ONA Task Force Updates

June

June is Pride month! In honor of this annual month of celebration of the LGBTQ+ community, ONA will be introducing our "ONA Lending Library" that can be found on the porch and enjoyed by all. Our mission at ONA is to provide education and conversation around all issues LGBTQ+. Our library includes titles ranging from fiction/ nonfiction to memoirs to works by LGBTQ+ authors. Our official grand opening will take place at coffee hour on Sunday June 5 and we invite you to visit our library to learn and grow with us! Below is an article about Pride month that you might find interesting:

What Is Pride Month? Everything to Know About the LGBTQ Observance excerpt from: What Is Pride Month? Everything to Know About the LGBTQ Observance – NBC New York

June is Pride Month, inspiring a host of events around the world. But what is Pride Month exactly? The rainbows and glitter may catch your eye, but the month-long celebration is really a call for greater unity, visibility and equality for the LGBTQ community. And while it's a time to look toward a fairer, kinder future, it's also a moment to recognize all of the advances — and setbacks — in the last few decades. "The number and variety of Pride events throughout the country and the world reflect the diversity of the LGBTQ community both in the United States and abroad,” GLAAD writes on their website.

That said, Pride celebrations can last anywhere from several days to a full week, and they often include marches, speeches, outdoor festivals, concerts, performances and workshops. Below, we've answered all of your top questions about Pride Month, including why it's celebrated in June and how the rainbow flag came to be a universal symbol of solidarity. Pride Month celebrates LGBTQ culture, achievements and activism through a series of organized activities, including film festivals, art exhibits, marches, concerts and other programs. Through these efforts, the LGBTQ community and its allies also aim to increase awareness over ongoing issues of inequality as well as commemorate the lives lost to hate crimes and HIV/AIDS.

Pride Month is observed in June to honor the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, a touchstone event in LGBTQ history that laid the foundation for Pride. In the late 1960s, being openly gay was largely prohibited in most places. New York, in particular, had a rule that the simple presence of someone gay or gender queer counted as disorderly conduct, effectively outlawing gay bars. On June 28, 1969, patrons of the Stonewall Inn, a popular bar with a diverse LGBTQ clientele, stood their ground after police raided the establishment. The resulting clash led to days of riots and protests, known as the Stonewall Uprising. One year later, on the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, thousands of people flooded the streets of Manhattan in the Christopher Street Gay Liberation Day March, regarded as the first gay pride event ever. Pride Month had humble beginnings: It initially began as Gay Pride Day, observed annually on the last Sunday in June.

As awareness increased, more activities and events were planned throughout the month and eventually, it evolved into the month-long observance, aptly named Pride Month. In 1999, President Bill Clinton officially declared June as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month, setting aside the month as a time to recognize the LGBTQ community’s achievements and support the community.

The rainbow flag is universally recognized as the symbol for LGBTQ pride. Created by Gilbert Baker, a renowned San Francisco activist, the flag was flown for the first time at the 1978 San Francisco Gay Freedom Day celebration. According to Baker, what inspired him about the rainbow was that it represented all the genders, races and stands for “the rainbow of humanity.” Each of the six colors of the rainbow flag represent a different aspect of the LGBTQ movement including life, healing, sunlight, nature, serenity and spirit. To some, the rainbow flag also signifies power, rebellion and hope. In 2017, Philadelphia added a black and brown stripe to their flag to symbolically represent LGBTQ people of color who have often felt marginalized from their own community. Today, many organizations have adopted that flag, also adding the colors of the transgender pride flag — baby blue and light pink — to represent that community as well.

To learn more about Pride Month or find additional ways to get involved, check out the following resources:

* GLAAD, a non-government agency founded to promote LGBTQ acceptance along with identifying and preventing discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer individuals.

* GLSEN, a network of students, families and education advocates working to facilitate LGBTQ safety and support in schools.

*The Equality Federation is a LGBTQ advocacy group working to help advance the rights of LGBTQ people.  The National LGBTQ Task Force, an advocacy group dedicated to advancing freedom, justice and equality for LGBTQ people.

* The Library of Congress, for history on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Pride Month.

* The Anti-Defamation League, an anti-hate organization dedicated to fighting bias, extremism, discrimination or hate.  The American Civil Liberties Union, works to preserve and defend the rights and liberties of U.S. citizens.

Boston will unfortunately not host an official Pride Parade in 2022 as the group officially dissolved last year, but there are lots of other events planned that you can check out here: Events happening as part of Boston LGBTQ+ 2022 Pride Month | Boston.gov Also, Scituate will host its 2nd Annual Pride Walk on June 25 at 9am starting from St. Luke's Church.)

MAY.

A PRAYER OF LOVE AND GRACE

by puck glass (it/its/they/them)

God of love,

Sanctify this space today

Our own sacred and holy spaces –

the tables where we find you,

the closets where we find ourselves in you,

the relationships where we come to know you more.

Make the spaces where each of us finds ourselves today a reflection of your love and grace. God of rainbows,

Today we celebrate the many colors by which we all gather

The colors that shape our identities

The many colors that make up our flags

The many colors that make up our bodies

Let us find that each of these shades is a reflection of your love for us.

God of peace and justice,

As we remember the struggle that unites us in our heritage

Let us not forget that this fight is not over

While we celebrate today, remind us that tomorrow there is still work to be done

Not only in our community, but in too many marginalized communities

Let our love extend like your love, well beyond our own created borders.

God of grace,

May we find grace as abundant as yours in learning from each other

May we find the grace to make mistakes and to continue learning

May we find the grace to radically expand our welcomes

May we find grace to breathe in slowly…

and know we are filled with enough.

10 Things Allies Can Do

We need to think about how we can best support and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community as allies. Before we discuss what allies can do, it is helpful to define what an ally is. An “ally” is defined as someone who supports a group that is commonly the subject of discrimination or prejudice, but who is not a member of that group. More specifically in LGBTQ+ terms, an ally is a straight/

heterosexual and cisgender person who supports equal civil rights, gender equality, and LGBTQ+ social movements, challenging homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia.

An ally uses their position of privilege in a majority group to support the LGBTQ+ community and advocate for equality. Below is a list of things you can do to be an ally to the LGBTQ+ community in Scituate and beyond:

1. LISTEN Listen to what people in the LGBTQ+ community are saying. It’s not about you, your feelings, or opinions— it’s about theirs. If someone trusts you enough to come out to you, listen to how they are feeling and consider what they are going through, instead of focusing on how their honesty makes YOU feel.

2. GET EDUCATED It is not up to the LGBTQ+ community to educate you. Seek out books, articles, and social media that can educate you on LGBTQ+ issues. Questions are okay most of the time, but recognize when you need to do the work yourself. If being supportive matters to you, then you can make an effort to learn more on your own.

3. GET INVOLVED Join local groups that are working for social justice for the LGBTQ+ community. Subscribe to email lists and follow them on social media so you are aware of current issues and how you can be involved in the answer. Scituate Pride is one local organization that is actively supporting the LGBTQ+ community (www.scituatepride.com) and the UCC Open and Affirming Coalition is another organization addressing LGBTQ+ issues and helping churches become Open and Affirming (ONA) (www.openandaffirming.org).

4. SHOW UP When there are events that support or educate about LGBTQ+ issues, or you are invited to an event by an LGBTQ+ member, show up and give your support. These events are an important way to support the efforts of the LGBTQ+ community and show others that LGBTQ+ issues matter to you.

5. SPEAK UP When a friend, family member, or stranger says something hateful or ignorant, call them out on it. Silence allows oppression to continue. Speak in support of the LGBTQ+ community, but don’t speak over them. Transfer the benefits of your privilege to those who lack it, and let their voice be the one heard.

6. INTERVENE When someone is being targeted, either physically or verbally, intervene only with their permission. Focus on supporting them rather than engaging the aggressor. Be prepared to stand with them, but only if that is what they want.

7. WELCOME DISCOMFORT When you encounter something that makes you uncomfortable, don't dismiss it. Sit with it, and ask yourself 'why?' and welcome it as an opportunity to grow.

8. LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES You will make mistakes. When someone calls you out, do not get defensive. Listen, apologize and change your behavior going forward. Learn how to accept criticism with grace, even if it’s uncomfortable. A good response is always "Thanks for letting me know." There is no room here for embarrassment or ego.

9. STAY ENGAGED Even when the work gets difficult, stay engaged. Oppression is constant, and marginalized people do not get the privilege of "turning off." Marginalized communities are those who are targeted by oppression, including but not limited to people of color, Muslims, immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, women and people with disabilities.

10. DONATE Commit to financially support a local organization doing LGBTQ+ social justice work in the community. If you are interested in making a donation for Pride month, you might consider either Scituate Pride or the UCC ONA Coalition as previously mentioned, or the Trevor Project, which is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ+ young people under 25 (www.thetrevorproject.org).

Adapted from "10 Things Allies Can Do" by the YWCA, with information from the following resources: The Guide to Allyship (www.guidetoallyship.com), How to be an LGBTQ Ally (www.nextavenue.org), Being an Ally 101 (www.theodysseyonline.com), and 6 Ways to Respectfully be a Better LGBTQ Ally (www.oprahdaily.com).

FTCC ONA Covenant as voted at the Annual Meeting 6/16/13

We, the people of First Trinitarian Congregational Church, UCC, of Scituate, declare ourselves to be Open and Affirming. With God’s grace, we seek to be a congregation that includes all persons, embracing differences of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, age, mental and physical ability, as well as racial, ethnic, and socio-economic background. We invite all to share in the full life and ministry of our church, including: worship, sacraments, rites, covenants, fellowship, leadership, employment, commitments, blessings and joy. Whoever you are and wherever you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.

First Trinitarian Congregational Church, UCC, Scituate, MA

ONA Task Force Updates

FTCC ONA Covenant as voted at the Annual Meeting 6/16/13

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