The 52 Ways to Expand Your Welcome to LGBTQ+ People and Our Families Series
It is helpful to step back from time to time and take stock of where we are. When you are working to expand your welcome, take a little time to inventory your leaders and ministries. At this halfway point in the year, we suggest asking yourself some questions for which there are no right answers. […]
The spiritual insights and motivation that led your congregation to welcome LGBTQ people can also help you expand your ministries in intersectional ways. After all, there are many ways in which we are called to improve our own communities and our world. CLGS has a resource, An Expansive Welcome, designed to spark conversations in congregations […]
Did you know that half of LGBTQ people in this country live in states where there are no protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity? Many people think such discrimination is already illegal, but only 21 states and the District of Columbia ban discrimination in employment and housing; one other state, Wisconsin, […]
Your congregation may have made the decision to welcome people of all sexual orientations before there was a significant awareness about including gender identity. You may have already talked about and worked on including gay, lesbian and bisexual people, but not transgender people. Now is a great time to revisit those conversations and expand your […]
Speaking out about issues of justice and inclusion for LGBTQ+ people, our families, and our communities is critically important. It’s a way to take the beliefs of your community out of the pews and into the public arena and to promote dialogue. It also disrupts the ongoing misperception that people of faith do not support […]
LGBTQ people experience a number of health disparities—ways in which our health is compromised as a result of discrimination and neglect. For example, LGBTQ people are: Less likely to get preventative care, such as mammograms and pap smears Less likely to have health insurance More likely to experience depression and anxiety More likely to smoke and misuse substances, such as […]
There are amazing people of faith around the world who are working to make our communities inclusive, accepting, diverse, and vibrant. This week, we encourage you to get to know some more of them, especially your neighbors from other faith traditions. We can learn a tremendous amount from each other. Working with those from other […]