Trans Day of Visibility 2024

March 22, 2024

Dear UPLIFT Community,

I know that these are heartbreaking times. Many of our hearts and bodyminds are full of the physical and spiritual impacts of living through these difficult days.

Please know that, here at UPLIFT and across our Unitarian Universalist Association, you are loved. You are cared for. We will love, support, and protect you, and we won’t give up on building what we all need to survive and thrive, and in acting and speaking out for the world we need.

I hope that you can remember and find joy in yourselves and each other. I hope that you find a person or place or part of nature to connect with, even for just a little while. I hope that you can find safety, and rest, and enough ground beneath you to hold you up as we keep on moving forward.
Amidst all that is unfolding, Trans Day of Visibility is upon us! And this year, it’s on Easter Sunday, and in the midst of, or shortly before/after, so many other holidays–Ramadan, Nawruz, Purim, Holi, Lent, and more. Now is a good time to celebrate that trans people are sacred, trans people are divine, trans people are worthy of living lives full of joy and satisfaction.
This year for Trans Day of Visibility, we’re excited to share that TRUUsT Director Rev. Julián Jamaica Soto will be leading our time together.

Rev. Julián Jamaica Soto is usually in motion, and their names are no exception. You may have heard them called Theresa, especially on the cover of their book, Spilling the Light from Skinner House Books in Boston. They now go by Julián Jamaica Soto. Rev. Julián has been a Unitarian Universalist minister for eight years. They believe in the truth, power, and beauty of Unitarian Universalism and are committed to our collective liberation and the healing of the world. They teach, preach, and art in that direction. Rev. Julián graduated from Meadville Lombard Theological School in 2016.

All are welcome--all ages, all (a)gender identities, all religious experiences that include folks happy to attend a UUA event.

We’d love you to invite friends, family, and community members by sharing the Zoom information: https://bit.ly/upliftTDOV2024. You can also repost and share on [Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook links]. Hope to see you there!

Building Beloved Community Beyond the Binary Conference

A place to find community with transgender, nonbinary folx and our allies. A conference for us to gather, learn and grow.

Saturday, April 27, 2024, 9am-5pm Eastern Time
(in-person, with some virtual elements available)V

Visit the First UU Society of Syracuse to register and for information on the schedule, cost, accessibility, covid protocols.

Hosted by First Unitarian Society of Syracuse and the Q Center at ACR Health

UPLIFT Monthly Trans/Nonbinary Gathering Space

Join the UPLIFT monthly gatherings focused on trans, nonbinary, and other not (completely or at all) cis UUs. Join us to connect with other trans/nonbinary UUs and co-create support and community across our faith. All you need to bring is yourself (and other trans/nonbinary friends, if you’d like)!

These gatherings focus on getting to know each other and on sharing our collective dreams, ideas, and talents for this space. Expansive definitions of trans, nonbinary, and UU all apply. If you are interested in this space, and you aren’t cisgender, it’s a space for you.

NOTE: This space is intentionally multi-generational. It is open to and welcoming of trans/nonbinary elders as well as children, youth, and young adults. Standard UUA online safety measures apply to ensure all people under 18 are able to attend. We're glad to have you here!

REGISTER ONLINE TODAY

The Five Practices of Welcome Monthly ZOOM Orientations

In 2019 we launched a new Welcoming Congregations renewal program called The Five Practices of Welcome Renewal. The goal of the program is to encourage congregations to practice Welcome every year, year-round.
As such, we are inviting religious leaders and congregants to join one (or more) of our Five Practices of Welcome Renewal - Monthly Orientation sessions: