61 20 2500 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/bb0615511b063eb9f98ee9522e9cc35d.jpg 4a86675ced971b62834b04414120a9f2 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Loey Powell https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/411c830dda9665dfc1b9e882da7aacb9.jpg bd72c3fa9aa0af50669be4d4514f29f3 Person An individual. Text Any textual data included in the document The Rev. Lois (Loey) M. Powell retired in 2016 from the denominational offices of the United Church of Christ after serving in various positions of leadership there for almost 20 years. Loey began her national setting ministry in 1996 when she was called to serve as the last Executive Director for the Coordinating Center for Women in Church and Society (CCW), one of the offices that would disappear as a distinct focus when the UCC restructured in 2000. Justice advocacy for women continued in a new national ministry called Justice and Witness Ministries and Loey joined the leadership team of JWM with particular attention to this advocacy work along with peace issues and leadership development, continuing this until 2014. At that point, Loey became the Executive Associate to the General Minister and President, and then filled a different position in her last months in the national offices. The UCC likes to tout its “firsts” in history, such as being the first mainline church to ordain a woman when Antoinette Brown was ordered in 1853, and the first to ordain an openly gay or lesbian minister when the Rev. William R. Johnson was ordained in 1972. Loey’s ministry includes a few such firsts as an open lesbian in ministry since 1978, the year she was ordained by the Golden Gate Association of the Northern California-Nevada Conference. Loey was the first open lgbt member to be elected to the UCC’s Executive Council (around 1986), the primary decision-making body of the UCC. When she was called to be pastor of the United Church in Tallahassee (FL) in 1989, Loey was the first open lgbt minister to be called as sole pastor through the regular search and call process (which means she was just another name in a pool of candidates). As Executive Director of CCW, she was the first openly lgbt executive on the UCC’s Council of Instrumentality Executives. Loey was a preacher’s kid. Her father, Oliver Powell, was a well-respected UCC minister who never shied away from engaging the church in the realities of the world and its social issues. Her mother, Eleonore Powell, returned to complete her B.S. when Loey was in grade school and had her own career as a dietician. Loey had two older brothers, David and Jonathan, but the family lost Joe when he was just 17. Born in Worcester, MA, in 1950, the Powells moved to Oak Park, IL, when Loey was in first grade. There she completed high school before attending Oberlin College. Then it was off to Pacific School of Religion in 1974 where Loey earned her M.Div. in 1977. She came out as lesbian during her first year at PSR and became clear that her call to ministry was to be an advocate for justice. Feminist and liberation theologies were front and center and the desire to model a belief that ministry exists in and through community led Loey and two other women, also lesbian, to seek ordination together. They made their request for ordination from the Golden Gate Association of the No. California-Nevada Conference having written a joint theology of ministry paper. Along with Stacy Cusulos and Jody Parsons, the three women chose not to publicly state their sexual orientation in their request because of the joint nature of their request. It was widely known, however, throughout the Conference that they were lesbians. On April 2,1978, that ordination took place at Mill Valley Community Church (UCC) with much joy and celebration.  Loey’s first call in ministry was to be the director for an ecumenical non-profit that did education and advocacy on environmental and energy issues with churches. After two years, she had the opportunity to be an interim associate Conference minister, and then she was called to be the interim associate minister at 1st Congregational Church of San Francisco. Following her two years in that position, Loey entered a period of time when she was not able to find a ministry position for several years. She worked for Redwood Records, the independent women-owned label started by Holly Near, worked as a receptionist in a chiropractic office, and as a technician at the Oakland Museum. She was called to serve part-time as the founding pastor of Peace UCC in Oakland, an Open and Affirming Congregation seeking new ways to minister and worship in the Bay Area, a role she fulfilled for the first two years of that congregation’s life. Then, in 1989, Loey was called to the United Church in Tallahassee. There she was engaged in HIV/AIDS outreach, reproductive justice concerns, peace issues, lgbtq advocacy, and responding to the rise in the number of Black churches in the South which were being burned down, among other issues of the day. It was a very satisfying pastorate with a wonderful congregation. During her tenure in the national setting of the UCC, Loey had the opportunity to represent the UCC in ecumenical and interfaith settings. She was a member of the Justice for Women Working Group of the National Council of Churches, participated in an ecumenical women’s trip to the Middle East, served for four years as the Chair of the Board of Directors for the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, and was able to attend many conferences and committees addressing a wide range of issues. For many ecumenical and interfaith partners, Loey’s sexuality was a challenge or a blessing, especially as many denominations struggled internally with lgbtq issues. For Loey, it felt important to be more than a single-issue minister particularly as one whose interests covered a range of topics. Over the years, Loey was active with the UCC’s Open and Affirming Coalition, becoming involved when it was still known as the UCC Gay Caucus. She was co-national coordinator with Bill Johnson early on, and then with Sam Loliger. Her parents founded a new ministry focus in their retirement when they formed a new support group, the UCC Parents of Lesbians and Gays. Over the years, Eleonore and Oliver counseled and encouraged parents who were struggling with accepting their children and developed a strong voice of advocacy within the UCC for lgbtq persons and families. In 2017, Loey was awarded the UCC’s Antoinette Brown Award which since 1975 has recognized trailblazing ministries of women. Loey met her spouse, Brenda Joyner, in Tallahassee. Brenda was the Director of the Feminist Women’s Health Center then and they became personally involved in 1996. When Loey moved to Cleveland in 1997, Brenda went off the CUNY Law School. Both are retired now, Loey from the UCC and Brenda from teaching, and seek new ways to live out their strong commitments to justice. They balance the craziness of the world with their avid love of golfing, cooking, good wine, and taking on all kinds of home repair jobs. (This revised biographical statement provided by Loey Powell.) Biographical Text The Rev. Lois (Loey) M. Powell retired in 2016 from the denominational offices of the United Church of Christ after serving in various positions of leadership there for almost 20 years. Loey began her national setting ministry in 1996 when she was called to serve as the last Executive Director for the Coordinating Center for Women in Church and Society (CCW), one of the offices that would disappear as a distinct focus when the UCC restructured in 2000. Justice advocacy for women continued in a new national ministry called Justice and Witness Ministries and Loey joined the leadership team of JWM with particular attention to this advocacy work along with peace issues and leadership development, continuing this until 2014. At that point, Loey became the Executive Associate to the General Minister and President, and then filled a different position in her last months in the national offices. The UCC likes to tout its “firsts” in history, such as being the first mainline church to ordain a woman when Antoinette Brown was ordered in 1853, and the first to ordain an openly gay or lesbian minister when the Rev. William R. Johnson was ordained in 1972. Loey’s ministry includes a few such firsts as an open lesbian in ministry since 1978, the year she was ordained by the Golden Gate Association of the Northern California-Nevada Conference. Loey was the first open lgbt member to be elected to the UCC’s Executive Council (around 1986), the primary decision-making body of the UCC. When she was called to be pastor of the United Church in Tallahassee (FL) in 1989, Loey was the first open lgbt minister to be called as sole pastor through the regular search and call process (which means she was just another name in a pool of candidates). As Executive Director of CCW, she was the first openly lgbt executive on the UCC’s Council of Instrumentality Executives. Loey was a preacher’s kid. Her father, Oliver Powell, was a well-respected UCC minister who never shied away from engaging the church in the realities of the world and its social issues. Her mother, Eleonore Powell, returned to complete her B.S. when Loey was in grade school and had her own career as a dietician. Loey had two older brothers, David and Jonathan, but the family lost Joe when he was just 17. Born in Worcester, MA, in 1950, the Powells moved to Oak Park, IL, when Loey was in first grade. There she completed high school before attending Oberlin College. Then it was off to Pacific School of Religion in 1974 where Loey earned her M.Div. in 1977. She came out as lesbian during her first year at PSR and became clear that her call to ministry was to be an advocate for justice. Feminist and liberation theologies were front and center and the desire to model a belief that ministry exists in and through community led Loey and two other women, also lesbian, to seek ordination together. They made their request for ordination from the Golden Gate Association of the No. California-Nevada Conference having written a joint theology of ministry paper. Along with Stacy Cusulos and Jody Parsons, the three women chose not to publicly state their sexual orientation in their request because of the joint nature of their request. It was widely known, however, throughout the Conference that they were lesbians. On April 2,1978, that ordination took place at Mill Valley Community Church (UCC) with much joy and celebration.  Loey’s first call in ministry was to be the director for an ecumenical non-profit that did education and advocacy on environmental and energy issues with churches. After two years, she had the opportunity to be an interim associate Conference minister, and then she was called to be the interim associate minister at 1st Congregational Church of San Francisco. Following her two years in that position, Loey entered a period of time when she was not able to find a ministry position for several years. She worked for Redwood Records, the independent women-owned label started by Holly Near, worked as a receptionist in a chiropractic office, and as a technician at the Oakland Museum. She was called to serve part-time as the founding pastor of Peace UCC in Oakland, an Open and Affirming Congregation seeking new ways to minister and worship in the Bay Area, a role she fulfilled for the first two years of that congregation’s life. Then, in 1989, Loey was called to the United Church in Tallahassee. There she was engaged in HIV/AIDS outreach, reproductive justice concerns, peace issues, lgbtq advocacy, and responding to the rise in the number of Black churches in the South which were being burned down, among other issues of the day. It was a very satisfying pastorate with a wonderful congregation. During her tenure in the national setting of the UCC, Loey had the opportunity to represent the UCC in ecumenical and interfaith settings. She was a member of the Justice for Women Working Group of the National Council of Churches, participated in an ecumenical women’s trip to the Middle East, served for four years as the Chair of the Board of Directors for the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, and was able to attend many conferences and committees addressing a wide range of issues. For many ecumenical and interfaith partners, Loey’s sexuality was a challenge or a blessing, especially as many denominations struggled internally with lgbtq issues. For Loey, it felt important to be more than a single-issue minister particularly as one whose interests covered a range of topics. Over the years, Loey was active with the UCC’s Open and Affirming Coalition, becoming involved when it was still known as the UCC Gay Caucus. She was co-national coordinator with Bill Johnson early on, and then with Sam Loliger. Her parents founded a new ministry focus in their retirement when they formed a new support group, the UCC Parents of Lesbians and Gays. Over the years, Eleonore and Oliver counseled and encouraged parents who were struggling with accepting their children and developed a strong voice of advocacy within the UCC for lgbtq persons and families. In 2017, Loey was awarded the UCC’s Antoinette Brown Award which since 1975 has recognized trailblazing ministries of women. Loey met her spouse, Brenda Joyner, in Tallahassee. Brenda was the Director of the Feminist Women’s Health Center then and they became personally involved in 1996. When Loey moved to Cleveland in 1997, Brenda went off the CUNY Law School. Both are retired now, Loey from the UCC and Brenda from teaching, and seek new ways to live out their strong commitments to justice. They balance the craziness of the world with their avid love of golfing, cooking, good wine, and taking on all kinds of home repair jobs. (This revised biographical statement provided by Loey Powell.) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Loey Powell ONA Open and Affirming in the UCC UCC United Church of Christ https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/6dc08dfa48c1a0c242a3bcf24a0da134.jpg 9d24ac5b430be34bfb334de300c722a8 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Loey Powell https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/5078e1220199fccfd49701dc9e8acb6e.jpg 19440de90baadfea6a85a10ed82fea9b Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Loey Powell https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/6cbc7ce1518e1ce57fed862f0f170ac3.jpg 97eafcd11cce424a161a1595f4dbcca8 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Loey Powell Headshot https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/32fa04fcecf86e0380dc6dc1dcdbc449.jpg cd0d0ad1058d02736934454e90bba5bc Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Loey Powell, Jody Parsons, & Stacy Cusulos https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/29097ac21f062d30bd6dbb7464fe71d9.jpg 9e3b20409659fb21da612339de53290f Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Loey Powell, Stacy Cusulos, & Jody Parsons https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/bf5b5d12fd9f701b6647803b81b96655.jpg 5fac9ccbb8bdbeabbb67d8255fb535f8 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Loey's parents- Jody's parents- S Bill Ann Eichhorn https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/d07d9e652aba0f24aa38574a9832091b.jpg 799fa04d4e45bf7ed6bfa9acefdc6fbe Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Lon & Joan Parsons, Eleonore & Rev. Oliver Powell https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/3816e1c09dac6c62fdd8b3ab08b61601.jpg f37405d92e541a246cdad1dbcaebc6d9 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Lon Parsons, Jody, Loey, and John Mack Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Shower of Stoles Description An account of the resource Items (stoles) for the Shower of Stoles exhibit Stole A stole in the Shower of Stoles exhibit Honoree The person honored by the creation of thestole. Lord of the Mountains Lutheran Church Stole Text Lord of the Mountains Lutheran Church Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Dillon, CO From 2007 until May 2008, the Yak and Yarn folks at Lord of the Mountains Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Dillon, Colorado created 230 of these stoles to be distributed at the 2008 Rocky Mountain Synod Assembly in Denver. Three large baskets containing the knitted or crocheted stoles were placed near the Shower of Stoles exhibit in the main exhibition area, and assembly attendees were encouraged to take a wear a stole as a show of support. It was encouraging to look across the assembly room and see so many delegates and visitors wearing their stole. As the assembly ended, all the stoles had been claimed, a few even by hotel employees who were intrigued by this quiet and visible mark of support for LGBT clergy and congregational staff members. Denomination Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Contribution Date 2011 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 1134 Title A name given to the resource Lord of the Mountains Lutheran Church Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Dillon, Colorado (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Lord of the Mountains Lutheran Church Ally Clergy Activist Colorado Evangelical Lutherans of America (ELCA) Lutheran https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/ad61efb8742d6f218bc1a32407728203.jpg 3e81ff166bce71124236190e70e92e0c https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/ddb45b23e59430468c1d8e5829d3f1bf.jpg 1864eb0857cde786101cdb23db700728 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Shower of Stoles Description An account of the resource Items (stoles) for the Shower of Stoles exhibit Stole A stole in the Shower of Stoles exhibit Honoree The person honored by the creation of thestole. Lorna Shoemaker Stole Text Lorna Shoemaker February 16, 1975 Denomination Presbyterian Church (USA) Contribution Date 1995 Contribution Story This stole was one of the original 80 stoles that were on display on Sept. 16, 1995 when I set aside my ordination before Heartland Presbytery (see stole #1 for details). Lorna and her partner, Holly Hearon (stole #12) submitted matching green linen stoles with their ordination date written on a long yellow ribbon. Lorna is now Library Director and Assistant Professor of Church History at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, IN, where Holly is Assistant Professor of New Testament. Martha Juillerat Founder, Shower of Stoles Project 2006 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 13 Title A name given to the resource Lorna Shoemaker Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Kansas City, Missouri (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Lorna Shoemaker Hearon, Holly Missouri Ordination Presbyterian Presbyterian Church (USA) Shoemaker, Lorna Women and Religion https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/a8eca5b3a9e5fd44d7be0e00d3033d6d.JPG 1d34ac961a8b015a20dcb5c1cf6cb39f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Upstairs Lounge Fire Person An individual. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Louis Horace Broussard Description An account of the resource Louis Horace Broussard (on right), 29, partner of Duane George "Mitch" Mitchell (see below). Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Johnny Townsend collection https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/61b2a1fc6db5c0d94e57d59b047e3fc3.jpg 3b3a8c0d056536d9593fee8af633948c Person An individual. Text Any textual data included in the document Rev. Louis Mitchell is a pioneering "intentional man". Known around the country and abroad as an elder, advocate, teacher, student, minister, parent and friend. He serves as the Co-founder and Executive Director of Transfaith™/Interfaith Working Group and as the Associate Minister of South Congregational Church in Springfield, MA.   Mitchell is a proud father to his daughter, Kahlo, and co-parent with her mother, Krysia L. Villon. Louis has been in recovery for over three decades and been involved in the fight for health, respect and self-determination since the early 1980s, with deep engagement in political, mental health, recovery, and church contexts. He brings his own learned experiences, a broad range of resources, theories and studies, to offer a fresh, “on the ground”, open-hearted, holistic strategy to the work of individual and community healing, intersectional diversity planning and commitment to personal and community agency and solvency. Some key accomplishments include: <ul> <li>Profiled in the documentaries <a href="http://www.stillblackfilm.org/" target="_blank" title="Opens external link in new window" rel="noopener">Still Black: A Portrait of Black Transmen</a> (2008, Zeigler & Lora), Gender Journeys: More than a Pronoun (2016, Luke Allen) and More than T (2017, Silas Howard).</li> <li>Going to Church with Kahlo Received the 2017 International Jose Julio Sarria Civil Rights Award from the Imperial Court of Western Massachusetts, the 2015 Claire Skiffington Vanguard Award from the Transgender Law Center for his long time advocacy for the disenfranchised and the 2011 Haystack Award from the Massachusetts Conference of the UCC for his work in Social Justice and Social Ministry. </li> <li>Received the President’s Award from the Wells College students for his 2015 Residency on Intentional Inclusion and Building Diversity.</li> <li>Recognized as a part of the <a href="http://thetrans100.com/" target="_blank" title="Opens external link in new window" rel="noopener">2014 edition of the Trans 100</a>, Louis was named as one of the ten leading Black Religious leaders Advancing LGBTQ Justice by BelieveOutLoud.</li> <li>Honored by <a href="http://blacktransmen.org/" target="_blank" title="Opens external link in new window" rel="noopener">Black Trans Advocacy</a> with a Foundation Award in 2013. Established in his name, the "Louis Mitchell Foundation Award for Empowerment" acknowledges those who increase spiritual, political, or social strength through service, personal encouragement, and availability to the Black Trans Community.</li> <li>Profiled in the <a href="http://www.lgbtran.org/Profile.aspx?ID=330" target="_blank" title="Opens external link in new window" rel="noopener">LGBT Religious Archives</a> Network gallery.</li> <li>Provided keynote addresses for the 2011 Transgender Religious Leaders Summit, the 2012 Inaugural <a href="http://blacktransmen.org/" target="_blank" title="Opens external link in new window" rel="noopener">Black Transmen, Inc</a>. Conference, and the 2012 <a href="http://www.trans-health.org/" target="_blank" title="Opens external link in new window" rel="noopener">Philadelphia Trans-Health Conference</a>.</li> <li> <ul> <li>Served as a founding member and East Coast Regional Minister of <a href="http://www.transsaints.org/">TransSaints</a>, a ministry of <a href="http://www.radicallyinclusive.com/" target="_blank" title="Opens external link in new window" rel="noopener">The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries</a>(TFAM).</li> <li>Served as the founding Officer for Religious Affairs for the <a href="http://www.transpoc.org/" target="_blank" title="Opens external link in new window" rel="noopener">Transgender People of Color Coalition</a>(TPOCC).</li> <li>Served as a member of the <a href="http://www.masspreventssuicide.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Massachusetts Coalition for Suicide Prevention</a> at both the regional (Pioneer Valley) and the statewide (Massachusetts) level..</li> <li>Co-founded Recovering the Promise Ministries in Springfield, MA.</li> <li>Worked with clients and staff at <a href="http://www.rhd.org/morrishouse.aspx" target="_blank" title="Opens external link in new window" rel="noopener">Morris Home</a>, a transgender-specific residential recovery house in Philadelphia, PA.</li> <li>Served as founding executive director of the Oshun women’s drop-in center (San Francisco, CA).</li> <li>First “out” transgender-identified board member of the <a href="http://www.thetaskforce.org/" target="_blank" title="Opens external link in new window" rel="noopener">National Gay and Lesbian Task Force</a> (now The Task Force) and a founding member of Lesbians and Gays of African Descent for Democratic Action (LGADDA).</li> </ul> (This biographical statement provided by Louis Mitchell.) </li> </ul> Biographical Text Rev. Louis Mitchell is a pioneering "intentional man". Known around the country and abroad as an elder, advocate, teacher, student, minister, parent and friend. He serves as the Co-founder and Executive Director of Transfaith™/Interfaith Working Group and as the Associate Minister of South Congregational Church in Springfield, MA.   Mitchell is a proud father to his daughter, Kahlo, and co-parent with her mother, Krysia L. Villon. Louis has been in recovery for over three decades and been involved in the fight for health, respect and self-determination since the early 1980s, with deep engagement in political, mental health, recovery, and church contexts. He brings his own learned experiences, a broad range of resources, theories and studies, to offer a fresh, “on the ground”, open-hearted, holistic strategy to the work of individual and community healing, intersectional diversity planning and commitment to personal and community agency and solvency. Some key accomplishments include: <ul> <li>Profiled in the documentaries <a href="http://www.stillblackfilm.org/" target="_blank" title="Opens external link in new window" rel="noopener">Still Black: A Portrait of Black Transmen</a> (2008, Zeigler & Lora), Gender Journeys: More than a Pronoun (2016, Luke Allen) and More than T (2017, Silas Howard).</li> <li>Going to Church with Kahlo Received the 2017 International Jose Julio Sarria Civil Rights Award from the Imperial Court of Western Massachusetts, the 2015 Claire Skiffington Vanguard Award from the Transgender Law Center for his long time advocacy for the disenfranchised and the 2011 Haystack Award from the Massachusetts Conference of the UCC for his work in Social Justice and Social Ministry. </li> <li>Received the President’s Award from the Wells College students for his 2015 Residency on Intentional Inclusion and Building Diversity.</li> <li>Recognized as a part of the <a href="http://thetrans100.com/" target="_blank" title="Opens external link in new window" rel="noopener">2014 edition of the Trans 100</a>, Louis was named as one of the ten leading Black Religious leaders Advancing LGBTQ Justice by BelieveOutLoud.</li> <li>Honored by <a href="http://blacktransmen.org/" target="_blank" title="Opens external link in new window" rel="noopener">Black Trans Advocacy</a> with a Foundation Award in 2013. Established in his name, the "Louis Mitchell Foundation Award for Empowerment" acknowledges those who increase spiritual, political, or social strength through service, personal encouragement, and availability to the Black Trans Community.</li> <li>Profiled in the <a href="http://www.lgbtran.org/Profile.aspx?ID=330" target="_blank" title="Opens external link in new window" rel="noopener">LGBT Religious Archives</a> Network gallery.</li> <li>Provided keynote addresses for the 2011 Transgender Religious Leaders Summit, the 2012 Inaugural <a href="http://blacktransmen.org/" target="_blank" title="Opens external link in new window" rel="noopener">Black Transmen, Inc</a>. Conference, and the 2012 <a href="http://www.trans-health.org/" target="_blank" title="Opens external link in new window" rel="noopener">Philadelphia Trans-Health Conference</a>.</li> <li> <ul> <li>Served as a founding member and East Coast Regional Minister of <a href="http://www.transsaints.org/">TransSaints</a>, a ministry of <a href="http://www.radicallyinclusive.com/" target="_blank" title="Opens external link in new window" rel="noopener">The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries</a>(TFAM).</li> <li>Served as the founding Officer for Religious Affairs for the <a href="http://www.transpoc.org/" target="_blank" title="Opens external link in new window" rel="noopener">Transgender People of Color Coalition</a>(TPOCC).</li> <li>Served as a member of the <a href="http://www.masspreventssuicide.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Massachusetts Coalition for Suicide Prevention</a> at both the regional (Pioneer Valley) and the statewide (Massachusetts) level..</li> <li>Co-founded Recovering the Promise Ministries in Springfield, MA.</li> <li>Worked with clients and staff at <a href="http://www.rhd.org/morrishouse.aspx" target="_blank" title="Opens external link in new window" rel="noopener">Morris Home</a>, a transgender-specific residential recovery house in Philadelphia, PA.</li> <li>Served as founding executive director of the Oshun women’s drop-in center (San Francisco, CA).</li> <li>First “out” transgender-identified board member of the <a href="http://www.thetaskforce.org/" target="_blank" title="Opens external link in new window" rel="noopener">National Gay and Lesbian Task Force</a> (now The Task Force) and a founding member of Lesbians and Gays of African Descent for Democratic Action (LGADDA).</li> </ul> (This biographical statement provided by Louis Mitchell.) </li> </ul> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Louis Mitchell Congregational Church Fellowship of Affirming Ministries Louis Mitchell TransFaith TransSaints Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Shower of Stoles Description An account of the resource Items (stoles) for the Shower of Stoles exhibit Stole A stole in the Shower of Stoles exhibit Honoree The person honored by the creation of thestole. Louise (Weze) Davis Stole Text LOUISE (WEZE) DAVIS 1982 Local Pastor, South Indiana 1984-87 Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary 1985-87 Student Pastor 1987-1990 Deacon, South Indiana 1990-1996 Left Church Completely 1996-98 Church Member 1998-99 Christian Educator -- Conference Grant 1999 Church Member Desire Church Position But the Church is not open to ALL of me 2000 ??? Denomination United Methodist Church Contribution Date 1999 Contribution Story This was one of the earliest United Methodist stoles included in the Shower of Stoles collection. In 1999, the Reconciling Ministries Network (RMN) inquired about the possibility of having a display of the Shower of Stoles at the General Conference the following April. At the time, there were only around twenty United Methodist stoles in the collection. We decided to introduce the Shower of Stoles to the Reconciling community by bringing the twenty UM stoles and about a hundred others to RMN’s Convocation in Denton, TX over the Labor Day weekend. Stoles started to trickle in during the fall, and by February they began coming in droves. In all, we received 220 United Methodist stoles – the vast majority of them arriving within eight weeks of the Conference. Thanks to a monumental effort by a number of volunteers who pitched in to help record, inventory, sew labels and make last-minute repairs, all of the new stoles were present in Cleveland. Twenty more people brought stoles directly to Cleveland, bringing the total number on display to 240. Towards the end of the General Conference, twenty eight lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender United Methodists and allies stood on the Conference floor in silent protest over the Conference’s failure to overturn the ban on LGBT ordination – a profound witness and act of defiance for which they were later arrested. As these twenty eight moved to the front of the room, another 200 supporters stood up around the balcony railing, each wearing one of the new United Methodist stoles. Hundreds more stood in solidarity as well, in the balcony and on the plenary floor, wearing symbolic “stoles” made from colorful bands of cloth. A group of young people from Minneapolis, members of a Communicant’s Class, had purchased bolts of cloth the preceding evening and stayed up all night cutting out close to a thousand of these “stoles”. In less than eight months, a handful of stoles had grown to become a powerful, visible witness to the steadfast faith of LGBT United Methodists nationwide. Martha Juillerat Founder, Shower of Stoles Project 2006 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 480 Title A name given to the resource Louise (Weze) Davis Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Indiana (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Louise Davis Clergy Activist Davis, Louise Indiana Methodist Ordination Reconciling Ministries Network (formerly Reconciling Congregation Program) United Methodist Church https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/a963a009498286ad234cd6e2e2b8ae95.jpg d17ee4e41cca56ebca41bf43f99ba6a3 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Historical Development of BIPOC Trans-spiritual Leadership Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Meet the first black transgender person to fight for her rights and marriage in court in 1945, by Mildred Europa Taylor, Face2Face: Africa. February 20, 2019. Title A name given to the resource Lucy Hicks Anderson Description An account of the resource Mrs. Anderson is known as the first black transgender person to fight for her right to marriage in court in 1945. She and her husband were convicted of fraud and sent to prison because they signed a marriage license to be legally married, and she collected his military pension. The injustice she suffered is apparent to far more people today than it was then. Born in 1886 in Waddy, Kentucky, Lucy, at an early age, had identified as a girl. She told her mother that she was not a boy; she demanded to be called Lucy instead of Tobias and wanted to wear a dress to school. https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/de9158832c7da2135255eee7a9f75520.JPG a608e01e8aa84f076c80ecac494e3bfd Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Upstairs Lounge Fire Person An individual. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Luther Boggs Description An account of the resource Luther Boggs, 47, computer programmer, died July 10, 1973, after treatment for third degree burns over 50% of his body. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived AP wirephoto https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/85d4aea188cdf743380225c1e2071895.png 742809d9a78f5166ae67556824561b90 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Lutheran collage Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Shower of Stoles Description An account of the resource Items (stoles) for the Shower of Stoles exhibit Stole A stole in the Shower of Stoles exhibit Honoree The person honored by the creation of thestole. Lutheran Volunteer Corps (Solidarity Stole) Stole Text “What does the Lord require of you but that you do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8 We are members of the Lutheran Volunteer Corps living out the tenets of community, simplicity, and social justice in the Midwest. As part of our commitment to a year of service, we live in community and together we are seeking to do what is right and just. Our dedication to social justice has opened our eyes to the injustices that permeate all institutions in society, including the church. We believe that all people are teachers and that we can learn from one another. For many of us, the church is one of the most influential teachers in our lives. When the Lutheran church teaches love and inclusiveness yet practices intolerance and exclusiveness, the messages become blurred and inconsistent. The church is a community where relationships are developed and our faith is nurtured. Diversity in sexual orientation, race, class, gender, and age strengths this community and broadens our concept of faith. We, 37 members, staff, and friends of Lutheran Volunteer Corps in Chicago, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Milwaukee call on the ELCA to change the guidelines in its Vision and Expectations document and the Definitions and Guidelines for Discipline document, so our community can reach its full potential. We also stand in solidarity with those who have been barred from serving their faith community because of their sexual orientation and pray for the day when all of God’s people will be fully accepted in the church. Denomination Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Contribution Date 2015 Contribution Story Originally a part of the collection of stoles housed by ReconcilingWorks: Lutherans for Full Participation, this stole was donated by them to the Shower of Stoles Project in 2015. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 1239 Title A name given to the resource Lutheran Volunteer Corps (Solidarity Stole) Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Unknown, (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Lutheran Volunteer Corps Ally Evangelical Lutherans of America (ELCA) Lutheran Ordination Reconciling Works (formerly Lutherans Concerned) https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/7fc91949f94b46bebd0e5cab3daf7677.jpg 6a062b2f1613fc1839d4a4c8a026ef86 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Historical Development of BIPOC Trans-spiritual Leadership Website A resource comprising of a web page or web pages and all related assets ( such as images, sound and video files, etc. ). URL https://www.bgdblog.org/2017/04/must-use-whatever-resources-challenge-injustice-bgd-crush-month-featuring-lydia-brown/ Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Lydia X. Z. Brown - Healing and Self-salvation from the Savior Mentality Subject The topic of the resource Lydia is an autistic, nonbinary, asexual of color who in life spends time writing, organizing, and public speaking. Their work explores and navigates intersectional disability justice. They look at the power of institutional and personal violence to exclude and control marginalized disabled people.