I have a lovely friend who is an Episcopalian chaplain. Having been raised with no religion myself, and having dedicated myself to Buddhism in my adult life, I’m always curious to better understand religious perspectives. This can be tricky these days, seeing how divisive the world currently is and how far some groups are willing to go. Having said that, my chaplain friend turned me on to a group I had never heard of before: Mama Dragons.
This is the first I’ve heard of an LDS group endeavoring to be more affirming through education. Wow! This makes me wonder: what else don’t I know about or understand from religious groups? What else is out there? I feel like this is a question I could pursue for a long time, so if you have any info for me, please send it my way!
So what do Mama Dragons do? It turns out, a lot! Here’s another excerpt from their website:
“Mama Dragons provides programs that specifically address the complexities of navigating mental health, non-affirming religions, geographies, and cultures. We focus on parenting the crucial first year after an LGBTQ+ child comes out. Mama Dragons empowers mothers to support, affirm, celebrate, and advocate for their LGBTQ+ children, influencing the family system to follow. In these politically charged times, it’s more important than ever to know how to have courageous conversations at home, at school, in our communities, and anywhere where laws are being created that affect our families.”
Their Programs Overview page offers a nice glimpse into the kinds of offerings Mama Dragons has. From therapist-led support groups, to online community, to classes, to donation programs, there really is quite a lot to explore.
I was curious about their “Understanding LGBTQ+” page. I’ll admit, I felt some concern about cis-moms as allies speaking for the trans/non-binary population, but from what I’ve seen thus far, Mama Dragons has done a very thorough job with their humility, their acknowledgement of the extent of their experience, and who they are consulting. If you follow the link to their Understanding LGBTQ+ page and then scroll down a ways, you’ll find a long list of resources. I was particularly curious about the resource labeled “Gender Identity and Our Faith Communities (HRC).” The first paragraph, in bold red lettering, says: “As allies, we are not experts on the transgender experience and have therefore relied on the teachings of others in order to create this curriculum.” A big green flag as far as I’m concerned! And who are they consulting? Religious advisors working through The Human Rights Campaign! Another big green flag.
One thing that should be acknowledged right up from: there is not a lot of cultural diversity in this group. I don’t want to assume the identity of anyone involved, but overall I was only able to see one obviously non-white person on their board. I have no evidence as to how this plays out in their operations, nor do I have evidence of the heritage of anyone involved, but I’ll put that upfront as something to consider.
This also is clearly an organization that is focusing on moms. There are two male-identified folk on their board, so if you’re a dad looking for support, I’m not sure how that would play out for you.
Overall, I’m really happy to know about Mama Dragons. Non-affirming religions can be a real source of struggle for a lot of families and it’s hard for them to find resources that don’t disregard their beliefs. Religion in general is tricky water to navigate these days, so the more opportunities there are for educated conversation, the better. Big thanks to my friend for this resource!
Want to talk more? Need some help navigating your own questions as you raise and love a trans/non-binary person? Let’s get in touch! I’m here to coach you through logistics, emotions, challenges, and hopes. Feel free to schedule a complimentary, 20 minute consultation! It’s a great time to chat, ask questions, and see if coaching would be beneficial for you. You can also check me out at Nurture Life Coaching, where I address all sorts of other life goals that might be helped by coaching.
Whatever your background, there are resources out there for you. I’d love to work together to help you find your way toward the affirming, fierce life you want for yourself and your family!
