We Belong: Art and Advocacy

Celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month on Wednesday, Oct. 16, at Phillips Theological Seminary with an evening of art, music and powerful speaking focused on radical inclusion and belonging. The stream goes live at 6:30 p.m. Central.

“We Belong: Art and Advocacy” begins with a reception for artist Ace Stiles and the exhibit, “A Clingy Little Thing.” Stiles is an abstract painter and sculptor who has created a unique dual-sided exhibition showing the idyllic hope for the future on one wall and the inner turmoil inside one’s head along the other.

Ace, a trans, gay artist, singer-songwriter, and actor, will also open the program at 6:30 p.m. with their music.

Oklahoma State Rep. Mauree Turner will speak on the struggle and importance for inclusion. They are the first Muslim elected in Oklahoma and the first nonbinary person elected to a state legislature in U.S. history. Their campaign focused on inclusive representation and the importance of elevating unheard voices, which they continue to work on as a state lawmaker.

The Rev. Luther Young, an artist, public theologian, and social justice advocate, will offer his thoughts on radical inclusion in his experience as an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the Pastor of Worship and Spiritual Formation at Lighthouse Church of Chicago UCC. Rev. Young’s recent scholarship examines how homophobia in the Black Church is expressed and perceived by parishioners and suggests potential ways to address non-affirmation in these spaces.