Unitarian Universalism and LGBTQ people

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A rally at the Unitarian Church in Summit in New Jersey advocating marriage equality for same-sex couples in the state. The blue banner reads "Say 'I Do' to Marriage Equality". Marriage equality rally and banner at Unitarian church in Summit NJ.jpg
A rally at the Unitarian Church in Summit in New Jersey advocating marriage equality for same-sex couples in the state. The blue banner reads "Say 'I Do' to Marriage Equality".

Unitarian Universalism, as practiced by the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), and the Canadian Unitarian Council (CUC), is a non-creedal and liberal theological tradition and an LGBTQ-affirming denomination. [1]

Contents

The full participation of laypeople and the ordination of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people who are open about their sexuality or gender identity; are sexually active if lesbian, gay, or bisexual; or are in same-sex relationships are permitted and welcomed by Unitarian Universalist organizations. [2]

Theology

The first of Unitarian Universalism's seven principles is the belief in "the inherent worth and dignity of every person", which is frequently cited as the faith's justification for their views of LGBTQ individuals. [3] [4] [5]

History

Unitarianism and Universalism, two religious movements that merged in 1961 to form Unitarian Universalism, had a long history of reform of social institutions and were a home for many abolitionists, feminists, and other forward thinkers, including gay liberationists. [5]

The annual general assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association has passed more than thirty resolutions on LGBTQ issues, including same-sex marriage, LGB people in the military, [6] the Employment Nondiscrimination Act, [1] and transgender rights. [7]

In 1970, Unitarian Universalism was the first religion to officially condemn discrimination against homosexuals. [5] The resolution condemned biphobia as well as homophobia. [8]

In 1989, the UUA began a Welcoming Congregation Program to support churches in intentionally becoming more inclusive of LGBTQ people. [9] After meeting requirements related to church policy, education, advocacy, and more, congregations are designated as Welcoming Congregations. [10] As of 2025, more than 80% of all U.S. Unitarian Universalist congregations and 99% of all Canadian Unitarian Universalist congregations had gone through the process of becoming Welcoming Congregations. [11] [12]

In 2009, the UUA began a public advocacy campaign called Side With Love (originally Standing on the Side of Love) that “confronts issues of exclusion, oppression, and violence based on identity,” including LGBTQ issues. [13] The campaign was started in reaction to a shooting at a Unitarian Universalist church in Knoxville, TN, which was targeted because it welcomed LGBTQ people. [13] [14] [15]

In June 2023, Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt, a queer Afro-Latine cis woman, was elected as the UUA’s first out queer president. [16]

Ordination of LGBTQ clergy

In September 1969, Rev. James L. Stoll publicly came out as gay, making him the first ordained minister of a major religious group in the United States or Canada to do so. [5] [17] [18] The denomination ordained its first openly gay minister in 1979, and its first openly transgender minister was ordained in 1988. [1] [8]

Education

In 1971, the Unitarian Universalist Association published About Your Sexuality, an all-encompassing sex education program for teenagers in Unitarian Universalist churches that treated homosexuality as a valid and normal form of sexuality. [19] The program was revised several times over the next several decades and in 1999 was replaced with Our Whole Lives, a joint program with the United Church of Christ that continues to affirm LGBTQ identities in its curricula. [20]

Same-sex marriage

The first documented same-sex weddings conducted by Unitarian Universalist ministers were performed by Rev. Ernest Pipes Jr., at the Community Church of Santa Monica, California, in 1957, and Rev. Harry Barron Scholefield, at the First Unitarian Church of San Francisco, in 1958. [21]

The first same-sex marriage performed by a church in Canada (after the 1972 civil same-sex marriage of Michel Girouard and Rejean Tremblay of Montreal) was that of Chris Vogel and Richard North, married by the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Winnipeg on February 11, 1974, officiated by Unitarian minister Rev. Norm Naylor. [22] [23] Unitarian Universalists also performed the first same-sex marriages in Manitoba, Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and Saskatchewan, although the provincial governments often refused to recognize the marriages at the time.

The Unitarian Universalist Association has officially supported Unitarian Universalist clergy performing services of union for same-sex couples since 1984. [1] [24] [25] Seven of the fourteen plaintiffs in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, the case that legalized same-sex marriage in Massachusetts, were Unitarian Universalists. [26] The denomination was very active in the fight for marriage equality in the United States through its advocacy campaign Side With Love. [8] [18] [27] [28] The UUA joined an amicus curiae brief in support of same-sex marriage for Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court case that legalized same-sex marriage in the United States. [29]

Transgender rights

The Unitarian Universalist Association passed resolutions in support of transgender rights in 2007, 2016, 2021, and 2024. [7] The 2024 resolution named that “full affirmation and celebration of transgender, nonbinary, intersex, and gender diverse people” is “a fundamental obligation revealed by [Unitarian Universalist] principles and values.” [11] [30]

In 2022 the UUA submitted an amicus brief in Eknes-Tucker v. Governor of the State of Alabama in support of the plaintiffs seeking to overturn Alabama's SB 184 bill, which criminalized gender-affirming healthcare for transgender youth. [31]

In 2023 Unitarian Universalists began assisting transgender people in the United States who are relocating due to the passage of anti-transgender laws through the Pink Haven Coalition, a joint project between trans organizers, Unitarian Universalist organizations, other progressive faith groups, and mutual aid networks. [32]

Instituted organizations

Unitarian Universalist Association

The UUA has dedicated staff to becoming more welcoming and inclusive of LGBTQ people since 1973 through an office now called LGBTQ Ministries, making it the first major National Religious organization to establish an office in support of civil rights and social acceptance of LGBTQ people. [8] [33] The office of LGBTQ Ministries administers the Welcoming Congregation Program through which UU churches take action to increase their inclusion of LGBTQ people. [2]

Canadian Unitarian Council

The Canadian Unitarian Council similarly supports the Welcoming Congregation Program and recognizes Welcoming Congregations. [12]

International Council of Unitarians and Universalists

The defunct International Council of Unitarians and Universalists helped advocate for LGBT rights in Nigeria and Kenya. [34]

Interweave

From 1993 until 2016, there was a fellowship of LGBT Unitarian Universalists and supporters called Interweave Continental, with a mission to work to end oppression based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Interweave was a related organization of the UUA. Sometimes, an individual church's Welcoming Congregation Committee evolved into an Interweave Chapter. [35]

TRUUsT

Founded in 2004, TRUUsT (Transgender Religious Professional Unitarian Universalists Together) is an organization of trans Unitarian Universalist ministers, religious educators, seminarians, and other leaders. [36]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Stances of Faiths on LGBTQ+ Issues: Unitarian Universalist Association". Human Rights Campaign. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Ring, Trudy (May 7, 2018). "Inclusiveness Is an Asset to Major LGBT-Affirming Churches and Synagogues". Advocate. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  3. ↑ "The Seven Principles". Unitarian Universalist Association. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  4. ↑ Hill, Marta (March 31, 2022). "Advocates gather at State House to express support for LGBTQ youth". www.boston.com. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Oppenheimer, Mark (1996). "'The Inherent Worth and Dignity': Gay Unitarians and the Birth of Sexual Tolerance in Liberal Religion". Journal of the History of Sexuality. 7 (1): 73–101. ISSN   1043-4070. JSTOR   3840443.
  6. ↑ "Acceptance of Openly Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Persons in the United States Military: 1993 Resolution of Immediate Witness". Unitarian Universalist Association. July 1, 1993. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  7. 1 2 "Social Witness Statement Chronological Listing: 1961 to Present". Unitarian Universalist Association. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Unitarian Universalist LGBTQ History & Facts". Unitarian Universalist Association. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Welcoming Congregations Program". Unitarian Universalist Association. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  10. ↑ "How to Apply for Official Recognition as a Welcoming Congregation". Unitarian Universalist Association. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  11. 1 2 "Embracing Transgender, Nonbinary, Intersex and Gender Diverse People Is a Fundamental Expression of UU Religious Values: 2024 Business Resolution". Unitarian Universalist Association. June 22, 2024. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  12. 1 2 "Welcoming Congregations". Canadian Unitarian Council. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  13. 1 2 "About Us". Side With Love. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Standing on the Side of Love". The Pluralism Project. 2020. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Unitarians Turn Tragedy into Lesson in Tolerance". Deseret News. Associated Press. February 11, 2011. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  16. ↑ Post, Kathryn (June 27, 2023). "Unitarian Universalists Elect First Woman of Color, Openly Queer President". The Christian Century. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  17. ↑ Bond-Upson, Leland (January 9, 2005). "My Greatly Human Hometown Minister--James Lewis Stoll, 1936-1994". Unitarian Universalists of Petaluma. Archived from the original on February 17, 2005. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  18. 1 2 Usher, David (November 2, 2015). "Grass Valley Church Unveils 'Black Lives Matter' Banner". The Union. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Collection: Unitarian Universalist Association. Department of Education and Social Concerns, About Your Sexuality. Records, 1970–1983". Harvard Divinity School Library, Harvard University. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  20. ↑ Gibb Millspaugh, Sarah (January 2, 2012). "Forty Years of UU Sexuality Education". UU World Magazine. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  21. ↑ Morrison-Reed, Mark D. (2018). Revisiting the Empowerment Controversy: Black Power and Unitarian Universalism. Skinner House Books. ISBN   978-1558968202.
  22. ↑ Frum, Barbara (February 21, 1974). "Gay Winnipeg Couple Marries". CBC Digital Archives. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  23. ↑ Stein Sather, Katie (April 10, 2005). "Will Love Win?". Beacon Unitarian Church. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  24. ↑ Masci, David; Lipka, Michael. "Where Christian Churches, Other Religions Stand on Gay Marriage". Pew Research Center. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  25. ↑ McClatchey, Emma (August 6, 2020). "Iowa City's First LGBTQ Safe Space". Little Village. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  26. ↑ DeLaet, Debra L.; Caufield, Rachel Paine (2008). "Gay Marriage as a Religious Right: Reframing the Legal Debate over Gay Marriage in the United States" . Polity. 40 (3): 298–299. doi:10.1057/palgrave.polity.2300103. ISSN   0032-3497. JSTOR   40213478.
  27. ↑ "Unitarians Endorse Homosexual Marriages", UPI, New York Times, June 29, 1984, retrieved on June 21, 2007.
  28. ↑ Greer, Jane (September 7, 2009). "UUA Launches 'Standing on the Side of Love' Campaign". UU World Magazine. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  29. ↑ Sands, Kathleen M (2019). America's Religious Wars: The Embattled Heart of Our Public Life. Yale University Press. p. 228. doi:10.2307/j.ctvhrcz8q.10. ISBN   978-0-300-21386-7. JSTOR   j.ctvhrcz8q.
  30. ↑ McArdle, Elaine (June 20, 2025). "'We Will Keep Fighting for You': Unitarian Universalist Association Condemns Supreme Court Ruling on Youth Gender-Affirming Care". UU World Magazine. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  31. ↑ "Unitarian Universalists File Brief in Support of Trans Youth Seeking Gender-Affirming Care". Alabama Political Reporter. November 18, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  32. ↑ Leary, Fin (March 28, 2024). "Pink Haven Coalition Helps Transgender People Relocate and Access Gender-Affirming Care". UU World Magazine. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  33. ↑ Robinson, B.A. (January 22, 2017). "Unitarian Universalist Association, a Liberal Faith Group in the U.S., and the LGBT community". Archived from the original on July 19, 1997. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
  34. ↑ Schmidt, Christian (December 1, 2014). "Unitarian Universalists Work for LGBT Rights in Africa". UU World Magazine. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  35. ↑ "Interweave: About". Interweave Continental. Archived from the original on December 25, 2014. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
  36. ↑ "About". TRUUsT. May 3, 2010. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
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