September 12, 2014 · 10:18 am

I Have An Accent… Get Over It!

It was the first board meeGlobe_of_languageting of the year for a large, international organization. As there were going to be new members for the board, it was needed to go around and introduce ourselves. There were people from the four nations where the organization has a presence plus individuals from other nations who reside in one of the four nations represented. Everyone was sharing their names, location, and their job. It was right there when it happened…

With no hint of irony in her voice, the white, middle age, college-educated woman states that she lives in one of the places that was taken first from the native inhabitants and then from the nation to the south. Proudly she tells her audience – an international audience – that she “teaches foreign students how to lose their accents so they can get jobs” in the United States. Yup. Right as you read it. Immigrants who had spent years of education, who probably speak more than one or even two languages, needed this woman’s help to lose their accents so they could get in with the system.

I looked around for the reaction of my fellow immigrants and non-white colleagues, and, unsurprisingly, we all cringed a little. What this woman was saying, unconsciously, is that our accents make us look dumb, uneducated and unprepared for the professional challenges that jobs in this country offer.

Not long ago, something similar happened to me as I was about to take a new position and someone suggested that the organization paid for a coach who would help me lose my accent. (Full disclosure: I was not informed of this until after I had accepted the position, which caused much pain as I worked there.)

The USA culture states that, no matter how ethnically diverse the country is, those of us who have kept our accents from our mother tongues do not quite belong. For some immigrant communities this has meant that their ancestors’ languages have been lost because the parents are worried their children might not be able to find work or succeed in life. Interestingly, the culture has also incorporated words from other languages into the US English. Think, for instance, about words such as Kindergarten (German), pierogi (Polish), mesa (Spanish), bouquet (French), Brooklyn (Dutch), finale (Italian), tycoon (Japanese) and shtick (Yiddish), just to name a few. Other languages are part of the US culture, but nobody wants to acknowledge it. Moreover, if those of us who emigrated here from other countries with a different language use our own languages to communicate or express ourselves in English with an accent, then we are scolded for it.

Yet, nobody pays attention or asks Australians, South Africans, Jamaicans, New Zealanders, Trinidadians or British to lose their accents. Why?

It is true that communication is extremely important in academic and professional settings. (The personal settings are a bit different due to the familiarity of the people involved.) However, our accents and language backgrounds should not dictate our – the immigrant’s – capabilities to do the work. Being able to speak a language different than English does not mean that we have less education, less knowledge or less professional abilities. It only means that our education was in a language that was comprehensible to us as we grew up and became professionals. In fact, nobody questions the intelligence of English-speakers when you come to our countries and often times refuse to learn at least basic phrases to communicate with the people who live there.

Here are three other things that US Americans need to understand about people who speak other languages. First, most of us do speak English. Our accents only mean that English is a second, third and sometimes even fourth language (I had a seminary professor for whom this was the case, where English was the fourth language he learned.) The use of English along our own mother tongues only points to the fact that we are bi- or multi-lingual. How many languages you, English-speaker, are able to read, understand and speak?

Second, the truth is that every chance we have, we use to learn how to pronounce words, how to expand our vocabulary, and how to find the correct way to use your language in all contexts. Have you thought how difficult it is for a foreigner who was only exposed to “proper” English to figure out some of the common idioms and day-to-day phrases of your language? Take, for instance, “cut the mustard”. I know what the verb “cut” is, and I know that “mustard” is a condiment. How in the world am I supposed to know that “cut the mustard” means “to succeed”?! My mental references for mustard do not even allow for cutting! Mustard, as a seed, is too small to be able to be cut, and as paste, there is no need to be cut as it spreads. Do you follow my thoughts? (There’s another one!) I can tell you, from my personal experience, that I even take time to listen and practice pronouncing a word over and over and over again trying to find the correct way to pronounce it.

Third, there is the issue of pronunciation and hearing. You, who grew up listening to words in your language all the time, might be able to catch the subtle difference between “leave”, “live” and “leaf” but, trust me; it all sounds exactly the same to me! I need to pay attention to the context in which you used these words to find which one you used. How hard it is for you to do the same exercise? All of this is tiring, but it is exactly what non-English speakers have to do every day of our lives in this country (and what English-speakers have to do every day if they live in countries outside of the English-speaking world.)

There are two final thoughts I want to share with all of you. First, is the issue of regional accents within the United States. Most people fret about and want to change the accent of foreigners, but you seldom hear about changing the accents of people from different regions within the country. There are not-too-small differences between the accents of an Alaskan, a West Virginian from the mountains, a person from Brooklyn and one from Massachusetts. Yet, nobody will dare recommending that we all come to an agreement about speaking with the same “standard” English accent. Why? Because there is no such thing as a standard accent in any language! All languages have regional differences! Hence the ridiculous idea of asking British, Jamaicans, Australians, South Africans and Trinidadians to change their accents… they all speak English with regionalisms and it is a matter of adapting our ears to those regionalisms in order to understand each other.

Finally, my accent is, to me, a point of pride. It tells me that I speak more than one language, that I am able to communicate with more people than mono-lingual persons, and that I bring with me to this country a history. It defines who I am at this moment of my life and it makes me feel part of the global community, not just of a small community of either people of the United States or people of Puerto Rico. I can drive through the northern border of the USA and make myself understand just as I can cross the southern border and still engage in conversations. (Unfortunately, I do not speak French; therefore any visit to Quebec would be an adventure… And one that I would gladly welcome!)

My best advice to those who complain about my accent, or about any accent for that matter? Get over it.

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August 19, 2014 · 1:13 am

Yes, I Am Mad as Hell!

A few years ago, while working on a predominantly white environment, I experience much racially and ethnically based discrimination. Some of this discrimination came in the form of what scholars now call “microaggressions”, while other was more overt such as questioning my abilities, my qualifications for the job or the like solely based on my ethnicity and accent. For some time I just shrugged it off as ignorance and lack of education on the part of the people who did it. At the same time, I would do an effort to educate.

fist-md However, the discrimination continued. Not only that, but I started to meet with other people of color who were also involved with this organization and heard their own stories of rejection, discrimination and paternalistic attitudes towards them because of their national origin, their accents, their skin color and the like. The pressure continued to mount inside me. I felt like a pressure cooker… until it exploded. The event that marked my anger explosion was the murder of Trayvon Martin in Florida.

Trayvon Martin’s untimely death and its circumstances touched me in a way that I was not expecting. However, many things coalesced at once. On the one hand, another young, unarmed, black human being was being gunned down for no reason. On the other hand, the murderer was a white, Hispanic man who had let his white-privilege rule his life and how he connected with the world around him. Listening and reading the reports of this tragic death, made me even angrier. The media outlets could not grasp the idea that a Hispanic person could possibly be the perpetrator of a racial crime. They also had troubles understanding the complexities of race within the Hispanic communities. But more than that, they totally misunderstood the intricate layers of relationships among the different minority groups in the United States. All of this was too much for me at the time; and I exploded in rage.

I was mad – still am. For years I had tried to understand the historical realities that have made the United States the dangerous place for people of color that this country is today. I had tried to understand that not all white people were responsible for racism. I had tried to justify many actions of racism as ignorance and lack of education on the perpetrators. I had tried to understand that my own Hispanic community was dealing with our own prejudices on top of being the target of discrimination. I had tried and tried and tried to understand and keep my composure. But I could not do it any longer.

At some point I shared my feelings with the community. I told them how it was tiring to be trying all the time to make people understand that we – people in the minority – were not the enemy. I was getting tired of being an educator at all times. I was getting tired of pretending that the words and the actions of white people didn’t hurt me. I was getting tired of pretending that I was going to understand their historical and sociological circumstance. I was getting tired… and this feeling was making me mad and angry.

As I look around and see that things have not changed a bit since the murder of Trayvon, and that black human beings continue to be murdered and their assassins walk free… As I look around and notice that other members of minority groups stay silent… As I look around and notice that the white “supporters” keep calling for what I call a “Kumbayah moment” without acknowledging the centuries of oppression that have brought us to this place… As I look around and see that even the President keeps silence when everyone is waiting for him to talk, to speak up, to raise his voice and use his power… As I look around and notice that the violence on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri are becoming just another excuse for the white majority to justify their oppression… As I look around and continue to notice all of this oppression… the only thing I can say is that I am fucking mad as hell!

Yes. Yes, I am mad. It is not a rage that started yesterday or the day before or the day I experienced racism at that institution I mentioned earlier. It is a rage that comes from a deeper, way deeper place. It is a rage that comes from fourteen years of living in a country that treats me as less than my white counterparts. It is a rage that comes the time that my country was invaded by a white, US navy that tried to impose on my ancestors their language, their religion, their way of life. It is a rage that comes from knowing that half of this country was built on lies and stealing from the natives peoples and when that was not enough, of the other settlers who lived there and spoke my language and shared my customs. It is a rage that comes from knowing that millions of my sisters and brothers’ ancestors – and I am sure mine too – were forced out of their Motherland to be brought here in chains and by force. It is a rage that comes from all the rage accumulated throughout the centuries… throughout the generations… throughout the ancestors who still live in me and within me… Yes, we are mad, and yes, we are going to continue being angry for as long as it takes for the systems to change. And yes, that anger is going to be at times violent and at times peaceful. But I do not care anymore about what the white majority thinks of my anger. I don’t care about what my Hispanic community thinks of the anger that makes me be in solidarity with my black sisters and brothers. I don’t care that my white friends – even those who are close to me and whom I love – hear me saying that I often doubt their good intentions.

I am mad as hell, and I am not going to apologize for it.

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July 27, 2014 · 6:32 am

La iglesia sodomita

En tiempos recientes no se usa mucho, pero en tiempos pasados era la norma. Aunque aún queda en la jerga legal el término “sodomía”, la verdad es que a la comunidad gay masculina no se le llama “sodomita” muy de seguido. Es de esperarse que ya no se le llame al hombre gay “sodomita”, puesto que la historia de Sodoma y Gomorra nada tiene que ver con la orientación sexual. Pero vamos, que me estoy adelantando a la discusión. La verdad es que la Iglesia – y hablo de la Iglesia con mayúscula, o sea, la comunidad religiosa sin importar su denominación – denuncia la orientación sexual no heterosexual como pecaminosa, sin darse cuenta que al hacerlo, se convierte, precisamente, en una Iglesia sodomita.

No quiero aburrir a mis lectoras y lectores con largas ponencias teológicas ni con apologías. Solo quiero señalar algunas cosas que, en su ceguera conservadora y fundamentalista, muchas personas ni se han dado cuenta. Lo gracioso es que son las mismas personas que gritan a los cuatro vientos que la Biblia es la palabra inerrante de Dios, que debem701070402_origos tomarla a la letra y que es necesario el creer cada palabra allí citada como inspirada sin error por el Espíritu Santo para alcanzar la vida eterna quienes no le han puesto atención a las historias de la Biblia ni a sus interpretaciones… ¡según aparecen en la Biblia misma! Así que aquí les va un poquito de iluminación, para ver si en algún momento se les prende el bombillo y deciden estudiar la Biblia de verdad.

Pues comencemos por el principio: la historia bíblica de Sodoma y Gomorra. La misma la encontramos en el libro de Génesis 18.16-19.38. En resumen, esto es lo que ocurre: Dios visita a Abraham y le indica que ha visto la maldad de las ciudades de Sodoma y Gomorra. Lot, el sobrino de Abraham, vive en Sodoma con su esposa y dos hijas. Abraham, preocupado por el bienestar de su sobrino y su familia, decide interceder por Lot. Dios promete a Abraham que si encuentra el mínimo de personas sin pecado en Sodoma y Gomorra, no destruirá las ciudades.

Cuando Dios miró de nuevo a las ciudades de Sodoma y Gomorra, la maldad era tal, que decidió destruirlas de todas maneras. Así que envió mensajeros a Lot y su familia para que abandonaran la ciudad y se salvaran. En el momento en que los visitantes llegan a la casa de Lot, el rumor pasa a oídos de la gente de Sodoma y Gomorra – o sea, los sodomitas y gomorritas – éstos salieron para intimidar a los visitantes.

Hay varias cosas importantes en la historia de Sodoma y Gomorra que los supuestos literalistas bíblicos prefieren no leer. También hay elementos en la historia que no pueden leerse fuera del contexto de las leyes levíticas bíblicas, algo que los literalistas – quienes dicen que hay que tomar TODA la Biblia de manera literal, que hay que prestarle atención a cada letra, cada palabra, cada oración – no hacen o no quieren hacer. Así que quisiera presentar mis argumentos para demostrar, de una vez y por todas, que los sodomitas (y gomorritas) de la modernidad son, en específico, quienes más condenan a las comunidades gay, lesbiana, bisexual y transgénero.

¿Por qué hago esto? Sencillo. Primero, porque es algo de lo que casi no se ha escrito en español. Existen miles de ensayos, libros y recursos en inglés sobre este tema, pero muy poco existe en español. Segundo, lo poco que existe en español, en su mayoría, son traducciones de los trabajos en inglés (u otras lenguas) por lo que no está escrito desde la realidad del pueblo hispanohablante. Tercero, porque es un tema que me toca personalmente como persona que profesa la fe cristiana, dentro de su forma protestante y de la tradición bautista. Además, finalmente, como hombre gay y miembro del clero, es importante para mí que temas como este se desarrollen puesto que, como dice la Biblia “Mi pueblo fue destruido, porque le faltó conocimiento…” (Oseas 4.6a) O, como nos recuerda de nuevo Dios en el libro de Isaías 5.13, “Por tanto, mi pueblo fue llevado cautivo, porque no tuvo conocimiento; y su gloria pereció de hambre, y su multitud se secó de sed.” Así que, con gusto comparto algo de conocimiento sobre la Biblia con quienes dicen haberla leído y seguir sus estatutos pero que dejan ver su ignorancia acerca del texto sagrado.

Ahora démosle una lectura seria al texto de la historia de Sodoma y Gomorra y lo que la misma Biblia dice sobre ella.

Aunque no pretendo dar una lectura completa, hermenéutica o apologética – o sea, esto no es un ensayo teológico, sino un corto ensayo expositivo – quiero hacer referencias a algunos puntos que los literalistas prefieren obviar cuando leen la historia de Sodoma y Gomorra.

Primero, tenemos que tener en cuenta las costumbres semíticas con respecto a la hospitalidad. Viviendo en lugares desiertos, donde la vida de cualquier persona corre peligro ya sea por la falta de agua, por el calor o por los animales y plantas venenosas del desierto, el mostrar hospitalidad es sumamente importante en la cultura semítica. La Biblia contiene leyes bien específicas acerca de cómo tratar a los extranjeros y las extranjeras que viven entre el pueblo hebreo. Una mirada rápida al Pentateuco nos ofrece una clara evidencia de la forma en que Dios le pide al pueblo que trate a personas extranjeras que vivan o visiten entre el pueblo de Israel. Y, como a los literalistas les gusta mucho el arrojar versículos bíblicos a diestra y siniestra, aquí les tengo algunos con respecto a las leyes de hospitalidad: Éxodo 12.49; 22.21; 23.9; Levítico 19.10, 33-34; 23.22; 24.22; 25.6, 23, 35, 47; Números 9.14; 15.14-16, 26, 29; Deuteronomio 1.16; 10.18-19; 14.29; 16.11, 14; 23.7; 24.14, 17, 19-21, 26.11-13; 27.19. Aunque estas leyes fueron codificadas mucho después de los sucesos de Sodoma y Gomorra, nos ofrecen una visión de lo importante que era – y es – para Dios el proteger a quienes son extranjeros en tierras extrañas.

Cuando los visitantes llegaron a casa de la familia de Lot, el pueblo de Sodoma salió de manera violenta a recibir a los extranjeros. Ciertamente, el pueblo de Sodoma (y de Gomorra) no era parte de quienes llegaría a ser el pueblo de Israel, pero entre ellos vivía Lot y su familia, que, por acción del pacto de Dios con Abraham y Sarah, eran parte del pueblo que Dios escogió para revelarse a sí mismo.

Segundo – y aquí lo más importante de la historia – es que las referencias bíblicas con respecto al pecado de Sodoma y Gomorra es contundente. ¡Nada que ver con homosexualidad! Sí, hay pecado de inmoralidad sexual, pero no es el que los literalistas quieren imponer al texto. ¡El pecado de inmoralidad sexual lo comete Lot! ¿Cómo? Pues así mismo como lee. El pecado de inmoralidad sexual lo comete Lot al ofrecer sus propias hijas a la multitud para que las violen. ¿No han leído esto los literalistas en la historia? Pues le cito, según Génesis 19.6-8: “Entonces Lot salió a ellos a la puerta, y cerró la puerta tras sí, y dijo: ‘Os ruego, hermanos míos, que no hagáis tal maldad. He aquí ahora yo tengo dos hijas que no han conocido varón; os las sacaré fuera, y haced de ellas como bien os pareciere; solamente que a estos varones no hagáis nada, pues que vinieron a la sombra de mi tejado.’” En ningún momento se nos dice cuál era la intención de la multitud con respecto a los ángeles que vinieron a visitar a Lot. La verdad es que no sabemos si la intención era de violarles, de pegarles o de maltratarles; pero de todas maneras, podemos inferir que la intención no era tratarles bien, sino humillarles. Entonces Lot, en se desesperación de que sus huéspedes no sean maltratados, ¡ofrece a sus propias hijas para que sean maltratadas! ¿Cuántos literalistas hablan acerca de estas acciones de Lot? Ninguno. O por lo menos, no he escuchado a ningún literalista condenar a Lot.

Ahora, veamos lo que la misma Biblia nos dice que es el pecado de Sodoma y de su hermana Gomorra… (Si quieren, aquí pueden escuchar los tambores… porque es una de esas revelaciones que, como dicen en mi país, “se cae de la mata”, pero que nadie lee.) Según Ezequiel 16.49-50, Dios mismo nos dice que esta fue la maldad de Sodoma: “He aquí que esta fue la maldad de Sodoma tu hermana: soberbia, saciedad de pan, y abundancia de ociosidad tuvieron ella y sus hijas; y no fortaleció la mano del afligido y del menesteroso. Y se llenaron de soberbia, e hicieron abominación delante de mí, y cuando lo vi las quité.” Les cito los pecados: soberbia, saciedad de pan, abundancia de ociosidad, no fortalecer la mano del afligido y el menesteroso y abominación. (Y aquí, recordemos que “abominación”, según la Biblia, puede ser cualquier cosa desde no limpiarse correctamente, según Levítico 7.21 hasta adorar ídolos según Deuteronomio 7.25).

Es interesante que en una de las instancias en que Jesús utiliza el ejemplo de Sodoma y Gomorra según lo leemos en Marcos 6.7-13, es en el contexto de que sus seguidores no sean recibidos de buena manera en tierras extranjeras. O sea, ¡que el mismo Jesús sabía que el pecado de Sodoma y Gomorra fue la inhospitalidad!

Como dije al principio, este no es un ensayo teológico hermenéutico o apologético, solamente un ensayo expositivo para dejarle saber a los literalistas lo alejados que están sobre la lectura del texto. Así que, entendiendo que podríamos escribir muchos otros ensayos sobre el tema, me adelanto a compartir algunas conclusiones con mis lectoras y lectores.

Entre las conclusiones a las que he llegado al prestarle atención al texto están las siguientes:

  1. La iglesia cristiana contemporánea, en especial la mayoría de las comunidades evangélicas y fundamentalistas, son el vivo ejemplo de sodomía. En ellas no se permiten personas ajenas a su grey (extranjeros y extranjeras). Las mismas no comparten la mesa con quien viene en busca de pan y vino (muchas mantienen la mesa de comunión cerrada, vetada a quienes no sean parte de las congregaciones o denominaciones particulares). Muchas de estas comunidades son soberbias, predicando que ellas, y solo ellas, tienen la verdad inalienable de Dios. Además, practican la abominación de idolatría, al poner a la Biblia – una creación humana – por encima de Dios, de la revelación de Dios en Jesucristo y de la dirección del Espíritu Santo, quien es responsable de “guiarnos a toda verdad” según nos dice Jesús en Juan 16.13.
  2. La iglesia cristiana contemporánea – otra vez, en especial las comunidades evangélicas y fundamentalistas – no son literalistas. Sus líderes y miembros NO toman la Biblia de manera literal. Por el contrario, estas comunidades leen sus propios prejuicios en cada historia bíblica, sin prestar atención a la dirección del Espíritu Santo ni de la historia del pueblo que nos dio las Sagradas Escrituras. De hecho, no hay tal cosa como “interpretación literal” de ningún texto. Toda persona que lee, lo hace desde una realidad histórica, social, religiosa, económica, familiar, geográfica y tantas circunstancias que nos hacen seres humanos.
  3. La iglesia cristiana contemporánea es hipócrita, pues utiliza sus propias bíblicas para imponer sus creencias sobre otras personas, en vez de permitir que sea Dios, a través del Espíritu Santo, quien dirija a los individuos a una lectura bíblica que nos acerque a Dios.
  4. Finalmente, la iglesia cristiana contemporánea, en especial las comunidades evangélicas y fundamentalistas, al tratar de imponer sus propias lecturas al texto bíblico, no dejar que el Espíritu sea quien les dirija y querer añadir y quitar cosas del texto de manera indiscriminada, están cometiendo el pecado que tanto aborrecen: quitar y añadir a la Biblia. Como nos dicen las Sagradas Escrituras, en Deuteronomio 12.32: “Cuidarás de hacer todo lo que yo te mando; no añadirás a ello, ni de ello quitarás.” Y luego nos repite en Apocalipsis 22.19: “Y si alguno quitare de las palabras del libro de esta profecía, Dios quitará su parte del libro de la vida, y de la santa ciudad y de las cosas que están escritas en este libro.” Así que, ¿qué esperan estas comunidades para arrepentirse, para mirar de nuevo a Dios y pedir perdón por sus pecados de sodomía e idolatría y reconciliarse con el Creador? Les insto a reconsiderar sus caminos sodomitas pecaminosos y abrir las puertas de sus iglesias y de sus corazones a recibir a toda la creación de Dios (Romanos 8.22-23), y de esta manera cumplir el sueño de Dios de crear un cielo nuevo y una tierra nueva donde “Enjugará Dios toda lágrima de los ojos de ellos; y ya no habrá muerte, ni habrá más llanto, ni clamor, ni dolor; porque las primeras cosas pasaron.” (Apocalipsis 21.2)

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July 12, 2014 · 3:18 am

Seeing God in Abuela

When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.
Psalm 27.10, KJV

My abuela Palmira left this world on March 30th, 2014. She was the last one of my grandparents to leave us. I had been blessed with three sets of grandparents as my father had two sets of parents, his birth parents, abuelo Quino and abuela Margot, and the couple of welcomed him into their family when he was quite young and working away from his hometown, abuelo Jobito and abuela Ester. My maternal grandfather, abuelo Juanito, left us when I was 8 years old but I still remember him very well. Every Sunday afternoon, when the family gathered at their home, he would sit on his rocking chair and tell us funny stories that would make us laugh for hours. Abuela Palmira would stand next to him and laugh with all of us.

Abuela Palmira   There was something peculiar about my maternal grandparents. They practiced Spiritism, a religion in which every human being is of sacred worth and where spirits guide us to be in communion with the Great Spirit that is sometimes called God. At their home, everyone was welcomed and celebrated. They never rejected anyone. My grandparents believed in serving everyone and in welcoming everyone without distinction. Although I was too young when my grandfather died and thus not even aware of my own sexual orientation, I know that my grandfather would have accepted me and celebrated me. My grandmother, however, had the chance to know who I am as a whole person and she always, without doubt and without excuses, celebrated me for who I am.

When I think about abuela Palmira, the verse that always comes to mind is that of Psalm 27.10: “When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.” When my parents rejected me for being queer, it was abuela who welcomed me. She always supported me and celebrated my life. When I introduced her to my now husband, I was told that she spent months telling everyone who would listen about the wonderful man I had met. Recently, while talking with an aunt, she told me how they found among abuela’s personal items the wedding invitation I had sent her for my marriage. I knew she would not be able to attend my wedding due to health problems, but she had kept that invitation as an important memento. Through these actions, I can say that abuela embodied the Holy One in my life. Thus, when my parents disowned me, God took me up through the love, support and affirmation of my abuela Palmira.

The Sunday before abuela departed this world, my husband and I spent time with her. We had been in Puerto Rico for vacation, and of course I had to go visit abuela. She made us laugh with her witty remarks. This was abuela. She was always making jokes and laughing about things, even when her health wasn’t the best, she always found joy in living. I am not naïve to say that she was perfect, because none of us are. She had her flaws and made mistakes like the rest of us. But her love and support meant the world to me, and it is those values that will stay with me throughout my life. Her love, her support, her laughter that last time I saw her will always be the manifestation of God in my life. I will keep her memory alive as long as I live and I will always share with the world the values that she shared with me.

Abuela Palmira, you are now gone from us, as you would have said, you are now “unfleshed”, but your spirit will continue to guide me just as the spirit of abuelo Juanito has never left me. Gracias por todo, abuelita.

 

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June 13, 2014 · 4:49 pm

An Update

It’s been a while since my last post on this blog. Way too much has happened since. I hope to be in a more regular schedule of writings in the months to come, but for now, I thought appropriate to share some of the reasons I have been so silent in the past few months. 

First, I have traveled quite a bit these past few months. First a mission trip to Tijuana, México where I was volunteering at a women’s shelter. Then a short vacation to Puerto Rico with my spouse and some friends. Then spent some time in Cuba for the International Journey Against Homophobia. I promise I will share some of the stories later in the year. 

Second, a painful loss in my family. My beloved abuela, Palmira Rivera, died on April 30th, the same day I was returning to Seattle from my vacation in Puerto Rico. Thankfully, my husband and I got to spend a great time with my abuela the Sunday before she died. Abuela Palmira made us laugh… she laughed and made jokes and had a great time. I feel at peace knowing that the last I saw of my abuela was her laugh. There are many other stories about abuela that I’ll be sharing with you. For now, all I want to say is that she was the biggest one of my supporters. Even when my parents cut me off their lives, abuela welcomed me and showed her unconditional love for me and my spouse. I will miss her dearly.

Finally, some big news: I will be moving from Seattle, WA to Madison, WI. I had been called to serve as the Executive Director of The Crossing, an ecumenical (American Baptist, United Church of Christ and United Methodist) campus ministry at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. This is a huge change for me. I am leaving behind over 15 years of parish ministry and starting something completely new. I am both excited and nervous about this new chance. I look forward to working with students and also reaching out to local congregations and individuals who are passionate about reaching out to new generations of leaders. 

I have done quite a few other things here and there. But right now I am in the middle of important transitions in my life and the life of my family. I look forward to the many more opened doors that are ahead of me and to close some chapters in my life as well. That’s it for now. I will be coming back with more stories and commentaries in the coming weeks. 

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April 17, 2014 · 12:19 pm

Cheo y Gabo se encuentran

… y de repente se acercó, caminando lentamente las escaleras hacia la eternidad. Fue en ese momento cuando escuchó desde lejos la voz aguda diciéndole, “¡Familia! Pero, ¿y desde cuándo anda usted por acá?” El viejo alzó la mirada entre las nubes y pudo ver el hombre negro unos escalones más arriba. Su sonrisa era inconfundible. Definitivamente era él. El viejo le dice al hombre, “Amigo, acabo de cruzar las puertas de entrada. No sabía que te me habías adelantado. ¡Qué bueno verte por acá!”

Ambos comenzaron a platicar como amigos de siempre, a pesar de que en realidad no se habían conocido en persona nunca. Pero algo más fuerte que el haberse conocido los unía. El arte. El arte los unía en la vida y en la eternidad. El uno le dice al otro, “Amigo, cuántas veces llenaste de alegría las noches de mi casa. Allá cuando mi esposa y yo escuchábamos en solitario tus baladas. La salsa no era para nosotros. Pero esas baladas. Esa pasión. Esa dulzura de tu voz y el sentimiento con el cual cantabas.”

El otro se sonrío. Con esa sonrisa que siempre le caracterizó. Y le dice al viejo, “Pues fueron muchas las noches que disfruté de tus letras. Precisamente en Macondo. Allí donde tú creaste y yo viví. Tus sueños fueron mi realidad. Tus letras eran las vidas mías. Cien años pasé en la soledad de tus letras. Algunas hasta me inspiraron las canciones. Gracias, hermano. Gracias.”

Y entonces se confundieron en un abrazo. Lloraron por haber dejado a la gente que amaron atrás. Lloraron por sus pueblos, que son un pueblo. Lloraron por Puerto Rico y por Colombia, por México y por Cuba. Su amada Cuba. La isla esmeralda que ambos compartieron y que tanto amaron. Lloraron por las letras y por la música. Lloraron por el pasado de sus pueblos y por el presente que aun viven. Lloraron por las maravillas que dejaron atrás y por las hermosuras que todavía hubiesen disfrutado. Pero después de llorar y de abrazarse, comenzaron la larga jornada hacia la eternidad. Se contaron historias y se cantaron canciones. Se imaginaron que los pueblos que dejaron atrás seguirían escribiendo; escribiendo canciones de amor y de regocijo, escribiendo cuentos y leyendas. Se imaginaron que los pueblos que dejaron atrás seguirían amando y cantando, porque en la vida hay amores que nunca, ni en cien años de soledad, se pueden olvidar. 

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March 20, 2014 · 12:27 pm

Celebrating LGBT-Affirming Bapitsts

Today a Baptist minister who lived spreading a message of hatred and damnation to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities died. I do not rejoice in his death, nor do I feel particularly wont of publishing his name. I believe that the best thing to do with people like him – and with others who also have a message of hatred, such as a certain US Senator from Texas, a Governor from Arizona and others – is to retrain from publishing their names. After all, most of them are always looking for exposure. I prefer to publish the names of those who are working for justice and reconciliation…

AWAB logo

As I reflected on how the media and even LGBTQI organizations continued publishing their reaction to his death, I decided to take a different approach. This approach is more consistent with my principles of inclusion and reconciliation. Today, I want to make public the work of a Baptist organization that is hard at work opening the doors of our communities to LGBTQI individuals. The Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists (AWAB) was born out of the need to proclaim a message of inclusion, celebration and integration of LGBTQI individuals in the life of Baptists communities of faith.

In 1997 I was a junior at the University of Puerto Rico in Mayagüez, and I was finally coming to accept my sexual orientation. As someone who grew up in a Baptist church, I could not imagine my life without a faith community. However, accepting my sexual orientation meant that there was no more room for me within the Baptist congregation in which I grew up. Although my childhood church was not proclaiming the same message of hatred as the recently deceased Baptist minister did, the truth was that there was not a message of inclusion either. The message of a God who rejected people with diverse sexual orientations was well ingrained in the overall message of my congregation.

This message of exclusion was so strong that many times I wanted to just disappear from this earth. I thought that I could just solve my problems by erasing myself from the picture. Several times I thought of ending my life, since there was no way that I could find comfort in the arms of a God who hated LGBTQI individuals.

It was at that moment, in 1997 during my junior year at the UPR-Mayagüez that I went to the library and started searching for answers. I clearly remember sitting in front of the computer and typing the words “gay” and “Christian” and “Baptist”. I had no idea of the surprise that awaited me! The first page that showed up on the search engine was that of the Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists.

Finding this organization helped me realized that I was not alone. I read the list of churches on that page and realized that, even though these churches were thousands of miles away from me – one of the earliest supporters of AWAB is the Church of Covenant in Palmer, Alaska, which is a few thousand miles away from Puerto Rico – there were people like me out there. Oh, what a joy! There were other gay Baptists out there! Not only that, but the page had their logo published, which at the time was the official logo of my denomination, the American Baptist Churches, USA, with the colors of the rainbow. I was so happy that I printed the logo and pasted it on my Bible. I have had that Bible with this logo for all these years… as a reminder of how AWAB saved my life and showed me that it is possible to be gay and Baptist.

This is my story. This is why today, instead of publishing the name of a Baptist minister who spent his life hating, I prefer to make public the name of the Baptist organization that helped me overcome my pain. I am glad that AWAB exists. I am glad that so many Baptist ministers have spoken out in favor of LGBTQI individuals, and that they have worked hard to include us the many Baptist communities of faith that joyfully welcome, affirm and celebrate the diversity of God’s creation!

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January 25, 2014 · 5:38 am

Justin Beiber and “José Pérez”

Much has been said about Justin Bieber’s case. Unless you live under a rock, you probably already know that even CNN had to stop an important interview with a US Congresswoman in order to report about the Biebs’ arrest. There is much that can be said about the whole thing, but I want to focus my attention on the one thing that has been abuzz around Spanish media but completely ignored by the mainstream media: Justin Bieber’s immigration status.

That is right, my dear Bielevers… The Biebs is 100% foreigner. He’s an immigrant worker. Like Ted Cruz, maple syrup and socialized medical care, the Biebs comes from Canada! Living and working in the United States legally, Justin Bieber should still be bound by the immigration laws of the great United States. This means that, for his infractions (driving under the influence of alcohol and controlled substances, drag racing and resisting arrest) he should be placed on deportation proceedings. But of course, this is not possible to do with a white, English-speaking, rich, young man. These immigration laws and procedures only apply to brown-skinned, middle-class, poor, and non-English-speaking residents.

Imagine for a second that the person arrested was not Bieber, but José Pérez (these being the most common first and last names throughout the Spanish-speaking world.) Imagine if a hard-working, young, Hispanic male was arrested for DUI, drag racing and resisting arrest on the streets of Miami? And I am not going to say an undocumented immigrant; but a legal resident. Someone who entered the country legally – say from Colombia or Venezuela, which are the two largest non-Cuban communities in Miami. What would have happened? Certainly, not a $2,500 fine and a slap on the wrist. If José Pérez had been caught on this situation, his family would be visiting him at the Glades County Detention Center right now, waiting for a judge to set a hearing, and certain that his legal residency status would be revoked and he would be deported. José Pérez’s family would be scrambling and trying to find the money for the onerous fine imposed by the judge while visiting a few dozen lawyers trying to find who would give them the chance to pay on installments. José Pérez would not be waving at his fans from the roof of a limo while surrounded by bodyguards, but rather waving at his children from inside a federal vehicle who will be transporting him from one detention center to another while a judge decides when to grant him a hearing.

This is what is wrong with the system. This immigration system works pretty well for the wealthy, white, English-speaking immigrant like Bieber. But it is hell for the one that is “the other.” Every day, thousands of men and women of all ages are placed on deportation procedures for less than what Bieber did. Yet, he walks out with a big smile and the certainty that no one will do anything against him. Why? Why are we allowing this system to continue? Why do we have these double standards in immigration? And when are we going to acknowledge that the current system does not work and needs to be fixed?

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December 26, 2013 · 8:43 am

A New Reading of Luke 2.1-7

It has been a very long time since that last time I wrote something for my blog. I hope that I can keep a better schedule of posting for next year and perhaps even have a few readers! =) In the meantime, I came up with this new reading of the story of Christmas as it is found on Luke 2.1-7. It is based on recent news about Israel’s building of new settlements on Palestinian territory. As a Christian theologian, it is my hope and my prayer that both the Palestinians and the Israeli could find a way of living peacefully and recognizing each other’s humanity. May peace reign in Palestine and Israel for Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze, atheists, Humanists, and every other person of faith or of no faith that lives on this part of the wonderful Mother Earth.

——

That December, while Palestinian Christians were celebrating the Nativity of Christ, and in a move that could jeopardize the US-brokered peace talks, the Israeli government decided to build even more settlements on Palestinian territory. This happened while Benjamin Netanyahu was Prime Minister of Israel, and the Palestinian National Authority was still debating the legitimacy of Mahmoud Abbas as its President.

Many people decided to move to safer communities. Among them was a couple that lived in Nazareth. Yusuf, a Muslim man from the town of Bethlehem, had married Miriam, a Jewish woman from Tel-Aviv. It was not uncommon for men and women from different faith traditions to fall in love and get married, although it was frown upon by the government officials and religious authorities who put a lot of hurdles for such couples to get married. Miriam was eight months pregnant by now and Yusuf thought that it would be best for them to travel to the town of his forebears, thinking that the Christian majority in Bethlehem will protectthem from any violence that might ignite due to the building of the new settlements.

As Yusuf was driving his old car, they came upon one of the check-points that dot the border between the State of Israel and the Palestinian National Authority.There, Yusuf and Miriam were stopped and asked to exit the vehicle while the guards searched it. Upon noticing that Miriam was Jewish, one of the guards was suspicious of Yusuf and took him into custody. Miriam pleaded with the guard but he did not want to hear her. She was so nervous and stressed that she went into labor before the baby was due. The guards didn’t want to pay attention to Miriam’s pleads and told her that there wasn’t a place for them or for the baby to come on either one of the countries. The guards kept telling the family that there was no space for them anywhere within Palestine or Israel. They had both betrayed their faith, their people and their ancestors by loving each other and building a family…

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September 29, 2013 · 4:07 pm

Las mantillas evangélicas

IMG_3419En mis años de infancia, cuando visitaba de vez en cuando la parroquia de Nuestra Señora de la Medalla Milagrosa en Castañer, Puerto Rico, veía una que otra viejita usando mantilla. Las mantillas son esos velos que cubren la cabeza de las mujeres católicas devotas. Por lo general son negras. Las mantillas eran utilizadas mucho en los años antes del Concilio Vaticano II. Pero luego de éste Concilio, la Iglesia Católica decidió que no era necesario el que las mujeres utilizaran mantillas en la iglesia. Así que el uso de mantillas se ha mantenido solamente entre las viejitas que todavía se aferran a la tradición y a los grupos Católicos ultra-ortodoxos.

Bueno, eso era lo que creía yo, hasta que visité El Salvador hace unas semanas. Resulta que caminando por las calles de San Salvador – y en muchos otros lugares que visité en el país – me encontré con mujeres de todas las edades vistiendo mantillas. Todas llevaban mantillas blancas. Elaboradas con perlitas de mentira y bordadas con hilo fino blanco. Me pareció interesante ver tanta mujer católica aferrada a su tradición, así que le pregunté a mi amigo el porqué de tal devoción.

“¡Esas no son mujeres católicas! Quienes llevan esas mantillas son evangélicas.” Eso me dijo mi amigo. Me quedé estupefacto. ¡Mujeres evangélicas vistiendo mantillas! Yo había sido testigo de mujeres de grupos evangélicos judaizantes utilizar mantillas (en Puerto Rico, la Congregación de Yahweh es una de estas iglesias), pero nunca en público. Por  lo general, el uso de mantillas es exclusivo para el culto privado. Después de todo, aun si leemos al Apóstol Pablo literalmente en 1 Corintios 11:1-16 éste hace referencia al uso del velo por la mujer solamente en el contexto del culto.

Lo interesante de ver tanta mujer en El Salvador con velo/mantilla es que me recordó cuán similares somos a pesar de nuestras diferencias. De seguro que si les preguntara a esas mujeres evangélicas qué piensas de sus hermanas católicas, nos dirán que las católicas están mal. Criticarán su fe y su forma de expresar el cristianismo. Así mismo, las mujeres católicas quizás critiquen o no entiendan a las mujeres evangélicas. Pero interesantemente, las mujeres evangélicas son herederas de una costumbre católica romana. La han adoptado y adaptado para sí. De hecho, a quien siguen e imitan es a la misma María de Nazaret, cuya imagen siempre lleva velo/mantilla, pero cuya imagen es tan rechazada por las mismas mujeres que siguen su ejemplo.

Seguimos teniendo divisiones por cosas que no deben dividirnos. Seguimos construyendo muros que nos separan aun cuando somos similares. Seguimos rechazando otras personas porque no comprendemos el porqué de sus costumbres… Así somos… Ojalá que un día estas hermanitas evangélicas se den cuenta que sus mantillas no son suyas, las heredaron de sus hermanas católicas romanas y de María la Madre de Jesús.

 

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