Meet Our Scholars

Mykal was not brought up in the church, but nonetheless felt the homophobic sting of right wing religious rhetoric early-on in small town Georgia where he grew up. Committed to seeking out communities that were more supportive of his growth as a queer-identified person of color, and after graduating from Emory University with a B.A. in economics, Mykal left for New York to pursue a law degree from City University of New York School of Law at Queens College. As a lawyer in training, he was able to realize his dream of fighting for the rights of LGBTQ people all over the country at places like the Urban Justice Center's Peter Cicchino (Lesbian and Gay) Youth Project, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund and the ACLU Lesbian and Gay Rights Project. Despite the significance this work held for Mykal, he felt a greater calling on his life, and so left the practice of law in 2004 to matriculate at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. As a Master of Divinity student, his primary focus was on pastoral ministry and theology, as well as liturgical studies and vocal/gospel music. He is licensed clergy, ordained to the ministry by the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, a Christian denomination founded in 1968 to meet the spiritual needs of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer communities of faith all over the world. Mykal currently serves as the Director of Congregational Life at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh and is on the Board of Directors for the new LGBTQ Center of Durham, NC. He is also in the early stages of helping to grow a new spiritual community in Durham, where he lives with his spouse LeLaina (2006 Point Scholar), and their new baby Zora Eliza.