Does your community have a book club or discussion group? Take a look at the titles you’ve read over the last couple of years and consider whether they are fully inclusive of LGBTQ people and themes. Sometimes groups inadvertently adopt suggested lists created for books groups that don’t take into diversity into account when making […]
The right to worship and practice your faith freely is a fundamental American value. Unfortunately, however, laws designed to protect the rights of religious minorities are now being used in an attempt to legalize discrimination against LGBTQ people. The Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) came about after two Native Americans were fired from their jobs […]
No matter how long your congregation has been welcoming LGBTQ people, there is always more to learn. This week, we suggest engaging in some active listening. Think of groups that are underrepresented or often unheard from in your congregation; some examples might be LGBTQ people of color, youth, seniors, bisexuals, people engaged in polyamory, those […]
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 […]
More people than ever before in human history have been displaced from their homes, according to the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR). Right now, a staggering 20 people are displaced from their homes every minute of every day, adding up to 65.6 million people. Of these, 22.5 million are refugees; fewer than 200,000 […]
Click here to view a video recording of this CLGS Lavender Lunch! In this online panel discussion we explore ways that faith communities can become safer spaces for trans and nonbinary congregants, participants, and leaders. Members of our Trans Seminarian Cohort – and other trans and nonbinary panelists – will discuss some of the successes and pitfalls […]
If you visit American Library Association’s Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2020, you will notice that a large percentage of them were targeted because they include positive portrayals of LGBTQ people. When these books are removed or not included in libraries—particularly public and school libraries—people lose access to useful and affirming information about LGBTQ […]