Welcoming Congregation
The Unitarian Universalist Church of Ellsworth has been a Welcoming Congregation since 2010. We open our doors to people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. Each of us has worth and dignity, and that worth includes our gender and our sexuality.
As Unitarian Universalists (UUs), we not only open our doors to people of all sexual orientations and gender identities, we value diversity of sexuality and gender and see it as a spiritual gift. We create inclusive religious communities and work for LGBTQ/TGQNB justice and equity as a core part of who we are.
All of who you are is sacred. All of who you are is welcome.
What do we mean by Welcoming Congregation?
We know that religious spaces haven’t always been welcoming places for all people, especially when it comes to gender and sexuality. Unitarian Universalism is out to change that.
UUs have worked hard to make sure lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and non-binary people are full members of our faith communities. Being welcoming means striving for radical inclusion, and creating spaces that honor every part of our identities, backgrounds, and experiences.
Why does the Welcoming Congregation Program single out LGBTQ/TGQNB people for inclusion?
First launched in 1990, the program grew out of an understanding that widespread prejudices and ignorance about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and non-binary (LGBTQ/TGQNB) people results in the exclusion of LGBTQ/TGQNB people from many religious communities.
Does this mean that we only welcome LGBTQ/TGQNB people?
We think it is important to be welcoming not only of LGBTQ/TGBQ people, but of all people, including (and not limited to), people of different genders, gender identities, races, ethnicities, ages, and abilities, as well as sexual orientations.
You might know the term LGBTQ but what does TGQNB mean?
The term LGBTQ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer while TGQNB stands for Transgender, Genderqueer, and Non-Binary.
