Dear Ones,

First, I want to remind you that this coming Sunday, March 31, 2019, is “Bring A Friend Sunday!” It will be a good time for people new to Unitarian Universalism to worship with us for the first time. We will formally welcome some new members, and it’s the Fifth Sunday of the month, when we share the cash and other undesignated monies from our offering with a social action/social justice partner organization.

In addition to all of this, March 31st is International Transgender Day of Visibility. This is a day to celebrate and recognize people who are bravely “out” as transgender – and to raise awareness of the discrimination and oppression transgender people still face. Not all transgender people want to be “out,” and it’s important to respect that choice. We can understand transgender people not wanting to be open, when we reflect on the recent Report on the Experiences of Transgender Unitarian Universalists, published by TRUUsT and the UUA.

You may know a person who is transgender – or you may not – or you may know someone who hasn’t shared that detail of their life with you. While some larger cities, like Chicago and Spokane, will have big public TDOV celebrations; there is no celebration here in Beaufort. I suggest that an appropriate celebration might reading the recent UU World article – and the responses – which I wrote about a few weeks ago. Or reading the Report on Trans UUs (link above). Or viewing a sermon by my colleague, Rev. Dr. Andy Burnette, presented with his daughter, Sasha.

As a Welcoming Congregation, we have made a commitment to continue to expand our knowledge, understanding, and ability to genuinely welcome LGBTQ+ people. I hope you will continue to engage this work faithfully – and joyfully – with me.

In faith,
Rev. Lori Hlaban