Welcoming Congregation is a Unitarian Universalist
term for UU congregations that have voted to affirm, welcome and
support gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people. This
concept came about because people of non-majority sexual identity
often feel unsafe in religious organizations, feeling that they
must stay "in the closet" or feeling subtly excluded.
The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Binghamton
voted to become a Welcoming Congregation on May 31st, 1992. As a
continuing effort toward the normalization of homosexuality, the
Gay Lesbian Concerns Committee of UUCB initiates outreach, support
and education both within the church community, and the larger community.
Activities of the UUGLC have included concerts, workshops, discussions,
and worship services.
The GLC Commitee was instrumental in forming the
Interfaith Coalition on Sexual Identity in the Triple Cities area.
The first interfaith service celebrating Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual
& Transgendered lives was held at the UUCB, and has become an
annual event. The committee remains very active in the ICSI.
The UUCB has been enriched by its decision to become
a Welcoming Congregation; it has enjoyed the presence of people
who might not otherwise have joined the congregation, and it has
deepened its spirituality by acting out its principal, that UU's
respect the integrity of all people, not only the majority. Persons
of non-majority sexual orientation will feel welcome at UUCB,
whether or not they choose to reveal their true identity.
