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News & Views
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Tag >> affirm united
A few days ago I received this email in response to a post made by Calvin Neufeld over a year ago. Edwina has given me permission to post it here. Thanks Edwina for writing and for adding to the discussion. ********* While searching for information about transexuals' life expectancy, I came across a post started by Calvin Neufeld on the messageboard of www.westhill.net This is the post:-
http://www.westhill.net/news-a-views/Life-Expectancy-of-Transsexuals.html As he made a public presentation at Westhill, I would like to make a modification to his point that treated transexuals are still likely to have a lower life span than the general population, but I'm not a registered user, so I can't reply to the post. I was an observer when my transgender consultant testified at a General Medical Council hearing in the UK in early 2007. He said that Male-to-Female transexuals "in theory lives 5 to 7 years longer". Later, I asked my own doctor about this, and he said it is not sure whether it is the life style or the estrogen hormone (or both) that contribute to this extended life expectancy. I also asked about cancer risk, and he said that prostate cancer is a testosterone disease. Hence, there is a clear advantage for Male-to-Female transexuals to receive hormone treatment. Transexuals have a very high suicide rate which varies according to the depth of the transexuality and the discord this causes, so acceptance by society is very helpful in making life worth living for transexuals. Yours sincerely, (M-t-F transexual and Mathematics/Computer Science graduate) Edwina Lee
Last year as we explored becoming an Affirming Ministry, we agreed that affirming would extend beyond LGBTQ to others who were marginalized due to class, ability, and age. As a result, the Board is assessing barriers to access, both within and outside West Hill. Have you been impacted by access issues within the church? Outside of the church? On the web? Or do you have and interest in these issues? Have you planned events for West Hill and weren't sure about access issues? We'd like to get your feedback about the issues, concerns, and opportunities for West Hill. Please contact Dana Wilson-Li via email (dana@westhill.net) or through the church office (416-282-8566). I'd love to hear from you. I'm looking forward to the discussion!
Deb Ellis will again be leading an intro to vegan cooking on Saturday December 5th at noon at the church. This time, her efforts will be in support of the lunch following our Affirming Celebration the next day on December 6th. Learn how to make appetizers and hors d'eouvres. If you wish to participate, please contact the church office by Wednesday December 2nd. More information will follow about the type of food being cooked and if there are any ingredients to bring.
Posted by: Dana Wilson-Li in LGBT, affirm united on
Nov 25, 2009
"I understand what LGBT means. But does that Q really mean queer? " Well, it stands for queer/questioning. The meaning of the word queer has morphed over the 20th century and, up until about 20 years ago, had been a derisive term. But much can change in 20 years! It has now been reclaimed by the LGBT community and others as a term of empowerment, strength and identity. And that is the way in which we use it at West Hill when we refer to LGBTQ.
The variety of sexual expressions are complex! The term LGBTQ attempts in some small way to encompass that range of sexual diversity. While technically, it stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, it is simply a way to talk about non-heterosexual people in a positive and affirming way. Wikipedia: In modern usage, the term LGBT is intended to emphasize a diversity of 'sexuality and gender identity‐based cultures' and is sometimes used to refer to anyone who is non‐heterosexual instead of exclusively to people who are homosexual, bisexual, or transgender. To recognize this inclusion, a popular variant adds the letter Q for queer and questioning." -- Wikipedia For more resources click on the affirm or LGBT tags on the right.
Come and celebrate with us on December 6, 2009 as we join Affirm United, S'affirmer ensemble! Affirm United, S'affirmer ensemble is a ministry within the United Church of Canada and works to include gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer people in the church and in society. The Honourable George Smitherman, former Deputy Premier and Ontario's first openly gay Member of Parliament is our guest speaker. Gathering at 10:00 a.m
Service of celebration at 10:30 a.m.
A light lunch will follow the service. Check out our Affirming Celebration event on Facebook where you can add your congratulations to our wall or let us know you'll be there. See you then! You won't want to miss this very special service.
At the June annual congregational meeting, we voted unanimously become an affirming ministry within the United Church of Canada. Our request was sent to Affirm United and in early September, we received word that our request had been approved! The final step is to have a special service of celebration, which we've set for Sunday, December 6, 2009 at 10:30am. Marked with special music, poignant readings, and a thoughtful message, you won't want to miss this important day in the life of West Hill. Mark your calendars now and watch this space and the WHU calendar for updates. It's going to be a blast!
Mark your calendars! This year's annual congregational meeting will take place on THURSDAY June 18, 2009. Join us for conversation, food, and friendship at 6:30pm (Potluck so bring your favourite dish) and we'll get down to business at 7:30. This will be a meeting you won't want to miss as the Board brings for the congregation's approval a new mission statement, VisionWorks (2009), and a proposal to become an affirming ministry within the United Church of Canada. We'll be electing a new chair of the board. Your participation in these decisions is crucial so see you there!
In light of Calvin Neufeld's talk at West Hill on February 22, you might find this bit from Dan Piraro kind of fun. On his blog, he talks about the difference between transgendered, transsexual and transvestite.
West Hill is a radically non-exclusive community of faith (see how David Barker unpacks the term “non-exclusive” in his own blog.) When we began the process of becoming an affirming congregation we quickly discovered the challenge in determining how we might align with Affirm’s requirement of explicitly and specifically identifying and welcoming those of all sexual orientations and gender identities. I say this is challenging not because we are not welcoming or open to LGBT, but only because West Hill has striven over the last several years to be radically non-exclusive by using language that can never be used to point out the absence of or exclude a particular group of people. For example, Vision Works II is flexible in its non-exclusivity, using language and terms that implicitly includes LGBT and may be even more flexible than specific statements, especially when terminology changes, shifts, and evolves. However.
 Near the middle of the documentary For the Bible Tells Me So, Rev. Jimmy Creech says:
We have been conditioned to hold these beliefs by the church; and it really has been the church. It is the place where the prejudice was born and was nurtured and has been promoted. The lesson from that statement is that all religious bodies have a unique responsibility to advocate for protections and rights for LGBT people. On Friday night, West Hill was witness to this advocacy. Several West Hillers along with neighbours and guests watched this powerful documentary and were all affected in some way. For some of us, this was the first introduction to many of the issues revealed within the story of these families. Following the movie, the conversation was thoughtful and engaging as we discussed what touched us personally, what we found surprising, which of the five families most resembled our own families of origin, and finally, how to be a witness and advocate for equality and justice for LGBT. I'm looking forward to the next showings on December 7th at 1pm and January 11th. There's also a daytime showing on December 11th, which Gretta will facilitate. Check the Latest Scoop for showtimes. Resources:
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