View the latest commentary, press releases, and news articles about the work of CLGS.

52 Ways #49: Create Inclusive Space and Celebrate Inclusive Rituals

07 August 2021 by Bernard Schlager

Create Inclusive Space Congregational space can be exclusive space especially with regard to transgender individuals. For instance, most congregations still do not provide all-gender restroom facilities and this omission can be a considerable barrier for transgender persons who belong, attend, or visit your congregation. Providing at least one accessible all-gender restroom is an important sign […]

52 Ways #48: Integrate LGBTQ People into the Life of Your Congregation

31 July 2021 by Bernard Schlager

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 […]

Check out our July 2021 e-newsletter!

23 July 2021 by Bernard Schlager

Click here for the CLGS July 2021 e-newsletter!

52 Ways #47: A Genuine Welcome is a Transforming Welcome

22 July 2021 by Bernard Schlager

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 […]

52 Ways #46: A Genuine Welcome is a Stated Welcome

17 July 2021 by Bernard Schlager

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 […]

52 Ways #45: A Genuine Welcome is an Educated Welcome

10 July 2021 by CLGSAdminy1

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 […]

52 Ways #44: Create a Genuine Welcome for Your LGBTQ Congregants

03 July 2021 by Bernard Schlager

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. […]

The Pink and Purple Church in the Castro: An Online Audio Documentary

28 June 2021 by CLGSAdminy1

CLGS recommends The Pink and Purple Church in the Castro: An online audio documentary about The Metropolitan Community Church of San Francisco. Click here to listen! ABOUT THE AUTHORS Lynne Gerber is an independent scholar whose work is focused on religion, the body, and morality in the United States. She is the author of Seeking […]

52 Ways #43: Create a Community of Care for Your LGBTQ Congregants I: What is Welcome?

26 June 2021 by Bernard Schlager

Baptist minister Jacki Belile recommends a three-fold task for congregations seeking to welcome LGBTQ people: “Take into account the depth of people’s betrayal and pain at the hands of the institutional church in all the dimensions of fellowship, preaching, teaching, and pastoral care”; Offer “significant opportunities for LGBT people to have visibility, voice and leadership […]

Rev. Roland Stringfellow: The Colors of Pride Is a Celebration Beyond Parades and Parties

24 June 2021 by CLGSAdminy1

Click here for a commentary (published in The Advocate) by Rev. Roland Stringfellow, Coordinator of the CLGS African American Roundtable!