Mycroft Masada is a nonbinary trans and queer Jewish leader with 30 years of experience who moved to Gaithersburg, Maryland (Montgomery County near Washington DC) from their lifelong home of Boston in 2014. A TransEpiscopal Steering Committee member and former Congregation Am Tikva board member, Mycroft is particularly called to pursue LGBTQ+ and fat justice, and is an advocate, organizer, consultant, educator, trainer, writer and artist. They are married to Julia McCrossin, the mas(s)culine fatshion blogger, and with her they co-parent a dogter. Their central online home is MasadArts.blogspot.com.


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Saturday, April 30, 2016

Rainbow Families DC conference 2016

Today I was on the panel for the workshop Re/Claiming Faith:  Discussions of Faith Within LGBTQ Communities at Rainbow Families DC’s 2016 Family Conference, at the Georgetown Day School in DC (the high school campus).  “Held every two years, the Rainbow Families DC Family Conference provides an opportunity for LGBTQ parents, family members and their children, as well as prospective parents, to gather for a day of learning, networking and fellowship.”  I was given this opportunity by TransFaith, where I’m a National Councilmember – the TF office in Philly was asked to help gather local panelists through our national network.  I hadn’t interacted with RF before, but I knew about them, and knew a few families here in the County that were members.

This was the only faith-based programming at the conference, and it is still a new conversation there, and I think we helped them move towards a larger conversation over the next two years.  Our description, which did turn out to be accurate:  “As persons who identify as LGBTQ, we have often had to hide our sexual orientation and/or gender identity in religious settings or face rejection.  Many of us have experienced explicit or implicit exclusion and discrimination from faith communities and come to believe that we cannot both be our true LGBTQ selves and be religious or spiritual.  It is often assumed that persons of faith, particularly faith leaders, are anti-LGBTQ.  This workshop will offer a facilitated space where panelists from several faith traditions will speak from their experiences of reclaiming or claiming faith, drawing from sacred texts that speak to inclusion.  Information will be shared about local religious communities that are truly open and inclusive to LGBTQ persons and our families.”

Our facilitator was Rev. Michele Johns (Silver Spring United Methodist Church staff member, hospital chaplain), and my fellow panelists were Hilary Howes (Roman Catholic transgender faith leader,  Call To Action - Maryland board member, event designer; also part of TransFaith’s network, and the only person I knew beforehand), Amanda Poppei (Washington Ethical Society’s Senior Leader, Unitarian Universalist minister), and Laura Moye (Saint Stephen & the Incarnation Episcopal Church member, charter school teacher).

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

We were MoCo MD Election Judges again

Julia and I were Election Judges for the Montgomery County MD Board of Elections last month, for the second election in a row, for both early voting week and election day. We were also asked to work at canvassing, the process that the BOE goes through after election day, but we weren’t available.

And they will need thousands of people for October and November, and may well not get enough, and they do offer stipends -- I don’t know if / how available we will be, but if you are interested, visit 777vote.org asap.

And now for some of my favorite faith, trans, and scifi / fantasy moments from this election....

A favorite faith moment:

Me: Hello, excuse me, I’m just restocking the pens.
Woman in next voting booth: Oh, thank you. Wait – are people stealing your pens?
Me: Well, yes. Once in a while.
Catholic priest in booth next to her: Thou shalt not steal.
Woman: That’s right!
Me: *LOL* Yes. Yes, it is. Thank you, Father.

A favorite ‪#‎trans‬ moment -- a fellow trans voter gave my fellow judges and I one of these business cards from The Transgender Encounter Project (TEP).  The TEP offers several card designs and texts, and encourages you to design your own; you can also put a pin on their map to show where you’ve used them, donate, read their blog, and more.  ‪#‎transencounter‬

A favorite scifi / fantasy moment:  

Election co-worker: So yes, Lynda Carter, Wonder Woman, came to vote at the precinct I was working at. Oh, and when she left, we found out that she drives a Tesla. Isn’t that interesting?
Me: Yes. But, it would have to be something like that, wouldn’t it? I mean, once you’ve driven an invisible plane -- !
Co-worker: *LOL* You know, I hadn’t thought of that!
Me: I’m just saying.

Friday, April 22, 2016

Call To Action & Healing Circle event re: trans women of color (MoCo MD)

Tonight we observed Pesach | Passover by attending the Call To Action and Healing Circle at the Montgomery County MD Council building in Rockville -- organized by and centering trans women of color, with Casa Ruby LGBT Community Center, the Trans Women of Color Collective, and the Baltimore Transgender Alliance.

This was partly inspired by the murder of Zella Ziona here in Gaithersburg (our home and Julia's hometown) in October and Keyonna Blakeney's in the aforementioned Rockville (the next town) this month.  They were both young trans women of color.

There were speakers, calls and responses, a ritual drawing on African spirituality, and an opportunity for anyone to step into the circle and speak (which I participated in).  In addition to trans community members and allies, attendees included county leaders and police -- and we were also honored by the presence of part of Keyonna's family (her father is holding one side of the sign).

#ZellaZiona #KeyonnaBlakeney #TWOC #WOC #womenofcolor #transwomen #trans #transgender #DMV #MD #DC #Baltimore #MoCoMD #TDOR #TransDOR #MCMDTDOR #CasaRuby #TWOCC #BaltimoreTransAlliance #MoCoMDCouncil #Passover2016 #Pesach5776

Saturday, April 16, 2016

TransFaith's Being Brave Together -- our 2nd retreat

Louis (right) and I posing with some of our visual aids; photo by Chris.

TransFaith -- where I'm a founding member of the new National Council -- launched its Being Brave Together model early this year, including our first BBT retreat in Miami, which I co-facilitated.

Today I co-facilitated our second BBT retreat, this time in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, at Germantown Mennonite Church -- the oldest Mennonite church in North America, GMC's history is unusually inclusive of LGBTQ people -- check out this 10-minute video documenting that; rightly they say they have been "Proclaiming Peace & Justice since 1683" (!).

Again TF Community Engagement Consultant Louis Mitchell was my co-facilitator, and again TF Executive Director Chris Paige was the logistical host.  Also again, attendees included both local and long-distance trans and allied leaders as well as some TF board members -- and our new staff member, Operations Coordinator Tahnee Jackson.

We’re planning more BBT retreats in other cities this year -- do you want to be involved in planning and/or attending them?  And/or do you know someone who does? Visit http://www.transfaithonline.org/connect/being_brave_together/ today!