This collection of poignant testimonials illuminates the lived experience of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Unitarian Universalists. Coming Out in Faith also helps to raise awareness of Unitarian Universalism's active role in promoting a vision of humanity that not only embraces LGBTQ people but actively seeks to learn from the unique strengths they bring to questions of personal faith and organizational vitality.
Breaking Through at Midlife by Ed Kobee and Al Usack
Take Courage by Beth F. Coye
For We Are Strong by Kate Griffin
Crossing the Rubicon byKathleen Robbins
First It All Falls Apart by Meg Barnhouse
The Long Road Home by Annette Marquis
Growing into Alignment by Meg Riley
Lesbian Minister by Jonalu Johnstone
Time to Choose Another Game by Anne Schranz
Then I Feel Seen by Drew Johnston
The Spirituality of Discomfort by Sharon Groves
Beyond Either/Or by my Zucker Morgenstern
Saved by Love by Michael Tino
Everything Broken and Whole by Sunshine Jeremiah Wolfe
Love May Not Be Concerned by Rowan McDowell Thompson
What does it mean to live in a society with deeply embedded expectations about heterosexuality and gender identity, knowing they don't fit you in some important way? How do you navigate the assumption that you cannot be lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer-and spiritual or a person of faith?
Our goal in creating this collection of personal stories was to give voice to both the uniqueness of and the commonalities shared by LGBTQ people of faith. . . .
We posed three questions to each person we invited to share their story:
" How has Unitarian Universalism affected your life as an LGBTQ person?
" How do Unitarian Universalist churches still struggle with understanding the lives of their LGBTQ members and LGBTQ issues beyond the sanctuary or minister's office?
" How do you take your faith into the wider world as an LGBTQ person?
The stories we received are filled with joy in response to the first question. "Coming home," "feeling whole," and similar metaphors appear in every one of these fifteen essays. The same stories also illustrate, sometimes with painful clarity, how far we still have to go, individually and as a faith. Unlearning any oppression is not a checklist but a process, often needing some grace along the way.
—from the Introduction
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