Many thanks to Justin Neal, Helen Dingus, Jenn Dean, and Jenni Warren for sharing with us yesterday! It was informative and inspiring. I hope we are all feeling challenged and called to action.
I want to share with you the business resolution that Jenni referred to during her talk. It is entitled: “Embracing Transgender, Nonbinary and Intersex People is a Fundamental Expression of UU Religious Values.” (The line numbers denote what line in the business agenda each line was in order to accommodate quick reference for conversation.)
On behalf of the member congregations and communities of the UUA, we proclaim that our
81 principles and values unequivocally commit our faith to honor and celebrate the full spectrum
82 of gender identity and expression. Being transgender or identifying with any gender other
83 than the one assigned at birth, is a beautiful and divine manifestation of humanity; as is being
84 intersex, or having sex characteristics that vary from what is considered typical. As Unitarian
85 Universalists, we affirm the inherent worthiness and dignity of each person as a core principle.
86 The ability to live ever-more authentically as one’s true self is central to a lifelong journey
87 towards spiritual fulfillment.
88 As a people who put love at the center of our faith, that love calls us to fully embrace equity
89 for transgender, nonbinary, intersex, and gender diverse people in our congregations and the
90 wider world. For generations, Unitarian Universalism has advocated for equity for lesbian,
91 gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI+) people,[1],[2] gender equity[3], [4] and
92 reproductive justice.[5] As our scientific and sociological understandings of gender have evolved,
93 our faith, too, has expanded our commitments to explicitly include the spectrum of gender
94 expressions and identities as an integral aspect of our frameworks for freedom and flourishing.
95 The imperative to care for those most at risk, especially due to systems of injustice, is one of
96 our defining religious commitments throughout our UU history. These systems imperil the basic
97 human right to experience freedom from discrimination in all areas of life, including healthcare,
98 education, housing, employment, free expression, and beyond. Denial of medical care and
99 basic human rights causes profound damage and trauma, and is a violation of our core
100 religious principles. Securing these rights for LGBTQI+ people and communities, whose rights
101 are now at risk, is essential for their lifelong development and thriving.
102 Not only has our nation failed to enact federal legislation clarifying protections for queer
103 communities, but hundreds of new oppressive laws and policies across dozens of states and
104 countries are now targeting reproductive justice and transgender people across their lifespans.
105 These policies are aimed to perpetuate the patriarchal status quo; to control and deny the
106 bodily autonomy of transgender and nonbinary people, intersex people, and cisgender women
107 which threatens that status quo; and to erase queer, transgender, and gender diverse people
108 from existence. We recommit ourselves as a people of faith to resisting these despicable
109 policies and to advocating for basic human rights where they are most endangered.
110 We acknowledge the risks to transgender youth, who have fewer rights and whose access to
111 life-saving gender-affirming medical care is under legal and political attack. As the UUA stated
112 in a federal court filing to defend gender-affirming care for youth, “In ceremonies of dedication,
113 many Unitarian Universalist congregations acknowledge a child’s sacred life and commit to
114 support the family in its key role of guarding the child’s life, freedom, and opportunities.”[6] Laws
115 which restrict the ability to even discuss LGBTQI+ experiences cut youth off from history,
116 mentorship, and freedom of self-expression, causing painful impacts to social, intellectual and
117 emotional wellbeing. We charge one another, and especially our leaders, to protect and honor
118 our transgender, nonbinary and gender expansive youth members and their families as they go
119 through the stages of spiritual and personal identity development.
120 The General Assembly, as the ultimate authority in our Association,[7], now weaves these strands
121 into a foundational profession of our faith’s values in support of transgender and intersex
122 people. Through the democratic process of the General Assembly, Unitarian Universalists
123 have confirmed that discrimination against transgender people is incompatible with UU values
124 and principles; resistance to transphobia is core to UU commitments of justice and liberation.
125 Most recently in 2021, the General Assembly voted to “affirm that living one’s identity, in
126 terms of gender identity/expression, sex characteristics, and affectional/sexual orientation,
127 is part of our free exercise of religion, and that religious exceptionalism that promotes
128 discrimination abridges human rights and our free exercise of religion.”[8] The UUA’s Welcoming
129 Congregations program for LGBTQI+ inclusion was authorized by the General Assembly,
130 and over 80% of UUA congregations have now been recognized for their participation, whose
131 members comprise 93% of our total membership.
132 As a covenantal faith, the heart of our religious beliefs and structure lies in the mutual
133 commitments we make to one another on behalf of our values and principles, and in the
134 practice of living out those commitments in religious community. This structure is rooted in
135 the Cambridge Platform of 1648 of our religious forbearers, which established that 1) freely
136 entering into a covenant with one another binds us in religious community, 2) true covenant
137 must be practiced and not merely professed, and 3) congregations cooperate to ensure
138 one another’s welfare and faithfulness. Our religious tradition is a living one, and today we
139 collectively declare that our covenant inescapably binds us to affirmation and protection of our
140 transgender and intersex members and kindred, in faith and in practice.
141 To enact this covenantal commitment to honor, defend and celebrate the spectrum of gender
142 identity, we call on all UU congregations, leaders and members to affirm their commitment
143 through parallel actions. Those actions can include:
144 • Condemning all anti-transgender legislation, demanding the repeal of anti-transgender
145 laws, and working to block additional such bills;
146 • Partnering with local and state organizations led by transgender, nonbinary, and intersex
147 people to advocate for their needs and interests;
148 • Supporting organizations that help people relocate or access health care including
149 across state lines, such as the Pink Haven Coalition;
150 • Participating in UPLIFT Ministries programs
151 • Directly supporting member congregations and communities of the UUA engaged in this
152 ministry in oppressive states and communities;
153 • Amplifying campaigns for bodily autonomy, such as Side With Love’s UPLIFT Action
154 campaign;
155 • Participating in the Welcoming Congregation renewal program;
156 • Affirming this commitment locally through votes and investment of the congregation.
157 We hereby pledge our collective faithful efforts to the full affirmation and celebration of
158 transgender, nonbinary, intersex and gender diverse people within our congregations and the
159 wider community, and uphold this commitment as a fundamental obligation revealed by our
160 principles and values.
It can be found at this link, with additional notes and conversation: