Two Brief Prayers for Use on the Forty-Sixth Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots

Next Sunday, June 28, 2015, marks the forty-sixth anniversary of what is often called the catalyst of the Gay Rights movement, the Stonewall Riots. LGBTQ+ people are slowly gaining acceptance in mainline protestant churches, but it is an ongoing process. There are vocal opponents to equal rights for the LGBTQ+ community, and many of these opponents claim their Christian faith as the foundation of their opposition to equal rights for the LGBTQ+ community. Suicide is still a very unfortunate reality for many LGBTQ+ youth; transgender people, in particular, are often the targets of violent hate crimes; access to rights for LGBTQ+ people vary drastically across the United States, and many LGBTQ+ people have very little support in their faith communities and families. As such, I offer below two prayers that can be read on Sunday, June 28, by Christian faith communities to celebrate Gay Pride Month (every June) and commemorate the forty-sixth anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. The first prayer is meant to stand on its own or be incorporated into a liturgical rite to commemorate the Stonewall Riots, the second prayer is much shorter and is meant to be an intercession read during the Prayers of the Church. I follow this by a brief history of the Stonewall Riots and LGBTQ+ Pride Month in addition to a note on terminology.

Prayers

Transcendent God, you took human form and with it human sexuality and gender, entering into our broken world, bearing our suffering along with us. We remember that on this day, forty-six years ago, a riot broke out as a response to years of victimization and oppression. We lift up those lives and their voices, remembering their hardships. We ask you to send your spirit to us that we may give voice to those without one, and work together to end the oppression of your children who are hurt by discrimination based upon their sexual orientation or gender. As your son, Jesus Christ, healed the woman who touched the hem of his cloak, help us to provide healing to the LGBTQ community, removing the barriers that separate these your children from access to hope, safety, and life abundant. Let this church be a safe haven. Through your Son, Jesus Christ, Amen.

On this day we remember the Stonewall Riots that took play forty-six years ago, and all the people who have been oppressed based upon their sexual orientation or gender. We ask that you bring hope where there is none, healing where there is hurt, and acceptance where there is hatred. Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

LGBTQ+ History, Stonewall Riots, and Gay Pride Month

While today LGBTQ+ people are receiving more federally recognized benefits, the late 1960s were a very different time for the LGBTQ+ community. Sodomy laws were in effect that criminalized same-sex sexual activity, people who would in today’s terminology be called transgender were often times forced into sex work and were often times the victims of hate crimes and police brutality. In today’s society, LGBTQ+ people can often times find safe-havens in the form of advocacy groups, on-line communities, and gay bars, this was not the case in the 1960s. Gay bars were often outlawed, and the few gay bars that were in existence were not safe places to be, often subjected to police raids.

The Stonewall Inn was one of these early gay bars. It was run by the mafia, and was by no means a safe place for LGBTQ+ people, but it was one of the few places that LGBTQ+ people could gather as themselves. On the early morning of June 28, 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn. On any other night, this would very likely have simply ended the bar service for the night, or it may have resulted in the bar being shut down. This particular night, people fought back. Patrons were emptied out of the bar and arrests were being made when someone allegedly told the crowd of patrons, “Why don’t you guys do something?” The crowd retaliated and went “berserk,” fighting against police, as some called out “gay power” and others began singing the spiritual “We Shall Overcome.” The rioting continued for several days before it was finally subdued, but the message was clear: the community was not going to take this anymore. Overnight, it seemed, gay rights organizations formed and existing ones saw an increase in membership and community response.

Gay Pride Month occurs every June to serve as a testament to the brave people who stood up after years of oppression on that night. Pride is understood as the opposite of the social stigma that the LGBTQ+ population had to endure for years (and still does, in many ways). It is a celebration of being true to oneself in addition to being a call for greater visibility, self-affirmation, and acceptance by larger society.

For further reading on the Stonewall Riots and the beginning of the Gay Rights movement, I recommend David Carter’s book Stonewall: The Riots that Sparked the Gay Revolution.

Terminology

LGBTQ+ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (and/or Questioning), and the plus sign stands for the many other people of differing sexual orientation, sexuality, and gender that may not fit easily into the categories of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and/or Queer. This is an umbrella term that is meant to represent what is in actuality not one community but a wide diversity of people with varying sexual preferences and/or gender identities.

Acceptable terminology is still evolving for the LGBTQ+ community. The reason the terminology is still in flux is because there are many voices being added to the movement that have not had the opportunity to share their experiences or stories before in a safe environment and only recently have had the privilege of even being listened to. There are many terms and acronyms out there that can be confusing, especially for straight, cisgender men and women who have not been exposed to LGBTQ+ language. Confusing terms (or being confused by terms) is bound to happen, and that’s okay. The important thing is to be respectful, and ask respectfully if you do not know what a specific term means. There is a fairly comprehensive list of terms here: http://itspronouncedmetrosexual.com/2013/01/a-comprehensive-list-of-lgbtq-term-definitions/.

Another frequent question is “Why is it important to use this language? Can’t we just say homosexual and heterosexual (or gay/straight, etc.)?” This touches upon the issue of communities of people being given the agency to name themselves. One of the most important parts in the journey of any community being granted a voice when they previously had one is that they are granted the ability to name themselves instead of being forced into the categories and names that the larger society gave them, especially as these categories/names are often very limiting or hurtful. This is why it is generally no longer acceptable to use the term “negro” to refer to African-Americans, or “retarded” to refer to someone who is differently abled. Many write this off as being overly-P.C.—the frustration can certainly be understood, especially when what is considered offensive may seem to someone outside of the LGBTQ+ community as changing every day. But the bottom line is that it is a sign of respect and affirmation to call a community by the name that they recognize as their own. As I said above, if you don’t know the right word, ask respectfully. Most people in the LGBTQ+ community are more than happy to explain what terms they are most comfortable with, especially if they are referring to themselves.

Creating Holy Week: Weaving together theology, poetry, and music

Art has long been understood as being able to convey emotion in deep and creative ways. Holy Week is a week full of emotion: love, loss, suffering, redemption, hope, guilt; it's all there. After hearing the story many times it runs the risk of losing its sting. Last year I came up with the idea of creating my own Holy Week--not just participating in the services--the active remembering as a church--but in using art--poetry and music in particular--to help me experience Holy Week anew.

Holy Week is the time in the Christian calendar that celebrates the final week of Jesus' life: his triumphant entrance into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday); the last supper he shared with his disciples and arrest in the garden (Holy/Maundy Thursday); Jesus' death on the cross (Good Friday); and, his resurrection from the tomb (Easter morning). Holy Week is certainly somber--as Christians reflect upon the death of Christ and how their sins are in some way responsible for the brokenness of creation that lead Jesus to the cross. But at the same time, Holy Week brims with hope: hope in the resurrection, promise of the forgiveness of sins, and promise of new life. And, perhaps, the most overwhelming emotion of the week is love: the love in John 3:16 (For God so loved the world...), the love of Jesus for the disciples as he washed their feet, the love of the New Commandment that Jesus gives his disciples, the love Jesus had for humanity that lead him to the cross, but also the heart-wrenching love of the women and the beloved disciple who watched Jesus die, the mourning love as the women came upon the empty tomb.

This exercise can be done with any art form: visual art, performance art, pop music. I chose to narrow it down to poetry and classical music, but I encourage you all to identify artwork that is meaningful to you and helps deepen your understanding, and feel free to comment below with your own suggestions. Some of these are intended by the author for theological/liturgical use, most are not. But they all communicate the emotions of Holy Week in deep ways that allow me to create my own Holy Week, my own deep encounter with love, loss, and redemption.

Just a note: some of the poems I only included excerpts as they are still protected by copyright. In those instances, I provided a link so you may read the entire poem.

 Jean Langlais' Suite Francais, No 6 "Arabesque sur les flutes"
This is a beautiful piece of music. To me, it communicates a jovial, playful love, tinged ever so slightly with melancholy.  

Kathleen Jaime's "The Wishing Tree"
And though I’m poisoned
choking on the small change

of human hope,
daily beaten into me

look: I am still alive—
in fact, in bud.
(See the full poem here.) 

 This is my favorite poem of all time. It communicates deep sacrifice, being in bud in spite of the human hopes "daily beaten into me."  

Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring
Stravinksy's The Rite of Spring is a ballet about a pagan sacrifice. Thus, the themes of new life, spring, sacrifice, loss of innocence, and rebirth are all present in this magnificent piece.  

Rajzel Zychlinska's "God Hid His Face"
All the roads led to death,
all the roads.
All the winds breathed betrayal,
all the winds.
At all the doorways angry dogs barked,
at all the doorways.
All the waters laughed at us,
all the waters.
All the nights fattened on our dread,
all the nights.
And the heavens were bare and empty,
all the heavens.
God hid his face.

I first encountered this poem in a volume of collected poetry called The Last Lullaby: Poetry from the Holocaust. This poem... yeah. I'll just leave it as is.  



Sergei Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet Suite 3 No 6: "The Death of Juliet"
Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet is a masterpiece. I only linked to the final song, "The Death of Juliet," which communicates the deep heartache that is felt after the loss of one you love. I recommend the entire ballet, as the piece brilliantly shows how maddening, passionate, sexual, and despairing love can be.

Craig Czury's "Morning"
Crossing barbed wire
I cut my face
and taste you everywhere.

A short, beautiful poem. Love, loss, pain--it's all there in those three short lines.  


Matthew Harris' "Fear No More" (Shakespeare)
 
This is the only musical piece that is also a poem, in fact, it is a setting of William Shakespeare's "Fear No More the Heat o' the Sun" from his play Cymbeline. Why I chose to use this particular musical setting (as opposed to letting the poem stand on its own) is because Harris' music brings out the emotion of the piece in really profound ways: the somber introduction to the build in the middle, finally ending in a lullaby, all the while using Shakespeare's beautiful and almost peaceful description of death.  

John Keat's "Faery Song"
Shed no tear! oh, shed no tear!
The flower will bloom another year.
Weep no more! oh, weep no more!
Young buds sleep in the root's white core.
 Dry your eyes! oh, dry your eyes!
For I was taught in Paradise
To ease my breast of melodies,
-- Shed no tear.

Overhead! look overhead!
'Mong the blossoms white and red--
Look up, look up! I flutter now
On this fresh pomegranate bough.
See me! 'tis this silvery bill
Ever cures the good man's ill.
Shed no tear! oh, shed no tear!
The flower will bloom another year.
Adieu, adieu -- I fly -- adieu!
I vanish in the heaven’s blue,
-- Adieu, adieu!

Resurrection--shed no tear, I flutter now on this fresh pomegranate bough. Simple, perfect, beautiful.
  
Eric Whitacre's "Alleluia"
 
This piece encapsulates the entire mood of the Easter Vigil more than any other piece I have encountered. It begins with a solemn "Alleluia," that is slowly joined by the full choir in a melancholy, pastoral melody that slowly builds into a joyful acclamation, yet, all the while never fully reaching the true triumphant joy that we often hear in other settings (think Handel's "Halleluia Chorus").  

Maya Angelou's "Still I Rise"
Out of the huts of history's shame
 I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
(view the full poem here.) 

This poem is one of redemptive self-love of a black woman; a love that is strong in spite of oppression. It is a poem of resurrection in spite of persecution. This poem captures the emotion of redemptive love more than any other poem I know.

Book Review: The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

I will admit when I am wrong (at least most of the time). And this is one of those times. When I first saw early press releases for The Invention of Wings—famous spiritual writer Sue Monk Kidd’s latest work—I could not help but roll my eyes. Don’t get me wrong—I absolutely loved Dance of the Dissident Daughter and Travelling with Pomegranates, and enjoyed The Secret Life of Bees. But at first glance, this looked like another work in the white girl finding herself while helping black people in the process genre. You may know of this genre: the film The Help is the first that springs to mind, but the aforementioned The Secret Life of Bees is another example.

The basic premise: a white girl is feeling oppressed. In her journey to define herself, she interacts with oppressed black people who teach her their wisdom. At the end of the story, white girl helps black people overcome their oppression and, in the process, overcomes her own. In the film adaption of The Help (I have not read the novel, so I cannot say anything about that), Skeeter is an aspiring writer who befriends Aibileen and Minny, two black maids serving in white houses in the early 1960s south. After hearing their stories, Skeeter writes a book chronicling their experiences.  The book becomes popular and the money is split with the help, allowing them greater mobility in society, and also helps Skeeter prove to herself and her family her ability as a writer.

This trope is often called “White Man’s Burden,” and is exhibited in other films like The Blind Side and The Soloist, and has many parallels with “The Mighty Whitey” trope (Avatar, Dances with Wolves, etc.). From the explanation on tvtropes.org:

“This trope is about a plot where an ordinary, ethnically-European (white) person meets an underprivileged non-ethnic-Euro character. Taking pity on the other character's plight, they selflessly volunteer themselves as the other's tutor, mentor, or caretaker to make things better…. The white character is the one who gets all the Character Development while the minority character's main purpose will be to advance that character development. The focus of this plot will be on the white character's saintliness rather than the minority character's journey.”

This is a problematic trope for many reasons. For one, the black characters are generally foils to the main white character. Secondly, the black characters have no capacity to free themselves and are underprivileged; it is only with the benevolent help of the white (main) character that they are able to achieve freedom, social mobility, or whatever. Furthermore, the white person generally has little to do to adapt to the black person’s culture, whereas the black person is forced or helped to integrate into white culture. And, the trope focuses on the white person’s guilt and self-pitying over the whole affair. I could rant about this obnoxious trope all day but I’m stopping myself. This is a review about The Invention of Wings after all. Not The Help.

Anyway, I bring up the White Man’s Burden tope because The Invention of Wings is so not that! I was legitimately surprised. First, the plot focuses on two main characters: the historical Sarah Grimké and the fictional Hattie “Handful” Grimké. Set in antebellum South, Sarah is given a slave—Hattie—for a present on her 11^th birthday. Sarah vows to free Hattie in any way possible, but is unable to do so before she leaves for Philadelphia. The story chronicles their lives through several decades, following Sarah’s history as an outspoken abolitionist and woman’s rights activist and Hattie’s life as a chattel slave in Charleston, South Carolina. What makes this story unique is that both Handful and Sarah are given equal time in the book, as the novel alternates first-person narratives of the two characters. Rather than Handful being a foil to Sarah, and rather than Sarah being the architect of Handful’s freedom from slavery, the novel instead looks at both people’s stories. Yes, it does have a load of White Man’s Burden—Sarah is consumed with guilt over slavery and is outspoken on behalf of the slaves. Sarah is a person of privilege, a rich daughter of a lawyer, and her primary story arc is one of self-discovery. But, Handful is also a character in her own right—she has her own hopes and dreams, she is given her own voice, and, without revealing the end, Handful’s “Invention of Wings” is her own doing, and that of her black mother’s and black sister’s, not Sarah’s.

The story really is about the invention of wings—as both Sarah and Handful seek wings to free them from the oppression of their time. It’s not a perfect novel (is there such a thing?), but it is an excellent and surprising read, and perhaps one of my favorite works by Sue Monk Kidd. The novel takes some historical liberties, which Kidd explains in the afterward of her book, and they do make sense and help build a compelling tale. Kidd’s writing has certainly evolved since her more devotional nonfiction days, and even one can see a progression between this her third novel and her first, The Secret Life of Bees.

I think that given time this novel has the potential to be a classic in American fiction. It is one of the few books written by a white person dealing with themes of racism, civil rights, and empowerment not to fall into the aforementioned tropes. It is beautiful, heartbreaking, and heartwarming. It can be a little too sweet in its discussion of empowerment, but not as cringe worthy as others in the genre.

Kidd said herself that she erred on the side of being too bold in the inclusion of Hattie’s tale, but I think she made the right choice. The book is unique, powerful, and imaginative, a welcome addition to my book shelf, at very least. Well done, Sue Monk Kidd! We needed this kind of book.

In Defense of Lenten "Dieting"

Dr. Largen, one of my professors at seminary, recently posted a blog in defense of giving up chocolate for Lent (view here post here). During the weeks leading up to Ash Wednesday, there are always a flurry of posts about what is a "proper Lenten discipline," and, as Dr. Largen states, chocolate is "definitely the go-to negative example of what you are 'supposed' to do for Lent, and what Lent is really about." She then writes about how giving up chocolate for Lent really is an important part of her Lenten practice and does help her "create a mindful connection with God and with others."

I agree with her post wholeheartedly. Giving up chocolate might not be able to create that mindful connection with God and others for everyone, but for some, it certainly has the potential to do so. Thinking about Dr. Largen's post also made me examine the concept of Lenten fasting in general.

One of my friends recently stated that "Lent is not a diet plan." And I agree--Lent shouldn't simply be an excuse to drop a few pounds. But can Lent be a time to examine our relationship with food? Can Lent be a time where we examine unhealthy relationships with food or body-image and try to change them? I think so.

First, there is still a dualism implicit when people favor spiritual practice over physical practice, as if both cannot be related. Some say you can give up fast food for Lent, providing you have right intentions by giving money save from that experience to the poor. It's as if anything one does for their own physical betterment is devoid of anything spiritual and is somehow missing the point or being selfish. Eastern religious practices, such as yoga, point to the fact that what we do with our bodies also can have spiritual significance. God created our entire being--spirit, body, intellect--all of it. Neglecting one's physical fitness can have just as much of a negative spiritual impact as not going to church (particularly if it leads to self-esteem, body-image, or depression issues).

Especially in the United States, given our fascination with food, focusing on having a healthier understanding of food is a valid Lenten practice. And this fascination is on both ends: the United States is the most obese nation in the world yet at the same time has some of the highest rates of eating disorders in the world--and both are on the rise. It is clear that as a culture we have a very unhealthy relationship with food. The reasons behind this are many, stemming from American culture's fascination with a false body image, flawlessly airbrushed models, celebrities that are on the low end (or under) a healthy BMI; yet at the same time a culture obsessed with food--Eat more! Treat yourself! Give in! Buy one get one!

Furthermore, self-esteem is so often tied to with physical appearance. Eating disorders are becoming more prevalent. Depression, eating disorders, and more can stem from having a negative body-image. This is a very unhealthy cycle.

Our relationship with food truly can get in the way of our relationship with God, each other, and with ourselves. Our self-esteem suffers, we may suffer from depression or an eating disorder, we may yo-yo in our weight. We may develop conditions like diabetes or high-blood pressure. And yet we don't think this can get in the way of our relationship with God? Learning how to eat healthy, how to be active: these are certainly spiritual practices because they affect the way we see ourselves and the way in which we are able to interact with the world. (On the flip side, I'm also not suggesting that one has to have a BMI of 25 or under in order to have a healthy relationship with God--by no means! I am simply suggesting that a healthy relationship with our bodies is also an important aspect of our relationship with God).

Let me be clear here: I am not talking about joining a fad diet, as those are unhealthy practice to begin with. By no means am I suggesting giving up carbs or joining the South Beach Diet, as both can have very unhealthy consequences.

What I am talking about is meeting with a nutritionist, going to the US Dept of Health and Human Services page on nutrition and exercise, joining a gym, or simply going on a daily fifteen minute walk outside (which has the added bonus of participating in and reflecting upon God's creation). I'm talking about standing in front of a mirror and learning to look at yourself with love, realizing that that is how God sees you. To take the Barbie and Ken dolls out of our eyes and see ourselves as beautiful as we are.

Most importantly, Lent gives us the time to remember that God loves us as we are, no matter what. No matter if I struggle fitting in my airplane seat, or into my pair of pants, or feel the need to hide behind super baggy clothing, God loves me. Even if I hate myself or the way I look, or if I go to bed crying because a kindergartner at work called me fat (true story), God still loves me just the way I am, from a BMI of 21 to a BMI of 42, God loves me. And in a culture where we are preached self-loathing and that we can never be good enough, perhaps the most powerful and life changing Lenten discipline is to remember that we are loved by God as we are.

Here are some suggestions for Lenten Disciplines centered around physical well-being:

1. Go on a 15 minute walk every day, making it a part of your daily routine. Pay attention to how your body feels. Pay attention to God's creation--notice the sky, the trees, and notice how you are a part of that.

2. Practice learning to love yourself as you are. Look in the mirror and tell yourself that "I am beautiful as I am" and "God loves me as I am."

3. Pick one of the simple tips on healthfinder.gov, such as "Eat Less Sodium: Quick Tips" and spend a little time before each meal thinking about how to incorporate that healthy eating tip into your meal.


4. Eat more fruit and veggies! Have at least one fruit and low in starch vegetable every meal. Many websites have recipes on simple ways to incorporate fruit and veggies into every meal.

5. Train for a 5k--there are many 5ks in the spring and summer months, and most support charities and other good causes for the community. Registering for one has the added benefit of giving back to the community in addition to being more active. The couch to 5k training program is a fun way to start training, as well.


Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist or expert on healthy eating. Any weight-loss or healthy eating plan should be discussed with a doctor before starting.

Four more books to my reading challange

 For the complete list, go http://steadfastfire.blogspot.com/p/books-read-summer-2013-through-summer.html">here

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1.      Mornings Like This: Found Poems by Annie Dillard

Mornings Like This is one of the most interesting collections of poetry I have ever encountered. The author describes the poems within the collection as “instead of presenting whole texts as ‘found,’ [this volume] offers poems built from bits of broken text. The poems are original as poems’ their themes and their orderings are invented. Their sentences are not. Their sentences come from the books name. I lifted them. Sometimes I dropped extra words; I never added a word.” The books she found or lifted the poems from range from New Testament Apocrypha to nature books, grammar handbooks to the letters of Van Gogh. And while I will admit that there are a few duds in the collection, most of the poems are stunning and quite brilliant. The new meanings unearthed when the sentences are rearranged are lovely, heartbreaking, and beautiful. I highly recommend this volume of poetry for anyone interested in poetry or the style of Annie Dillard (it’s remarkable how her style even comes through when she is using other people’s words…). July-August 2013.

2.      Superboy: Volume 2, Extraction by Scott Lobdell, Tom DeFalco, R.B. Silva, and Rob Lean

I am a huge fan of the Superman franchise. So I have been following the new 52 storylines, even with all the sexism going on there (that’s enough for another post, but simply search “New 52 controversy” and you’ll find out what’s going on). So anyway, Superboy is a clone of Superman and a mysterious human (spoiler alert: most likely Lex Luthor). This incarnation of Superboy is very melodramatic, but not too much to turn me away. The problem with the second volume collection is that the Superboy series is tied in so closely with Teen Titans and Legion Lost that there were a lot of cross-over stories making this volume confusing as hell as a standalone story. In order to get the complete tale I’d need to get Teen Titans and Legion Lost and frankly I’m not interested in the story enough to do that. August 2013.

3.      Supergirl: Volume 2, Girl in the World by Michael Green, Mike Johnson, and Mahmud Asrar

This treatment of Supergirl isn’t as sexist as others (just search “Powergirl costume” and you’ll see what I mean), but it’s not without its faults. Her costume is a bathing suit, and with blonde hair and blue eyes she’s more of a sex symbol than action hero. How is her skin tight bathing suit with cape supposed to be Kryptonian armor? All someone would need to do is aim at her legs and she’d be a goner. The story is decent, but is full of the fish out of water tropes as Supergirl is trying to get adjusted to life on earth. It’s decent, but not anything special. August 2013.

4.      At Home in Mitford (Number 1 in the Mitford Years series) by Jan Karon

My mother and grandmother LOVED this series. If you know my mom or knew my grandmother, that’d be enough of a review. The book series follows an Episcopal priest, Father Tim, as he struggles with turning sixty, diabetes, new love in his neighbor, balancing his personal life and ministry, and deals with the craziness of small town parish ministry. The book is full of cheesy moments, and the whole town of Mitford is a self-professed love of the pastoral genre, the town being practically a paradise with no crime (except for outsiders that later find Jesus and repent), no significant illnesses (except for the rector who has to learn to manage diabetes), and rich parishioners that see to the church’s financial needs, even gifting the church a heft multi-million dollar sum to build a new nursing home. Having spent much of my life in rural congregations, the whole thing just seemed to fake and idealistic for me to really enjoy (and also full of pietistic theology, which gets on my nerves). The characters are compelling though, which tempts me to at least consider reading the second in the Mitford Years series. August 2013.

Currently Reading

Under the Dome: A Novel by Stephen King

Three Treatises from the Edition of Luther’s Works by Martin Luther, various translators

When I was a Child I Read Books: Essays by Marilynne Robinson

Up Next

Doctor Who Shada: The Lost Adventure by Douglas Adams by Gareth Roberts

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

Apocalypse Now and Then: A Feminist Guide to the End of the World by Catherine Keller

Disney Infinity: Infinite white guys, limited diversity

Disney Infinity is perhaps one of the most enjoyable and addicting games I have ever played. The game is on the one hand an open-world sandbox game (á la Minecraft), on the other hand, a collecting of Disney characters element (á la an extremely expensive Pokémon—Disney Edition), on yet another hand with different Disney mini-worlds that each have their own theme, cast, and missions (á la Disney Universe), all presented in a style similar to the popular Skylanders series (how many hands was that, by the way?). Many have reviewed the gameplay, cost, and other features, but I have yet to see anyone review the game’s selection of available characters, and especially the lack of diversity in those characters.

If you’re looking for an in-depth review of gameplay, cost, or anything like that I invite you to find the plethora of published reviews already out there. I’m just going to do a brief over view of the basics of gameplay, a quick look at the play sets and upcoming releases, followed by a more in-depth overview of the lack of diversity in the characters. I also invite you to skip to the section marked “Characters” if you already know or aren’t interested in the basics of the game.

Basics of Gameplay

When one purchases the game, there are three “play sets” right off the bat: Pirates of the Carribean sees Captain Jack Sparrow try to undo his curse by Davy Jones; Monsters University has James P. “Sulley” Sullivan try to help Monsters U beat Fear Tech in a scare-off competition; and Mr. Incredible defeat Syndrome once and for all. Each of these individual play sets has about six hours of game play to beat the primary objective, with another four to six hours to beat all the side quests and find all the hidden objects, etc. Disney Infinity also has the aforementioned sandbox mode, called Toy Box, where one can have all their favorite characters interact with one another and with various toys that they unlock from the play sets, which allows for single player, multi-player (local and online), and untold hours of gameplay as one can practically craft an entire world (and even make one’s own missions and objectives) out of their available toys, which then can be shared online as well.

The figures and play sets are placed on a base that connects to one’s console, the base reads the figure(s) and play set and then uses that figure in the game. The best part is the figures are non-specific to consoles and character data is saved locally on the figure itself, meaning, I can take my Captain Jack figure off of my Xbox 360 and go to my friend’s house who only has the Wii U and play with my Captain Jack along with her Mr. Incredible on her console in her toy box. And, if my character levels up while playing on her console, when I take him home and play with him on my console, that level-up data will be saved.

That’s just in the box itself. For additional cost, one can purchase more figures and play sets for their world. Currently, one can also purchase Captain Barbosa and Davy Jones for the Pirates of the Caribbean play set, Mike Wazowski and Randall “Randy” Boggs for the Monsters University play set, and Mrs. Incredible (Elastigirl), Dash, Violet, and Syndrome for the Incredibles play set. Also, one can purchase a Lone Ranger play set that comes with the Lone Ranger and Tonto and a Cars play set that comes with Lightning McQueen and Holley Shiftwell (one can also purchase Tow Mater and Francesco Bernoulli separately).

It also should be noted that each of the characters cannot play in non-respective play sets (i.e., Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates cannot be played in the Incredibles play set), but all characters can be played and interact interchangeably in the Toy Box mode. Furthermore, each character has a unique set of abilities that make sense to their universe—Mr. Incredible is super strong, Captain Jack fights with a sword, Sulley has a scare attack.

Play Sets

The play sets are pretty fun. I’ve had the opportunity to play all of the play sets currently available except for the Cars, and each one comes with hours of fun gameplay. My favorite is the Lone Ranger set, where one gets to fight the bad guys in old-Western shoot-outs, build a train, ride horses into the sunset, all that good stuff. The Pirates set of course has pirate boats that you get to build and fight with, along with sword fighting and hidden treasure chests. Incredibles involves using super powers to take down the bad guy, but also do other hero stuff—putting out fires, saving citizens, capturing robbers. My least favorite is the Monsters University play set—that one just seems the most lackluster—going around scaring people, pulling college pranks like throwing fireworks into dorm rooms, stuff like that.

The greatest part about the various toy sets also is the weakness of Disney Infinity: the game is a little uneven. Some play sets are great, others okay, and, at least one thus far, a little lack luster. But with at least one more play set slated for upcoming release and a whole slew of characters to come, the game seems to have something for everybody.

Upcoming Releases

The unique thing with Disney Infinity having character data saved on the character figures and play sets being activated by play set statues is that there is potential for a lot of expansion to the current lineup of characters and play set worlds. Already slated for release is a Toy Story in Space play set which will include Jessie and Buzz, with Woody available separately. Other figures that are confirmed to be released, which may or may not come with play sets, are Rapunzel from Tangled, Phineas Flynn and Perry the Platypus from Phineas and Ferb, Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas, Wreck-It-Ralph and Vanellope Von Schweetz from Wreck-It Ralph, Sorcerer Mickey from Fantasia, and Anna and Elsa from Disney’s upcoming computer animated film Frozen. These are just the characters already confirmed to be released—who knows if future updates to the game will allow for additional figures and play sets? As the tagline for the game reads, there truly does seem to be “infinite possibilities.”

Characters

The single most-disappointing piece of the game for me is simply the lack of diversity in the characters. At start-up, there are only three female characters available, all of which have to be purchased separately from what one receives in the basic starter pack. These characters, Holly Shiftwell from Cars, and Violet and Mrs. Incredible from The Incredibles provide little female representation in a game where the remaining FOURTEEN characters are all men (if male cars count as men?).

In addition to that, there is only one character that is not white or without race (I’m just going to go ahead and say that the cars from Cars and monsters from Monsters University are without race, although one could argue that they are white too if one goes off of their voice actors). The only character that is not white is Tonto from The Lone Ranger, who is Native American (although, it could also be argued that he is white since he is portrayed in the film by Johnny Depp).

This could be written off as a reflection of the state of women and people of color in film today if we were talking about any universe other than Disney. Disney-Pixar has made it a point to include a diverse cast of characters, including strong female characters like Mulan or Merida, and just look at the diversity of the princess: Mulan is Chinese, Jasmine is of Near-Eastern/Middle-Eastern descent, Tiana is African-American, and Pocahontas is Native American. With the popularity of the Disney Princesses franchise (including toys, video games, books, and straight to DVD films), I find it interesting that there is no mention of a Disney Princesses expansion for the game and that of all the princesses, only Rapunzel is slated for release (Rapunzel? Really? Don’t get me wrong, Tangled is a great movie. But still). Of course, the Disney Princesses line raises its own concerns (always a princess, never a queen for one), but many of the princesses are very strong female characters who do not rely on a man to save them (just off the top of my head I can think of Belle, Mulan, and Merida… Hell, Merida doesn’t even have an accompanying prince!).

And it’s not just that Disney Interactive Studios picked films with limited diversity for the game. Frozone was a very popular superhero in The Incredibles film, but is strangely absent from the game. And with the Incredibles having practically every other character playable or at least making a cameo from the movie, it’s very odd that Frozone doesn’t even get a cameo, much less a separate figure. Even the film’s villain got picked over the witty, sarcastic, and popular black superhero Frozone. Of course, licensure may be involved, but not even a cameo? Really? Really. In the Pirates franchise, Elizabeth Swann was a main character for three of the four films, and Tia Dalma, who is the Caribbean avatar for the sea goddess Calypso, would have been an awesome playable addition to the game.

At least we have hope for the future: out of the twelve identified characters awaiting release for the game, five are female. Unfortunately, none are of color.  But Disney recently bought Star Wars and has the Marvel Cinematic Universe in tow, which may also be pulled from for this game.

Side note: Can you imagine Princess Leia and Mace Windu fighting against Nick Fury and Black Widow? Now throw in Mrs. Incredible and Sorcerer Mickey into the mix. That truly would be an epic game, and if licensure allows, Disney Infinity might just be that game.

So, who knows what we will have when all is said and done. Disney Infinity continues to be selling well, and hopefully, we will see more diversity in upcoming releases.