In recent times, members of the LGBTQIA+ community have come under direct fire from individuals and groups that, in an effort to score cheap political points, seek to take away the agency of LGBTQIA+ youth and adults. Join us for this Sunday as we delve into the harm caused by the removal of agency, and why it is necessary to listen to the voices of those in the LGBTQIA+ community when it comes to just being able to live their own lives.

Pauline E. Nijander just completed her fifth year as a Master of Divinity student at the Drew University Theological School in Madison, NJ where she is studying for the Unitarian Universalist ministry, and where she was awarded the Dorr Diefendorf Award for excellence in homiletics in the 2021-2022 academic year. Pauline has been a member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton since 2013, where she has served in various leadership roles and is now one of two Seminarians at the congregation. As a proud transwoman and lesbian, Pauline has spoken often to different community and student groups about her perspective and life in hopes of educating people through honest and engaging conversation about trans* life and issues. For this work, she was awarded the 2017 Triad House LGBTQ+ Champion Award from LifeTies. Along with her wife, Michelle, and their sweet pitbull, Ingrid, Pauline resides in Ewing, NJ.