Are we our race? Our legal status? Our gender? What makes us us? Every human being is intersectional, and many people experience marginalization through more than one aspect of their identity. Yet overly simplistic theological approaches and current political trends have pushed segments of American Christianity toward the further exclusion– a direction that stands in tension with the Gospel.

What does it mean to recognize the full humanity of one another and to stand in defense of that humanity? This presentation explores intersectionality as an urgent Gospel call to prophetic ministry — one that recognizes the dignity of every part of the Body of Christ, actively confronts injustice, and invites the Church back to the radical compassion, solidarity, and liberating message of the Gospel.

Yunuen Trujillo is a Catholic lay minister, author, faith-based community organizer, and an immigration and workers’ rights attorney. As a lay minister, she has served in Young Adult Ministry for more than 15 years and has served in inclusive Catholic LGBTQ ministry. Currently, Yunuen is focused on using her intersectional voice and lived experience to advance justice and build much-needed bridges across social justice movements.