Always thought that I'd be an apostle...

[judecorp]

...knew that I would make it if I tried.

Yesterday a client came to me about a preacher that made him feel uncomfortable. Apparently, there's a minister of some sort who has been at my shelter repeatedly (lots of visiting religious personnel come from time to time, ministering to the masses) with what has been described to me as a very "fire and brimstone" message. What disturbed my client was that (per client) the minister was equating homelessness to immorality, and insinuating that all of the residents had become homeless through immoral acts. And then there was the little part where he denounced gay people as evil and said that "AIDS was punishment for homosexuality."

Now, aside from the fact that everyone who is staying at my shelter is /homeless/ (immoral?), we also have had (or currently have) clients who are HIV+ and/or homosexual. To me, this is entirely unacceptable. I don't see how staff can allow a visitor to come in and isolate clients, and potentially target them. Color me incensed.

After that appointment, I emailed my direct supervisor and the executive director of my organization explaining the situation. I tried to keep my personal feelings out of the situation, but really, can I? I spent the rest of the work day ruminating about it and giving myself anxiety. Having a person come into my workplace and say these things to people that see me 5 out of 7 days a week gives me uncomfortable feelings. No one has ever (aside from the "rumors" that I'm a "gay ass," a "dyke," and a "butch") publicly scorned me or acted in a hostile manner towards me. But I know that a lot of my clients, aside from being raised in very homophobic cultures, are currently very impressionable due to the vulnerability of their situation, or because of other factors, and while I don't /directly/ worry for my safety, I do have concerns. There is a person coming into my workplace /with permission/ talking about my damnation and my suffering and my evil-ness.

So I want to see what my supervisor and the ED will say about my client's complaints, first. Hopefully, there will be some sort of happy resolution where the preachers can come in and not talk about things that can isolate or target clients (whether they be HIV+ or gay or Jewish or atheist or whatever) - to me, just opening the dorms so that the people who don't want to hear the message don't have to isn't enough! Hopefully I won't have to decide whether or not I feel it's safe to stay at my job.

When I was interviewing for the position, my interviewers asked me how I felt about working for a faith-based organization. I told them that as a Unitarian Universalist, I respect and acknowledge all faiths, and appreciated the good that faith can do for the people who hold it. And I said that I had no problem with a faith-based, or a Lutheran-based, organization as long as it had no problem with me. I was pretty clear on the fact that I am upfront and open about my life, all parts of it, and that the organization would need to know that from the beginning. And they hired me. As a matter of fact, the woman who was my supervisor for, like, a minute, specifically told me that she thought that my being out and outspoken (among other things) would be good for Faith Mission in the sense of advocating for those clients who need that sort of voice.

Which, then, of course, makes me think that I /shouldn't/ quit my job, even if I'm uncomfortable. I'm such a Libra.

Comments

[shadist.livejournal.com]

Good luck.

[thatpatti.livejournal.com]

I don't see how staff can allow a visitor to come in and isolate clients, and potentially target them.

no shit! i can't imagine they would allow this if they really knew it was happening. ew! let us know what happens...

[auntiesiannan.livejournal.com]

THEN WHEN YOU GET OLD YOU CAN WRITE THE GOSPEL SO THEY'LL STILL TALK ABOUT YOU WHEN YOU'VE DIED :D :D :D

[lemur68.livejournal.com]

Any complaints you have are legitimate if you feel that what this preacher's doing runs counter to the mission of the shelter. Even if he hadn't made any bigoted gay comments, telling the clients that they are homeless because of a moral failing on their part is unacceptable. There's a difference between telling people to take responsibility for their lives so they don't stay homeless, and telling them they're a bad person because they didn't.

[mermil.livejournal.com]

I think you need to see what this preacher has to say for yourself before anything else. If not, then ask other staff if they've seen this man and if he's really affecting your clients. If this man is as hateful as he sounds, you are absoltuely within your rights to ask for his removal. Shelters should be places of help and respite-- not places of judgement and hate. Fry his ass.

[kieron.livejournal.com]

There are two things going on here, separate and intertwined.

One one hand, you are the advocate for these men. All of them. You are their voice as well as their case manager. They have a relationship with you and it is to you they will blame or thank or bring their worries and triumphs to. A man came to you who was uncomfortable with what was said. What was said, you know from yoru relationship with the other clients, can and will amke other uncomfortable and isolate them. You must take action and do what you can for them. This is your job and who you are. This has nothing to do with who you are personally out of your job, or your politics or your life. This has to do with the fact that they are your responsibility and they are being subjected to unfair and likely harmful things. What happens if the "fire and brimstone" is turned on an individual by another in the shelter? Who will speak for them if they think a. they are already damned and b. they deserve it?


On the other hand. This is where you work. You work intimately with this men in a way that your supervisor(s) cannot and will not. They know you, they know your life - you are open with your life as is your right and you have a relationship with them. You are someone tha gets things done for them. While they may not like you at times, I think they know where they stand with you. Aside from the damage this sort of thing will do to that relationship and that trust....what if the "fire and brimstone" is turned on you? That is not acceptable. That is not fair or safe. That is something that *should* be an issue. What if the preacher was preaching against women or caucasians...that could put you in danger no less than this.

If the preacher were preaching against whites, blacks, inbetweens or women, this wouldn't even be something you would struggle with so much. Because it would be obvious to everyone how bad it is. But he is targeting the "undesirables" to their faces and it is up to you and the people who run your job to protect those people. It is irresponsible to allow someone with the veneer of authority and spiritual riteousness to go there and take men who are trying to make a change in their lives and tell them they are bad people for being homeless, they are bad people for being sick, they are bad people for having the capacity to love. It is wrong and you should say whatever you can to protect them and you.

This is it!!!

[sixelachuck.livejournal.com]

"I told them that as a Unitarian Universalist, I respect and acknowledge all faiths, and appreciated the good that faith can do for the people who hold it. "

Ya know Jude I have been struggling with how I can actually verbalize my faith/beliefs about religion and etc. This is exactly how I feel and it is put so simply! I always get lost in my own words when I try to explain what I believe/feel about religion. Well...come to think of it I am often lost in my words :)

I really hope your supervisors can come up with a solution for this.

It is too bad that everyone does not have such a humanistic perspective! You are truly blessed Jude!!

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Apparently, they have been trying to deal with this. Our current Volunteer Coordinator is really awesome. :)

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

I love that song. :)

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

EXACTLY.

I certainly don't advocate for a lack of personal responsibility on the part of my clients. But, as human beings, they deserve respect regardless of the circumstances that have resulted in the homelessness.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

You know, I would love to hear a lot of the preachers that come on the weekends... but I just can't bring myself to come to work on the weekends. I mean, I would be swamped with work and demands and everything, and I really /need/ my weekends. :)

not places of judgement and hate. Fry his ass.

I love the irony. :)

Re: This is it!!!

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

When it comes to religion or spirituality or faith (choose your own word!), it's easy to become tongue-tied or to lose yourself in words. For me, what I believe and hold close to me is /so/ sacred and /so/ personal that I can't really slap a couple of sentences on it and call it a description. It needs more! :)

I could blather on and on and on all day about personal spirituality, but I won't. I will, however, say that the Unitarian Universalist Church (http://www.uua.org) is the best church for me! :)

You're sweet to me, Alexis. :)

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Sometimes I worry about how my personal life will affect the relationship I have with my clients. When I first started working there (because I am much more open at Faith Mission than I was at my last internship at Children's - partly, I think, because everything was so chaotic [I was married, I was divorced, I was dating, I was in a relationship, I was single...]) I worried about how 100 men from various backgrounds would relate with a young, alternative, Caucasian, genderfucking queer person. I wondered if who I was and who I was in a relationship with would matter. I always hoped that since the men liked me, that maybe it would change their perceptions of queer people.

I've learned (HA!) that /because/ they like me, they assume I must be straight, and when they're upset with me, they call me a lesbian! And then, the ones who don't like me go telling the others that I'm queer, and the ones who /do/ like me go "sticking up for me" by telling them it's not true. There have been very few clients who have flat-out asked me, and the experience has always been very positive.

The whole thing is just totally bizarre.

[jeffholton.livejournal.com]

off the subject...

Hmm...the Friday Five today is about songs.

I haven't responded to it yet, but I've had that soundtrack stuck in my head while thinking about it.

Are you broadcasting?? :)

He's daaaaangerous...


if you're broadcasting
kindly stop. my private thoughts
are getting crowded

Walk across my swimming pool!

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

I love love love LOVE the JCS soundtrack. Mmmmm.

I want to be in
your head 'cause it's the only
way to "get with" you. ;)

[vorpalbla.livejournal.com]

Although I don't feel at all intimidated about religion at work, the boundaries are a bit different in a faith-based organization. I still haven't decided how long I will have to have been working there before I will openly tell people--not just people I already know and like, and are my peers--"That's cool, but I don't believe in any of this stuff. I don't worship the same God as you in my own wonderful, personal, loving, postmodern way. I don't believe that all faiths are equally true. I believe in real life and that's that."

Maybe it'll be part of the celebration when I get my LISW. :-)

Re:

[auntiesiannan.livejournal.com]

and I love *you*.

I wonder if you could give THE GAY to that eevil preecher...

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Maybe I'm a little more outspoken than you are (heck, most of the time I don't know when to shut my mouth), but I wouldn't have a problem expressing my atheism in our workplace. Not to clients, or whatever, but you know... eh.

It's not like they're going to fire you for not believing in "God." And if they do, you sue them!!

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

What a fantastic idea!!

Re:

[auntiesiannan.livejournal.com]

He sounds like that priest on Buffy.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Believe it or not, I've never seen Buffy.