Once your congregation has made the decision to welcome and include LGBTQ people, don’t keep the news of your welcome within the walls of the congregation – spread the word! There are many effective ways of doing this, including regular congregational advertisements in the gay and straight press (both online and print); postings on the […]
Once a congregation has publicly declared its welcome, it needs to work toward including and integrating queer people more fully in all aspects of congregational life. Since a community of care assumes, accepts, and celebrates the presence of queer people within its midst, the day-to-day life of the congregation should reflect this. Renovating congregational life […]
By genuinely welcoming and integrating LGBTQ people into a congregation all members can experience transformation. When individuals who once were unwelcome and perhaps even unnamed are brought into a community of faith, new perspectives are gained on what it means to live as people of faith. When individuals who have been marginalized for so long […]
LGBTQ people understand from years of experience that they are unwelcome in most congregations. Since our culture is saturated with the anti-queer rhetoric of religious leaders who claim to represent the only authentic Jewish and Christian positions on homosexuality, a congregation that seeks to become welcoming needs to state clearly and publicly its welcome in […]
A congregation interested in becoming a community of care should begin with education and compassionate dialogue. The leaders and members of a church or synagogue will need to educate themselves about sexual orientation, gender identity, and the most genuine and effective ways to integrate LGBTQ people into the life of the congregation. Throughout this process […]
Baptist minister Jacki Belile recommends a three-fold task for congregations seeking to welcome LGBTQ people: “Take into account the depth of people’s betrayal and pain at the hands of the institutional church in all the dimensions of fellowship, preaching, teaching, and pastoral care”; Offer “significant opportunities for LGBT people to have visibility, voice and leadership […]
On 19 June 1865 Union General Gordon Granger proclaimed in Galveston, Texas, the federal government’s decree that all previously-enslaved people in Texas were free; this proclamation was read over two and a half years after the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation, which had been signed by President Abraham Lincoln on 1 January 1863. It is […]
Pride festivals—held in many towns and cities across the country—are a fantastic way to reach out to LGBTQ people and our allies and let people know about your inclusive stance. It is also an important witness that people of faith can be accepting and supportive of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. Your […]
Many of us have shown our inclusive faith by participating in Pride parades around the country. This is critical to counteract the ongoing fallacy that all, or even most, people of faith stand in opposition to LGBTQ rights. Religious groups who protest Pride celebrations alienate many of the attendees and can even re-awaken the pain […]
If you visit American Library Association’s Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2019 and 2020, you will notice that a large percentage of them were targeted because they include positive portrayals of LGBTQ people. When these books are removed or not included in libraries—particularly public and school libraries—people lose access to useful and affirming information […]