During the summer of 2024, as part of this 75th Anniversary blog, I posted two segments about UUFR’s LGBTQ advocacy story (posts #7 & #8). These posts comprised a timeline compiled in 2015 by UUFR members Joyce Pollack and Georgia Springer. Joyce and other UUFR members had begun an Interweave group at UUFR decades ago; Interweave was a UUA program supporting LGBTQ people. That timeline, informational and inspirational as it was, however, extended only to 2015. This current post provides information about UUFR’s work during the last decade. (Note: The acronym LGBTQAI+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, and asexual, with the + holding space for expanding and new understandings of different parts of the very diverse range of gender and sexual identities.) –Lynda Hambourger
2015-2017
These years were filled with activity. The U.S. Supreme Court had legalized same-sex marriage in 2014, effectively invalidating Amendment 1 (adopted in 2012) of the NC Constitution, which UUFR members and others had worked so hard to reject. Energized by this victory, UUFR began work on renewing our Welcoming Congregation status with the UUA. A team led by Susan Silverio and approved by the Board of Directors documented voluminous activities UUFR members were taking part in to support and advocate for LGBTQ rights, including a Common Read (Becoming Nicole by Amy Ellis Nutt), sponsored booths and floats at NC PRIDE parades and fests, Sunday services on LGBTQ topics by LGBTQ speakers, and increased understanding and centering of gender non-binary experiences.
Among the most significant actions during this period was the hiring of Rev. Mykal Slack, a transgender man, as UUFR’s Director of Congregational Life. Beginning in September 2015, Mykal served in this position for about a year, when he left to accept another position. During his employment at UUFR, he served as a visible symbol of the congregation’s support and acceptance of LGBTQ people.
Then, in 2016, another legislative initiative absorbed UUFR’s time and energy. Having lost the marriage equality battle, the NC legislature passed another law in early 2016, the infamous “Bathroom Bill,” HB2. UUFR members fought hard against this measure, including hosting a March 2016 Equality NC rally against HB2 attended by over 500 people. Though it passed at the time, eventually HB2 was repealed and sunsetted. And at around the same time, we had our own “bathroom” issue, as members of the congregation disagreed about signage and usage of UUFR restrooms. But progress was made when we created safe all-gender bathrooms in Peace Hall.
Meanwhile, efforts to renew UUFR’s status as a Welcoming Congregation continued, and our application was enthusiastically approved in November 2017. As a Welcoming Congregation, UUFR has the right to use the Welcoming Congregation logo on our website and other materials. We purchased a Progress Pride Flag that hung outside the building next to the Black Lives Matter Flag and the Flag of the Earth.
2018-2021
During this period, activities at UUFR were quieter and less visible, due to factors both internal and external, from ministerial changes to the Covid pandemic. However, our LGBTQ advocacy and support continued and even expanded. We maintained our connections to local groups such as the LGBT Center of Raleigh, PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), and OUT!Raleigh; we hosted LGBTQ game nights and drag bingo nights; we offered well-informed, much-needed classes through OWL (Our Whole Lives, the UUA sexuality education program); and we continued services, sermons, Justice Sunday offerings, classes and programs on LGBTQ issues.
But the NC Legislature was also working hard, increasing its anti-gay and anti-trans efforts, sponsoring and passing laws to:
UUFR’s Welcoming Congregation team was eager for UUFR to publicly and officially oppose such measures, but we needed a new Statement of Conscience. Our bylaws require that two-thirds of the congregation must agree with any public positions taken by UUFR. We already had two Statements of Conscience related to LGBTQ issues (the 2004 Marriage Equality statement and the 2012 Protect All NC Families statement), but neither fulfilled these new needs. Thus, in January 2021, the congregation voted unanimously to approve the Statement of Conscience Concerning LGBTQ+ Rights.
2022-2024
In recent years, UUFR has continued this work, both publicly and privately. Our new website prominently welcomes LGBTQ visitors and potential members, and members may choose to add pronouns to their name tags. Two support groups–one for parents of transgender offspring and one for LGBTQIA+ young adults–were developed as places to share experiences confidentially. Out of these groups a team was formed to host a Transgender Day of Visibility celebration. With the energetic leadership of new UUFR members such as Micah Hysong and Lucy Bradley, complementing the strength of existing members including Georgia Springer, Tom Karches, Ava Mead, Judi Egbert, Maria Mondragon, Hal Barcus, Loc Dinh, and Connie Baker, this team evolved into a new arm of UUFR Social Justice, the LGBTQAI+ Ministry.
In March 2024, over 100 people came to UUFR to celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility. It featured a potluck brunch supported by Whole Foods and performances by UUFR Coffeehouse musicians and the UUFR choir; Jane Harrison, a Raleigh City Council member, spoke. The LGBTQAI+ team also sponsored a Name Change Clinic at UUFR in partnership with the Pauli Murray Bar Association and the LGBTQ Center of Durham. This provided 33 transgender people with everything they needed to know to legally change their name including individual access to attorneys, notaries, and fingerprinting. The UUFR Transgender Day of Remembrance and Resilience was also hosted by the team. This service invited people to gather in community as we mourned the loss of transgender lives and built resilience through sharing food, music, and experiences. Coming soon is a Drag Story Hour hosted by UUFR Family Ministry Director Dana Lundquist. And, the team has taken on the “bathroom” issue once again, hopefully finishing the work started at UUFR several years ago.
–by Lynda Hambourger, with contributions from Georgia Springer and Lucy Bradley
