32 20 2500 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/6696098ae6385a54eac856c6ddcac819.jpg c6462d1610c2203554cf2a4ae7228be4 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/989672fcb06691820b76bb781eee79ac.jpg 04ab2cd96bca656fc9f26ad2baebae0e Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Shower of Stoles Description An account of the resource Items (stoles) for the Shower of Stoles exhibit Stole A stole in the Shower of Stoles exhibit Honoree The person honored by the creation of thestole. Dawn Touzin Stole Text O God grant yet MORE LIGHT and TRUTH to Break Forth from your WORD Dawn Touzin Denomination Presbyterian Church (USA) United Church of Christ Contribution Date 2001 Contribution Story This is one of 52 stoles donated to the Shower of Stoles collection by members and staff of Church of the Covenant. Although each of the stoles is unique, all of them are tied together by the inclusion of a piece cloth from a common bolt of blue and ivory material somewhere in the stole. The prayer included on Dawn's stole is adapted from a quote by 17th century Puritan John Robinson: God hath yet more light to shed on His word. (This quote was the inspiration for the naming of More Light Presbyterians.) Covenant is both a More Light and Open and Affirming Congregation. Their strong and public advocacy on behalf of LGBT persons in the life and leadership of the church has drawn many LBGT persons to become a part of the Covenant church family. Their 52 stoles represent the largest subset of stoles given to the collection by any one congregation. Church of the Covenant, a federated United Church of Christ and Presbyterian Church, is steeped in history. Located just off the Boston Commons, the Gothic revival building erected in the mid-1800's was one of the first churches built in the Back Bay area. In the 1890's the sanctuary was completely redecorated by Tiffany Glass and Decorating Co., including the creation of an extraordinary set of Tiffany stained-glass windows and a chandelier that is said to be the first electrified light installed in a public building by Thomas Edison. Covenant's history of social justice and human rights work is equally rich. When I visited Covenant, I was intrigued to learn that the church was a designated stop along the "Boston Women's Heritage Trail." One of Covenant's members, Abbie Child, was the head of the Women's Board of Missions of the Congregational Church in the late 1800's. Another member, Dr. Elsa Meder, was one of the first women ordained as an elder in the Presbyterian Church. Elizabeth Rice and Alice Hageman, ordained in 1974 and 1975 respectively, were the first women to serve as pastors at a Back Bay church. When they were joined by Donna Day Lower, the church became the only one in the United States with three women clergy. Since opening the "Women's Lunch Place" in 1982, the church has served as a haven for poor women and their children. It is fitting, then, that one of the Tiffany windows is "Four Women of the Bible," including Miriam, Deborah, Mary of Bethany, and Dorcas. Covenant remains on the forefront of work for equality and justice, and is active in the LGBT Welcoming movement in the Boston area and beyond. Martha Juillerat Founder, Shower of Stoles Project 2006 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 780 Title A name given to the resource Dawn Touzin Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Boston, Massachusetts (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Church of the Covenant Boston Feminism Massachusetts More Light Presbyterians for LGBT Concerns Open and Affirming in the UCC (ONA) Presbyterian Presbyterian Church (USA) Theology Touzin, Dawn United Church of Christ Women and Religion https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/e22a103587f13b3eeb9f96dc152f6d7e.jpg e71523c355835a286276bf937c736229 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Upstairs Lounge Fire Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Deacon Bill Larson in MCC Pulpit Description An account of the resource Following Solomon’s departure, Deacon Bill Larson becomes interim pastor and was serving at the time of the fire. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Johnny Townsend collection https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/aed73362a03149b3697788f574815690.jpg 4539899eab69fe52feb5407fd7442216 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Historical Development of BIPOC Trans-spiritual Leadership Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Text Any textual data included in the document Deb Haaland, Pueblo Laguna, 2019 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Deb Haaland, Secretary of the Interior Subject The topic of the resource Haaland is a Biden appointee serving as Secretary of the Interior. She spearheaded the Department of Interiors Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative. Description An account of the resource Featuring a wet-plate collodion photograph of Haaland in 2019, when she was still a congresswoman. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Shane Balkowitsch https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deb_Haaland#/media/File:Congresswoman_Debra_Anne_Haaland_-_Pueblo_Laguna_-_New_Mexico_by_Shane_Balkowitsch_in_Wet_Plate_Collodion_6-23-2019.jpg https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/4e39b9cd77c2ebc0c3495f46c407755b.jpg 544153fb15d96f09439f5567f45a8814 Person An individual. Text Any textual data included in the document The Rev. Deborah L. Johnson was born in Los Angeles, California at 1956, toward the end of the “baby boom.” She came of age during the tumultuous 1960s and early ‘70s with urban riots, assassinations, burgeoning feminist and LGBT movements—a time of much seeking and searching.  Deborah sensed a dissonance within herself as a child.  Not aware of the notion of gay, she questioned if she was trans, - a boy in a girl’s body as she did not relate to “girly” things but rather wanted to be the hero who got the girl.  As early as age 11, Deborah recalls talking with her parents about her gender dilemmas.  She knew she didn’t want to be a boy or emulate masculine culture; what she sought was the power and privilege afforded to males simply for being male. She learned that she had her own inner power as a female. Deborah grew up in one of the flagship churches of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC)—Emmanuel Church under the leadership of Bishop Samuel Crouch.  Deborah was mentored there by a number of prominent and successful adults. Although he was a well-known leader in the world Pentecostal Movement, Crouch was calm and soft-spoken in his demeanor.  Deborah never experienced any condemnation from him.  However, many of the guest preachers and speakers who came through Emmanuel to preached while he was touring regularly spewed “hell, fire and brimstone” against homosexuality, amongst other “deadly sins.” Deborah’s very Pentecostal mom taught remedial math at a school for at risk girls. Her more moderate Christian father was a pharmacist. In the 10th grade, Deborah’s did her first term paper on homosexuality soon after the Stonewall Riots. As the only books on the subject at the time were reference books, Deborah had her mom to drive her around town to various libraries to research clueless that this was a big clue to her mom. This only raised the suspicion her mother already had about Deborah’s relationship with a girlfriend that was “too close.” During this period, Deborah’s mom walks in on them necking and the battle was soon on to save Deborah’s soul. The couple stayed together throughout Deborah’s high school and college years. As a 15-year old high school senior and president of the student body of her 3,200, Deborah was very politically active determined to become a civil rights lawyer. She received the call to ministry during an altar call at a Youth Convocation in NYC complete with the baptism of the Holy Spirit, including speaking in tongues which at the time Deborah disbelieved. Deborah’s mom was president of the Women’s Christian Council, a position she ultimately would hold for 45 years. Believing that God would also send her to hell for her child’s homosexuality, Deborah’s call to ministry was answered prayer and the sign that God would turn Deborah straight. Her mom’s zeal to save them both from the ravages of hell in the afterlife created a living hell on earth with her homemade conversion therapies. Deborah’s father, a pharmacist proposed a medical route. She finally consented to psychiatry with no meds or shock therapy, but eventually refused any more efforts to “cure” her. Deborah graduated from high school in 1972 at age 16 and enrolled in USC, the family tradition.  Given the three-pronged assault on homosexuality of the day—abnormal under psychiatry, a felony crime under the law, satanic in her church doctrine —there were scant resources and no positive images for coming out.  However, at the same time, there was a trinity of liberation, the release of two books and a play – The Lord Is My Shepherd and He Knows I’m Gay by Rev Troy Perry the title suggesting that God could love gay people; Lesbian Women by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, her first evidence that a long term relationship between two women was possible; and Ntozake Shange’s play For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf, “I found God in myself and I love herfiercely.”  This became the great awakening, the spiritual turning point for Deborah - God made her who she is, a relationship is possible, and God can be found within her as feminine not exclusively masculine….. OMG!!! This confirmed her deep-seeded belief in innate entitlement—she had the right not only to exist, but to have all that everyone else had. This began her journey to freedom. As she started college, the new gay group on campus met at a religious center, technically “off-campus,” but physically located in the center of campus.  Given her background, it seemed heretical for a gay group to meet in a church.  Ironically, in the early days of the movement, a number of gay groups found that the only place they could meet was in a church or religious center.  Initially Deborah was fearful to even pick up a flyer for one of the meetings. Believing Rev MLK Jr “God would not saddle any group with a permanent yoke of inferiority,” she maintained a fierce determination to manifest the prophecy she saw of being an equal citizen. She was prepared to change the entire would to make it so. The old-time Fanny Crosby hymn “Pass me not, O gentle Savior….do not pass me by,” became a solace for her.  Her theology and social thinking changed significantly during these college years.  However, she still lived her life in the closet. To protect her brother and cousin on campus at the same time, Deborah would going out in public with a guy who knew she was gay even though she had a girlfriend. Deborah earned a B.A. degree in economics from USC and an M.B.A. from UCLA.  In her post-college years she began quickly moved into a life of activism.  She served on the board of the Los Angeles Community Services Center beginning in 1979.  The onset of HIV/AIDS dramatically changed the political and sociological landscape.  Up to that point it was simply accepted that gays were outsiders in the Black Church. However, when the Black Church turned its back on so many men dying of AIDS, their family members began to push back on this inhospitality and injustice.  AIDS also brought men and women together in the movement in ways they had not been previously.  Every male member of the LA Center who originally served with Deborah and started the first AIDS organizations all died of the disease.  Lesbians began to emerge in more positions of leadership.  A “Blood Sisters” group was launched to donate blood.  The onslaught of AIDS led to a deeper sense of spiritual community among gay and lesbian networks as we cared for the sick and dying.  Deborah continued to provide leadership in moving both church and society to being more open and inclusive to LGBT persons. She served on the Board of The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force 1991-1996, including as Co-Chair. She served as the co-plaintiff in the landmark 1984 court decision that set the precedence for the inclusion of sexual orientation in the California Civil Rights Bill.  Later in 2007 she was a the successful co-defendant with Gray Davis in defending the state’s Domestic Partnership Act. An important collaborator and mentor in Deborah’s life has been Michael Bernard Beckwith, well-known practitioner of New Global Thought and founder and leader of the Agape International Spiritual Center in southern California.  Deborah and Michael were raised in the same neighborhood and were friends from adolescence and she is a founding member of Agape. Their spiritual journeys ebbed and flowed alongside each other with Michael often serving as a spiritual guide for Deborah. After Michael went to ministerial school and founded his own religious center, Agape International, Deborah did likewise, getting a ministerial degree from the same alma mater Holmes Institute for Consciousness Studies, the Religious Science seminary. In 2014, his seminary awarded her with an honorary Doctorate of Divinity. Having experienced a call to ministry at age 15, Rev. Johnson remained constant over the years in her understanding of the interweavings of the civil/secular and the religious/sacred. She continually espoused the understanding that they cannot be separated, but they must inform each other. Beginning in 1995 she discovered her own prophetic voice.  In a moment of darkness she heard the Voice of the Divine, whispering complete letters to her.  She published some of these letters in a series Letters From the Infinite, currently with two volumes, The Sacred Yes and Your Deepest Intent.  Preparing the letters for publication became an intense spiritual journey of affirmation for Deborah, having to dig deep into her own consciousness in order to become an oracle.  In January 1997, Rev. Deborah started Inner Light Ministries with twice-monthly religious services at the Veterans Hall in downtown Santa Cruz.  Inner Light Ministries is an Omnifaith outreach ministry dedicated to teaching the practical application of Universal Spiritual Principles to all of life’s circumstances.  Johnson espouses a vision of Oneness, beyond creed and doctrine, and feels particularly called to heal the sense of separation between those adhering to conservative and progressive ideologies. Johnson also founded The Motivational Institute, an organizational development consulting firm specializing in cultural diversity serving the public, private, and non-profit sectors. Her clients have ranged from Fortune 500 companies to community based organizations. She is recognized as a dynamic public speaker, known for her ability to bring clarity to complex and emotionally charged issues. Rev. Deborah was inducted into the Board of Preachers of the Martin Luther King Jr. Chapel at Morehouse College which honors clergy for their lifetime work in social justice. She has been a leadership development trainer for the Network of Spiritual Progressives, founded by Rabbi Michael Lerner and the Tikkun Community, Cornel West, and Sister Joan Chittister. As an advocate for continual and lifelong learning, Rev. Deborah has been a faculty member at several institutes of higher learning: UCLA’s Anderson Graduate School of Business Executive Leadership LGBT Diversity Training Institute; Pacific School of Religion; Holmes Institute of Consciousness Studies; and the Agape University of Transformational Studies and Leadership. She has been also an Advisory Council member in the Association of Global New Thought and the Women’s Studies Department at Brandeis University. Her groundbreaking work has been featured in numerous books, magazines, radio, and television programs including Conversations with Neale (Neale Donald Walsch) radio show, Shambhala Sun magazine, Showtime TV’s Black Filmmaker Showcase production Jumpin’ the Broom, the film God and Gays: Bridging the Gap, and ABC Nightline. As a sign of God’s redemption and divine humor, Inner Light Ministries purchased and moved into a former Assemblies of God Church in Santa Cruz in 2003.  That pulpit was instrumental in the founding of Exodus International.  One of the former pastors, Rev Darlene Vogel, was a leader in the ex-gay movement.  For Rev. Deborah this transformation portrays one of the major themes in her life—to go back to the places where there has been hurt, pain and discrimination and bring an inclusive message of love.  (This biographical statement written by Mark Bowman from an interview with Deborah Johnson and from biographical materials on the Inner Light Ministries website with Deborah Johnson editing.) Biographical Text The Rev. Deborah L. Johnson was born in Los Angeles, California at 1956, toward the end of the “baby boom.” She came of age during the tumultuous 1960s and early ‘70s with urban riots, assassinations, burgeoning feminist and LGBT movements—a time of much seeking and searching.  Deborah sensed a dissonance within herself as a child.  Not aware of the notion of gay, she questioned if she was trans, - a boy in a girl’s body as she did not relate to “girly” things but rather wanted to be the hero who got the girl.  As early as age 11, Deborah recalls talking with her parents about her gender dilemmas.  She knew she didn’t want to be a boy or emulate masculine culture; what she sought was the power and privilege afforded to males simply for being male. She learned that she had her own inner power as a female. Deborah grew up in one of the flagship churches of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC)—Emmanuel Church under the leadership of Bishop Samuel Crouch.  Deborah was mentored there by a number of prominent and successful adults. Although he was a well-known leader in the world Pentecostal Movement, Crouch was calm and soft-spoken in his demeanor.  Deborah never experienced any condemnation from him.  However, many of the guest preachers and speakers who came through Emmanuel to preached while he was touring regularly spewed “hell, fire and brimstone” against homosexuality, amongst other “deadly sins.” Deborah’s very Pentecostal mom taught remedial math at a school for at risk girls. Her more moderate Christian father was a pharmacist. In the 10th grade, Deborah’s did her first term paper on homosexuality soon after the Stonewall Riots. As the only books on the subject at the time were reference books, Deborah had her mom to drive her around town to various libraries to research clueless that this was a big clue to her mom. This only raised the suspicion her mother already had about Deborah’s relationship with a girlfriend that was “too close.” During this period, Deborah’s mom walks in on them necking and the battle was soon on to save Deborah’s soul. The couple stayed together throughout Deborah’s high school and college years. As a 15-year old high school senior and president of the student body of her 3,200, Deborah was very politically active determined to become a civil rights lawyer. She received the call to ministry during an altar call at a Youth Convocation in NYC complete with the baptism of the Holy Spirit, including speaking in tongues which at the time Deborah disbelieved. Deborah’s mom was president of the Women’s Christian Council, a position she ultimately would hold for 45 years. Believing that God would also send her to hell for her child’s homosexuality, Deborah’s call to ministry was answered prayer and the sign that God would turn Deborah straight. Her mom’s zeal to save them both from the ravages of hell in the afterlife created a living hell on earth with her homemade conversion therapies. Deborah’s father, a pharmacist proposed a medical route. She finally consented to psychiatry with no meds or shock therapy, but eventually refused any more efforts to “cure” her. Deborah graduated from high school in 1972 at age 16 and enrolled in USC, the family tradition.  Given the three-pronged assault on homosexuality of the day—abnormal under psychiatry, a felony crime under the law, satanic in her church doctrine —there were scant resources and no positive images for coming out.  However, at the same time, there was a trinity of liberation, the release of two books and a play – The Lord Is My Shepherd and He Knows I’m Gay by Rev Troy Perry the title suggesting that God could love gay people; Lesbian Women by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, her first evidence that a long term relationship between two women was possible; and Ntozake Shange’s play For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf, “I found God in myself and I love herfiercely.”  This became the great awakening, the spiritual turning point for Deborah - God made her who she is, a relationship is possible, and God can be found within her as feminine not exclusively masculine….. OMG!!! This confirmed her deep-seeded belief in innate entitlement—she had the right not only to exist, but to have all that everyone else had. This began her journey to freedom. As she started college, the new gay group on campus met at a religious center, technically “off-campus,” but physically located in the center of campus.  Given her background, it seemed heretical for a gay group to meet in a church.  Ironically, in the early days of the movement, a number of gay groups found that the only place they could meet was in a church or religious center.  Initially Deborah was fearful to even pick up a flyer for one of the meetings. Believing Rev MLK Jr “God would not saddle any group with a permanent yoke of inferiority,” she maintained a fierce determination to manifest the prophecy she saw of being an equal citizen. She was prepared to change the entire would to make it so. The old-time Fanny Crosby hymn “Pass me not, O gentle Savior….do not pass me by,” became a solace for her.  Her theology and social thinking changed significantly during these college years.  However, she still lived her life in the closet. To protect her brother and cousin on campus at the same time, Deborah would going out in public with a guy who knew she was gay even though she had a girlfriend. Deborah earned a B.A. degree in economics from USC and an M.B.A. from UCLA.  In her post-college years she began quickly moved into a life of activism.  She served on the board of the Los Angeles Community Services Center beginning in 1979.  The onset of HIV/AIDS dramatically changed the political and sociological landscape.  Up to that point it was simply accepted that gays were outsiders in the Black Church. However, when the Black Church turned its back on so many men dying of AIDS, their family members began to push back on this inhospitality and injustice.  AIDS also brought men and women together in the movement in ways they had not been previously.  Every male member of the LA Center who originally served with Deborah and started the first AIDS organizations all died of the disease.  Lesbians began to emerge in more positions of leadership.  A “Blood Sisters” group was launched to donate blood.  The onslaught of AIDS led to a deeper sense of spiritual community among gay and lesbian networks as we cared for the sick and dying.  Deborah continued to provide leadership in moving both church and society to being more open and inclusive to LGBT persons. She served on the Board of The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force 1991-1996, including as Co-Chair. She served as the co-plaintiff in the landmark 1984 court decision that set the precedence for the inclusion of sexual orientation in the California Civil Rights Bill.  Later in 2007 she was a the successful co-defendant with Gray Davis in defending the state’s Domestic Partnership Act. An important collaborator and mentor in Deborah’s life has been Michael Bernard Beckwith, well-known practitioner of New Global Thought and founder and leader of the Agape International Spiritual Center in southern California.  Deborah and Michael were raised in the same neighborhood and were friends from adolescence and she is a founding member of Agape. Their spiritual journeys ebbed and flowed alongside each other with Michael often serving as a spiritual guide for Deborah. After Michael went to ministerial school and founded his own religious center, Agape International, Deborah did likewise, getting a ministerial degree from the same alma mater Holmes Institute for Consciousness Studies, the Religious Science seminary. In 2014, his seminary awarded her with an honorary Doctorate of Divinity. Having experienced a call to ministry at age 15, Rev. Johnson remained constant over the years in her understanding of the interweavings of the civil/secular and the religious/sacred. She continually espoused the understanding that they cannot be separated, but they must inform each other. Beginning in 1995 she discovered her own prophetic voice.  In a moment of darkness she heard the Voice of the Divine, whispering complete letters to her.  She published some of these letters in a series Letters From the Infinite, currently with two volumes, The Sacred Yes and Your Deepest Intent.  Preparing the letters for publication became an intense spiritual journey of affirmation for Deborah, having to dig deep into her own consciousness in order to become an oracle.  In January 1997, Rev. Deborah started Inner Light Ministries with twice-monthly religious services at the Veterans Hall in downtown Santa Cruz.  Inner Light Ministries is an Omnifaith outreach ministry dedicated to teaching the practical application of Universal Spiritual Principles to all of life’s circumstances.  Johnson espouses a vision of Oneness, beyond creed and doctrine, and feels particularly called to heal the sense of separation between those adhering to conservative and progressive ideologies. Johnson also founded The Motivational Institute, an organizational development consulting firm specializing in cultural diversity serving the public, private, and non-profit sectors. Her clients have ranged from Fortune 500 companies to community based organizations. She is recognized as a dynamic public speaker, known for her ability to bring clarity to complex and emotionally charged issues. Rev. Deborah was inducted into the Board of Preachers of the Martin Luther King Jr. Chapel at Morehouse College which honors clergy for their lifetime work in social justice. She has been a leadership development trainer for the Network of Spiritual Progressives, founded by Rabbi Michael Lerner and the Tikkun Community, Cornel West, and Sister Joan Chittister. As an advocate for continual and lifelong learning, Rev. Deborah has been a faculty member at several institutes of higher learning: UCLA’s Anderson Graduate School of Business Executive Leadership LGBT Diversity Training Institute; Pacific School of Religion; Holmes Institute of Consciousness Studies; and the Agape University of Transformational Studies and Leadership. She has been also an Advisory Council member in the Association of Global New Thought and the Women’s Studies Department at Brandeis University. Her groundbreaking work has been featured in numerous books, magazines, radio, and television programs including Conversations with Neale (Neale Donald Walsch) radio show, Shambhala Sun magazine, Showtime TV’s Black Filmmaker Showcase production Jumpin’ the Broom, the film God and Gays: Bridging the Gap, and ABC Nightline. As a sign of God’s redemption and divine humor, Inner Light Ministries purchased and moved into a former Assemblies of God Church in Santa Cruz in 2003.  That pulpit was instrumental in the founding of Exodus International.  One of the former pastors, Rev Darlene Vogel, was a leader in the ex-gay movement.  For Rev. Deborah this transformation portrays one of the major themes in her life—to go back to the places where there has been hurt, pain and discrimination and bring an inclusive message of love.  (This biographical statement written by Mark Bowman from an interview with Deborah Johnson and from biographical materials on the Inner Light Ministries website with Deborah Johnson editing.) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Deborah Johnson Church of God Deborah Johnson https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/3f128eaf3a7b009859acf46336c72668.jpg 8f3bfe6fb50a7c6a7e365762671f670f Person An individual. Text Any textual data included in the document Debra Lynn Peevey provided this first-person profile statement, "Being Me for 40 Years in the Movement for LGBTQ Inclusion." I’ve always been a seeker.  Born in Southern California in 1953, I sensed from a very young age that there was something more to life than what we could see.  I had no formal religious teaching, except for an errant VBS week in hot Arizona summers when visiting my grandparents in Yuma.  My mother remains an Atheist/scientist who rejected Christianity as a child.  She blossomed in the life of the mind and being curious about the unknown.    I was curious about God, about community and about belonging.  And in college, my deep loneliness sent me on a search to find and experience them.  As part of my registration at UC Berkeley, in the fall of 1971 I filled out a religious preference card and wrote Christian, having been baptized at First Presbyterian Church of Yuma, AZ as an infant.  My card was sent to University Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and they wrote me right back!  It had been awhile since they had had a CAL student drop in their laps.  My student co-op was just down the street from the church on the North side of campus, and I went there my first Sunday in town. It was liberal, had women clergy (1971, remember), was against the peace time draft, for gun control, supported women’s reproductive choice and had a meal program and clothes closet for the poor.  It was a perfect fit for me! I reveled in this congregation and denomination for the first 5 years.  I experienced God, community and belonging there—that might well have saved my life.  But, not having grown up in the church, I had no idea that University Christian Church in Berkeley, CA was not representative of either mainline Protestant Christianity in general, nor the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in particular. And then I came out in June 1976.  Months later, I fell in love with my pastor’s daughter and a year later, followed her into seminary.  And thus began a 40 year journey into and out of the church. We were out when we arrived at Pacific School of Religion.  My coming out to myself was the closest experience I ever had to Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus.  Scales fell from my eyes, an instantaneous life review through the lens of being a lesbian made my life make so much more sense; all the girl crushes and my less than enthusiastic relationships with boys and men.  I knew myself in a totally different light from that moment forward.  And I carried that enthusiasm with me into seminary, without defense against the real church, the real denomination or the real road I was setting out to travel.  In those days, there weren’t any affirming organizations, no Gay Inc. infrastructure, not a faith community on the planet that supported “self avowed practicing homosexuals” and the nascent gay rights movement was largely based on the personal courage of individual gay and lesbian people coming out.  And whatever movement existed, there was a fixed wall between homosexuals and people of faith.  To this day, many Christians’ believe you cannot be LGBTQ and Christian.  In that day, everyone believed it.  Homosexuals lived only underground and constantly in fear of detection, which could mean losing everything.  I was as clueless about this stark reality as I was about the church.  But I made up for my cluelessness with enthusiasm! My enthusiasm carried me a very long way.  It carried me through the Commission on the Ministry meetings when I came out and most of the members had never met a, “self-avowed practicing homosexual.”  And meeting quarterly for the 3 years of Seminary, they came to trust our journey and our calls. We were met with more curiosity than judgment.  They supported us, at risk to their own careers. They trusted that God was working in and through us to open hearts and minds in the church. In 1979, I attended my first General Assembly, where I had my first real experience of the denomination as whole!  In St. Louis—homosexuals and allies met offsite—for the very first time.  A small (half of a 3x5 card) message was tacked to a message board inviting folks to meet by calling a number to get more information.  The card kept being removed and it kept being resurrected.  We met secretly—from seminarians to denominational executives--to begin talking about how to be and build more support.  And at that Assembly, we also voted as a denomination on the blue ribbon panel’s finding that it was outside the will of God to ordain self-avowed practicing homosexuals.  The dozen of us who had met the night before the vote had strategized our presence on the Assembly floor for the vote.  Apparently overnight the strategy changed but I wasn’t in the loop, so I wound up standing alone at the NO microphone to speak out against the resolution.  As I stood there by myself, the loneliness that had brought me to the church, began to seep back into my bones. Shortly after returning to Berkeley, we met with the Commission on the Ministry to talk about how to move forward.  While it could have been the end, fortunately, the polity of the Disciples of Christ is so congregationally based that congregations and regions have local autonomy that can differ from a denominational stand.  Our Commission on the Ministry decided to ask our Northern California Region to vote on an alternative point of view about ordination.  The vote at our Regional Assembly was on this resolution:  We affirm that no one human condition can be an absolute barrier to ordination.  This resolution passed and subsequently opened the door to ordination for my partner and me, as well as others going forward. Seminary was hard.  It was like being tossed in a Cuisianart on chop! Not having grown up in the church, every one of my beliefs had been whispered in my ear by my grandmother.  I believed her, so I believed what she whispered in my ear!  Learning in my first class, on my very first day that King David was a rapist and a murderer did not fit into my Sunday school theology about him being beloved of God and a hero of his day.  I was shaken to my theological core for the next 3 years!  I was fighting for my right to exist.  I was fighting for the tenure of the first Black professor, Dr. Archie Smith as well as the first woman professor, Dr. Karen Lebacqz.  Studying took a back seat to politics, but I made it through at the end. In my second year of seminary, my partner and I met with the Dean of Students, Rev. Barbara Roche to ask for married student housing.  We wanted to move into campus housing to save money and married student housing meant we would share one rent, rather than each having full rent as single students in a dorm room.  Dean Roche had just returned from a General Assembly of the PCUSA where the issue of homosexuality came to such a fevered pitch, that the openly gay and lesbian Presbyterians present needed police escorts for their safety.  She was so shocked at that vitriol and hatred that she determined there and then not to participate in it.  She asked us if we would be married, if we could be married?  I replied, “Would you be willing to marry us, Rev. Roche?”  And she gave us a married student apartment that day!  Our move into the married student apartment building wasn’t without controversy, but overall we were well received. At Pacific School of Religion we worked to include gay and lesbian couples issues in our marriage counseling classes.  We lead chapel and talked about gay rights.  We invited Meg Christian to do a concert in the PSR Chapel that was standing room only.  I remember her finishing her concert, looking up at the cross hanging above the Chancel and getting a very impish look in her eye.  She just had to do one more song about her… Gym Teacher!  We were all on our feet singing along:  “She was a big strong woman, the first to come along, that taught me being female meant you still could be strong….”  Feminist theology was just on the horizon then.  Jerry Falwell had declared war on “self avowed practicing homosexuals.”  Harvey Milk and thousands of us marched in San Francisco Pride.  Shortly thereafter he was assassinated and we turned out 30,000 strong to protest and weep and determined to live out of the closet! And then the process for ordination began in earnest.  I had been the Minister in Training at Lafayette Christian Church from 1979-1980.   The first night I met with the youth group, one of their young members had committed suicide.  It created a bond that remains with some of them, to this day.  We celebrated communion with Coke and cookies—being what we had on hand—and we talked about what it meant to be a member of the Body of Christ.  I was out to the Senior Pastor, Rev. Stan Smith—but we opted not to make my being a lesbian an issue before the members of the church got to know me.  The following year, I came out when I wrote a letter to the Board asking them to support me as a candidate for ministry.  As word leaked out to the entire congregation, there was a cry for an all congregation meeting so they could confront me.  Rather than beginning that way, I was asked to meet with small groups that would be moderated by Elders in the church.  These meetings were excruciating.  Members cried and screamed at me.  They were certain I had molested their children.  They threw scripture at me like venom and brickbats.  Through it all, I did my best to be a model homosexual…polite, reflective, reassuring and reasonable.  After this series of meetings, I had one more hoop to jump.  I had to meet in person with the Board of Directors so they too could question me.  There were supporters and detractors at the meeting and I pretty much knew who was who.  The most significant moment for me was when Elder Joe Young, the only Black member of the Board, sitting across the long table looked at me and said, “Debra, I am so disappointed in you”, (I hadn’t allowed myself to cry at any of the horrible heartbreaking meetings I’d been through…but here tears fell down my face, even as I sat stone faced and listened as he continued to speak). “ I am disappointed in you, because you make me remember what it is like to sit at the head of a table and be seen only as an issue, rather than as a human being.”  His understanding cracked me wide open.  I worked hard to compose myself and thanked him.  I felt like everything I had gone through up to this moment, was worth it.  And then a woman, who had made me a cassock (to cover my impoverished student clothing) cried out at me, wanting to know why I was forcing her to leave her church.  I did my best to point out that she had hundreds of churches she could attend, while there were only a handful that would welcome me.  Her leaving caused us all a lot of pain. And finally the youth representative on the Board stood up to talk about how pivotal my ministry with them had been and how I had only ever acted with complete integrity around them.  They saw my coming out as an extension of that integrity.  When they voted, the vote was 12 in favor, 3 against.  I was beyond exhausted and I was going to be ordained. I insisted on being out in my ordination process because I couldn’t make sense of lying to become a minister; the polity of the denomination made it possible and because I never wanted anyone to be able to say that they wouldn’t have ordained me if they had known.  Everyone suggested I lie.  They knew more of what I would face if I didn’t, but that never seemed like good counsel from a seasoned minister to an aspiring one.  I wrote a paper in my Ethics class based on Adrienne Rich’s book, On Lies, Secrets and Silence.  Once my mom started speaking to me again, two years after I came out to her, she said I insisted on it because I’d never learned to keep my mouth shut!  That is a truth I also cannot deny. My ordination on May 31, 1981 was a wonderful celebration at Lafayette Christian Church, in a community in the East Bay of Northern California. The assembled people of God, the music, the focus on inclusion (even the bulletin was a rainbow!) and the spirit of what we had come through together made the laying on of hands an entire congregational affair! And then as Elder Joe Young and I stood together at the communion table and represented the possibility of love overcoming fear in the history of the church and society, we broke the bread and felt the re-membering of the Body of Christ in our presence. My partner and I had broken up before my last year in seminary.  It was a blow to us and to the seminary community.  I had moved to Seattle, to follow a new relationship and a job.  When I arrived in Seattle—the job I’d been hired for was no longer available.  The Senior Minister neglected to tell me that before I moved, but he did out my new partner to her boss.  I cobbled together two jobs at different congregations, one Disciples the other UCC.  Things in Seattle weren’t great, so I was open to other possibilities. Shortly after my graduation and ordination, I interviewed for jobs in Southern California because our General Assembly met there.  I had two congregations interested in me—which was amazing because women clergy were still relatively rare and few congregations were interested in hiring us.  The interview process in each congregation played out the same way.  At the first interview they loved me!  They had me meet with the youth, the women’s group, and the pulpit committee.  As they prepared to invite me to come back for a second interview, the committee members asked me if there was anything else they should know.  I replied happily, “Yes, I am a lesbian.”  And rather than just showing me the door, or actually remembering that they had thought I was good enough to ask back for a second interview, they screamed at me about needing to seek medical care for their children to make sure I hadn’t molested them, threw scripture at me, and couldn’t get me out the door fast enough.  At the second congregation, the first interview went just as well.  They asked me back for a second interview and when I showed up for it, I could tell something was very wrong.  One of the ministers who was a close friend of my ordaining pastor had outed me to the committee.  When I walked in to the interview room after church, instead of simply telling me that I was no longer a candidate, they asked me if the horrible news was true and when I confirmed it, they proceeded to abuse me with scripture, their fear and loathing and threatened to take me to jail if I had abused any of their children.  This took place as the Senior Pastor, a closeted gay man, sat there and let the abuse continue before asking me to leave. After these experiences of truth telling, I instituted my own don’t ask, don’t tell policy.  I would answer truthfully any interviewing body that asked me if I was a lesbian, but I wasn’t going to tell them if they didn’t ask.  So I headed back to Seattle and to my two jobs, having been shaken to the core.  And a couple of months later, the Regional Minister, the Rev. Bob Brock called and asked if I would like my name given to Findlay Street Christian Church (FSCC) in the south end of Seattle and I told him yes.  Bob also said,  “I hate to send anyone there who thinks they can do anything with that church.”  I didn’t know whether to be insulted or grateful.  Women clergy were more often than not, considered for just such congregations.  1982-1996 The good people of FSCC interviewed me on 10 separate occasions.  And finally they narrowed their search to two candidates, a young man serving in Georgia and me.  If they chose me, they didn’t have to pay moving expenses, so they invited me to preach and stay to meet with the congregation afterward for a potluck.  That same day they held the vote.  The most memorable moment of that day was when a woman asked me if I was sure I was the right man for the job.  I tucked my head and looked inside my dress and assured her that I definitely was not the right man for the job, but if she gave me a chance, I believed I could prove to her I was the right person for the job!  The issue of being a lesbian never came up and I was hired with 90% support of the congregation. I began my ministry at FSCC on July 1, 1982.  It was a small congregation, located in a working class neighborhood in the south end of Seattle, in the most integrated zip code in Washington.  In spite of this, it was a predominantly white congregation and most of the members had supported covenants keeping Jews and Blacks from moving into the nearby neighborhoods that fronted Lake Washington.  Most of the men who worked, worked at Boeing.  Most of the women were older widows.  I was 29.  Five people passed away my first year.  As they watched me sit vigil and bury their friends, they came to see that having a woman minister was going to be OK.  I was active in the community beyond the church.  I helped to organize a women clergy group meeting.  It seemed every denomination had one or two in Seattle!  I was invited to be a Founding Mother for the Women’s Funding Alliance.  We took on United Way to challenge their monopoly on the Combined Federal Campaign.  Gay and lesbian folk began hearing about a lesbian pastor at a small church in the south end and came to the church.  After 5 years of serving in the closet, I was ready to quit.  By then, I had met my partner—now spouse Candy S. Cox-- and she challenged me to stay and try telling the truth again instead of quitting.  So I put things in motion to do just that. I asked an Elder to go a visit a woman who had stopped attending the church.  I had heard from another member that Jody had quit coming because there were homosexuals at the church and she was afraid of AIDS.  So Bob took Jody to lunch and called me immediately and said we needed to meet!  We had lunch later that week and he told me why Jody wasn’t coming any more. He told me that it was my job to make sure none of “them” had leadership positions. And then he told me that the Elders had already met and they wanted to know where I stood on the issue of homosexuality.  I was shaken and I told him I’d get back to him about when I would preach on the subject.  I went home and did a lectionary study and picked the lectionary that began on the first Sunday in Lent, March 15, 1987.  Peter’s Dream in Acts 10:9-16 and the Exodus story were the cornerstone of my sermon. I began my sermon, with great thanks to Candy, talking about the various times the church had stood on the wrong side of history.  People’s lives had been ruined and even lost by the Church’s insistence that the earth was flat, that the earth was the center of the universe, that slavery was Biblically sound, that the Gospel shouldn’t be in the common vernacular, that evolution wasn’t real and that women shouldn’t be ordained.  Each of these culture wars had ended with the church having to concede they were wrong (except the argument about women’s ordination still lingers on).  And now, in 1987 the church had the opportunity to stand on the right side of history by seeing homosexuality as akin to being left handed in a right- handed culture.  When I got to that point in my sermon, people got up and walked out.  Some never returned.  Some stayed to make sure I lost my job, even though I still hadn’t come out.  And the history of FSCC changed irrevocably that day.  And we came to know the living reality of the Exodus and working together to discern how something God once called unclean, could now be known as clean. Lent became real for all of us. Those who stayed felt cast into the wilderness.  Turmoil, uncertainty, and anxiety filled the building and followed us home. The Elders met the next night and could have easily fired me, but instead processed my sermon and created a plan. As Elder after Elder shared their response, I was shocked and awed.  They said if I thought it was important then we should study the issue more.  They said they had loved all the new members up to the point of learning that some were gay and lesbian and it wouldn’t be Christian to stop loving them now.  They said they church hadn’t ever stood up for anything, and maybe this was our chance.  And then one Elder said, “I can’t believe what I am hearing!  It is as if prejudice and bigotry have gotten a bad name in this church! And if that is so, I am prepared to resign!”  The Chair of the Elders said she was ready to accept his resignation, because prejudice and bigotry had no place in the church. And thus began a 6 week long process of small group Bible study and congregational education about homophobia. Suspicions ran high among those who stayed.  Older members insisted on being in the room when the collection was counted to make sure the new members weren’t there to cheat the church.  Some of the laity came out and told their stories.  Members questioned what they had always been taught and were open to seeing the clobber texts in new ways, when viewed through the lens of other scriptures.  25% of the members never came back, but new people started coming when they heard what we were doing. And then Holy Week arrived!  Monday night of Holy Week was the regularly scheduled Board Meeting.  It was the first congregational opportunity to fire me.  I had spent the month coming out to the Elders, so when they voted on whether or not to fire me, they were fully informed.  The mood for the meeting was like a public hanging.  The man who had been my Elder, drove back and forth in front of the church telling people to vote me out.  Yet, he didn’t have the courage of his convictions to come into the building and cast his vote.  45 members attended and 30 could vote.  The one man who could have successfully led the charge against me didn’t, even as he had told me he would vote against me that night.  And because he didn’t lead the charge, my opposition petered out and wasn’t able to muster the votes to fire me.  Instead my ministry was supported, with a vote that was exactly double the vote of my ordination approval, 24-6.  And come Easter morning, we experienced the Resurrection in reality.  We made it through.  We were still standing.  We knew the elation and the fear of the empty tomb.  We wept collectively at what we had been through.  We grieved our losses.  We celebrated our new beginning.  We recognized the presence of the Holy Spirit and be began to build a new way of being church together. Candy and I had long been planning to have a Covenant Ceremony that June 27th during Pride Weekend.  So at the June Board Meeting, I officially came out to the Board.  Most people greeted the news with enthusiasm, and a few more people left.  Now while building a resurrection community, we were also ready to help build a national movement within the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Working with others across the denomination, we helped to found GLAD, the Gay Lesbian and Affirming Disciples organization.  Candy served as a founding board member.  Findlay Street Christian Church became the first Open and Affirming Congregation within this new organization.  Candy announced the formation of GLAD on the floor of the General Assembly in Louisville, Kentucky in October of 1987. In a room of more than 8.000, you could have heard a pin drop!  We went to the National March on Washington en route to the Assembly, where the AIDS Quilt was laid out for the first time.  It was the first and only time I ever wore a collar.  People were amazed to see a minister there.  It was so important for me to be a presence of love and grace to so many whom had been so deeply hurt by the church. Findlay Street continued to grow and flourish after we became Open and Affirming.  We doubled in size and even won prizes for evangelism.  When the National Evangelistic Association called and asked us for the secret to our success, once we told them, they mailed us the certificate rather than helping to tell our story more publicly! I continued my ministry for 5 more years at FSCC.  We were the church that many of the men dying of AIDS chose to come to.  We were the church that those who had broken relationships with the church chose to come to.  We were the church that housed the People of Color Against AIDS Network offices as well as the Community Food Bank.  We gave space to a Black social worker to be a community liaison and to provide help to church members in lieu of rent.  I preached at the first World AIDS Day service at First Baptist Church and I was on local television and in the paper as an open lesbian pastor. Having been part of the national movement within the Disciples as well as very public in Seattle, I became a target for hate mail.  Especially, every time Disciple Renewal—the most conservative group within the denomination-- told our story to point out the moral depravity and decay of the Church.  I came to call myself the Disciple Renewal poster child, as I was their best fundraiser of all time!  I was on the General Board of the denomination at the time and so also had access to denominational leaders.  So many told me I was good for my cause.  And so many supported me in private, but very rarely did as the need increasingly rose to support me in public. After fifteen years of being out, being the only open gay or lesbian minister (the second person openly ordained, the wonderful Rev. Allen Harris was ordained in 1991, ten full years after me) and being exhausted by the national and local hate that came my way, I knew it was time for me to leave.  On the first Sunday in Advent in 1990 I preached on the church being pregnant and being in a time of preparing for new birth, and I heard these words during my pastoral prayer. “You are not the midwife to bring new life to this church.”  And I knew it was true.  I resigned the next Sunday and served til the end of February 1991. I needed extended time to heal.  I left ministry feeling like I had no skin.  The pain stored in my body equaled my body weight.  Blessedly, Candy agreed that I didn’t have to work for a while.  And then she decided to sell her business and take a year off with me.  We travelled some, but mostly I quilted and gardened and worked to regain my strength. A year later, when we both needed to go back to work, Candy found me a job posting at Hospice of Seattle.  I got the job and for the first time in my life and ministry being a lesbian was a plus.  It was during the AIDS crisis and many of the men on hospice were afraid of the church and a chaplain.  But my nurses and social workers were able to tell them about me and then they were so relieved and so in need of God’s grace.  I sat with many parents who did not know their sons were gay, until they learned of their deaths by AIDS.  This was a great transition ministry for me that lasted for 4 years.  During my time at Hospice of Seattle I went back and did post graduate work in spiritual direction at Seattle University.  This was a period of deep healing as well as a time of recognition about how deep my wounds really were. 1996-2006 Candy got a new job in Washington DC, so we moved to Reston, Virginia.  I worked as a spiritual director there, lead lots of retreats for leaders of various congregations as well as women’s retreats.  I kept my foot in the door, but did not join a church and lost my standing in the Disciples.  I simply did not have the stuffing to jump through their appropriate hoops to continue my ministerial credentials.  I felt like the church had left me.  And fortunately, in my time away from parish ministry, I had learned that that wasn’t the same as God leaving me. We lived in Virginia for 10 years.  My first volunteer project there was with the AIDS Quilt.  I volunteered as a quilter and as a fundraiser.  When the entire Quilt was displayed for the last time in 1996, I helped family members and friends make panels for their loved ones and Candy and I had the honor of witnessing President and Mrs. Clinton walk silently among the panels.  He was the first president to ever acknowledge the Quilt.  During that long October weekend, when 44,000 panels were already on display, covering the entire Mall from the Washington Monument to the Capitol building, we also received over 2,500 new panels.  That was 300 more than had been on display in 1987.  I remained a volunteer and helped them develop a successful fundraising campaign. As part of my work at Seattle University, I learned about the Enneagram.  It is a psycho-social-spiritual typology that meets you at the depths you will meet it.  We read a book about it shortly before moving and were interested in learning more.  So while in VA, I participated in the teacher training for Certification in the Riso-Hudson school of the Enneagram.  It continues to be the most important approach to building a life of faithful service that I have ever found.  I use it in my spiritual direction practice as well as for my own spiritual growth and formation.  I am blessed with wonderful teachers and guides. During this deep dive into spiritual direction and leading retreats on adult spiritual formation, Candy leapt into leadership at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF).  She served as Co-Chair on the Board and then worked with their media team.  Fundraising in DC is a heady mix of rubbing shoulders with movie stars and political sheroes and heroes.  Her work in advertising and with the Task Force was a very exciting and fulfilling time of life! 2006-2017 When Candy retired from the advertising business, we decided to move to Mexico.  We were hungry for an adventure and to become citizens of the world.  It was an amazing experience living in a foreign country. After 18 months we knew that living in Mexico wasn’t a long term retirement strategy for us, (though we still hold the dream of living internationally) so we moved back to the states.  We picked Arizona because we did not want to be old and cold and we love the sun!  Six months after moving back, the California Supreme Court ruled that the Constitutional Ban against same sex marriage was illegal!  I proposed to Candy in the car as we listened to the story break on NPR.  We wanted to go to California and get married!  In 1987 when we had our covenant, our families were invited and only one of my brothers had come.  He stood with me.  In 2008, we called every member and they all wanted to be there!  In five weeks we planned everything so that 21 years and 1 day after our covenant, we were legally married in my sister’s back yard on June 28, 2008, with my same brother Neal standing at my side. On our honeymoon, we decided to volunteer full time against Prop 8.  Candy worked with the media team creating amazing videos and I worked with the field team as a field organizer for Santa Barbara County and as one of two state wide Faith Field Organizers, along with the Rev. Lindi Ramsden a UU pastor I knew from seminary.  I had hoped that having been ordained in CA and knowing lots of folks there, I would be able to leverage them and their congregations to be champions for marriage equality.  I was wrong. Working on the NO on Prop 8 campaign was the hardest thing we have ever done.  The best part was Candy and I learning how much we loved working on projects together and forming bonds with the field team that continue strong today. The worst part was losing after pouring our hearts in 17 hours a day for months as well as being reintroduced to the vitriol of Christian’s.  Each side raised $44,000.000 in that campaign, and traveling the state to talk to Christian’s about supporting us had some high notes, but mostly it was a cacophony of hatefulness.  The election of President Barack Obama that same night helped to ease some of our pain. Losing in California was a wake up call to us all!  Marriage Equality was an issue whose time came after the passage of Prop 8.  The entire country was stunned and we saw after losing 32 ballot initiatives in a row, that we needed to change our strategy. And it also signaled a change in my career.  From our work against Prop 8, we began receiving calls to help with various campaigns. In 2009, I was asked to be part of the planning team for and to preach at Believe Out Loud, a first of its kind coming together of the Task Force’s Field Team and the Welcoming Church Program Leaders member’s base.  Each Welcoming Program was tasked with identifying participants to attend and learn the basics of organizing to create public policy change.  For three days organizers and local church members worked together to instill organizing principles and tactics.  Overcoming the resistance to organizing within congregations and communities was and is a very steep climb.  My sermon sought to bridge the gap between these two communities.  Some participants really caught hold of the theory of change that says, change the church, change the world, change the church.  Clips from my sermon are available here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URAgyLlmi8Q">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URAgyLlmi8Q</a>. More Light Presbyterians asked me to join their calling team to have conversations with Presbyterian clergy to end the ban on ordination of LGBT candidates for ministry. Working with Toby Rogers and the Rev. Janet Edwards as well as the Rev. Tricia Dykers Koenig of Covenant Network of Presbyterians, I had conversations with about 500 Presbyterian clergy that summer. We didn’t prevail in passing Amendment 08B, but we lost forward and made it clear that rescinding the ban was possible.  Only 500 votes out of thousands cast separated winning from losing.  Next the Arcus Foundation hired us to evaluate three Welcoming Church Programs.  Arcus had donated a million dollars over the previous 5 years to these three programs and wanted an independent evaluation of their efficacy.  Together we created an interview plan to evaluate Reconciling Ministries Network and their work among the United Methodist Church, Lutherans Concerned and their work in the ELCA, and finally Integrity and the Chicago Consultation and their work within the Episcopal Church.  With the full cooperation of the organizations, I conducted 80 interviews and heard first hand the impact as well as the growing edges of each organization.  In general the evaluations showed that the organizations met or exceeded their granting objectives, and each group was given suggestions for moving forward to enhance the efficacy of their work. More Light called again in 2010 after another resolution had passed the PCUSA General Assembly to rescind the ban on the ordination of LGBT candidates, meaning another national phone campaign to ratify the new Amendment 10A was necessary.  This time I was better prepared and I was able to call many of the same clergy I had two years before.  It was great to catch up!  Candy and I strategized with Tricia again and Candy created a masterful statistical chart that became the heartbeat of the MLP campaign.  I had about 1000 conversations that summer and Candy handled the statistics and the media.  It was clear that we were going to ratify Amendment 10A in early May of 2011, and I’ll never forget the night we reached ratification!  The Moderator of the PCUSA was in Minneapolis and we trusted that the Presbytery of the Twin Cities would vote to ratify.  The entire media plan was based on their voting before Pacific Presbytery did that same night.  But then a huge storm hit Minneapolis and they broke for dinner.  We created a new media plan as we waited, identifying spokespeople in Minnesota and Los Angeles.  Watching Candy at work was inspiring!  Finally the Twin Cities meeting was restarted and the vote to ratify meant the ordination ban on faithful LGBT Presbyterians had come to an end!  All the while we were hosting my mother and sister in the other room for my birthday.  One amazing moment was when Candy asked me to take over preparing dinner because the New York Times was on the phone! In 2012 I received a call from Dr. Sharon Groves, Director of the Human Rights Campaign’s Faith and Religion Program asking if I would be interested in applying for the position of Faith Director of Washington United for Marriage.  It meant moving back to Seattle for 4.5 months to be a member of the Field team.  I applied and was hired. Fortunately, I still had many faith contacts from my 10 years of ministry in Seattle.  I moved in with our dear friends Don and Ann Berrysmith and went to work building a Faith Cabinet, leaders within each denomination who could both advise me and lead work within their own constituencies/denominations to organize and engage teams within local congregations to support the work of the campaign.  Our primary objective was to engage our faith supporters to hold conversations within their congregations and over the phone with voters.  Christian faith organizations were the largest opponents to the ballot initiative and it was my job to mobilize and maximize the voices of people of faith who supported marriage equality because of their faith.  The faith team of Aubrey Thonvold, Stephen Crippen and me created teams within all the expected denominations as well as with Mormons for Marriage Equality and Catholics for Marriage Equality.  All people of faith wore the same button supporting the ballot initiative.  If you consider all the faith wars historically and now, that was a major accomplishment!  We sold out of our first 1,500 buttons and nearly our second batch as well.  Those buttons were responsible for thousands of conversations across the state.  Washington, Maryland and Maine all passed marriage equality ballot measures in one night and Minnesota revoked their Constitutional Marriage ban.  4 ballot victories in one night after 32 straight losses at the ballot box!  Every campaign had a faith director! I came home exhausted!  Right after that campaign, the Rev. Rebecca Voekel of the Institute of Welcoming Resources of the Task Force asked me if I would consider taking a job with them as their Lead Ecumenical Trainer.  The job would be to travel the country working with any/all of the welcoming church programs whenever they held a Building an Inclusive Church workshop.  I would train and be responsible to make sure every participant got connected to their correct denominational program.  We were still committed to building more welcoming congregations in order to empower the members to engage in conversations within their churches and in their communities.  I said no to this request initially because I needed to rest.  It was filled instead by my good friend Alex McNeil.  When he was hired to be the ED of More Light Presbyterians, I then took the job.  I held the post from mid 2014 to the end of 2016.  It was a blessing to work with the organizers at the Task Force (National LGBTQ Task Force by now) as well as the trainers among the denominational welcoming groups.  One of the best nights in my life as a faith organizer, was the last meal I shared with them receiving their gifts of grace and getting to share my heart with them one by one. In 2013, More Light Presbyterians came calling again.  Against my better judgment, both More Light and Covenant Network decided to forward resolutions to the General Assembly in support of removing language prohibiting marriage equality.  Tricia, Candy and I all thought it was a bad idea.  We didn’t think it had a chance of passing the Assembly and would stir up lingering animus of the previous two votes.  We were wrong!  It passed the General Assembly by one of the widest margins ever at the Assembly.  So we got to work.  This time though, because we opted not to make the calls ourselves, but instead to supervise a team of regional coordinators who would use our well honed tactics to build teams within every presbytery possible to do the outreach themselves.  This built empowered communities in each presbytery to work together to create change going forward.  Amendment 14F also passed the presbyteries by a wide margin.  Our work with More Light Presbyterians was complete. In 2014 I applied to be the Faith Director of Why Marriage Matters Arizona!  The ED, Jeremy Zegas and I had worked together on the ballot measure in Washington. My job was to secure faith leaders’ support for marriage equality.  We asked them to write letters, hold press conferences, prayer breakfasts, preach and write letters to the editor about how their faith underscored their support of marriage equality.  On October 17, 2014 the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals threw out the constitutional ban on same sex marriage and Attorney General Tom Horne opted not to appeal.  Candy and I attended the press conference with the Attorney General and hit SEND on my texts to over 100 faith leaders who were ready to deploy to every courthouse in the State of Arizona.  They carried signs that said, “I Stand Ready to Marry You.”   Over 130 marriages took place that day!  Most couples had been waiting decades and were thrilled to be able to marry that day.  Here’s one article about that amazing day:  <a href="http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/politics/2014/10/17/arizona-gay-marriage-ruling/17431229/">http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/politics/2014/10/17/arizona-gay-marriage-ruling/17431229/</a>  We were ready and we celebrated that night with a huge overflow crowd at the UCC Conference Offices in Phoenix and at Grace St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Tucson. From my work on the Why Marriage Matters Arizona campaign, in 2015 I was asked to work with the team from ONE Community, co-founded by CEO and President Angela Hughey.  Angela created OC with her spouse Sheri Owens in 2007 to reach out to the business community to build support for full LGBT inclusion within their organizations. ONE Community’s Unity Pledge is the largest LGBTQ inclusive pledge in the country.  This is her core belief: It’s time to ensure equality for all Arizona employees, residents, and consumers. It’s the right thing to do. It’s good for business. It’s good for the business of Arizona. Her business plan changed when the Arizona State Legislature passed a bill giving businesses the right to discriminate against, including refusing service to LGBT patrons so long as they cited sincerely held religious beliefs.   The bill lingered for 5 days on Gov. Jan Brewer’s desk. During those days, ONE Community, which had the best relationships with businesses across Arizona, mounted a campaign to get the governor to veto SB 1062.  Thus launched a statewide Open for Business to Everyone campaign that distributed 3500 signs statewide (in less than 72 hours) for businesses to display. The sign was downloaded over 100,000 times as well!  Faith communities had also joined in to request the veto. A senior Evangelical pastor, who was in the room told me that he and 4 other Evangelical pastors met with the governor the day she vetoed the bill and in the privacy of her office suggested she veto it too.  It was bad business all the way around for the State.  Gov. Brewer did veto SB 1062, but we have yet to have statewide protections for the LGBT community. I was brought on to build out the faith support for full statewide inclusion.  Together we built a group of 225 faith leaders, including all the mainline denominations, Jews, Muslims and Mormons.  They have written, testified, preached and hosted a powerful curriculum called The Star Activity that puts participants in the life experience shoes of LGBTQ people in a very real way!  Our small team worked with business leaders, faith leaders, public school leaders, medical workers and social service providers to train them in LGBTQ inclusion in the workplace, in the school, and in the public square.  Everyone is always surprised that in 26 states there are still no statewide protections in housing, employment and public accommodations for the LGBTQ community.  I retired as the Lead Ecumenical Trainer of the National LGBTQ Task Force and ONE Community in December 2016.  Since then I have initiated two campaigns.  The first grew organically from the Women’s March on Jan 21, 2017, when 25,000 of us marched in Phoenix and joined marchers from around the world in the largest single protest march in the world. We were all declaring our support for values of inclusion and solidarity in the wake of the election of Donald Trump.  Our local group meets every other week to discuss the issues and write post cards to our congressional representatives.  2 from our group visit the local offices each week.  I also helped to organize an online support campaign for Bishop Karen Oliveto, the first openly LGBTQ Bishop in the United Methodist Church.  We solicited letters from her colleagues from seminary to nationally known faith leaders to speak out in support of both her inspirational leadership, qualifications as well as to end the repression of the LGBTQ community within the United Methodist Church.  Our campaign lives on Facebook at #ToBishopKOwithLove (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/ToBishopKOwithLove/?ref=bookmarks">https://www.facebook.com/ToBishopKOwithLove/?ref=bookmarks</a>). I continue to join Candy and the Rev. Janet Edwards as advisors to the Global Faith and Equality Fund of the Horizons Foundation.  This fund focuses on stemming the exportation of homophobia by faith leaders from the United States primarily to the Global South, and it supports organizations in the US who are doing this essential work.  It is an honor to be a part of this team. This year, Candy and I are celebrating the 30th Anniversary of our covenant in June 1987.  I continue my spiritual direction practice as well as my study and teaching of the Enneagram.  I also love mentoring younger activists! I dream of strategizing with other older activists to discern the importance and place of being grandparents of the movement in this time.  I will do this as time allows.  As we have many interests, frienda and family that call for our attention and our time! While I am still a seeker, I no longer consider myself a Christian.  I’m still curious about sacredness, community and belonging.  And I sit content with what I have experienced and learned and what else beckons us beyond the horizon. Biographical Text Debra Lynn Peevey provided this first-person profile statement, "Being Me for 40 Years in the Movement for LGBTQ Inclusion." I’ve always been a seeker.  Born in Southern California in 1953, I sensed from a very young age that there was something more to life than what we could see.  I had no formal religious teaching, except for an errant VBS week in hot Arizona summers when visiting my grandparents in Yuma.  My mother remains an Atheist/scientist who rejected Christianity as a child.  She blossomed in the life of the mind and being curious about the unknown.    I was curious about God, about community and about belonging.  And in college, my deep loneliness sent me on a search to find and experience them.  As part of my registration at UC Berkeley, in the fall of 1971 I filled out a religious preference card and wrote Christian, having been baptized at First Presbyterian Church of Yuma, AZ as an infant.  My card was sent to University Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and they wrote me right back!  It had been awhile since they had had a CAL student drop in their laps.  My student co-op was just down the street from the church on the North side of campus, and I went there my first Sunday in town. It was liberal, had women clergy (1971, remember), was against the peace time draft, for gun control, supported women’s reproductive choice and had a meal program and clothes closet for the poor.  It was a perfect fit for me! I reveled in this congregation and denomination for the first 5 years.  I experienced God, community and belonging there—that might well have saved my life.  But, not having grown up in the church, I had no idea that University Christian Church in Berkeley, CA was not representative of either mainline Protestant Christianity in general, nor the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in particular. And then I came out in June 1976.  Months later, I fell in love with my pastor’s daughter and a year later, followed her into seminary.  And thus began a 40 year journey into and out of the church. We were out when we arrived at Pacific School of Religion.  My coming out to myself was the closest experience I ever had to Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus.  Scales fell from my eyes, an instantaneous life review through the lens of being a lesbian made my life make so much more sense; all the girl crushes and my less than enthusiastic relationships with boys and men.  I knew myself in a totally different light from that moment forward.  And I carried that enthusiasm with me into seminary, without defense against the real church, the real denomination or the real road I was setting out to travel.  In those days, there weren’t any affirming organizations, no Gay Inc. infrastructure, not a faith community on the planet that supported “self avowed practicing homosexuals” and the nascent gay rights movement was largely based on the personal courage of individual gay and lesbian people coming out.  And whatever movement existed, there was a fixed wall between homosexuals and people of faith.  To this day, many Christians’ believe you cannot be LGBTQ and Christian.  In that day, everyone believed it.  Homosexuals lived only underground and constantly in fear of detection, which could mean losing everything.  I was as clueless about this stark reality as I was about the church.  But I made up for my cluelessness with enthusiasm! My enthusiasm carried me a very long way.  It carried me through the Commission on the Ministry meetings when I came out and most of the members had never met a, “self-avowed practicing homosexual.”  And meeting quarterly for the 3 years of Seminary, they came to trust our journey and our calls. We were met with more curiosity than judgment.  They supported us, at risk to their own careers. They trusted that God was working in and through us to open hearts and minds in the church. In 1979, I attended my first General Assembly, where I had my first real experience of the denomination as whole!  In St. Louis—homosexuals and allies met offsite—for the very first time.  A small (half of a 3x5 card) message was tacked to a message board inviting folks to meet by calling a number to get more information.  The card kept being removed and it kept being resurrected.  We met secretly—from seminarians to denominational executives--to begin talking about how to be and build more support.  And at that Assembly, we also voted as a denomination on the blue ribbon panel’s finding that it was outside the will of God to ordain self-avowed practicing homosexuals.  The dozen of us who had met the night before the vote had strategized our presence on the Assembly floor for the vote.  Apparently overnight the strategy changed but I wasn’t in the loop, so I wound up standing alone at the NO microphone to speak out against the resolution.  As I stood there by myself, the loneliness that had brought me to the church, began to seep back into my bones. Shortly after returning to Berkeley, we met with the Commission on the Ministry to talk about how to move forward.  While it could have been the end, fortunately, the polity of the Disciples of Christ is so congregationally based that congregations and regions have local autonomy that can differ from a denominational stand.  Our Commission on the Ministry decided to ask our Northern California Region to vote on an alternative point of view about ordination.  The vote at our Regional Assembly was on this resolution:  We affirm that no one human condition can be an absolute barrier to ordination.  This resolution passed and subsequently opened the door to ordination for my partner and me, as well as others going forward. Seminary was hard.  It was like being tossed in a Cuisianart on chop! Not having grown up in the church, every one of my beliefs had been whispered in my ear by my grandmother.  I believed her, so I believed what she whispered in my ear!  Learning in my first class, on my very first day that King David was a rapist and a murderer did not fit into my Sunday school theology about him being beloved of God and a hero of his day.  I was shaken to my theological core for the next 3 years!  I was fighting for my right to exist.  I was fighting for the tenure of the first Black professor, Dr. Archie Smith as well as the first woman professor, Dr. Karen Lebacqz.  Studying took a back seat to politics, but I made it through at the end. In my second year of seminary, my partner and I met with the Dean of Students, Rev. Barbara Roche to ask for married student housing.  We wanted to move into campus housing to save money and married student housing meant we would share one rent, rather than each having full rent as single students in a dorm room.  Dean Roche had just returned from a General Assembly of the PCUSA where the issue of homosexuality came to such a fevered pitch, that the openly gay and lesbian Presbyterians present needed police escorts for their safety.  She was so shocked at that vitriol and hatred that she determined there and then not to participate in it.  She asked us if we would be married, if we could be married?  I replied, “Would you be willing to marry us, Rev. Roche?”  And she gave us a married student apartment that day!  Our move into the married student apartment building wasn’t without controversy, but overall we were well received. At Pacific School of Religion we worked to include gay and lesbian couples issues in our marriage counseling classes.  We lead chapel and talked about gay rights.  We invited Meg Christian to do a concert in the PSR Chapel that was standing room only.  I remember her finishing her concert, looking up at the cross hanging above the Chancel and getting a very impish look in her eye.  She just had to do one more song about her… Gym Teacher!  We were all on our feet singing along:  “She was a big strong woman, the first to come along, that taught me being female meant you still could be strong….”  Feminist theology was just on the horizon then.  Jerry Falwell had declared war on “self avowed practicing homosexuals.”  Harvey Milk and thousands of us marched in San Francisco Pride.  Shortly thereafter he was assassinated and we turned out 30,000 strong to protest and weep and determined to live out of the closet! And then the process for ordination began in earnest.  I had been the Minister in Training at Lafayette Christian Church from 1979-1980.   The first night I met with the youth group, one of their young members had committed suicide.  It created a bond that remains with some of them, to this day.  We celebrated communion with Coke and cookies—being what we had on hand—and we talked about what it meant to be a member of the Body of Christ.  I was out to the Senior Pastor, Rev. Stan Smith—but we opted not to make my being a lesbian an issue before the members of the church got to know me.  The following year, I came out when I wrote a letter to the Board asking them to support me as a candidate for ministry.  As word leaked out to the entire congregation, there was a cry for an all congregation meeting so they could confront me.  Rather than beginning that way, I was asked to meet with small groups that would be moderated by Elders in the church.  These meetings were excruciating.  Members cried and screamed at me.  They were certain I had molested their children.  They threw scripture at me like venom and brickbats.  Through it all, I did my best to be a model homosexual…polite, reflective, reassuring and reasonable.  After this series of meetings, I had one more hoop to jump.  I had to meet in person with the Board of Directors so they too could question me.  There were supporters and detractors at the meeting and I pretty much knew who was who.  The most significant moment for me was when Elder Joe Young, the only Black member of the Board, sitting across the long table looked at me and said, “Debra, I am so disappointed in you”, (I hadn’t allowed myself to cry at any of the horrible heartbreaking meetings I’d been through…but here tears fell down my face, even as I sat stone faced and listened as he continued to speak). “ I am disappointed in you, because you make me remember what it is like to sit at the head of a table and be seen only as an issue, rather than as a human being.”  His understanding cracked me wide open.  I worked hard to compose myself and thanked him.  I felt like everything I had gone through up to this moment, was worth it.  And then a woman, who had made me a cassock (to cover my impoverished student clothing) cried out at me, wanting to know why I was forcing her to leave her church.  I did my best to point out that she had hundreds of churches she could attend, while there were only a handful that would welcome me.  Her leaving caused us all a lot of pain. And finally the youth representative on the Board stood up to talk about how pivotal my ministry with them had been and how I had only ever acted with complete integrity around them.  They saw my coming out as an extension of that integrity.  When they voted, the vote was 12 in favor, 3 against.  I was beyond exhausted and I was going to be ordained. I insisted on being out in my ordination process because I couldn’t make sense of lying to become a minister; the polity of the denomination made it possible and because I never wanted anyone to be able to say that they wouldn’t have ordained me if they had known.  Everyone suggested I lie.  They knew more of what I would face if I didn’t, but that never seemed like good counsel from a seasoned minister to an aspiring one.  I wrote a paper in my Ethics class based on Adrienne Rich’s book, On Lies, Secrets and Silence.  Once my mom started speaking to me again, two years after I came out to her, she said I insisted on it because I’d never learned to keep my mouth shut!  That is a truth I also cannot deny. My ordination on May 31, 1981 was a wonderful celebration at Lafayette Christian Church, in a community in the East Bay of Northern California. The assembled people of God, the music, the focus on inclusion (even the bulletin was a rainbow!) and the spirit of what we had come through together made the laying on of hands an entire congregational affair! And then as Elder Joe Young and I stood together at the communion table and represented the possibility of love overcoming fear in the history of the church and society, we broke the bread and felt the re-membering of the Body of Christ in our presence. My partner and I had broken up before my last year in seminary.  It was a blow to us and to the seminary community.  I had moved to Seattle, to follow a new relationship and a job.  When I arrived in Seattle—the job I’d been hired for was no longer available.  The Senior Minister neglected to tell me that before I moved, but he did out my new partner to her boss.  I cobbled together two jobs at different congregations, one Disciples the other UCC.  Things in Seattle weren’t great, so I was open to other possibilities. Shortly after my graduation and ordination, I interviewed for jobs in Southern California because our General Assembly met there.  I had two congregations interested in me—which was amazing because women clergy were still relatively rare and few congregations were interested in hiring us.  The interview process in each congregation played out the same way.  At the first interview they loved me!  They had me meet with the youth, the women’s group, and the pulpit committee.  As they prepared to invite me to come back for a second interview, the committee members asked me if there was anything else they should know.  I replied happily, “Yes, I am a lesbian.”  And rather than just showing me the door, or actually remembering that they had thought I was good enough to ask back for a second interview, they screamed at me about needing to seek medical care for their children to make sure I hadn’t molested them, threw scripture at me, and couldn’t get me out the door fast enough.  At the second congregation, the first interview went just as well.  They asked me back for a second interview and when I showed up for it, I could tell something was very wrong.  One of the ministers who was a close friend of my ordaining pastor had outed me to the committee.  When I walked in to the interview room after church, instead of simply telling me that I was no longer a candidate, they asked me if the horrible news was true and when I confirmed it, they proceeded to abuse me with scripture, their fear and loathing and threatened to take me to jail if I had abused any of their children.  This took place as the Senior Pastor, a closeted gay man, sat there and let the abuse continue before asking me to leave. After these experiences of truth telling, I instituted my own don’t ask, don’t tell policy.  I would answer truthfully any interviewing body that asked me if I was a lesbian, but I wasn’t going to tell them if they didn’t ask.  So I headed back to Seattle and to my two jobs, having been shaken to the core.  And a couple of months later, the Regional Minister, the Rev. Bob Brock called and asked if I would like my name given to Findlay Street Christian Church (FSCC) in the south end of Seattle and I told him yes.  Bob also said,  “I hate to send anyone there who thinks they can do anything with that church.”  I didn’t know whether to be insulted or grateful.  Women clergy were more often than not, considered for just such congregations.  1982-1996 The good people of FSCC interviewed me on 10 separate occasions.  And finally they narrowed their search to two candidates, a young man serving in Georgia and me.  If they chose me, they didn’t have to pay moving expenses, so they invited me to preach and stay to meet with the congregation afterward for a potluck.  That same day they held the vote.  The most memorable moment of that day was when a woman asked me if I was sure I was the right man for the job.  I tucked my head and looked inside my dress and assured her that I definitely was not the right man for the job, but if she gave me a chance, I believed I could prove to her I was the right person for the job!  The issue of being a lesbian never came up and I was hired with 90% support of the congregation. I began my ministry at FSCC on July 1, 1982.  It was a small congregation, located in a working class neighborhood in the south end of Seattle, in the most integrated zip code in Washington.  In spite of this, it was a predominantly white congregation and most of the members had supported covenants keeping Jews and Blacks from moving into the nearby neighborhoods that fronted Lake Washington.  Most of the men who worked, worked at Boeing.  Most of the women were older widows.  I was 29.  Five people passed away my first year.  As they watched me sit vigil and bury their friends, they came to see that having a woman minister was going to be OK.  I was active in the community beyond the church.  I helped to organize a women clergy group meeting.  It seemed every denomination had one or two in Seattle!  I was invited to be a Founding Mother for the Women’s Funding Alliance.  We took on United Way to challenge their monopoly on the Combined Federal Campaign.  Gay and lesbian folk began hearing about a lesbian pastor at a small church in the south end and came to the church.  After 5 years of serving in the closet, I was ready to quit.  By then, I had met my partner—now spouse Candy S. Cox-- and she challenged me to stay and try telling the truth again instead of quitting.  So I put things in motion to do just that. I asked an Elder to go a visit a woman who had stopped attending the church.  I had heard from another member that Jody had quit coming because there were homosexuals at the church and she was afraid of AIDS.  So Bob took Jody to lunch and called me immediately and said we needed to meet!  We had lunch later that week and he told me why Jody wasn’t coming any more. He told me that it was my job to make sure none of “them” had leadership positions. And then he told me that the Elders had already met and they wanted to know where I stood on the issue of homosexuality.  I was shaken and I told him I’d get back to him about when I would preach on the subject.  I went home and did a lectionary study and picked the lectionary that began on the first Sunday in Lent, March 15, 1987.  Peter’s Dream in Acts 10:9-16 and the Exodus story were the cornerstone of my sermon. I began my sermon, with great thanks to Candy, talking about the various times the church had stood on the wrong side of history.  People’s lives had been ruined and even lost by the Church’s insistence that the earth was flat, that the earth was the center of the universe, that slavery was Biblically sound, that the Gospel shouldn’t be in the common vernacular, that evolution wasn’t real and that women shouldn’t be ordained.  Each of these culture wars had ended with the church having to concede they were wrong (except the argument about women’s ordination still lingers on).  And now, in 1987 the church had the opportunity to stand on the right side of history by seeing homosexuality as akin to being left handed in a right- handed culture.  When I got to that point in my sermon, people got up and walked out.  Some never returned.  Some stayed to make sure I lost my job, even though I still hadn’t come out.  And the history of FSCC changed irrevocably that day.  And we came to know the living reality of the Exodus and working together to discern how something God once called unclean, could now be known as clean. Lent became real for all of us. Those who stayed felt cast into the wilderness.  Turmoil, uncertainty, and anxiety filled the building and followed us home. The Elders met the next night and could have easily fired me, but instead processed my sermon and created a plan. As Elder after Elder shared their response, I was shocked and awed.  They said if I thought it was important then we should study the issue more.  They said they had loved all the new members up to the point of learning that some were gay and lesbian and it wouldn’t be Christian to stop loving them now.  They said they church hadn’t ever stood up for anything, and maybe this was our chance.  And then one Elder said, “I can’t believe what I am hearing!  It is as if prejudice and bigotry have gotten a bad name in this church! And if that is so, I am prepared to resign!”  The Chair of the Elders said she was ready to accept his resignation, because prejudice and bigotry had no place in the church. And thus began a 6 week long process of small group Bible study and congregational education about homophobia. Suspicions ran high among those who stayed.  Older members insisted on being in the room when the collection was counted to make sure the new members weren’t there to cheat the church.  Some of the laity came out and told their stories.  Members questioned what they had always been taught and were open to seeing the clobber texts in new ways, when viewed through the lens of other scriptures.  25% of the members never came back, but new people started coming when they heard what we were doing. And then Holy Week arrived!  Monday night of Holy Week was the regularly scheduled Board Meeting.  It was the first congregational opportunity to fire me.  I had spent the month coming out to the Elders, so when they voted on whether or not to fire me, they were fully informed.  The mood for the meeting was like a public hanging.  The man who had been my Elder, drove back and forth in front of the church telling people to vote me out.  Yet, he didn’t have the courage of his convictions to come into the building and cast his vote.  45 members attended and 30 could vote.  The one man who could have successfully led the charge against me didn’t, even as he had told me he would vote against me that night.  And because he didn’t lead the charge, my opposition petered out and wasn’t able to muster the votes to fire me.  Instead my ministry was supported, with a vote that was exactly double the vote of my ordination approval, 24-6.  And come Easter morning, we experienced the Resurrection in reality.  We made it through.  We were still standing.  We knew the elation and the fear of the empty tomb.  We wept collectively at what we had been through.  We grieved our losses.  We celebrated our new beginning.  We recognized the presence of the Holy Spirit and be began to build a new way of being church together. Candy and I had long been planning to have a Covenant Ceremony that June 27th during Pride Weekend.  So at the June Board Meeting, I officially came out to the Board.  Most people greeted the news with enthusiasm, and a few more people left.  Now while building a resurrection community, we were also ready to help build a national movement within the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Working with others across the denomination, we helped to found GLAD, the Gay Lesbian and Affirming Disciples organization.  Candy served as a founding board member.  Findlay Street Christian Church became the first Open and Affirming Congregation within this new organization.  Candy announced the formation of GLAD on the floor of the General Assembly in Louisville, Kentucky in October of 1987. In a room of more than 8.000, you could have heard a pin drop!  We went to the National March on Washington en route to the Assembly, where the AIDS Quilt was laid out for the first time.  It was the first and only time I ever wore a collar.  People were amazed to see a minister there.  It was so important for me to be a presence of love and grace to so many whom had been so deeply hurt by the church. Findlay Street continued to grow and flourish after we became Open and Affirming.  We doubled in size and even won prizes for evangelism.  When the National Evangelistic Association called and asked us for the secret to our success, once we told them, they mailed us the certificate rather than helping to tell our story more publicly! I continued my ministry for 5 more years at FSCC.  We were the church that many of the men dying of AIDS chose to come to.  We were the church that those who had broken relationships with the church chose to come to.  We were the church that housed the People of Color Against AIDS Network offices as well as the Community Food Bank.  We gave space to a Black social worker to be a community liaison and to provide help to church members in lieu of rent.  I preached at the first World AIDS Day service at First Baptist Church and I was on local television and in the paper as an open lesbian pastor. Having been part of the national movement within the Disciples as well as very public in Seattle, I became a target for hate mail.  Especially, every time Disciple Renewal—the most conservative group within the denomination-- told our story to point out the moral depravity and decay of the Church.  I came to call myself the Disciple Renewal poster child, as I was their best fundraiser of all time!  I was on the General Board of the denomination at the time and so also had access to denominational leaders.  So many told me I was good for my cause.  And so many supported me in private, but very rarely did as the need increasingly rose to support me in public. After fifteen years of being out, being the only open gay or lesbian minister (the second person openly ordained, the wonderful <a href="http://exhibits.lgbtran.org/exhibits/show/rolling-the-stone-away/item/1398">Rev. Allen Harris</a> was ordained in 1991, ten full years after me) and being exhausted by the national and local hate that came my way, I knew it was time for me to leave.  On the first Sunday in Advent in 1990 I preached on the church being pregnant and being in a time of preparing for new birth, and I heard these words during my pastoral prayer. “You are not the midwife to bring new life to this church.”  And I knew it was true.  I resigned the next Sunday and served til the end of February 1991. I needed extended time to heal.  I left ministry feeling like I had no skin.  The pain stored in my body equaled my body weight.  Blessedly, Candy agreed that I didn’t have to work for a while.  And then she decided to sell her business and take a year off with me.  We travelled some, but mostly I quilted and gardened and worked to regain my strength. A year later, when we both needed to go back to work, Candy found me a job posting at Hospice of Seattle.  I got the job and for the first time in my life and ministry being a lesbian was a plus.  It was during the AIDS crisis and many of the men on hospice were afraid of the church and a chaplain.  But my nurses and social workers were able to tell them about me and then they were so relieved and so in need of God’s grace.  I sat with many parents who did not know their sons were gay, until they learned of their deaths by AIDS.  This was a great transition ministry for me that lasted for 4 years.  During my time at Hospice of Seattle I went back and did post graduate work in spiritual direction at Seattle University.  This was a period of deep healing as well as a time of recognition about how deep my wounds really were. 1996-2006 Candy got a new job in Washington DC, so we moved to Reston, Virginia.  I worked as a spiritual director there, lead lots of retreats for leaders of various congregations as well as women’s retreats.  I kept my foot in the door, but did not join a church and lost my standing in the Disciples.  I simply did not have the stuffing to jump through their appropriate hoops to continue my ministerial credentials.  I felt like the church had left me.  And fortunately, in my time away from parish ministry, I had learned that that wasn’t the same as God leaving me. We lived in Virginia for 10 years.  My first volunteer project there was with the AIDS Quilt.  I volunteered as a quilter and as a fundraiser.  When the entire Quilt was displayed for the last time in 1996, I helped family members and friends make panels for their loved ones and Candy and I had the honor of witnessing President and Mrs. Clinton walk silently among the panels.  He was the first president to ever acknowledge the Quilt.  During that long October weekend, when 44,000 panels were already on display, covering the entire Mall from the Washington Monument to the Capitol building, we also received over 2,500 new panels.  That was 300 more than had been on display in 1987.  I remained a volunteer and helped them develop a successful fundraising campaign. As part of my work at Seattle University, I learned about the Enneagram.  It is a psycho-social-spiritual typology that meets you at the depths you will meet it.  We read a book about it shortly before moving and were interested in learning more.  So while in VA, I participated in the teacher training for Certification in the Riso-Hudson school of the Enneagram.  It continues to be the most important approach to building a life of faithful service that I have ever found.  I use it in my spiritual direction practice as well as for my own spiritual growth and formation.  I am blessed with wonderful teachers and guides. During this deep dive into spiritual direction and leading retreats on adult spiritual formation, Candy leapt into leadership at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF).  She served as Co-Chair on the Board and then worked with their media team.  Fundraising in DC is a heady mix of rubbing shoulders with movie stars and political sheroes and heroes.  Her work in advertising and with the Task Force was a very exciting and fulfilling time of life! 2006-2017 When Candy retired from the advertising business, we decided to move to Mexico.  We were hungry for an adventure and to become citizens of the world.  It was an amazing experience living in a foreign country. After 18 months we knew that living in Mexico wasn’t a long term retirement strategy for us, (though we still hold the dream of living internationally) so we moved back to the states.  We picked Arizona because we did not want to be old and cold and we love the sun!  Six months after moving back, the California Supreme Court ruled that the Constitutional Ban against same sex marriage was illegal!  I proposed to Candy in the car as we listened to the story break on NPR.  We wanted to go to California and get married!  In 1987 when we had our covenant, our families were invited and only one of my brothers had come.  He stood with me.  In 2008, we called every member and they all wanted to be there!  In five weeks we planned everything so that 21 years and 1 day after our covenant, we were legally married in my sister’s back yard on June 28, 2008, with my same brother Neal standing at my side. On our honeymoon, we decided to volunteer full time against Prop 8.  Candy worked with the media team creating amazing videos and I worked with the field team as a field organizer for Santa Barbara County and as one of two state wide Faith Field Organizers, along with the Rev. Lindi Ramsden a UU pastor I knew from seminary.  I had hoped that having been ordained in CA and knowing lots of folks there, I would be able to leverage them and their congregations to be champions for marriage equality.  I was wrong. Working on the NO on Prop 8 campaign was the hardest thing we have ever done.  The best part was Candy and I learning how much we loved working on projects together and forming bonds with the field team that continue strong today. The worst part was losing after pouring our hearts in 17 hours a day for months as well as being reintroduced to the vitriol of Christian’s.  Each side raised $44,000.000 in that campaign, and traveling the state to talk to Christian’s about supporting us had some high notes, but mostly it was a cacophony of hatefulness.  The election of President Barack Obama that same night helped to ease some of our pain. Losing in California was a wake up call to us all!  Marriage Equality was an issue whose time came after the passage of Prop 8.  The entire country was stunned and we saw after losing 32 ballot initiatives in a row, that we needed to change our strategy. And it also signaled a change in my career.  From our work against Prop 8, we began receiving calls to help with various campaigns. In 2009, I was asked to be part of the planning team for and to preach at Believe Out Loud, a first of its kind coming together of the Task Force’s Field Team and the Welcoming Church Program Leaders member’s base.  Each Welcoming Program was tasked with identifying participants to attend and learn the basics of organizing to create public policy change.  For three days organizers and local church members worked together to instill organizing principles and tactics.  Overcoming the resistance to organizing within congregations and communities was and is a very steep climb.  My sermon sought to bridge the gap between these two communities.  Some participants really caught hold of the theory of change that says, change the church, change the world, change the church.  Clips from my sermon are available here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URAgyLlmi8Q">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URAgyLlmi8Q</a>. More Light Presbyterians asked me to join their calling team to have conversations with Presbyterian clergy to end the ban on ordination of LGBT candidates for ministry. Working with Toby Rogers and the Rev. Janet Edwards as well as the Rev. Tricia Dykers Koenig of Covenant Network of Presbyterians, I had conversations with about 500 Presbyterian clergy that summer. We didn’t prevail in passing Amendment 08B, but we lost forward and made it clear that rescinding the ban was possible.  Only 500 votes out of thousands cast separated winning from losing.  Next the Arcus Foundation hired us to evaluate three Welcoming Church Programs.  Arcus had donated a million dollars over the previous 5 years to these three programs and wanted an independent evaluation of their efficacy.  Together we created an interview plan to evaluate Reconciling Ministries Network and their work among the United Methodist Church, Lutherans Concerned and their work in the ELCA, and finally Integrity and the Chicago Consultation and their work within the Episcopal Church.  With the full cooperation of the organizations, I conducted 80 interviews and heard first hand the impact as well as the growing edges of each organization.  In general the evaluations showed that the organizations met or exceeded their granting objectives, and each group was given suggestions for moving forward to enhance the efficacy of their work. More Light called again in 2010 after another resolution had passed the PCUSA General Assembly to rescind the ban on the ordination of LGBT candidates, meaning another national phone campaign to ratify the new Amendment 10A was necessary.  This time I was better prepared and I was able to call many of the same clergy I had two years before.  It was great to catch up!  Candy and I strategized with Tricia again and Candy created a masterful statistical chart that became the heartbeat of the MLP campaign.  I had about 1000 conversations that summer and Candy handled the statistics and the media.  It was clear that we were going to ratify Amendment 10A in early May of 2011, and I’ll never forget the night we reached ratification!  The Moderator of the PCUSA was in Minneapolis and we trusted that the Presbytery of the Twin Cities would vote to ratify.  The entire media plan was based on their voting before Pacific Presbytery did that same night.  But then a huge storm hit Minneapolis and they broke for dinner.  We created a new media plan as we waited, identifying spokespeople in Minnesota and Los Angeles.  Watching Candy at work was inspiring!  Finally the Twin Cities meeting was restarted and the vote to ratify meant the ordination ban on faithful LGBT Presbyterians had come to an end!  All the while we were hosting my mother and sister in the other room for my birthday.  One amazing moment was when Candy asked me to take over preparing dinner because the New York Times was on the phone! In 2012 I received a call from Dr. Sharon Groves, Director of the Human Rights Campaign’s Faith and Religion Program asking if I would be interested in applying for the position of Faith Director of Washington United for Marriage.  It meant moving back to Seattle for 4.5 months to be a member of the Field team.  I applied and was hired. Fortunately, I still had many faith contacts from my 10 years of ministry in Seattle.  I moved in with our dear friends Don and Ann Berrysmith and went to work building a Faith Cabinet, leaders within each denomination who could both advise me and lead work within their own constituencies/denominations to organize and engage teams within local congregations to support the work of the campaign.  Our primary objective was to engage our faith supporters to hold conversations within their congregations and over the phone with voters.  Christian faith organizations were the largest opponents to the ballot initiative and it was my job to mobilize and maximize the voices of people of faith who supported marriage equality because of their faith.  The faith team of Aubrey Thonvold, Stephen Crippen and me created teams within all the expected denominations as well as with Mormons for Marriage Equality and Catholics for Marriage Equality.  All people of faith wore the same button supporting the ballot initiative.  If you consider all the faith wars historically and now, that was a major accomplishment!  We sold out of our first 1,500 buttons and nearly our second batch as well.  Those buttons were responsible for thousands of conversations across the state.  Washington, Maryland and Maine all passed marriage equality ballot measures in one night and Minnesota revoked their Constitutional Marriage ban.  4 ballot victories in one night after 32 straight losses at the ballot box!  Every campaign had a faith director! I came home exhausted!  Right after that campaign, the Rev. Rebecca Voekel of the Institute of Welcoming Resources of the Task Force asked me if I would consider taking a job with them as their Lead Ecumenical Trainer.  The job would be to travel the country working with any/all of the welcoming church programs whenever they held a Building an Inclusive Church workshop.  I would train and be responsible to make sure every participant got connected to their correct denominational program.  We were still committed to building more welcoming congregations in order to empower the members to engage in conversations within their churches and in their communities.  I said no to this request initially because I needed to rest.  It was filled instead by my good friend <a href="http://exhibits.lgbtran.org/exhibits/show/rolling-the-stone-away/item/1396">Alex McNeil</a>.  When he was hired to be the ED of More Light Presbyterians, I then took the job.  I held the post from mid 2014 to the end of 2016.  It was a blessing to work with the organizers at the Task Force (National LGBTQ Task Force by now) as well as the trainers among the denominational welcoming groups.  One of the best nights in my life as a faith organizer, was the last meal I shared with them receiving their gifts of grace and getting to share my heart with them one by one. In 2013, More Light Presbyterians came calling again.  Against my better judgment, both More Light and Covenant Network decided to forward resolutions to the General Assembly in support of removing language prohibiting marriage equality.  Tricia, Candy and I all thought it was a bad idea.  We didn’t think it had a chance of passing the Assembly and would stir up lingering animus of the previous two votes.  We were wrong!  It passed the General Assembly by one of the widest margins ever at the Assembly.  So we got to work.  This time though, because we opted not to make the calls ourselves, but instead to supervise a team of regional coordinators who would use our well honed tactics to build teams within every presbytery possible to do the outreach themselves.  This built empowered communities in each presbytery to work together to create change going forward.  Amendment 14F also passed the presbyteries by a wide margin.  Our work with More Light Presbyterians was complete. In 2014 I applied to be the Faith Director of Why Marriage Matters Arizona!  The ED, Jeremy Zegas and I had worked together on the ballot measure in Washington. My job was to secure faith leaders’ support for marriage equality.  We asked them to write letters, hold press conferences, prayer breakfasts, preach and write letters to the editor about how their faith underscored their support of marriage equality.  On October 17, 2014 the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals threw out the constitutional ban on same sex marriage and Attorney General Tom Horne opted not to appeal.  Candy and I attended the press conference with the Attorney General and hit SEND on my texts to over 100 faith leaders who were ready to deploy to every courthouse in the State of Arizona.  They carried signs that said, “I Stand Ready to Marry You.”   Over 130 marriages took place that day!  Most couples had been waiting decades and were thrilled to be able to marry that day.  Here’s one article about that amazing day:  <a href="http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/politics/2014/10/17/arizona-gay-marriage-ruling/17431229/">http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/politics/2014/10/17/arizona-gay-marriage-ruling/17431229/</a>  We were ready and we celebrated that night with a huge overflow crowd at the UCC Conference Offices in Phoenix and at Grace St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Tucson. From my work on the Why Marriage Matters Arizona campaign, in 2015 I was asked to work with the team from ONE Community, co-founded by CEO and President Angela Hughey.  Angela created OC with her spouse Sheri Owens in 2007 to reach out to the business community to build support for full LGBT inclusion within their organizations. ONE Community’s Unity Pledge is the largest LGBTQ inclusive pledge in the country.  This is her core belief: It’s time to ensure equality for all Arizona employees, residents, and consumers. It’s the right thing to do. It’s good for business. It’s good for the business of Arizona. Her business plan changed when the Arizona State Legislature passed a bill giving businesses the right to discriminate against, including refusing service to LGBT patrons so long as they cited sincerely held religious beliefs.   The bill lingered for 5 days on Gov. Jan Brewer’s desk. During those days, ONE Community, which had the best relationships with businesses across Arizona, mounted a campaign to get the governor to veto SB 1062.  Thus launched a statewide Open for Business to Everyone campaign that distributed 3500 signs statewide (in less than 72 hours) for businesses to display. The sign was downloaded over 100,000 times as well!  Faith communities had also joined in to request the veto. A senior Evangelical pastor, who was in the room told me that he and 4 other Evangelical pastors met with the governor the day she vetoed the bill and in the privacy of her office suggested she veto it too.  It was bad business all the way around for the State.  Gov. Brewer did veto SB 1062, but we have yet to have statewide protections for the LGBT community. I was brought on to build out the faith support for full statewide inclusion.  Together we built a group of 225 faith leaders, including all the mainline denominations, Jews, Muslims and Mormons.  They have written, testified, preached and hosted a powerful curriculum called The Star Activity that puts participants in the life experience shoes of LGBTQ people in a very real way!  Our small team worked with business leaders, faith leaders, public school leaders, medical workers and social service providers to train them in LGBTQ inclusion in the workplace, in the school, and in the public square.  Everyone is always surprised that in 26 states there are still no statewide protections in housing, employment and public accommodations for the LGBTQ community.  I retired as the Lead Ecumenical Trainer of the National LGBTQ Task Force and ONE Community in December 2016.  Since then I have initiated two campaigns.  The first grew organically from the Women’s March on Jan 21, 2017, when 25,000 of us marched in Phoenix and joined marchers from around the world in the largest single protest march in the world. We were all declaring our support for values of inclusion and solidarity in the wake of the election of Donald Trump.  Our local group meets every other week to discuss the issues and write post cards to our congressional representatives.  2 from our group visit the local offices each week.  I also helped to organize an online support campaign for Bishop Karen Oliveto, the first openly LGBTQ Bishop in the United Methodist Church.  We solicited letters from her colleagues from seminary to nationally known faith leaders to speak out in support of both her inspirational leadership, qualifications as well as to end the repression of the LGBTQ community within the United Methodist Church.  Our campaign lives on Facebook at #ToBishopKOwithLove (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/ToBishopKOwithLove/?ref=bookmarks">https://www.facebook.com/ToBishopKOwithLove/?ref=bookmarks</a>). I continue to join Candy and the Rev. Janet Edwards as advisors to the Global Faith and Equality Fund of the Horizons Foundation.  This fund focuses on stemming the exportation of homophobia by faith leaders from the United States primarily to the Global South, and it supports organizations in the US who are doing this essential work.  It is an honor to be a part of this team. This year, Candy and I are celebrating the 30th Anniversary of our covenant in June 1987.  I continue my spiritual direction practice as well as my study and teaching of the Enneagram.  I also love mentoring younger activists! I dream of strategizing with other older activists to discern the importance and place of being grandparents of the movement in this time.  I will do this as time allows.  As we have many interests, frienda and family that call for our attention and our time! While I am still a seeker, I no longer consider myself a Christian.  I’m still curious about sacredness, community and belonging.  And I sit content with what I have experienced and learned and what else beckons us beyond the horizon. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Debra Peevey arcus Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Debra Peevey Disciples of Christ GLAD GLAD Alliance Institute of Welcoming Resources More Light Presbyterians for LGBT Concerns Presbyterian https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/2e3c5219f6d04acd7a37072251ae26e4.jpg f584877f7bf1f85fc60fb88e74b1b152 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Historical Development of BIPOC Trans-spiritual Leadership Website A resource comprising of a web page or web pages and all related assets ( such as images, sound and video files, etc. ). URL https://columbiachronicle.com/decolonizing-spirituality-the-harmful-effects-of-borrowing-from-someone-elses-culture Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Decolonizing spirituality: The harmful effects of borrowing from someone else’s culture Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Camryn Cutinello, Echo Magazine. The Columbia Chronicle. July 13, 2022. https://columbiachronicle.com/decolonizing-spirituality-the-harmful-effects-of-borrowing-from-someone-elses-culture Photo by Mikaela Helane. Description An account of the resource Discusses how cultural borrowing can result in harming the lending culture whose members often do not consent to their spiritual practices being used out of context. <a href="https://columbiachronicle.com/decolonizing-spirituality-the-harmful-effects-of-borrowing-from-someone-elses-culture" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://columbiachronicle.com/decolonizing-spirituality-the-harmful-effects-of-borrowing-from-someone-elses-culture</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Shower of Stoles Description An account of the resource Items (stoles) for the Shower of Stoles exhibit Stole A stole in the Shower of Stoles exhibit Honoree The person honored by the creation of thestole. Deidre (Park Slope United Methodist Church, Brooklyn NY) Stole Text DEIDRE Denomination United Methodist Church Contribution Date 2000 Contribution Story This is one of thirty one stoles from Park Slope United Methodist Church included in a display of UM stoles at the 2000 General Conference of the UMC in Cleveland. All are made from identically sized pieces in turquoise, lavender and purple cotton batik, With only 200 members, Park Slope has donated the largest number of stoles to the collection from a single United Methodist congregation. A diverse community, Park Slope's creed is: Hand in hand, we the people of the Park Slope United Methodist Church -- black and white, straight and gay, old and young, rich and poor -- unite as a loving community, in covenant with God and the Creation. Summoned by our faith in Jesus Christ, we commit ourselves to the humanization of urban life and to physical and spiritual growth. A scrappy congregation utterly committed to putting their faith into action, Park Slope has been unrelenting in its pursuit of justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the UMC. In 1999, the Reconciling Ministries Network (RMN) inquired about the possibility of having a display of the Shower of Stoles at the General Conference the following April. At the time, there were only around twenty United Methodist stoles in the collection. We decided to introduce the Shower of Stoles to the Reconciling community by bringing the twenty UM stoles and about a hundred others to RMN’s Convocation in Denton, TX over the Labor Day weekend. Stoles started to trickle in during the fall, and by February they began coming in droves. In all, we received 220 United Methodist stoles – the vast majority of them arriving within eight weeks of the Conference. Thanks to a monumental effort by a number of volunteers who pitched in to help record, inventory, sew labels and make last-minute repairs, all of the new stoles were present in Cleveland. Twenty more people brought stoles directly to Cleveland, bringing the total number on display to 240. Towards the end of the General Conference, twenty eight lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender United Methodists and allies stood on the Conference floor in silent protest over the Conference’s failure to overturn the ban on LGBT ordination – a profound witness and act of defiance for which they were later arrested. As these twenty eight moved to the front of the room, another 200 supporters stood up around the balcony railing, each wearing one of the new United Methodist stoles. Hundreds more stood in solidarity as well, in the balcony and on the plenary floor, wearing symbolic “stoles” made from colorful bands of cloth. A group of young people from Minneapolis, members of a Communicant’s Class, had purchased bolts of cloth the preceding evening and stayed up all night cutting out close to a thousand of these “stoles”. In less than eight months, a handful of stoles had grown to become a powerful, visible witness to the steadfast faith of LGBT United Methodists nationwide. Martha Juillerat Founder, Shower of Stoles Project 2006 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 545 Title A name given to the resource Deidre (Park Slope United Methodist Church, Brooklyn NY) Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Brooklyn, New York (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Park Slope United Methodist Church Clergy Activist Feminism Methodist New York New York City Ordination Reconciling Ministries Network (formerly Reconciling Congregation Program) Theology United Methodist Church Women and Religion https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/7ab3391b754947692e18e0d59c4896d2.mp3 d4d48b9cb91385bd18c7f7ecb09aa7a2 Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Del Martin Introduces Ted McIlvenna and the Founding of CRH in 1965 Audio Recording Description An account of the resource From videorecording of Gay & Lesbian (now GLBT) Historical Society 9th annual dinner on October 14, 1998; produced by Paul Gabriel. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Repository: <a href="http://www.glbthistory.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GLBT Historical Society</a> https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/fe43d093f68cc0e6e79a6bbf3b0cfaf2.jpg eae2c134535e3ee0fdf63fbb31d2af64 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/2badf0eab07f08d0a73fba02f50b9a89.jpg 364108788f33fa3bf17f688823e9712b Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Shower of Stoles Description An account of the resource Items (stoles) for the Shower of Stoles exhibit Stole A stole in the Shower of Stoles exhibit Honoree The person honored by the creation of thestole. Delle McCormick Stole Text DELLE MCCORMICK LOVE Denomination Presbyterian Church (USA) United Church of Christ Contribution Date 2001 Contribution Story This is one of 52 stoles donated to the Shower of Stoles collection by members and staff of Church of the Covenant. Although each of the stoles is unique, all of them are tied together by the inclusion of a piece cloth from a common bolt of blue and ivory material somewhere in the stole. Covenant is both a More Light and Open and Affirming Congregation. Their strong and public advocacy on behalf of LGBT persons in the life and leadership of the church has drawn many LBGT persons to become a part of the Covenant church family. Their 52 stoles represent the largest subset of stoles given to the collection by any one congregation. Church of the Covenant, a federated United Church of Christ and Presbyterian Church, is steeped in history. Located just off the Boston Commons, the Gothic revival building erected in the mid-1800's was one of the first churches built in the Back Bay area. In the 1890's the sanctuary was completely redecorated by Tiffany Glass and Decorating Co., including the creation of an extraordinary set of Tiffany stained-glass windows and a chandelier that is said to be the first electrified light installed in a public building by Thomas Edison. Covenant's history of social justice and human rights work is equally rich. When I visited Covenant, I was intrigued to learn that the church was a designated stop along the "Boston Women's Heritage Trail." One of Covenant's members, Abbie Child, was the head of the Women's Board of Missions of the Congregational Church in the late 1800's. Another member, Dr. Elsa Meder, was one of the first women ordained as an elder in the Presbyterian Church. Elizabeth Rice and Alice Hageman, ordained in 1974 and 1975 respectively, were the first women to serve as pastors at a Back Bay church. When they were joined by Donna Day Lower, the church became the only one in the United States with three women clergy. Since opening the "Women's Lunch Place" in 1982, the church has served as a haven for poor women and their children. It is fitting, then, that one of the Tiffany windows is "Four Women of the Bible," including Miriam, Deborah, Mary of Bethany, and Dorcas. Covenant remains on the forefront of work for equality and justice, and is active in the LGBT Welcoming movement in the Boston area and beyond. Martha Juillerat Founder, Shower of Stoles Project 2006 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 794 Title A name given to the resource Delle McCormick Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Boston, Massachusetts (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Church of the Covenant Boston Clergy Activist Feminism Massachusetts McCormick, Delle More Light Presbyterians for LGBT Concerns Open and Affirming in the UCC (ONA) Ordination Presbyterian Presbyterian Church (USA) Theology United Church of Christ Women and Religion Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Shower of Stoles Description An account of the resource Items (stoles) for the Shower of Stoles exhibit Stole A stole in the Shower of Stoles exhibit Honoree The person honored by the creation of thestole. Dennis Lyle Schultz Stole Text In Memory of THE REV. DENNIS LYLE SCHULTZ "A Saint in the Southern Gay Movement." From Michael Purintun Louisville, Kentucky Denomination Presbyterian Church (USA) Contribution Date 1995 Contribution Story This stole was one of the original 80 stoles that were on display on Sept. 16, 1995 when I set aside my ordination before Heartland Presbytery (see stole #1 for details). It was donated to the collection by Michael Purintun, an ordained Presbyterian Elder who is a staff member with the denominational offices of the Presbyterian Church (USA) in Louisville, KY. Martha Juillerat Founder, Shower of Stoles Project 2006 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 60 Title A name given to the resource Dennis Lyle Schultz Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Louisville, Kentucky (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Michael Purintun Gay Liberation Movement Kentucky Ordination Presbyterian Presbyterian Church (USA) Purintun, Michael Schultz, Dennis Lyle https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/a5c64e3e3c5f5bbceee9b5aa463e3fa2.jpg 715777a9e5c7280e84c27a0285bdd6aa https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/d0bf258fca815bf35efd8e98bb8df2cc.jpg 0168950d84994c72c8c6ea049a0dc64a Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Shower of Stoles Description An account of the resource Items (stoles) for the Shower of Stoles exhibit Stole A stole in the Shower of Stoles exhibit Honoree The person honored by the creation of thestole. Derrick T. Kikuchi Craig Wiesner Stole Text JUSTICE LOVE Derrick T. Kikuchi Elder Craig Wiesner Elder's Spouse Denomination Presbyterian Church (USA) Contribution Date 1996 Contribution Story This is one of about thirty stoles donated to the collection by First Presbyterian Church of Palo Alto. First Palo Alto, a More Light congregation, has for decades been on the forefront of the movement for full inclusion of LGBT persons into the life and leadership of the church and greater society. Among the many leaders of the movement who have come from this congregation is Mitzi Henderson, former national President of PFLAG and national Co-Moderator of More Light Presbyterians. Martha Juillerat Founder, Shower of Stoles Project 2006 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 160 Title A name given to the resource Derrick T. Kikuchi Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Palo Alto, California (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource First Presbyterian Church California Henderson, Mitzi Kikuchi, Derrick T. More Light Presbyterians for LGBT Concerns Ordination Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) Presbyterian Presbyterian Church (USA) Wiesner, Craig https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/fcb91bc27bf81ec6aeb06e3266d74bf6.pdf 2a5891ec219ce1ca906c69146f5f41aa Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Historical Development of BIPOC Trans-spiritual Leadership Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Developing Trans*Competence: A Guide for Meditation and Retreat Centers Description An account of the resource "Written and edited by a group of transgender Buddhists from across the United States and a few of our committed allies, the guide offers a vision for sangha spaces that are fully welcoming to transgender practitioners. By breaking down common problems faced by trans* folks when visiting spiritual centers, the guide offers a deeper understanding of trans* people’s experiences as well as structural solutions that can be implemented in a sangha." Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived https://transbuddhists.org/ Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Shower of Stoles Description An account of the resource Items (stoles) for the Shower of Stoles exhibit Stole A stole in the Shower of Stoles exhibit Honoree The person honored by the creation of thestole. Diana Linden Stole Text DIANA LINDEN EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH OF AMERICA Throughout my life my faith has been nurtured by the people and communities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the front range of Colorado, and the high deserts of Arizona, Texas and New Mexico. I began serious discernment towards ordained ministry when I was in high school. However, my path of discernment towards ordained ministry has been paralleled by another journey of discovery, one that has left me with the clear understanding of myself as a lesbian woman. I have hoped for my whole life to find a partner with whom to share my life and raise a family. Denomination Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Contribution Date 2005 Contribution Story Diana Linden is one of a group of students who arranged for a large display of stoles and a variety of accompanying programs at Iliff Theological Seminary in 2005. As a part of this week of activities, a "sewing bee" was organized to allow students to make their own stoles, which were then added to the main display. About a dozen beautiful works of art with personal stories were created during that week. It was a great honor to work with these gifted, talented students who have so much to offer the church! Martha Juillerat Founder, Shower of Stoles Project 2006 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 1032 Title A name given to the resource Diana Linden Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Denver, Colorado (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Diana Linden Colorado Evangelical Lutherans of America (ELCA) Linden, Diana Lutheran Ordination Theology Women and Religion https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/fb06663813c36c49d1c401f19873cd44.jpg c3b1fd1248f4e82ef410337411df630e https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/3ab8449158519838df5e198db44e3a4a.jpg 9e6fe4ab428a6f9c6fedc66c0aee258c https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/11b2d7a14a3e2e7675d1316e540f7d26.jpg b233d4532711afce08a46623dc5c4f8f https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/9cb67b4498d08d0f62b57bd6fff9ea33.jpg da91b18ca5bcf48fbce5180cd3515374 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Shower of Stoles Description An account of the resource Items (stoles) for the Shower of Stoles exhibit Stole A stole in the Shower of Stoles exhibit Honoree The person honored by the creation of thestole. Diana Vezmar-Bailey Stole Text DIANA VEZMAR-BAILEY ORDAINED 11-12-78 RELIEVED OF THE PRACTICE OF ORDAINED OFFICE 1-10-89 WHAT DOES IT PROFIT THE CHURCH TO GAIN ITS LIFE AND LOSE ITS SOUL? Denomination Presbyterian Church (USA) Unitarian Universalist Contribution Date 1995 Contribution Story This stole was one of the original 80 stoles that were on display on Sept. 16, 1995 when I set aside my ordination before Heartland Presbytery (see stole #1 for details). Following the loss of her ordination, Diana left the Presbyterian Church and entered the wilderness. She and her partner, Leslie Chartier, found their way to Madison, WI and to James Reeb Unitarian Universalist Congregation, a community full of people like Diana and Leslie who had left a wide variety of faith traditions in search of a place of welcome. Diana is now the Coordinator of Member Programs at the First Unitarian Society in Madison; she and Leslie are still grateful members of James Reeb. Martha Juillerat Founder, Shower of Stoles Project 2006 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 48 Title A name given to the resource Diana Vezmar-Bailey Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Madison, Wisconsin (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Diana Vezmar-Bailey Ordination Presbyterian Church (USA) Unitarian Universalist Vezmar-Bailey, Diana Wisconsin Women and Religion https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/947af76152e82c42e959f28f930a7873.jpg 53faacde3bfc718426ea7b3bb3462257 Person An individual. Text Any textual data included in the document Diann L. Neu, D.Min., MSW, LGSW, is co-founder and co-director of WATER, the Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics, and Ritual, in Silver Spring, MD. A feminist liturgist, spiritual director, and psychotherapist licensed in Washington, DC and Maryland, Diann specializes in liturgical and ritual planning, counseling and spiritual direction, retreats and conference consultation. She lectures and conducts workshops on liturgy planning, spirituality, women-church, and creating Eucharistic communities. She has published numerous books of rituals and articles on the subject of feminist approaches to liturgy, spirituality, and therapy. Diann publishes a monthly ritual on WATER’s website <a href="http://www.waterwomensalliance.org/">www.waterwomensalliance.org</a>. She is co-editor with Mary E. Hunt of New Feminist Christianity: Many Voices, Many Views (Skylight Paths, 2010). Among her publications are Seasons of Compassion: Resources for Companions of Those Needing Healing (WATERworks Press, 2009); Seasons of Healing: Journaling and Resources for Women with Cancer (WATERworks Press, 2008); Seasons of Survival: Prayers and Rituals for Women with Cancer (WATERworks Press, 2007); Women’s Rites: Feminist Liturgies for Life’s Journey(Pilgrim Press, 2003) and Return Blessings: Ecofeminist Liturgies Renewing the Earth(Pilgrim Press, 2002).  (This biographical statement provided by Diann Neu.) Biographical Text Diann L. Neu, D.Min., MSW, LGSW, is co-founder and co-director of WATER, the Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics, and Ritual, in Silver Spring, MD. A feminist liturgist, spiritual director, and psychotherapist licensed in Washington, DC and Maryland, Diann specializes in liturgical and ritual planning, counseling and spiritual direction, retreats and conference consultation. She lectures and conducts workshops on liturgy planning, spirituality, women-church, and creating Eucharistic communities. She has published numerous books of rituals and articles on the subject of feminist approaches to liturgy, spirituality, and therapy. Diann publishes a monthly ritual on WATER’s website <a href="http://www.waterwomensalliance.org/">www.waterwomensalliance.org</a>. She is co-editor with Mary E. Hunt of New Feminist Christianity: Many Voices, Many Views (Skylight Paths, 2010). Among her publications are Seasons of Compassion: Resources for Companions of Those Needing Healing (WATERworks Press, 2009); Seasons of Healing: Journaling and Resources for Women with Cancer (WATERworks Press, 2008); Seasons of Survival: Prayers and Rituals for Women with Cancer (WATERworks Press, 2007); Women’s Rites: Feminist Liturgies for Life’s Journey(Pilgrim Press, 2003) and Return Blessings: Ecofeminist Liturgies Renewing the Earth(Pilgrim Press, 2002).  (This biographical statement provided by Diann Neu.) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Diann Neu Diann Neu WATER Women's Alliance for Theology Ethics and Ritual Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Queer Religion Boston Description An account of the resource Items for the Boston Queer Religious History exhibit Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Dignity Boston Description An account of the resource Location of Dignity Boston https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/f53ab0f232100538af7be36ce8a7d39e.png f481a38531927b18ef4b2c53e296e685 Person An individual. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource DignityUSA: Participating Organization Profile Description An account of the resource <a href="https://www.dignityusa.org/">DignityUSA</a> works for respect and justice for people of all sexual orientations, genders, and gender identities—especially gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender persons—in the Catholic Church and the world through education, advocacy, and support. Catholic Dignity DignityUSA Roman Catholic https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/59718bc80db23462c9b748fe7ed04b29.jpg 5366aa2aa21ebc84188e3c428c04a52e Person An individual. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Disciples LGBTQ Alliance: Participating Organization Profile Description An account of the resource We, <a href="https://disciplesallianceq.org/">the Disciples LGBTQ+ Alliance</a>, are members of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), called to join in God’s work of transforming the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) into a just and inclusive church that welcomes persons of all gender expressions and sexual identities into the full life and leadership of the church. Disciples LGBTQ Alliance https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/b628c4f07a528c688d58ad8d5c4aa6d1.png d9baf6d326ace8bfd046af3a9032e0aa YouTube Video A video hosted on YouTube. Embed Code The html embed codes for this object. <iframe width="600" height="337" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lFZZluaYH0o" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Disciples LGBTQ+ Alliance Worship Disciples LGBTQ Alliance https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/cdc145512f3939a449b449dc9749b2b9.jpg 7cebb1b135727d932896f57c00053310 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Distinctive decorations for holiday services and celebrations Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived CBST Archives