In my work as a pastor, I find we often fear what we do not know or understand. But when what we fear goes from being an abstract idea to a person with a name, a face and a story — that fear begins to dissipate.
Unfortunately, we have a lot of really fearful people in our country right now. There are anti-drag bills proposed in at least 15 states across the country. Additionally, the Human Rights Campaign has identified 340 anti-LGBTQ bills, 150 of which restrict the rights of our transgender community. What are these people so afraid of?
Mary Alice Birdwhistell
I remember the first time I went to a drag show in Dallas. I did feel a bit anxious at the time — could I, as a Baptist pastor, go to a drag show? And if people back at my church found out, what in the world would they think?
But what happened that evening, I will never forget. Because that night, I experienced such an extravagant sense of welcome and acceptance. A space of wholehearted joy and celebration. I met people who were free to express and to be themselves in ways they couldn’t experience anywhere else in their lives.
In one short evening, I found the sense of love, belonging and aliveness so many are searching for in our churches every single week but can never quite seem to find. And it changed me.
“I found the sense of love, belonging and aliveness so many are searching for in our churches every single week but can never quite seem to find.”
Today, drag is no longer an abstract idea to me. Drag now represents a person I’ve come to call a dear friend. Every time we’re together, I’m reminded that God’s love is so much more expansive than we could ever imagine, and I feel hopeful, inspired, challenged and energized in this work of love.
In the Gospel of Luke, there’s a story about a multitude of angels who appear to a group of shepherds in the fields one night. And we don’t often focus on this part of the story, but the shepherds are terrified, because they’ve never seen or encountered anyone like these angels before.
Who knows? Maybe the angels were wearing dresses, and those shepherds weren’t quite sure what to do with that. Maybe they had glitter sparkling from their eyelids, or long, flowing hair. Maybe the angels were wearing outrageously high heels (anything’s possible, right?) And unlike the shepherds who were tired and worn from herding sheep through the night, these angels, they looked good!
And one of them called out to the shepherds, “Do not be afraid, honey! For behold, I am bringing you good news of great joy that will be for ALL the people!”
To my drag friends, I want you to know you are angels among us.
To our LGBTQ community, in these difficult days may you know you are God’s beloved. You make the world a more vibrant place, just by being who God uniquely created you to be.
Even in the face of despair, may we celebrate the good news of great joy that is for ALL people: That love is stronger than fear, and love always wins.
Mary Alice Birdwhistell serves as senior pastor at Highland Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky.
Related articles:
Drag queens reading books to children are not the problem | Opinion by Susan Shaw
How a student’s fashion design project upset the created order at Bob Jones University | Analysis by Rick Pidcock
Of drag shows and the scandal of Christmas | Opinion by Bert Montgomery