Fierce Love on the Margins

Honoring Trans Lives, Demanding Justice

Yesterday, I found myself asking, "What does love require of us right now?" Transgender Day of Remembrance reminds us of the ache in our collective hearts—the names of our siblings taken too soon, the lives stolen by hatred and violence. But as much as it breaks us, it also stirs something holy within us. Mourning becomes a call to action, grief transforms into fierce love, and memory lights the way forward.

Some folks say, “Why make such a big deal about trans people?” To that, I say: We’re not making a big enough deal! Trans folks are children of God—handcrafted by the Divine, living as stunning reflections of the holy. They are prophets in a world too slow to listen, and their lives teach us what it means to be brave and free.

I believe in a Rabbi named Jesus who loved the folks others rejected—who gathered the outcasts, lifted up the marginalized, and reminded them they belonged. That’s the love we are called to live out. As Tiq preached at our TDOR Worship this past Sunday, “God is showing up on the margins,” where the world is cracking open with truth and resilience. And when the world doesn’t know what to do with that truth, it’s on us to love harder, stand taller, and hold each other tighter.

This past Sunday, during worship, I invited members of our trans community to join me in offering the benediction. Standing together in that sacred moment, we spoke life and blessing into the world, declaring that fierce love belongs to everyone. If you missed it, watch it here—it was a glimpse of God’s radical inclusivity in action.

This is why we are planning Freedom Rising: The Fierce Urgency of Now—because this moment requires all of us to act with the kind of love that builds and heals, that shelters and protects. When we gather in April, we’ll keep doing the work of making this world a place where trans lives are celebrated, not erased—where fierce love meets injustice and wins.

Come worship with me this Sunday—online at 11:45 AM or in our hybrid service at 3 PM at Judson Memorial Church. Let’s hold space for love, for memory, and for the fierce, urgent call to build a world where everyone is free.

love,

Jacqui