Dear Beloved Friends,
It is such a great honor to be writing to you at the start of Pride Month. For any of you who do not know me my name is Pastor Casey Martinez-Tinnin, and I am the Pastor of Loomis Basin Congregational Church UCC, and the founder of The Landing Spot, which is a support group for LGBTQ+ teens and their adult caregivers here in Placer County. When I was asked to write this article, I was invited to speak with “authority” about the experience of being a queer person in this community and to elevate the hopes, aspirations, and needs of the Placer County queer community. For the opportunity to speak I am humbled and thankful, and for the responsibility to speak for such a large umbrella of communities and identities, I am overwhelmed.
Although lesbians, gays, and bisexual people experience difficulty my concern is mostly for our transgender siblings’ and even more specifically trans women of color, not just here in Placer County but across our great nation. Although some of us as cis-gendered same-gender-loving people do experience the occasional awkward stare in the Winco or the awkward conversation with our conservative fundamentalist neighbor. Our access to housing, healthcare, employment, although lower than straight people, it still ranks higher than those who are transgender, and again I add astronomically higher than those who are black or brown and transgender.
There was a time in queer history when our ancestors threw blood on politicians who refused to use the word AIDS. The ACT UP movement was created to bring awareness to the AIDS epidemic and the need for an all-hands-on-deck approach to solving the problem. Those who were a part of that movement might recall how frustrated some were that these brave humans were pushing their way into board meetings, town hall meetings, and tossing fake blood on politicians. Some suggested that they slow down and be more cool-headed, others considered it bad for our movement. The truth is that we needed them, we needed the passion and fire of individuals who could not take the dying in silence for one more moment. Similarly, we must be bold and brave as we encourage our politicians and neighbors to proclaim Black Lives Matter!
Justice and liberation have never been won by quiet moderate means, power is never given freely and so we owe deep gratitude to those brave and courageous humans. Yet, the truth is that black and brown queer folks still die at a higher rate of HIV/AIDS even now. It is at a higher rate that black and brown queer folks are arrested and beaten at the hands of police, and sadly even murdered. The even harder truth is that nobody is making quilts to fill the national mall for these beloveds. As a cis gay man, I find it my deepest obligation to stand with my trans siblings of color these days because I am well aware that if they do not feel safe in the world then truly none of us are.
So what are my hopes for the Placer County Democrats and the queer community residing here? It is that we begin to spend some time imagining what it would look like to fund an LGBTQ Center in Placer County, with a drop-in center for homeless and at-risk teens to eat a warm free meal and take a shower, space where queer seniors and queer vets could gather for coffee on a Monday morning and recall a life well-lived. This could be a meeting space for AA and NA queer groups so that any queer person isn’t wondering if outing themselves to strangers is worth sobriety. This could be a desperately needed space to hold conversations about race and equity. There is a desperate need for doctors and nurses in our community who are up to date on transgender issues and testing sites for STI/HIV. There is a need for emergency housing for teenagers in our community, and for meal assistance too. We need courageous and clear leadership from the democratic party of Placer County, we need brave and bold leaders who can help us to reimagine a county where all of God’s children feel safe, secure, full, and hopeful. I am well aware that it will take all of us to achieve a safer, more welcoming community, but it starts through some of us running for office, policy change, and educating our neighbors. Again, I will reiterate that until our transgender siblings feel safe, none of us truly are.
So we celebrate pride in honor of the brave characters of our past, and we celebrate pride into the future, fighting for a brighter tomorrow! As a Pastor in this community, I am aware of the harm that some churches are doing to those in the LGBTQ+ community and women, and I am saddened by their stance on so many topics that are so close to our hearts. I just want to express how critical I believe this moment in time is and that as a person of faith who identifies as a democrat, and who is gay, that we should not shrink in fear. We have the right policies to elevate the people, we have the right messaging for a future that is more diverse than it ever has been, but we must have the courage to mobilize and show up to make sure our dreams manifest. Happy pride beloved friends, may we remember that we only rise when we do it together.
Peace,
Pastor Casey Martinez-Tinnin
pastor@loomisucc.org
Pastor of Loomis Basin Congregational Church UCC
Founder of The Landing Spot
Co-Host of the podcast Irenicast
