Accounts and allegations of sexual harassment, assault, and abuse perpetrated by mostly straight white men in power have flooded the U.S. news cycle for months. Each new revelation confirms that sexual violence is an epidemic fueled by systems of unchecked power and authority, including patriarchy, white supremacy, and Christian Read More
Social Justice
When in Doubt, Be Yourself
“Excuse me, *you* are the board chair? Of this national organization?” Back in October of 2015 I was elected to lead the Board of Directors for the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. At 32 years old I didn't expect to take on this level of leadership quite so early in life. Frankly I was stunned. Turns out I wasn’t the only one Read More
Restricting Access to Birth Control is Immoral
On a hot August day in 2012, I was taking my usual monthly trip to Walgreens to pick up my birth control prescription. As I pulled out my wallet to cover the co-pay, I was pleasantly surprised when the pharmacist informed me that I didn’t owe anything. It was the first month that the contraceptive mandate included in the Affordable Care Act Read More
Should I Have a Kid?
“Did you always know that you wanted to be a parent?” A few weeks ago while recording an episode for our podcast Kindreds, my co-host asked. We talked at length but in short, the answer was, no. When I was young and single, the idea of having a kid was something that seemed like an eventual, yet distant given for my life. But when the question Read More
The Trouble with Boaz
I’ve always been troubled by the story of Boaz found in the Book of Ruth. While there are plenty of biblical narratives that horrify me–Hagar, Tamar, and other “texts of terror” as Phyllis Trible called them–the story of Boaz is uniquely problematic in how it has been interpreted and applied by some Christian traditions, particularly among Read More
The Bible & The Handmaid’s Tale
The Hulu series The Handmaid's Tale, based on Margaret Atwood's 1985 dystopian novel, is a chilling look into a fictional future in which women are stripped of their rights and dignity, rape is sanctified and ritualized, fertility is a commodity, and those who resist the theocratic regime are executed on the spot. In watching the Read More
The Intersections of Faith and Reproductive Justice
Last week I participated in a panel discussion hosted by the Center for American Progress (CAP) on the intersections of faith and reproductive justice. These conversations are critically important, particularly in these political times when threats to our bodily autonomy and right of conscience are sanctioned by our current administration, Read More
The Shifting Dance of Balance
What's your reaction to the phrase work-life balance? Does the idea of balance seem aspirational to you, or does it seem utterly impossible? If you're like me, it feels more like the latter. There are several major problems with the concept of work-life balance in the ways that I have heard it described. The phrasing falsely segregates Read More
Bridging Across Difference
Like millions of others around the United States and the world, I participated in one of the women’s marches held in January. At a time when I felt discouraged and disheartened about the future of our movements for social justice, the march was a life-giving, inspiring moment that catalyzed my commitment to resist oppression in all its forms. As a Read More
Coexist or Contradict?
While stopped at a red light on my way home one day I noticed that the two cars immediately in front of me had the same “Coexist” bumper sticker. You’ve probably seen one like it. Each of the letters of is a symbol representing a major religious or spiritual ideology. For example, the “C” is a crescent moon symbolizing Islam, and the “X” is a Star Read More