A Surgeon, Not a Band-Aid

Referring to politics, religion, and sex:

“I often state that as a political theologian, two of these topics are literally my job, which can make dinner parties somewhat complicated, to put it mildly. When I add on the fact of the physical presentation that often accompanies my nonbinary gender identity, I far too often find that I am a walking embodiment of everything which […] tends to cause offense in what some might term ‘polite society’! […] 

When we make efforts to not cause conflicts within our congregations so as to diminish the pastoral benefits that religious community, ritual, and teaching can offer — under the fear that discussing likely contentious and challenging issues will create rifts in our communities — we risk simply offering a Band-Aid when what is actually required is a surgeon. We do not create rifts when we address the lived reality of our congregations; we simply uncover the rifts and conflicts which were already extant.”

— Christy Randazzo, 2024
Quaker writer, academic, and minister