Providing opportunities for all couples to celebrate their weddings is very important to fully affirm LGBTQ people in your community. It is seen by many as a sign that a faith group has truly committed to equality for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. Denominations and religions have a variety of positions on […]
Gay and bisexual men make up 70% of new HIV infections in the United States; communities of color and young adults are particularly hard hit. HIV testing is critical for both individual health and in the efforts to end the epidemic. When people know their HIV status, they can make healthy and informed choices about […]
Create Inclusive Space Congregational space can be an exclusive space, especially with regard to transgender individuals. For instance, most congregations still do not provide all-gender restroom facilities, and this omission can be a considerable barrier for transgender persons who belong, attend, or visit your congregation. Providing at least one accessible all-gender restroom is an important […]
By genuinely welcoming and integrating LGBTQ people into a congregation all members can experience transformation. When individuals who were once unwelcome and perhaps even unnamed are brought into a community of faith, new perspectives emerge on what it means to live as people of faith. When individuals who have been marginalized for so long enter […]
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 this […]
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 that protest Pride celebrations alienate many of the attendees and can even re-awaken the pain […]