Uplift: Uplifting LGBTQ+ Experience Within and Beyond Unitarian Universalism

Call for Video Selfies: Unitarian Universalist Reflections on Stonewall 50th

Stonewall 50 Chalice Long

By Michael J. Crumpler

Hello Beloved!

June 28, 2019 is the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, which is known by many as the beginning of Pride. On June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village NYC, Marsha "Pay It No Mind" Johnson threw the first shot glass as an act of resistance against routine police raids in the gay community.

Over the course of five decades, the LGBTQ civil rights movement has gone mainstream as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, genderqueer, intersex, asexual, non-binary, and polyamorous folx have come out and fought for our right to be ourselves in the privacy of our homes and in the public square. In the wake of the AIDS crisis, we fought to stay alive when the rest of society left us for dead. Together we've co-created communities of resistance and re-imagined faith and family in a world hostile to queer existence.

For Unitarian Universalists, Pride was not just a new way of being but a renewed commitment to our first Unitarian Universalist principle, the inherent worth and dignity of every person. Unitarian Universalist Pride has been about being "called in" to recommit to our sixth Unitarian Universalist principle of peace, liberty, and justice for all. For many, this has been a calling of joy as lesbian and gay ministers have found a faith that fully embraces our gifts, callings, and freedoms of conscience. For others, this calling in has been an arduous journey as transgender UUs have been forced to fight for full acceptance and inclusion in a faith that all too often falls shorts of being faithful. Likewise, non-binary, bisexual, asexual, and intersex UUs strive to be fully embraced in a Beloved Community eager to claim them as their own.

In honor of Stonewall 50th, I am inviting UUs of all identities to share a short reflection about what 50 years of pride means to you as a Unitarian Universalist.

Please record a 15-20 second video response to one of the following questions:

  • As we reflect on 50 years of Pride, what does being a queer / LGBT Unitarian Universalist mean to you?
  • As we reflect on 50 years of Pride, what does being an accomplice alongside queer and trans Unitarian Universalists mean to you?
  • As we reflect on 50 years of Pride, what does in mean to be a Unitarian Universalist in a world in which religious hostility is growing against the LGBTQ community

Your video will be included in a video montage for the UUA's UPLIFT social media platforms as we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Stonewall.

Please begin your video with your NAME and LOCATION, and the question you are answering:

EXAMPLE: "Hi, I am Rev. Michael Crumpler from New York City, NY. As we reflect on 50 years of pride, being a black queer Unitarian Universalist means.....I have a space to fully be myself and fulfill my life long call to ministry. It's about forming and reforming a faith that welcomes me and those who look like me."

Once you have completed your video, please use the following form to upload your video:

UPLOAD STONEWALL 50 REFLECTION

Thank You for your participation,
Michael

About the Author

Michael J. Crumpler

Rev. Michael J. Crumpler joined the UUA in early 2017. Shortly thereafter, he was ordained to Reverend in the United Church of Christ....

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