FUS is an LGBT Welcoming Congregation
- About Us
- Support
- Networking
- History
- Events/Programs
LGBT Welcoming Congregation Committee
The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.” -- Howard Zinn
The First Unitarian Society of Madison welcomes a diversity of people. We intentionally welcome people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender. We made this commitment by becoming an official UUA Welcoming Congregation in 1997.
The goal of the LGBT Welcoming Congregation Committee is to help ensure that FUS is an inviting place for LGBT people looking for a spiritual home. The Committee meets on the first Monday of each month at 7:00 P.M. Please join us!
Betsey Day, co-chair, at 827-5834
Kris Gunderson, co-chair, at 441-0638
Wendy Cooper, SJ Coordinator, at 233-9774, extension 125,
You may have noticed the rainbow on each page of our website, and many of us have a rainbow on the name tags we wear at services. The rainbow makes obvious our commitment to welcoming LGBT people into our community. The rainbow comes from the flag designed in 1978 by Gilbert Baker, a San Francisco artist, in response to a local activist’s call for a community symbol and is now used in many variations.
Support for LGBT Families
FUS offers members and nonmembers three ceremonies to mark life passages. Many commitment ceremonies have taken place at the church over the years. Children of LGBT and other couples are dedicated during Sunday worship services, and memorial services make no distinction between LGBT and other members. In addition, our ordained and lay ministers have demonstrated a strong commitment to meeting the pastoral needs of LGBT members of the FUS community.
Religious education classes intentionally represent different kinds of families and avoid showing stereotypical gender roles. The human sexuality courses offered to middle-school children, “Our Whole Lives and Mind, Body, Soul,” have been recognized as a model for inclusive sexuality education among liberal Protestant denominations. The Church School staff is committed to creating a safe environment for children from all families and welcoming all members as teachers.
Networking in the Community
Members of the LGBT Welcoming Congregation Committee have reached out to ministers at the First Congregational Church, James Reeb UU, and the Prairie UU, to Outreach, and to others in the community to learn from and establish relationships to broaden our welcoming efforts. If you have information to share or want to take part in these efforts, please contact Betsey Day at daybuss@charter.net.
History of Our Society as a Welcoming Congregation
The Unitarian Universalist Association has a process for certifying Unitarian congregations as welcoming toward LBGT people. We are pleased that the First Unitarian Society of Madison was certified as a Welcoming Congregation of the UUA over 10 years ago, on October 28, 1997.
In order to obtain this certification, an evolving committee at FUS:
- engaged various councils and the Board of Trustees in serious discussions;
- developed new policies (pertaining, for example, to avoiding heterosexist language in FUS documents, and using books in religious education classes that avoid stereotypical gender roles);
- offered various educational opportunities for both youth and adults;
- developed connections with local lesbian, gay, and bisexual groups in the community;
- generated publicity;
- engaged in various other endeavors.
This process included a survey-based process of the congregation’s attitudes about LGBT persons, and a parish vote that directed the church to seek certification as a Welcoming Congregation.
Having been recognized by the UUA as a Welcoming Congregation is an important and encouraging step for FUS. However, we believe this is only a first step. We have much work ahead of us to further reduce homophobia and prejudice in Madison and within FUS, and to continue to transform FUS into a spiritual and social community in which all lesbian, gay, transsexual, and transvestite people feel safe and valued.
The FUS document that led the UUA to recognize FUS as a Welcoming Congregation can be found at this link:
FUS Madison Request for Recognition as a Welcoming Congregation.
Film Night
Film Night takes place on the third Friday of the month. Each month a different Social Justice Committee selects the film. Film Night enables FUS members and friends to:
- See a good film on an LGBT topic,
- Talk about the film with others in the audience,
- Learn and have fun doing it!
Film night events begin at 7:00 p.m., and are likely to last until 9:30 p.m., to ensure enough discussion time. Of course, light refreshments are provided.
On February 7th and 8th, 2009, the Welcoming Congregation will host a LGBT Film Festival. Watch this webpage for more details.
In February 2008, Film Night featured Ma Vie En Rose. Some 20 people--both members of FUS and a few people who learned of the event through publicity from Outreach, viewed the film and participated afterward in an extraordinarily rich discussion. Both the film and the discussion gave participants valuable new insights, particularly about the childhood struggles of LGTB people.
Come join us for the next LGBT Welcoming Congregation Committee Film Night!
Happy Dance
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| Each winter, FUS sponsors the LGBT-friendly Happy Dance for everybody who loves to dance or hear great music or simply gather for a good time with friends old and new. The 2007 dance took place on January 25, and the terrific 18-woman swing band, Ladies Must Swing, played. More than 220 people had a great time, despite the snow storm swirling outside. The photos above come from the 2008 dance. | |
Wartmann Lecture on Human Sexuality: What Makes a Family?
Paula J. Pedersen, Ed.D., presented this lecture in the FUS Auditorium on Sunday, April 27, 2008, followed by a reception. She traced the history and definition of family, incorporating her own story, as a way to examine the growth and change in our understanding of family and a way to challenge arguments against LGBT families in faith communities. This is the 2008 William and Joyce Wartmann Lecture on Human Sexuality and the Liberal Religious Tradition. Paula is Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Minnesota—Duluth.
Gay Pride March
A contingent of FUS members and affiliates marches every year under the FUS banner in the Gay Pride Parade. In 2008, the parade takes place on Sunday, July 20. Stay tuned for more information. If you have questions, please contact Betsey Day at daybuss@charter.net.
AIDS Bike Ride
The annual AIDS bike ride takes place August 7-10, 2008, to raise awareness and funds for the AIDS Network. Bicyclists cover 300 miles during the four-day event. For more information about doing the ride or being a volunteer, please contact Betsey Day at daybuss@charter.net.
National Coming Out Day
National Coming Out Day is observed internationally on October 11. It’s a day for coming out and for discussing LGBT issues. For more information about FUS’s activities related to National Coming Out Day, please contact Betsey Day at daybuss@charter.net.
FUS Out-N-About
The purpose of the Out-N-About group is to provide outdoor social activities for all members and friends of FUS in a comfortable environment for everyone, whether people come alone or with friends and family. Activities will take place the first Saturday of the month, last two hours or less, and require just showing up, without making a prior commitment. The group’s first activity will take place on June 7, 2008 at 9:00 am at the Pheasant Branch Conservatory in Middleton, Wisconsin. Please visit fusoutnabout.org for details.
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