Bodily Autonomy Means Every-BODY

Advocacy and Action for Women’s and Gender Justice

Local events stir thoughts and callings

August marks not only the end of summer in a way that I feel in my bones, it marks several populations and initiatives that I want to honor in the coming month. World Breastfeeding Week was created in 1992 to highlight the importance of breastfeeding infants and is marked as the first week of August annually. Spearheaded by World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA), this week serves as a time when extra efforts are made to highlight the inequities that affect the ability to breastfeed infants around the globe. This year’s theme is Closing the Gap, which aligns with Sustainable Development Goal 2 in the United Nations’ focus on sustainability by 2030.

In September, I will be launching a series of webinars that are designed to address the needs of God’s beautiful families as they grow and grieve. On Mondays in September from 3:30-4:30 EDT, All God’s Families webinar series will explore topics related to the ways in which all of our families grow through birth, adoption, and fostering, and blending, and how we grieve when our expectations for growth are not met. My guests and I will discuss relevant ways to support folks in our congregations and communities who are experiencing the pains and challenges of growth and loss as it pertains to brining children into our families. Watch UCC News for more details coming soon.

August also marks Transgender History Month, an honor legally recognized by Mayoral Proclamation in San Francisco. While PRIDE celebrates all of God’s children that identify with the umbrella that overarches the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, asexual, intersex, and the many other ways people identify outside of heteronormativity and cis-gender identity (LGBTQAI+), transgender history month seeks to recognize the history and contributions of pioneers in transgender identity. Way to go, San Francisco! I hope we celebrate around the world with you and that we soon adopt this significant commemoration.

Lastly, August is Fat Liberation Month. Following up on my conversation (see episode 2 of Engendering Spirit) with Rev. Dr. Anastasia Kidd about her Pilgrim Press Book Fat Church: Claiming a Gospel of Fat Liberation , I wanted to bring awareness to the inequalities experienced by people who are fat and the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance. God made us all beautifully and an intentional examination of our thoughts, values, and attitudes can help us all make our churches a place of welcome for all bodies.

As we move closer to an important national election, I am acutely aware of how bodily autonomy is a platform point and how much bodily autonomy is taken for granted by so many. Please check out the resources to help you have a less-stressful election from our colleagues at Join the Movement! You will see more activity coming from the Sexuality and Gender Justice Ministries team as we bring trainings, webinars, and resources to you to prepare you to serve and minister in the footsteps of Jesus. Take good care, Y’all.

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