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IWR Resources

A Time to Build Up

AVAILABLE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD!

All in God's Family: Creating Allies for Our LGBT Families

Giving you opportunities to gather with other members of your congregation to pray, to learn, to share, and to work together to transform your lives, your congregation, and your world into a loving place in which God's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender families can thrive.

AVAILABLE NOW!

Click here to order

To Do Justice: A Study of Welcoming Congregations

In order to both highlight the vibrancy, faithfulness and power of the Welcoming Movement and to counter the 'false witness' of those who seek to quash this movement of hospitality and justice, the Institute for Welcoming Resources surveyed pastors and leaders of 1,200 Welcoming congregations to ask them about their work and witness. Two areas emerged that warrant particular focus and celebration:

Successfully completing a Welcoming Process makes a congregation more likely to work and witness on other justice issues.
Congregations that directly engage the question of welcoming LGBT persons have low levels of conflict.

AVAILABLE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD!

Click here to download To Do Justice (pdf)

transACTION

A Transgender Curriculum For Churches and Religious Institutions

AVAILABLE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD!

Liturgical Resource

A Place in God's Heart...
A Place at Christ's Table

Worship Resources for the Welcoming Church Movement

Additional IWR resources

Contact IWR

Contact Rev. Rebecca Voelkel
IWR & Faith Work Program Director

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David Lohman
IWR & Faith Work Coordinator

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Barbara Satin
IWR & Faith Work Associate

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Kathleen Campisano
Faith Organizing Manager

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Amanda Hunter
Shower of Stoles Project Coordinator

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Orelia Busch
Faith Organizing Consultant

Embodying Our Faith

Welcoming Sunday, January 29, 2012

Welcoming Church Sunday is an annual tradition observed the last Sunday of January by a growing number of Christian denominations. It is a celebration of the gifts of LGBT persons in the life, ministry and witness of the Church.

Resources for Welcoming Sunday

Welcoming Church Sunday Celebrates LGBT Inclusion with Worship and Prayer - GLAAD
Churches and Synagogues Remember David Kato - Ugandan Advocate murdered Jan 26 2011 - Global Justice Institute (pdf)
Worship Resources - Many Voices
Reconciling Sunday 2012: Love Your Neighbor - Reconciling Ministry Network
Reconciling in Christ Sunday - Lutherans Concerned/North America
A Place in God's Heart...A Place at Christ's Table
Additional IWR Worship Resources
Let the "T" not be silent - TransFaith

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Update, Tweet and Pray!

During the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Jan. 18-25), the Institute for Welcoming Resources is lifting up our denominational partners in the ecumenical welcoming-church movement.

Share the following requests for prayers and remembrance of the organizations involved in the Welcoming Church Movement during this week when you update your status on Facebook and add a tweet on Twitter.

Completing Week of Prayer: Supportive Congregation Network (Brethren/Mennonites), Welcoming Community Network (Community of Christ).
Jan. 25 - Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: pray with us for Affirm United (United Church of Canada).
Jan. 24 - Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: pray with us for Room for All (Reformed Church in America) and Complete Covenant (Christian Reformed Church).
Jan. 23 - Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: pray with us for Gay, Lesbian and Affirming Disciples.
Jan. 22 - Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: pray with us for the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists.
Jan. 21 - Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: pray with us for Integrity USA (Episcopal Church ).
Jan. 20 - Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: pray with us for More Light Presbyterians and the UCC Coalition for LGBT Concerns.
Jan. 19 - Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: pray with us for Lutherans Concerned/North America.
Jan. 18 - Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: pray with us for Reconciling Ministries Network, United Methodist Church.

Faith in Action

NAACP Supports LGBT & Marriage Equality

We're grateful for the passionate and clear commitment of Benjamin Todd Jealous, President and CEO of the NAACP to LGBT and marriage equality. The NAACP is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization. In 2008, at age 35, he became the youngest person to serve as its chief executive. Jealous offered the opening keynote address at Creating Change last night. Creating Change is the National Conference on LGBT equality and this is the 24th annual conference produced by NGLTF.

From the Washington Post:

NAACP President Benjamin Jealous said Thursday the civil rights group supports legislation in Maryland to extend rights to transgender residents.

Jealous spoke at a national conference on rights for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, the 24th national conference on LGBT equality.

The 2012 MCC Awards

Metropolitan Community Churches recognize some outstanding people who continue to re-imagine the way they do ministry to live out MCC's calling in the world. We are proud to announce the following awards for this year:

The Kerry Brown Award for Distinguished Lay Leadership - Chuck Phelan
The Rev. John H. Hose Award for Dedicated and Faithful Service by a Clergy person in MCC - Rev. Dr. Neil Thomas
The Purple Grass Award - Rev. Cristiano Valerio da Silva
The Church Planting and Church Growth Award - Rev. Carol Rawlings-Chambers and Open Circle MCC at the Villages (Florida)
The Ed Paul Award for Leadership in Transitional Ministry - Rev. Lisa Heilig
The Youth Leadership Award - Katie Hotze-Wilton AND Rev. Joe Pang

Click here to learn more about the awards and each recipient's ministry.

Remembering Dr. King & the Moral Arc of the Universe

Today, January 16th is the 26th anniversary of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. We join all Americans and the world in celebrating the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We also remember and honor the partnership, leadership and legacy of Coretta Scott King as well.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a federal holiday and a national day of service. In 1994, Congress passed the King Holiday and Service Act which encourages citizens to offer a day of service as volunteer in their local community on this day.

A Priest Who “Gets It”

On Sunday, November 20, Father John Adamski, recently retired pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Church, spoke at the monthly PFLAG Atlanta meeting. His topic was “The Catholic perspective on LGBT Issues.” In his casual and honest style, Father Adamski touched many of the issues, beginning with handouts from the Catholic Catechism and ending with sensitive and realistic answers to questions posed by the more than fifty persons in attendance.

Read this article and more from the Fortunate Families January 2012 newsletter.

More Human Rights

In mid-December Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a passionate speech in Geneva on the occasion of International Human Rights Day, encouraging nations to support human rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people. Much of what she says can, and should, be supported by Catholics. Same-sex marriage has been strongly opposed by the church. But Mrs. Clinton’s speech is referring to the more fundamental right of gay and lesbian people to live without fear and without threat of death. Americans may have become so focused on the question of same-sex marriage that they overlook the dire conditions under which many gay and lesbian people live throughout the world.

In Uganda, for example, there are moves to make homosexual activity punishable by death. This is extreme, but Uganda is far from an isolated case. In Kenya conviction brings up to 14 years in prison; in Tanzania up to life in prison; and in Saudi Arabia the penalties include fines, whipping, prison and death. As Mrs. Clinton said, “It is a violation of human rights when people are beaten or killed because of their sexual orientation….” The Catechism teaches that gays and lesbians should be accepted with respect, sensitivity and compassion: “Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided.” The church should continue to raise its voice in defense of our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters who suffer unjust discrimination.

Pro-LGBT Christian Voices Take Center Stage In 2011: The Top 10

Just a few years ago, public opinion placed Christianity clearly in the "God vs. Gay" camp. Today, despite what Rick Perry would have us think, nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of Americans agree that gay and lesbian relationships should be accepted by society, including majorities of all major religious groups except white evangelicals (Public Religion Research Institute, Aug. 29, 2011).

The events of 2011 demonstrated this shift in profound and thrilling ways. Following are the top 10 put together by the Believe Out Loud team.

May it be so in 2012.

An Historic Day for International LGBT Human Rights

An historic day for international LGBT human rights. President Obama issued directives and Sec. Clinton addressed the UN in Geneva today with a speech in connection with International Human Rights Day (Dec 10) offering strong support for human rights in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity. Obama has directed U.S. agencies to ?combat the criminalization of L.G.B.T. status or conduct abroad; protect vulnerable L.G.B.T. refugees and asylum seekers; leverage foreign assistance to protect human rights and advance nondiscrimination; ensure swift and meaningful U.S. response to human rights abuses of L.G.B.T. persons abroad; engage international organizations in the fight against L.G.B.T. discrimination.?

The LGBT community has a ton to be thankful for from the past year. But we also have a long way to go. And believe it or not, putting down that forkful of stuffing for a minute and just talking about yourself (if you're able to) this Thanksgiving can make a huge difference.

We've all had those Thanksgiving dinners where Aunt Betty decides this is the perfect time to discuss a year's worth of ailments and medical treatments. Well, you know what? If she can talk about her podiatrist, you can talk about your partner.

California's Prop. 8 sponsors are legally entitled to defend measure, supreme court rules

The California Supreme Court decided Thursday that the sponsors of Proposition 8 and other ballot measures are entitled to defend them in court when the state refuses to do so, a ruling likely to spur federal courts to decide the constitutionality of same-sex marriage bans.

The state high court's decision, a defeat for gay rights groups, sets the stage for a federal ruling -- which could go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court -- that would affect marriage bans outside California.

Transgender Equal Rights Bill Passes in Massachusetts

In an historic move, the Massachusetts Legislature passed the Transgender Equal Rights Bill today, joining 15 other states and the District of Columbia in extending critical protections to transgender residents in employment, housing, education, credit, and hate crimes.

"For the first time, transgender residents will be included in our state's statutes, prohibiting the unfair and unjust discrimination they have faced for far too long," said Kara Suffredini, executive director of MassEquality. "We're pleased that the legislature waited not a moment longer to advance these urgently needed protections, and we applaud the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition for their leadership in securing this important victory."

God Touches Grieving Parents at Conference

"We were beginning to hate Christians until you called us." Said David Truong of Cyprus, TX. He was referring to a request by The Evangelical Network to have them speak during a press conference on Saturday of the annual conference. David and his wife Amy arrived Friday night at this year's conference in Austin. The two lost their 13 yr old son Asher Brown Sept. 23, 2010 after he was repeatedly bullied at school mostly by Christian youth for his religious beliefs and his perceived sexual orientation. The Truongs have not been part of a local body of faith for a while. Upon arriving in the midst of worship David said," There is such amazing energy here." Those of us who were there know that "energy" was the presence of the Lord inhabiting the praises of His people.

Multi-Faith Work

NEW DOCUMENTARY!

"In Our Fullness: Faith and Activism Across Difference"
presents conversations with activists about faith-based work for radical social change around issues including sexuality, gender, race, class, and age. The video includes powerful testimonies from activists representing Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Native spiritualities, presenting challenges and successes in faith-based progressive-left coalition building.

Produced by the Institute for Welcoming Resources, a Project of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, in partnership with the Macalester College Chuck Green Civic Engagement Fellowship.

For more information: info@WelcomingResources.org

Additional Ecumenical & Multi-Faith Groups Convened by IWR

New & Timely Resources

All the Little Children: An Inclusionary Tale

FICTION. When Robert came for a visit to his home town, he didn't know that God had brought him back to care give his mother. He goes back to the church he was raised in and found that him being gay was something that a lot of people couldn't understand. Robert is not ashamed to be an out and proud Christian gay man.

And a Child...

FICTION: Knowing that the time has come to take a stand against bullying in school, two brave and compassionate high school students form a gay/straight alliance to protect their friends. And just as they expect, they encounter resistance, intolerance, and ignorance. The strength of their friendship gives them the courage they need to see their plans realized, so that every student - gay, straight, bisexual, transgendered, and those disenfranchised in any way - can enjoy a safe, caring environment. That is what every student, every person deserves.

Progressive Muslim Identities: Personal Stories from the U.S. and Canada

This book offers to answer the question often asked “where are the progressive Muslims?” Here progressive voices of gay, straight, black, white and brown Muslims from the United States and Canada narrate their personal stories. Their powerful voices highlight human dignity, freedom to choose how one lives out one's faith and the inner strength it takes to live out those ideals.

God vs. Gay? The Religious Case for Equality

The myth that the Bible forbids homosexuality - the myth of “God versus Gay” - is behind some of the most divisive and painful conflicts of our day. In this provocative, passionately argued, and game-changing book, scholar and activist Jay Michaelson shows that not only does the Bible not prohibit same-sex intimacy, but the vast majority of its teachings support the full equality and dignity of gay and lesbian people, from the first flaw it finds in creation (“It is not good for a person to be alone”) to the way religious communities grow through reflection and conscience. In short, Michaelson observes, religious people should support equality for gays and lesbians - not despite their religion, but because of it.

Where All Can Safely Live

A guide to understanding bullying in our communities, how to talk about it, and how to prevent it.

This anti-bullying curriculum is an introduction to what bullying is, how it functions, and why we as Christians are called to prevent it from happening in our communities. It was developed by Lutherans Concerned/North America with the help of the staff at the Pacific Violence Prevention Institute, from the pioneering research on bullying by Dan Olweus, and materials created by the United States government.

This curriculum is not intended to be a comprehensive guide to stopping bullying. However, this guide provides a basic understanding of how bullying works and offers suggestions for steps in creating a congregational bullying prevention plan.

Available for free download

Practice Spirit Do Justice

A movement-building gathering for leaders across faith traditions and for new activists interested in learning more about faith based organizing.

January 25-29, 2012
Hilton Baltimore
Baltimore, Maryland

For more information and to register please visit the web sites below:

New Resource Available

National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, HRC y UNID@S presentan nueva guía bilingüe dirigida a familias e iglesias latinas para educar sobre la orientación sexual, la identidad de género y la Biblia

A La Familia: A Conversation About Our Families, the Bible, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

En un esfuerzo por promover el diálogo dentro de las familias e iglesias latinas sobre la orientación sexual, la identidad de género y la Biblia, el National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, la Campaña de Derechos Humanos y UNID@S, presentaron hoy una nueva guía bilingüe, A La Familia, Una Conversación Sobre Nuestras Familias, la Biblia, la Orientación Sexual y la Identidad de Género en una conferencia de prensa durante la 82va convención nacional de la Liga de Ciudadanos Latinoamericanos Unidos (LULAC por sus siglas en inglés) en Cincinnati, Ohio.

"LULAC está en contra de todo tipo de discriminación. Me siento muy orgullosa de mi estado natal al aprobar los matrimonios entre personas del mismo sexo", dijo Ralina Cardona, directora estatal de Nueva York para LULAC. "Como americanos, tenemos que aceptar nuestras diferencias. Es lo que separa a este gran país. No todos somos de la misma cultura, color, orientación sexual o religión, pero todos somos americanos y en nuestra unidad está nuestra fuerza, pero en nuestras diferencias está nuestro poder".

Leer más en español...

Más artículos sobre A La Familia en español

HRC, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and UNID@S release new bilingual guide on sexual orientation, gender identity and the Bible for Latino/a families and churches

In an effort to foster a dialogue with Latino/a families and churches on sexual orientation, gender identity and the Bible, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation and UNID@S, unveiled today a new bilingual guide, A La Familia: A Conversation About Our Families, the Bible, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity at a press conference during the League of United Latin American Citizens' 82nd National Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people often face unique challenges in Latino/a families and churches. To help in the process of acceptance and inclusion, A La Familia is born out of a profound desire to faithfully integrate an excluded group of people back into the life of their churches and families. This guide is written for two primary audiences: heterosexual people honestly struggling with LGBT issues and the Bible, and those whose sexual orientation and gender identity have marginalized them within their family or church or even both.

Download A La Familia (pdf)

The Institute for Welcoming Resources is delighted to be a partner in the transdenominational Believe Out Loud campaign. Believe Out Loud provides a much-needed national network for churches committed to welcoming and affirming lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people as beloved children of God.

Believe OUT LOUD is based in a simple truth: Privately believing that LGBT persons should have an equal share in our church and society is not enough; we must publicly proclaim that belief. Believe OUT LOUD gives the congregations, parishes and missions of our denominations the means to do exactly that.

New Believe OUT LOUD web site!

Go to the new Believe OUT LOUD web site
Click here for videos, sermons, and resources from the Believe Out Loud Power Summit Oct 9-11, 2010

Building an Inclusive Church

Training and a Toolkit

Drawing upon twenty-five years of experience within a variety of Christian denominations, this Toolkit is a step-by-step guide to help facilitate a Welcoming Process in your local congregation. Biblically and theologically based, it uses tools of relational organizing, congregational assessment, conflict management and change theory.

AVAILABLE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD!

Click here to download Building an Inclusive Church: A Welcoming Toolkit (pdf)

Building an Inclusive Church
Training Opportunities

January 28, 2012 — Columbia, SC
More trainings coming in 2012!

More information on the trainings listed above.

ENDA Action Center

ENDA TALKING POINTS NEW!

Updates

Wednesday March 30, Congressman Frank introduced the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA).
ENDA desperately needed by LGBT people. Job discrimination remains a significant problem for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. [see attached background info]
Prospects for passage. Though it is unlikely that ENDA could pass in the current House of Representatives, we see this Congress as an important opportunity to continue the education of Congress that is vital to ultimate passage of the legislation.
We will use this Congress to educate new members of Congress. There are over 100 new members of Congress who need education about LGBT lives and discrimination. We all need to work hard to educate Congress this year so that the next time the bill can pass, it will.

Use the time to education the public.

This ENDA is the same bill as introduced in 111th Congress on June 24, 2009. To see the bill language from last Congress go to: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:H.R.3017
This ENDA is fully inclusive of sexual orientation AND gender identity.
No bill number is available yet. Once Rep. Frank introduces the bill, a bill number will become available shortly thereafter at http://thomas.loc.gov/. [Please note that this URL is not a www URL.]
Senate version. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) will introduce the Senate version of ENDA shortly. No date is set, but could be as soon as the next few weeks.
Of the 203 co-sponsors from last Congress, 168 of them are still in Congress.

ENDA is long overdue. Nearly 90% of Americans favor equal employment rights for LGBT citizens. President Obama has expressed his readiness to sign ENDA. It is time for Congress to catch up with public opinion and give the president the opportunity to sign this bill into law.

With so much of our government's focus on the economy and creating jobs, each job that is lost due to prejudice compounds the unemployment challenges not just for the LGBT community, but for our nation's economy as a whole.

And ENDA is a jobs bill. Throughout the country, LGBT people live in fear that they will lose their job if their employer finds out that they are LGBT. It is intolerable that people are forced to hide who they are in order to secure or maintain employment.

Without ENDA protections. Many in the LGBT community face devastating economic insecurity.
Employment needs to be based on one's skills and abilities to perform a job. People don't deserve to be unemployed or fired because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

It is a core American value to judge people on their work ethic and work product, not on who they are. ENDA will make the American dream available to LGBT citizens.

BACKGROUND AND HELPFUL DATA MESSAGING

The National Transgender Discrimination Survey results show that transgender people in the United States suffer from tremendously high levels of job discrimination and economic security, with 26% losing a job just because of who they are and 90% experiencing mistreatment or harassment, or hiding who they are to avoid it. Transgender people experience twice the unemployment rate as the general population and almost four times the poverty. (For more details, see below.)

Currently, 12 states and the District of Columbia have anti-discrimination policies that protect employees on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Over 100 localities have adopted similar policies. Taken together, these protections extend to 40% of the US population. For the majority of our country, however, there are either no laws protecting LGBT people or inadequate laws that do not protect all members of our community. That is why we need a federal standard calling for equal treatment of all employees. Whether or not you get to keep your job should not depend on where you live. We need to extend these protections nation-wide.
Our nation's largest corporations already know the benefits of preventing discrimination against their LGBT employees. 229 of the Fortune 500 companies have implemented non-discrimination policies that include both sexual orientation and gender identity. They know the costs of discrimination. Discrimination against LGBT employees leads to increased costs associated with losing experienced workers, and with rehiring and training new employees. Corporate America recognizes that discrimination is bad for business and bad for their bottom line.

American Constitution Society Report

A recent report from the American Constitution society captures the impact of employment discrimination on LGBT Americans.

In 2007, 28% of LGBT adults reported experiencing workplace discrimination
21% reported discrimination taking place on a weekly basis.
LGBT employees face a panoply of discriminatory actions from disparaging comments to sexual assaults, from being refused a job to being outright fired for coming out.
Factoring in unemployment benefits, wasted training expenses, and lowered productivity of both the abusers and their victims, discrimination against LGBT people in the workplace costs us as much as $1.4 billion per year in lost output. This amount is substantial by any measure, but given the need to restore our nation's economic well-being, it is unacceptable.

Trans Discrimination Survey

The National Center for Transgender Equality and the Task Force surveyed over 6000 transgender people in every state. The results demonstrate the overwhelming need to make sure that protections for transgender people are included in this bill and signed into law.

Transgender people face unemployment rates that are double the rate of the population as a whole.
90% of responded had experienced harassment or mistreatment on the job or hid who they were to avoid it.
47% experienced an adverse job outcome, such as being fired, not hired, or denied a promotion.
26% had lost their jobs on the basis of their gender identity.

This is particularly devastating for people of color, who face up to two or three times the rate of negative job outcomes.

As a result of job discrimination, transgender people experience higher rates of poverty. On average, respondents reported household incomes under $10,000/year at nearly four times the rate of the general population. For those who had lost a job due to bias, this rate rose to six times the national average.