LGBTQA

The mission of the LGBTQA Welcoming Congregation Committee is to facilitate inclusion and speak up about the concerns of people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender diverse, and/or queer at every level of congregational life, welcoming not only their presence but the unique gifts and particulars of their lives.

LGBTQA BLOG ARCHIVE

WELCOMING CONGREGATION RECERTIFICATION FORUM
DEC 7, 2022 (AFTER YOU WATCH PLEASE TAKE THIS SURVEY)

SLIDES FROM PAST PRIDE EVENTS

THIS RESOURCE GUIDE WAS DEVELOPED BY ANOTHER WELCOMING CONGREGATION:

Welcoming Congregation and PFLAG
… lifting voices and experiences
UUCR is recognized by the Unitarian Universalist Association as a Welcoming Congregation. This means we affirm and include people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer at every level of congregational life—in worship, in programming, and in social occasions. We welcome you and affirm your lived experience.

As a Welcoming Congregation we have pledged to:

honor the lives of all people and equally affirm displays of caring and affection without regard for sexual orientation
celebrate diversity by using inclusive language and content in worship
incorporate an understanding of the experience of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer persons throughout all of our programs, including religious education
affirm and celebrate lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer issues and history
affirm marriage equality and conduct same-sex weddings
advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people, promoting justice, freedom, and equality in the larger society. We speak out when the rights and dignity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people are at stake.
fly a rainbow flag over our front door
host the monthly meeting of the Reading PFLAG Support Group*
offer Our Whole Lives (OWL), a comprehensive, lifespan sexuality education curriculum that dismantles stereotypes and assumptions, builds self-acceptance and self-esteem, fosters healthy relationships, improves decision making, and has the potential to save lives
march annually in the North Shore Pride Parade

HERE ARE A VARIETY OF OTHER RESOURCES RELATED TO THE RECERTIFICATION FORUM:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DMLOKvi4NY
https://www.buzzfeed.com/skarlan/8-pieces-of-lgbt-spoken-word-poetry-that-will-leave-you-spee
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2022/11/21/lgbtq-violence-hate-crimes/10749639002/
https://pflag.org/hatecrimestatistics
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deadname
https://www.healthline.com/health/transgender/deadnaming#impact
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-deadnaming-and-why-is-it-harmful-5188575
https://www.the-sun.com/lifestyle/1898678/deadnaming-misgender-transgender-people-offensive-terms/

AT THE UNITARIAN CHURCH OF LINCOLN

As part of our Welcoming Congregation status, the committee collaborates or leads at least two Sunday worship services per year. We are currently leading our recertification as a UUA recognized Welcoming Congregation.

We connect with the Lincoln LGBTQA community to represent our UU Principles at June Pride, Transgender Day of Remembrance, demonstrations and other activities as they arise. The Committee uses a shared leadership structure in which different members take responsibility for specific tasks.

The Committee hosts a monthly Coffee House Game Night on the 4th Friday of each month at 7:00PM. Coffee House is a safe place to be yourself for people of all ages and is open to church members, friends and the broader community.

Use the CONTACT US form in the footer of this page if you have questions or wish to get involved in the committee.