Christians Terrorizing Queer Women in Nigeria
Plus, We're Going to Be Helping You Stay Grounded Each Week
Hi everyone,
In this week’s newsletter, we’re trying something new. In addition to our media highlights, we’re bringing you something that’s helping us stay grounded as we wade through the heavy political and theological issues we deal with here. It will be Jonathan keeping us grounded today, but we will alternate in future. Let’s get to it!
This week, we have:
- The dangers facing queer women in Nigeria
- The complex work of caring for traumatized animals
- Prison slave labor and the American food industry
- Why the US mandates reporting child abuse, not preventing it
- And Jonathan helps us stay grounded with poetry
Jonathan’s Recommendations
Christians Terrorizing Queer Women in Nigeria
(Content warning for mentions of homophobic violence, physical and sexual). A tragic article from CNN reports on a phenomenon in Nigeria known locally as “Kito,” which is catfishing queer people on dating apps to either blackmail them or physically and sexually assault them in horrifying attempts to make them straight. The background for this practice is not just hateful cultural norms, but the religious culture of the country that baptizes homophobia, conversion therapy, and sexual violence as necessary, helpful, and even healing. CNN spoke with 16 queer women who shared their stories of fear and exploitation at the hands of Christians and Muslims, which have only increased in the years following the country’s 2014 law criminalizing almost every aspect of LGBTQ+ life. Followers of Jesus should reflect on how we allow damaging beliefs, thought patterns, and leaders to go unresisted in our hearts, minds, homes, and faith communities. We must search out and uproot the evil that produces fruit like this.
Caring for Traumatized Animals
A trained military whale belonging to the Russian navy escaped a few years ago and now roams the waters around Norway. His comfort around humans, friendly demeanor, and obvious intelligence led to several viral videos, a tourism industry dedicated to citing him, and a name: Hvaldimir. But many fear for his safety because his captivity prevented him from learning survival skills he needs in the wild. A long New York Times article uses his often heartwarming story as a starting point for discussing whale captivity and the many complex commercial and bureaucratic factors around attempts to rewild animals who are often highly traumatized. Hvaldimir’s tale reminds me, much like the groundbreaking documentary about captive whales “Blackfish” did ten years ago, that humanity was made by God to steward, not to control, dominate, or exploit. When we choose the latter, the consequences are tragic and the efforts to undo them are slow, contentious, and sad.
- Read Hvaldimir’s story or Listen to the story read on a podcast
Sy’s Recommendations
The Prisoners Who Make Your Food
When the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in the US, there was one exception written into the text: we can still enslave people as punishment for a crime. There have consequently always been programs creating prison slave labor, from Jim Crow’s convict leasing to chain gangs picking up trash. A recent bombshell investigation from the AP reveals a vast network of prison labor in the agricultural industry supplying countless fast food and grocery store chains. The various state programs often involve financial mismanagement, political corruption, or forced labor. There are also ostensibly voluntary programs touted as ways for prisoners to gain valuable work skills which involve consequences for not participating like longer sentences or even the torture of solitary confinement. I encourage everyone to learn about, pray against, and work for the abolition of the system of slavery in America which never fully went away, and still enslaves our disproportionately Black prison population.
- Read about the prison labor in America’s food industry
Why the US mandates Reporting Child Abuse, Instead of Preventing It
This past week marked the 50th anniversary of Richard Nixon signing the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, which put our modern system of mandatory reporting of suspected child neglect in place. An article in TIME explains that evidence does not support the effectiveness of mandatory reporting policies. But Nixon’s unwillingness to invest in universal early childhood support systems or to consider how poverty and racism contribute to child neglect gave us a regime that increases surveillance of parents without providing them support or addressing the root causes of their problems. I’ve spoken about my own experience defending parents in family court on Shake the Dust, where I often saw the state spending far more money prosecuting parents or forcing children into foster homes than it would have providing the housing, or healthcare, or whatever the family actually needed. So this history is unsurprising to me. But we need to see the tight-fisted greed and racism at the root of our instinct to surveil and punish rather than follow the evidence or support marginalized families.
Staying Grounded with Jonathan
“Still I Rise”
When I was 18 years old, I drove two hours north to Richmond, Virginia for the opportunity to meet Maya Angelou. I watched her recite poetry in front of thousands of people, and I managed to get backstage afterward. I gave her a book of my own poetry, and she gave me a huge hug. She was a force to be reckoned with, but the kindest possible force. Nearly a decade later, I sat beside my wife-to-be on our second date listening to Angelou read “Phenomenal Woman,” “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” and my favorite, “Still I Rise.” I thank God for simple things like video recording. Because nearly a decade after her death, I can still watch her performing, and the words of “Still I Rise” can remind me that, though I feel burdened and pressed down, there is a power, a joy, and a wonder within me, within Blackness, within anyone rising up with pride from history’s oppression.
- Watch Angelou perform "Still I Rise"
Thanks for reading, and see you next week!
Jonathan and Sy