What does this mean?

Our church wholeheartedly welcomes bisexual, gay, lesbian and/or transgender* people as members and friends.  We work to ensure that ours is a church home that feels safe, empowering, inclusive and non-discriminating, for everyone.

Please also visit our Interweave Chapter web page.

Read the Unitarian Universalism Statement of Support of the Right to Marry for Same-Sex Couples

 Please also read the summary of past resolutions by the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) regarding discrimination and equality of LGBTQ persons.

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The Goals and Activities of a Welcoming Congregation

Specifically, we aim to:

1. Include and address the needs of BGLT (bisexual, gay, lesbian and transgender) persons at every level of congregational life—in worship, in programs, in social occasions, and in rites of passage—welcoming not only their presence, but the gifts and particularities of their lives as well.

2. Assume the presence of b/g/l/t people and celebrate this diversity by having inclusive language and content in our worship.

3. Fully incorporate the experiences of b/g/l/t persons throughout all programs, including religious education.

4. Include an affirmation and nondiscrimination clause in our by-laws and other official documents affecting all dimensions of congregational life, including membership, hiring practices, and the calling of religious professionals

5. Engage in outreach into the b/g/l/t community in our advertising and by actively supporting b/g/l/t affirmative groups

6. Offer congregational and ministerial support for union and memorial services for b/g/l/t persons, and for celebrations of differing family definitions.

7. Celebrate the lives of all people and welcome same-sex couples, recognizing their committed relationships, and equally affirm displays of caring and affection without regard to sexual orientation.

8. Seek to nurture ongoing dialogue between bisexual, gay, lesbian, transgender, and heterosexual persons and to create deeper trust and sharing.

9. Encourage the presence of a local chapter of Interweave.

10. Affirm and celebrate b/g/l/t issues and history during the church year.

11. Attend to legislative developments and work to promote justice, freedom, and equality in the larger society.

12. Speak out when the rights of bisexual, gay, lesbian, and transgender people are at stake.

13. Celebrate the lives of all people and their ways of expressing their love for each other.

The Larger Welcoming Congregation Program 

In 1987 the Unitarian Universalist Association established the Common Vision Planning Committee. This committee recognized that even a liberal religion can hold, and avoid addressing, negative attitudes, prejudices, and ignorance about bisexual, gay, lesbian and transgender people.As a result of these findings, the delegates of the 1989 UUA General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to initiate the Welcoming Congregation program to educate its members and promote inclusiveness. Each congregation adapts the program to best meet its goals, and each unique situation can bring positive changes to individuals and congregations.

  The UUA's Welcoming Congregation Program is a volunteer program for congregations that see a need to become more inclusive towards bisexual, gay, lesbian, and/or transgender* people. It consists of a series of workshops developed by the UUA. The goal of the workshops is to reduce prejudice by increasing understanding and acceptance among people of different sexual orientations. Some of the workshop session titles include: How Homophobia Hurts Heterosexuals; Connections to Other Forms of Oppression; Gender Socialization and Homophobia; and Biblical Perspectives on Homosexuality.

   * The definition of Transgender used in Welcoming Congregation (copyright 1999) is: "Transgender (adj.)  An umbrella term used to describe anyone who does not conform to dominant understandings of gender. It may describe a person who is transsexual, intersexual, or a crossdresser/transvestite."

 More information about the Welcoming Congregation curriculum is available through the UUA's website: 

http://www.uua.org/leaders/leaderslibrary/welcomingcongregation/index.shtml