Beating Their Swords into Plowshares: Proposing Some Strategies for Defeating Weaponized Religion
Presenter: Melissa Morton
Peninsula, on Thu May 15 at 4:00PM
It is no secret that claims of religious freedom have been used as a sword against transgender persons. It doesn't have to be this way. There is a case to be made that hostile acts against transgender persons do not constitute religion at all, but are merely acts of prejudiced notions. Furthermore, there is a case to be made that it is not an act of freedom to limit the freedom of others. Melissa combines law and theology in her presentation, so come and find out about the $10,000 Challenge!
Presenter Info
Melissa Morton is an attorney turned accountant (now retired) who has been interested in history for many years. Melissa graduated from Davidson College with a B.A. degree in history. While attending law school at the College of William & Mary, Melissa worked at Colonial Williamsburg as a costumed historical interpreter. From this experience she realized that the stories of people, places, and ideas do not tell themselves: they have to be told by others. Melissa occupies the narrow niche of crossdressing historical reenactors, and has become well known in the world of Civil War reenacting. She has an impressive collection of reproduction dresses from multiple eras of history.