Happy Transgender Visibility Day! Whether you are transgender, gender non-conforming, non-binary, genderqueer, or some other permutation of gender fabulousness, Unitarian Universalism affirms YOU!
This is a year in which we are teaching OWL (age-specific health and sexuality religious education). Over the years, so much has changed about gender, identity, expression, pronouns, and labels. Gender identity is different from one’s sexual orientation but they are often conflated. You can learn more here.
In the past year or so, we’ve officiated several weddings for folks who live beyond the gender binary. It is always an honor to celebrate love and we are particularly grateful when folks who are often marginalized by religion, trust us enough with creating a ceremony to celebrate and honor their love, partnership, and life commitments.
Since the inauguration, transgender folks have received cruel harassment and been targeted for despicable legislation and executive orders by this woefully ignorant regime. Those of us who identify as transgender are only about 1% of the population (estimates vary in part because not everyone feels safe enough to come out and because we creative humans keep expanding definitions and expressions and science keeps finding more chromosomal combos) and can be found in all races, ethnicities, times, and places.
Our Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) has long been at the forefront of inclusion and affirmation even when not all UUs have been and certainly not all other religions. Thankfully, more and more people of faith are moving through their biases, through their miseducation, and working towards more faithful ways of being. Back in the fall, the UUA and several other faiths, joined a statement.
After millions marched, chanted, drummed, and showed up to say NO KINGS!, there is more to do to make sure to stop this regime from destroying our democracy, our religious values, and the civil rights and freedoms that have been so hard fought for and won. And it gets easier for transgender folks to be public about who we are when cisgender people use their power and privilege to amplify inclusion and to denounce ignorance, hatred, exclusion, and cruelty.
We are also living in a time of dangerous rhetoric, complicated warring factions, and centuries old conflicts. Just a couple of weeks ago, Muslims ended their month-long fasting as Ramadan came to an end. Pagans celebrated Ostara welcoming Spring. This week Jews will celebrate Passover. Christians will acknowledge Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter. Living into our UU value of pluralism invites us to be mindful of nuance, explore the(*)logical teachings, and be willing to hold complexities instead of falling for either/or perspectives. This is not easy when we are faced with so much bigotry, hatred, and fear. And yet it is what our faith calls us to do. There are UU Muslims, UU Pagans, UU Jews, UU Christians, and more combos and also many of us who are simply and unapologetically UU. Our faith invites us into curiosity rather than judgment; how might the teachings of these faiths inspire and shape our religious journey? What parts do we hold and what do we let go? You can learn more here at our UUA’s list of resources.
In this holy time of visibility, who can you affirm today? How might you use your social media (if you use it) or your email or texting to bring more joy and less suffering today? How might you live your UU values today? Little things can make a big difference.
In solidarity with Love at the Center,
Rev. Wendy and Rev. Lynn