On my first day of work at RBCC, I was delighted to walk in to see this sign highlighted in my office window. I think about this sign a lot — especially when people ask me about what I do for work. I often tread a bit lightly when first talking about my job, especially with people I don’t know well — the reason being there is so much misguided religion in our World, and many people have been deeply harmed by a version of God or Jesus that vilifies the many identities that we hold. And quite simply, that is unacceptable. I want people to understand why I chose to work for RBCC (as much as RBCC interviewed me, I also got to interview “you”).

On Friday, March 31st, I received a pretty upsetting phone call at the church office. I was working with a member on updating some database information, when a call came in. A man on the other end of the line, who did not identify himself, had a lot to say about the sign on the church reader board that states, “Trans Youth Safe Here”. I truly hesitate to relay the entirety of the conversation, as the caller used harmful, hate-fueled rhetoric, disguised as “the work of God”, and with an illusion of calm and “care for my well being”. I was pretty taken aback. It took me a second to register what was happening. When I realized what this man was saying, I promptly replied, “Oh we absolutely support Trans lives, and do not support this kind of rhetoric”, and I ended the phone call. The man called back immediately, and I sent his call to voice mail. He left a message of the same ilk. I reported the calls with an attached copy of the recorded voice message, to the King County Sheriff. The whole experience left me feeling unsettled, frustrated, and sad.

I know this incident led to a wider discussion of safety, which is necessary and wonderful, and I’m glad for the plans that are in place to add a bit of security to the church building. And when something like this happens it is of course natural to question our safety, and what we can do to prevent further issues. It’s easy to wonder if we should edit or take down the sign that provoked such a response in the first place. But in acts of allyship, we must put aside our own fears and privileges, and choose to stand up for the rights and humanity of others.  Daily, we must intentionally choose to live in a space of hope, for a World where people are allowed to simply exist in their bodies — to exist both in the ways they choose, and cannot choose, but just are. Black lives; Indigenous lives; Disabled bodies; Trans bodies; Asian lives; LGBTQIA2+ lives; Non-binary bodies; Fat bodies; and a million intricate intersections of identities that link us to one another. Our humanity depends on it.

Miriam Gnagy; Communications & Facilities Coordinator