We have been away for a bit and have returned so grateful for the opportunity and privilege to travel to England and Scotland by way of Newark, NJ, to have a vacation, and to experience more of this beautiful planet that is our home. We are still soaking in the experiences, the learnings, and the memories.

And, it was also good to be home. Last Sunday, we connected with some of the youth as we discussed plans for next Sunday’s service (which is going to be great so don’t miss it!). Later that day, we participated in Schenectady Pride. What a great day! We appreciated both seeing our clergy colleagues of Schenectady Clergy Against Hate and having folks from UUSS join the contingent in the march for continued liberation.

This year is the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprisings. For years, police harassed patrons at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village simply for being who they were. One night, a few transwomen, drag queens, gay men, and lesbians said-“No more.” Their willingness to affirm their own inherent worth and dignity gave birth to the lgbtq+ movement.

This liberation movement continues, and is still so very needed. While marriage equality currently exists in the US, and legal protections are in place in the state of New York under the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act, (SONDA,) and the passage of Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) passed in 2019, these do not change the fact that 21% of hate crimes are committed against people because of their gender identity or sexual orientation, or that those of us who are LGBTQ+ regularly experience micro aggressions and other forms of oppression.

Pride events are a time to celebrate the fabulous rainbow of identities, and honour the courage of LGBTQ+ people and our allies. This coming Sunday is Pride in Albany. The parade begins at 12:00, and local UUs will be rolling, dancing, and walking. We hope you’ll come to church and then join them. We plan to head over after the Bridging service and either march in solidarity or wave as UUs pass by. Our congregation, our denomination, our city, and our world have a long way to go to actually live on the Side of Love. Let’s continue to make progress through learning, living, and loving boldly.

In faith~ Rev. Lynn and Rev. Wendy