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 […]
29 May 2026 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 […]
22 May 2026 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. […]
15 May 2026 Everyone can distinguish a genuine welcome from one that is half-hearted, and it is not difficult for LGBTQ people to realize whether they are welcomed or not in a particular congregation. Merely posting a welcome sign or publishing a statement of acceptance does not prove, of course, that a congregation is actually […]