When our families are supportive, it makes a huge difference for LGBTQ people. But not everyone has family support … and the holidays can be especially challenging for some people. As the December holidays approach, make plans now to reach out to those who may be feeling isolated. Think about how the language of sermons […]
Once a congregation has publicly declared its welcome, it needs to work toward including and integrating queer people more fully in all aspects of congregational life. Since a community of care assumes, accepts, and celebrates the presence of queer people within its midst, the day-to-day life of the congregation should reflect this. Renovating congregational life […]
By genuinely welcoming and integrating LGBTQ people into a congregation all members can experience transformation. When individuals who once were unwelcome and perhaps even unnamed are brought into a community of faith, new perspectives are gained on what it means to live as people of faith. When individuals who have been marginalized for so long […]
Click here to view this CLGS Jewish Queeries Series event! When Oscar-winning documentarian and LGBTQ activist Deborah Chasnoff is diagnosed with breast cancer, she turns the camera on herself and her chosen queer family. Underpinned by their decision to not hear her prognosis, ‘Chas’ and her wife Nancy Otto voice the tensions between the Jewish […]
LGBTQ people understand from years of experience that they are unwelcome in most congregations. Since our culture is saturated with the anti-queer rhetoric of religious leaders who claim to represent the only authentic Jewish and Christian positions on homosexuality, a congregation that seeks to become welcoming needs to state clearly and publicly its welcome in […]
A congregation interested in becoming a community of care should begin with education and compassionate dialogue. The leaders and members of a church or synagogue will need to educate themselves about sexual orientation, gender identity, and the most genuine and effective ways to integrate LGBTQ people into the life of the congregation. Throughout this process […]
Everyone can distinguish a genuine welcome from one that is half-hearted and it is not difficult for LGBTQ people to realize whether they are welcomed or not in a particular congregation. Merely posting a welcome sign or publishing a statement of acceptance does not prove, of course, that a congregation is actually welcoming and inclusive. […]