Gay man. Cat person. Emotional and proud of it. Former member Act Up New York, Queer Nation. Fierce advocate of LGBTQ equality. Trans folks rock! Black lives matter!

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JamesFinn_at_stranger.social@mostr.pub

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relay.nostr.band

nostr21.com

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npub1gqetf7epcdz9t0pe4v9zlx5smmm9ut5q5yn0jcr8qmhu6lhluayq3e9j89

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Last Notes

2024-04-10 19:04:39

I’ve been feeling intense pain since I read the #Catholic Church’s recent missive called “Infinite Dignity.” Here's my tear-filled reaction to a doctrinal statement that denies even the possibility of true dignity to #gay and #transgender people. Please read and share? 👇
https://medium.com/prismnpen/my-dignified-queer-heart-cries-in-pain-c0a2626dcad5?sk=5dd6ad23bace6e0ffc5d6bff41154eb2

2024-01-23 20:28:05

This is Oliver, 12. He lives in Wyoming and wants kids to stop bullying #LGBTQ youth. He was shocked when the principal canceled his school anti-bullying play, saying it "does not conform to community values.” Wow, did that principal ever mess with the wrong kid! 👇
https://medium.com/prismnpen/twelve-year-old-stands-up-for-bullied-lgbtq-kids-wont-be-cancelled-ecf85c9d735b?sk=63869c48f17b1073d7aa6bd41f14737a

2023-08-08 14:58:55

Did #MomsForLiberty really say health care must end in public schools? Yes! Well, this learning-disabled, former 8-year-old #queer kid whose parents couldn’t afford glasses has a message for the moms:
#LGBTQ rights are #HumanRights, just like reading! 👇
https://medium.com/prismnpen/no-health-care-in-school-anti-lgbtq-moms-sacrifice-children-to-ideology-57c35dc26ce8?sk=5b071c22c5c730e6d4238e8ffd30d5f5

2023-08-01 19:42:39

15-year-old John is so traumatized he can’t sleep. He’s afraid to use the bathroom at home by himself. He's a nonverbal #autistic boy who LOVED the cinema — until the day a manager mistook him for #transgender and had cops throw him out. When will this cruel war on trans end? Will we ever value kindness again?
https://medium.com/prismnpen/traumatized-autistic-boy-called-transgender-ejected-from-cinema-22fff28dee6e?sk=7dc4325154c3122c8b98cc23b1877334

2023-07-18 11:30:31

Meet Andrew. Attacked/hospitalized for being #gay / #transgender! I saw his story yesterday in @PinkNews, felt horrified and needed to know more. So, I called Andrew, and here's what I learned about the #LGBTQ backlash and #StochasticTerrorism. 👇👇👇
https://medium.com/prismnpen/michigan-trans-man-shot-in-his-wheelchair-called-tr-nny-f-ggot-ad4bb52ab59?sk=61d8b048e1814c79d669cf7875865c72

2023-07-16 20:06:53

This week, @npub15nq…3um8 writers are overcoming obstacles, and I think daring to come out to a father raised in #Nigeria is about as brave an overcoming as possible. How about transforming #transgender shame into trans joy or celebrating the beauty of weird?
But obstacles aren’t all we’re about this week. We dive into #lesbian history, offer up #bisexual fiction, and — as always — explore current events through a rainbow lens.
https://medium.com/prismnpen/queer-writers-overcome-obstacles-share-history-and-joy-ba6a35623f1c?source=friends_link&sk=57ffcec5b16a9a2b70026a9958852e91

2023-07-13 18:14:34

Did you hear about that #Michigan salon owner who told #transgender people go to a pet groomer? I live nearby, and I break down the law, politics, socio-economics, and the #GOP scapegoating that's harming ALL everyday Americans, not just us #LGBTQ folks.👇
https://medium.com/prismnpen/michigan-salon-calls-trans-folks-pets-refuses-service-cites-scotus-3de89969dc33?sk=9c59057420d959f1032d8c504f08c7e3

2023-07-10 21:19:02

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@npub1rgy…fpgz Yes, but the town's reaction against the school board is really instructive. It represents hope, I think.

2023-07-10 21:15:36

A school board in a small Michigan town near me just voted to close a free children's health clinic over a mural with #transgender and #LGBTQ colors. The board implicitly endorsed charges of #Satanism rooted in #Antisemitism and #Islamophobia.
Then, in a shocking move, the town roared its disapproval! Is this an inflection point. I don't know, but click for details and my analysis. 👇
https://medium.com/prismnpen/my-neighbors-ended-free-childhood-health-care-over-anti-trans-hatred-9692483280b1?sk=b17e21594f4a4f8cb44931a1a8105e6f

2023-07-10 21:15:36

2023-07-09 18:31:52

This week at @npub15nq…3um8 is hard hitting and entertaining. We lead with a piece about jaw-dropping anti-#transgender hatred, dish about #queer stand up, then unify with poetic #LGBTQ prose. Plus, Nathan Chen spills tea about #gay men and #Grindr.
https://medium.com/prismnpen/breastfeeding-as-perversion-the-art-of-queer-stand-up-grindr-tea-dbb8b54415b9

2023-07-04 17:35:21

Not gonna say much here except that #FoxNews is full of horse pucky. As usual. Despite Fox's intentionally false headline, Michigan is NOT making misgendering a crime. At all. Not even close. What's the rest of the story? I dug in to find out!👇
#LGBTQ #transgender
https://medium.com/prismnpen/if-you-misgender-trans-people-in-michigan-you-go-to-prison-not-52d19b843e5c?sk=2d856d558445d66e31b368000aba13e3

2023-07-03 19:04:45

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@npub14q5…gkmy @npub15nq…3um8 Yes! I was just reading about that this morning. Crazy, huh? Looks like Trump and DeSantis are trying to race each other to the bottom of how much they each hate queer people.

2023-07-02 18:47:58

#PrideMonth is officially over, as celebrations/marches roll through the summer. At @npub15nq…3um8 we never stop telling stories about our #LGBTQ lives. This week, we’re thinking about our #queer bodies, our queer souls, and our queer-phobic society.
What is #gay purity culture, can abs erase your loneliness, and what’s with this resurgence of classic homophobia on the political right?
Plus poetry, science fiction, and thoughts on dance styles at #Pride!
https://medium.com/prismnpen/gay-bodies-queer-souls-and-right-wing-homophobia-f9c1ea35ed55

2023-06-30 17:40:31

When I read how conservative #Christians in Scotland say children's hospital #PrideMonth rainbows offended them so much they couldn't use the chapel, I thought back to that time I was afraid my kid was dying. To this #gay parent, rainbow means welcome!👇
https://medium.com/prismnpen/if-lgbtq-people-offend-you-spiritually-is-your-spirituality-healthy-7abb19f6fdb2?sk=c95d05efab481c145efe298f43ae13ab

2023-06-26 21:09:45

What went down in the #LGBTQ world last week? Why not ask real #queer writers? From cops at #pride, to #transgender dating, we've got you covered. At @npub15nq…3um8, no topic is off limits, and personal stories from the heart are our bread and butter.
https://medium.com/prismnpen/cops-at-pride-trans-dating-witch-hunts-christian-fragility-and-more-a4bded38de39?source=friends_link&sk=36f5ffa617ff6c3da3ccfc74a324071b

2023-06-24 20:24:34

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@npub1cna…35m5 Thanks very much for sharing!

2023-06-24 15:24:52

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@npub1jsr…tghx Thank you! I mean, it was a very long time ago and something like that would not happen today, but I'm worried very much that conservative forces are marching us in the wrong direction.

2023-06-23 16:42:41

When my husband died, I got evicted, denied the right to legal marriage. A nightmare from the past? Today, significant percentages of Americans from both parties are deciding that same-sex #marriage is immoral.
#Transgender and #gay rights are intertwined and besieged. #LGBTQ rights are human rights! Don't know what I'm talking about? Here's the deal. 👇
https://medium.com/prismnpen/support-for-same-sex-marriage-falls-as-right-intensifies-war-on-trans-7533c954f182?sk=f027a25b24a9b790fd0c256e018fd2c5

2023-06-20 18:35:26

"How did we MISS this?" I ask about a spectacular #PrideMonth festival in #Republican Michigan where I live. How did tiny Grand Haven attract so many #Pride-goers despite loud religious, political, and media opposition?
Can we TURN the backlash? I think so, and I think Grand Haven is showing us how! 👇
https://medium.com/prismnpen/what-if-you-invited-500-people-to-pride-and-almost-5-000-came-20c92b2513e5?sk=17dbc639de2afda8fcf629975ead2b6f

2023-06-18 19:44:45

Halfway through #Pride2023, anti-#LGBTQ backlash has left many #transgender and #gay people fearful. In the face of backlash, @npub15nq…3um8 offers humanizing #queer #storytelling --and this week's roundup shatters preconceptions and fosters understanding!
How does it feel to pass as a gay trans man? How about live as a young #queer woman whose Evangelical family believe Pride is an orgy? Have you read J.M. Tolcher’s “Poof" memoir yet? All that and much more this week!
https://medium.com/prismnpen/pride-and-the-power-of-queer-storytelling-inspire-and-challenge-99d7502f661c?source=friends_link&sk=dd6a3e1b5eea15e7886f23315e88c87b

2023-06-14 19:42:09

Alex Keen and Trek Reef are small-town #LGBTQ Americans, both 38 years old. One just went into hiding after 3 tiny #Pride events stirred up hate. The other faces shocking slurs over a routine Pride proclamation.
The good news? Their neighbors aren't having it! 👇
https://medium.com/prismnpen/from-massachusetts-to-indiana-pride-stands-up-against-renewed-assault-30f1080b9d3?sk=3a3d478b1e15ce6bdfa7d92f511d5f6f

2023-06-11 20:45:22

It's #Pride Week 2 at @npub15nq…3um8! We celebrate, protest, fear, and share determination. A #transgender man's red-state travels boosts his optimism. A trans woman has nightmares about Nazis. An ally teaches #queer kids at writing camp. A #gay man gives in to fear, then gets right back up.
Two Black queer writers share searing poetry. We offer a gorgeous piece of short fiction set in the days of tall ships and tight little cupboards. And that’s just the beginning!
https://medium.com/prismnpen/queer-joy-fear-protest-and-youth-writing-camp-pride-week-two-517f46ef8e60?source=friends_link&sk=416ae517306ba51c9934fc4fb5c5ce77

2023-06-07 19:07:53

Have you seen @HRC's national #LGBTQ emergency declaration? Think it's overhyped? It's not! Harvey Milk is being erased. #Queer families are fleeing Florida. Montana gagged #Transgender woman Adria Jawort using its new #DragQueen ban even though she's nothing LIKE a drag queen. Violence is breaking out in LA! The time to act is now!👇
https://medium.com/prismnpen/human-rights-campaign-declares-lgbtq-state-of-emergency-over-hyped-bd225a40517b?sk=7c4edac28f1ce0758e078a0584cf37aa

2023-06-04 19:36:34

#Pride2023! Let's celebrate, protest, and unify! And let's take care to stay safe in the face of organized anti-#LGBTQ violence. This week, @npub15nq…3um8 writers share joy, fears, and defiance. Plus, a Grammy-nominated songwriter and P&P regular performs a music parody that BEAUTIFULLY sums up the season. 👇
https://medium.com/prismnpen/protest-unity-caution-and-joy-its-pride-2023-at-prism-pen-712495a2f512?source=friends_link&sk=d906d488c540e66c21f613adeedcc827

2023-06-01 19:29:06

Happy first day of #PrideMonth2023! Living in MAGA country, I just got the shock of my life, saw something so unexpected I had to ask if the anti-#LGBTQ backlash is abating.
In this story, I explore the backlash and signs that even conservatives Americans are getting sick of it.👇
https://medium.com/prismnpen/happy-pride-signs-point-to-a-backlash-to-the-anti-lgbtq-backlash-9c1dc0561fde?sk=d53cfa45d5097416cabd87257e6bf8d3

2023-06-01 19:29:06

2023-05-30 17:08:39

#Pride2023 is under attack as US cops support #ProudBoys and other homophobic racists plotting violence. I reach back to memories of my first #LGBTQ #Pride for lessons in defiance. What about YOU? @npub15nq…3um8 wants YOUR #PrideMonth stories!
👇👇DETAILS👇👇
https://medium.com/prismnpen/pride-2023-defies-white-supremacists-christian-nationalists-4757b473261e?sk=b5e3d02d103af1abfab92bca5dbe997b

2023-05-28 18:22:02

An ongoing anti-#LGBTQ backlash looks set to crash over #Pride2023, perhaps especially in the US, with groups like the #ProudBoys coordinating violence on social media. As backlash swells, @npub15nq…3um8 writers address resilience.
As always in P&P, writers share real #queer lives, from coming out, to life in Appalachia, to dating on Discord. John Cormier continues his meth-recovery memoir, and
Grayson Bell’s sci-fi serial turns surprising and even a little thrilling.
https://medium.com/prismnpen/queer-writers-showcase-resilience-in-face-of-pride-2023-violence-dc613c1130ce?source=friends_link&sk=9d83b4715193c72b23ad89fefa742129

2023-05-24 19:16:22

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@npub1lgx…jlrr 🤣❤️

2023-05-23 19:37:57

This is Joseph, attacked by #WhiteSupremacist thugs at #Pride in Montana. He won't be the last person assaulted at #Pride2023. #ProudBoys and #PatriotFront say they're making #LGBTQ mean "Let's Go Bully The Queers" this #Pride season.
We can turn that to our advantage if we're smart and and sensible.
Click to learn what years of street activism taught me. (TLDR: Do not commit violence. Don't even THINK about bringing a gun to Pride.) 👇
https://medium.com/prismnpen/attacked-by-white-supremacists-is-montana-man-face-of-pride-2023-bf7615b4ea57?sk=3d90482585462b9fae97b64514eb3645

2023-05-23 14:36:57

I often write about intersex people in conjunction with calls to respect queer equity and equality, but I use LGBTQ as an umbrella term for all queer people, including intersex people who identify as queer. I use the same practice regarding two spirit, asexual, non-binary people, etc. As a writer, I have to decide how practical an umbrella term can be. Right now, I'm settled on "LGBTQ" for all members of gender and sexual minorities. I think its Q inclusiveness is widely understood.

2023-05-21 19:13:24

Somebody hacked a Florida traffic sign to urge people to “Kill All Gays.” Anti-#LGBTQ hatred is in vogue, normalized by hateful political rhetoric. Cities are canceling #Pride as hatred spreads. In @npub15nq…3um8 this week, #queer writers examine the impact— from Canada, to the U.S., the U.K., and Ireland.
As always, P&P writers share their real lives, from the joy (and angst) of #bisexual romance to the pain of #transgender divorce. Plus, fiction and poetry.👇
https://medium.com/prismnpen/anti-lgbtq-violence-spreads-from-the-us-to-canada-the-uk-to-ireland-4ab30e01793b?source=friends_link&sk=fce736720552cc7a0d288ef6c3b2f283

2023-05-20 17:11:36

When a #gay boy was savagely beaten in Ireland this week, his family released video of the attack to pressure authorities to act, and to spark discourse about the consequences of rising anti-#LGBTQ rhetoric.
Then the video was suppressed out of "respect." Why? Would true respect not mean honoring the family and having the courage to look squarely at the pain of a child at the epicenter of the an anti-#queer backlash?
https://medium.com/prismnpen/gay-boy-brutally-beaten-by-classmates-police-suppress-video-fe6bb68dd697?sk=9545fe3594d1f2dc54f5cbb99df2019d

2023-05-18 19:17:01

Shannon Rodriguez is a FL school board member who says God appointed her to “keep these minorities from infiltrating.” She's one of Gov Ron #DeSantis's #Christian soldiers, enforcing yesterday's 4-bill "#SlateOfHate" that's driving #LGBTQ people out of the state.
What did God tell Rodriguez to do? Get a teacher criminally investigated as a child abuser for showing a Disney film. I kid you not! The teacher is gone and her 5th graders are scared.
👇👇👇
https://medium.com/prismnpen/fl-enacts-slate-of-hate-as-god-appointed-board-member-freaks-over-disney-film-1f8a0a461873?sk=1488be849dff502aca9b068aedd51e00

2023-05-16 18:19:02

We've had more U.S. mass shootings in 2023 than the number of days in the year. #LGBTQ, #Black, #Jewish, and other scapegoats are terrified by a #ChristianNationalist, #WHITEsupremacist explosion. Mostly, we're terrified that these crazed haters are armed to the teeth.
We’re terrified that more "mainstream" leaders on the right celebrate assault-weapon ownership as a virtue, a necessary element of liberty.
Liberty to kill people in mass numbers in mere moments? Pah!
https://medium.com/prismnpen/texas-mass-killer-a-neo-nazi-inspired-by-a-jewish-anti-lgbtq-fanatic-dbd4d9f490c0?sk=06154a1bf2d17ccbb4bf836686713962

2023-05-11 11:43:52

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@npub1d77…f0gf @npub15nq…3um8 You can say that again! Some of the responses I've gotten to this story under promotion threads on various social media platforms ... They're just appalling. They obviously come from people with no empathy and no love in their hearts.

2023-05-10 16:13:25

When I was a little boy, I had a friend whose mother died. Our teacher tried to be kind to him on Mother's Day. Today, a kind teacher is being mocked and vilified as a groomer and predator - for being kind and inclusive of single dads and #LGBTQ families.
With special guest appearances by Paddington Bear and the late queen! 👇
https://medium.com/prismnpen/teacher-humiliated-called-predator-over-mothers-day-kindness-6e3dee30d47d?sk=96be822a6a170056143904d97e27218d

2023-05-09 19:22:06

Kill the witch! In Houston, Texas, such cries fill the air over IMAGINARY #DragQueens. A large school district has canceled all field trips to 'James and the Giant Peach' - staged by a beloved mainstream theater company that's used cross-gender casting for 50 years. Hatred is exploding. Actors and #LGBTQ Texans are scared!
https://medium.com/prismnpen/james-and-the-giant-peach-axed-over-imaginary-drag-queens-dd778e8820e6?sk=13f8d7eb1e1eba626e81ef2128be6bf5

2023-05-09 13:47:58

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@npub1hwg…hld4 @npub15nq…3um8 Thanks from one of the editors! Esther Spurrill-Jones, who manages social media for @npub15nq…3um8 when she's not writing and editing, sent me this comment. We really appreciate it!

2023-05-07 19:17:49

As Uganda advances a law to imprison and execute #transgender and #gay people, Ugandan leaders thank U.S. Christians for encouragement and funding. Are those Christians showing their hand? A shocking speech in the Florida House makes “yes” sound like the obvious answer.
@npub15nq…3um8 writers cover both those stories this week while Irish trans woman Fiona Evangeline Leigh transports with poetic prose in the finest literary traditions of the Emerald Isle. 👇
https://medium.com/prismnpen/anti-lgbtq-hatred-in-uganda-and-florida-trans-joy-in-ireland-d0fea12195e4?source=friends_link&sk=180ec60d3d7f2f631610be538a1dd09a

2023-05-05 18:27:08

See this lawmaker? That's State Rep. Jeff Holcomb telling the Florida House that the #GOP hates #LGBTQ people, but it's OK because terrorists hate us more. In a mask-ripping moment that drew audible gasps, he tried to justify unprecedented #Republican oppression and erasure of #queer people. Click for details, audio, and a critical correction of his "facts." 👇
https://medium.com/prismnpen/mask-ripping-moment-fl-lawmaker-says-gop-hates-lgbtq-people-39cad6cc620b?sk=89e12fdde863abaf3516fe2febaad4f5

2023-05-03 20:41:15

These parents in the Toronto suburbs are calling the #Pride flag Satanic as they mob reporters. What does that have to do with a man defecating on an #LGBTQ flag in an #NYC tapas bar? Everything!
New York City. Suburban New Jersey. Denver. England. California. What's going on? 👇👇
https://medium.com/prismnpen/man-defecates-on-nyc-restaurant-pride-flag-pride-under-attack-everywhere-1c1207c473d6?sk=db776c7367609d4406e16d825469a38e

2023-04-30 18:56:26

A feminist mom breaks down her troubled path parenting a non-binary teen. The #GOP is silencing #LGBTQ folks over ‘decorum’. A #transgender woman who posted a slow London Marathon time is getting roasted. Those stories plus poetry, fiction and #queer memoir in this week’s @npub15nq…3um8!👇
https://medium.com/prismnpen/lgbtq-parenting-republican-decorum-faux-marathon-outrage-8a4783516236?source=friends_link&sk=85a58daabfcb90c8f96b27f69e64811f

2023-04-28 19:50:58

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#[0] good to know!

2023-04-25 19:10:11

When I was little, I met an elderly Dutch woman touring the world telling #[0] children how she hid #[1] from the #[2] - citing her faith and “the equality of all human beings before God.”
How horrified would Corrie ten Boom be that many of those children now spread anti-#[3] hate, from Uganda to Florida?
https://medium.com/prismnpen/open-lgbtq-hunting-season-what-if-3-anti-jewish-bills-passed-in-1-day-17e8c557f45e?sk=d537037e9feb55b63b556a48a8a94491

2023-04-25 12:15:33

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#[0] #[1] #[2] Thanks!

2023-04-25 10:40:47

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#[0] #[1] Thanks so much for the shout-out! We all appreciate it!

2023-04-23 18:43:17

This week #[0] writers call out hypocrisy. Alison Luke asks, “Where’s the love,” while her #[1] son fears for her safety. Fay Wylde
goes pufferfish angry over “Culture of Life” hypocrisy. I call out a GOP lawmaker whose “rules for thee but not for me” see him fighting to ban drag queens while funding a charity where women gyrate in lingerie in front of children.
Subscribe to Prism & Pen for queer voices delivering news, essays, fiction, and poetry!
https://medium.com/prismnpen/lgbtq-writers-call-for-love-call-out-hypocrisy-b4fb1bba38db?source=friends_link&sk=a15e48b70154e4252c032a021dedf178

2023-04-19 21:16:47

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#[0] I'm not sure I understand what you're saying? All links I post here and on other social media platforms bypass the Medium paywall. Are you not able to access?

2023-04-19 20:16:34

This is Matthew Kacsmaryk, the Texas judge trying to ban the #[0] pill. He's a proven liar, a #[1] nationalist who flouted Senate rules and federal law during his nomination. #[2] people, #[3] people, and #[4] have everything to lose. 👇
https://medium.com/prismnpen/judge-who-banned-abortion-pill-hid-anti-trans-christian-extremism-from-senate-16f2c9bf339d?sk=723e5217d8c5e78c3f5d1438c1ec2b87

2023-04-17 19:24:53

#[0] and #[1] people sexualize children by mere public existence? Really? See the photo below? That sexy (straight woman) burlesque artist is dancing in public, funded by a FL #[2] rep trying to outlaw public #[3] and #[4]. Can you say hypocrite, boys and girls? Here's the full story. 👇
https://medium.com/prismnpen/fl-gop-rep-who-wants-to-outlaw-drag-queens-funds-straight-burlesque-3bd7bc489e94?sk=c783a556b4e6524088194d7fe434a1c2

2023-04-16 18:10:13

This week, #[0] writers share their own real lives and stories amid anti-#[1] hysteria that has the #[2] Post calling for nations to imprison and execute #[3] and #[4] people. Our storytellers share hope and determination — not to mention beautiful #[5] and exciting #[6]. Join us!
https://medium.com/prismnpen/lgbtq-writers-insist-everyone-has-the-right-to-live-the-way-they-want-7528a250d586?source=friends_link&sk=d72ef6854f22beb6375a0ba6b63be6e8

2023-04-09 21:31:09

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#[0] thanks! Following this closely.

2023-04-04 19:53:46

This is Pastor Jess Peacock. This is a story about a Nazi firebombing Jess's little Ohio church over a #[0] fundraiser. This is a story about how local police tried to pressure the church - instead of protecting and serving local #[1] #[2]. This is ALSO a triumphant story about successful resistance and the power of love! 👇
https://medium.com/prismnpen/ohio-church-hosting-drag-event-firebombed-resists-police-pressure-ed1dc3915fb9?sk=204cc6b1544ac6c7bdb1962c74e30a74