We are collecting alumni signatures in response to Rosaria Butterfield’s March 17 Faith and Reason talk. The talk specifically targets queer people. You can read a pdf of the talk here but be warned that it is brutal toward our community. Please do not read it if you are not in a good headspace to do so. This statement is not meant to be a rebuttal, but a message of hope for current students (especially those who may be queer and closeted now).
This letter was drafted by Dominique Deming ('08), Atticus Maricle ('12), Rae (Rachel) Patterson ('07), Rae (Rachael) Warf ('16), and Helen Wiley ('06). Both queer alumni and allies are welcome to sign in support of this statement. In addition, some alumni will be attaching their own personal stories along with this document, but your signature will only appear here, and it will be clear this is the statement you are signing.
Queer testimonies are in the process of being written so we can attach them. If you would like to share yours, contact Dominique Deming at phcqueeralumni@gmail.com.
From Queer Alumni with Support from Allies
To the Patrick Henry College Community,
We are PHC alumni who belong to the queer community. We represent many of the identities and experiences the LGBTQIA+ sequence of letters attempts to illuminate. We watched Dr. Butterfield's Faith & Reason lecture on March 17, 2023, and we are appalled at the inaccurate representation she gave of our lives, goals, and relationships to faith and Jesus Christ. We are equally frustrated by her poor engagement with history, biblical scholarship, hermeneutics, empirical evidence, and the lives of queer people beyond her own. Most importantly, however, we are pained for our queer siblings on campus who were forced to listen to a lecture invalidating their experiences, goodness, loveliness, struggles, and faith.
As alumni of PHC, we have sat where you sit. We have experienced the pain of being in a place and a community that goes out of its way to say that God does not love you for who you are and that you should not exist. We know the agony of denying the truth about ourselves because we were told it was anti-Christian. We also know you can find life, hope, love, joy, and peace after coming out and embracing who you are because we have found them. Some of you may be wrestling with denying your queerness, some of you may be out to yourselves but hiding in the closet, and some of you may not have named your queerness yet – we see you. We know that coming out at PHC is not a safe option and we recognize that many of you have no choice but to stay there for the duration of your undergraduate education. Regardless of how, or when, or if you claim your space in our community, we are here for you. Although not all of us still consider ourselves Christian or religious, none of us want to see you lose your faith. Please know that you are loved, your experiences are valid, and we hope you will reach out to us when you are ready.
We are also deeply saddened at Dr. Butterfield’s classification of us as “enemies” with whom a Bible-believing Christian could not befriend. We are not your enemies. Many of us also believe that this is not a message Jesus would, or has, preached. Jesus befriended tax collectors, sex workers, and people outside his faith. Please reconsider this damaging call to ostracize an entire group of people and refuse to befriend them. There is nothing special about 2023 that would justify deviating from one of Jesus’ core messages.
We also want to let you know that we welcome friendships with you, and we do not see you as our enemies. We are writing this letter to emphasize our care and concern for PHC students.
While there are many things we could refute in Dr. Butterfield’s lecture, we thought we would offer you an alternative story instead. Dr. Butterfield felt she had to reject her queerness to be accepted by Jesus, but hers is not the only story. Attached are stories of queer alumni. These stories are not representative of all of our journeys, but they do show that life, both physical and spiritual, is possible for queer people.
If you are struggling with how to reconcile your faith and your queerness, we want you to know that these two things are not antithetical. Many denominations welcome and affirm queer people; many Christians are in happy queer relationships and are actively involved in their church communities. If you want to learn more about affirming churches or how your faith and queerness can coexist, here are a few places to start:
Queer Christian Resources
Included are links to online queer Christian spaces, affirming churches, and books we have compiled.
We know the fear of being rejected or ostracized by your community can be a heavy burden, and some of Dr. Butterfield’s comments could exacerbate any negative thoughts you might have had about yourself. If you’re feeling despair or thinking of self-harm, please know you’re not alone and reach out for help!
Text 678-678 to message the Trevor Project, or call them at 1-866-488-7386 (https://www.thetrevorproject.org/)
Call 877-565-8860 for the Trans Lifeline (https://translifeline.org/)
Call 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Hotline (https://988lifeline.org/)
Signed,
Atticus Maricle, class of 2012
Dominique Deming, class of 2008, RD 2009-2011, Teen Camp Director 2009-2012
Rachael Warf, class of 2016
Helen Wiley, class of 2006
Rachel Patterson, class of 2007
Colorado Gill, class of 2015
Ashley Berry, class of 2013
Kara Brown, class of 2019, Teen Camp Counselor 2016-2017, RA 2018, Head RA of D3 2019
Leon West, class of 2010
Maggie Taylor, class of 2008
Bridget Eileen Rivera Degnan, class of 2012
Mallory Dingman, class of 2017
Adam Perkins, class of 2016, Campus safety officer
Sequoia Poths, class of 2018
Timothy Wier, class of 2016
Edward Hill, class of 2009
David Sessions, class of 2008
Ellyse Elmer, class of 2017
We stand with our Queer Alumni,
Holly Vradenburgh, class of 2008
Katie Roberts, class of 2012, Former Instructor in History
Gabrielle Farris, class of 2006
Trent Carroll, class of 2005, Former Alumni Board Member
Roger Emmelhainz, Ph.D., class of 2005
Nali McCartney, class of 2012
Abby Osborne, class of 2017
Colin Cutler, class of 2011, Former assistant to Provost and President
Erin Lester, class of 2010, Former admissions office Data Coordinator
Rodney Dowty, class of 2016
Taylor Eckel, class of 2013
Taylor Smith, class of 2008
Beth Bergstrom, class of 2018
Kaitlyn Speer, class of 2015
Steven Rybicki, class of 2005
Bryan Leines, class of 2017
Nick Barden, class of 2014, Alumni Board Member (2019–2022)
Carmen Longoria-Green, class of 2010
Jasmin Howells, class of 2015
Giovanna Lastra, class of 2017
Jeremy Croft, class of 2007
Alatheia Nielsen, class of 2014
Peter Forbes, class of 2009
Michael Zeller, class of 2009
Jared Firth, class of 2009
Tanner Lovett, class of 2010
Becca Webb, class of 2018, Former Teen Camp Counselor
Erin Nekvasil, class of 2008
Sarah Phelps, class of 2014
Jess Derr, class of 2013
Kevin Derr, class of 2013, Former head of the Election Board, former Squad Leader for Campus Safety
Brianna More, class of 2005
Add your name to the response letter here (the letter above will be periodically updated with the information you provide, but email addresses will be used for identity verification purposes only and will not be published) :