39 20 2500 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/b6656211230659fc27b00f4689aba8bb.jpg 5f3cf0fce95725e0293c1a0c7675a264 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. ). 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 Folx Health https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/70b6ee1ba3503c511a0f323441cfb2d5.jpg a910d523a8f60f2c44f5ae296c86d840 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/2b62cc2b30e5508f939e1968e3908775.jpg de1b3fd5a4a7751df7f1ead8d9a8ab5f 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. For All of Those Persons… Stole Text The story behind my stole is one for all of those persons who began their spiritual journey with ministry inside the church as a goal, only to find that this very journey brought them home to themselves, allowing truth to stand up against institutionalized dogma. This stole was made in honor of all those who have found themselves, and now courageously live their Christ light in their world, ministering to ALL of God’s people, whether they belong to a church or not. It is a stole honoring the full spectrum of God’s creation, unlike the church seems able to do fully at this time. I pray that it will give hope of the wholeness of all, through the strands of time. We will be healed. Shannon Eisert, a servant of truth and light in a world seeing dimly. Denomination Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Contribution Date 2015 Contribution Story Originally a part of the collection of stoles housed by ReconcilingWorks: Lutherans for Full Participation, this stole was donated by them to the Shower of Stoles Project in 2015. 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 1227 Title A name given to the resource For All of Those Persons… Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Unknown, (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Shannon Eisert Eisert, Shannon Evangelical Lutherans of America (ELCA) Lutheran Theology United States https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/8e43fa4f69082a7ee1fde4acf9a11860.jpg f138fd76b70d1d89a4a51b861009ad13 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. 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 Forced Japanese Labor in the 1906 Earthquake Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Photo: Private Collection, San Francisco, CA. SFFound. https://www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=Forced_Japanese_Labor_in_the_1906_Earthquake https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/e0569667f7d05dd96763ff55b59d8c7d.jpg edcf018d663e3cbda8a8b0553660af85 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/d2466ccb374b213ecc8a6bc1e76bdcef.jpg dba365df7df00640fb32f72243307864 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 Fox Memo 1959 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Keith Wedmore Papers Description An account of the resource Notes from Richard Fox in response to request for each person to write her/his personal perspectives on society's sexual code. See Meeting <a href="http://exhibits.lgbtran.org/exhibits/show/towards-a-quaker-view-of-sex/item/180">Minutes 1 March 1959</a>. https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/f8dc77908b3426478ecec15fc078d103.jpg 2ab337d65bf4baaaf6a5350605e3a4df 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. Text Any textual data included in the document 12 Elm Road, Beckenham, Kent. 5th October, 1961 Dear Friends: Welcome home to Anna. Sorry I cannot be with you but I find that I am booked to see Professor Carstairs in Edinburgh about writing a Pelican on psychopathic personality, and am loathe to let the opportunity slip. I have made some notes on the Female Homosexuality piece which I though excellent, and enclosed stencilled copies of the bits I was to write. Hope you have a good meeting. See you in November? For goodness' sake, it's time we had this thing published! All the best, Richard 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 Fox memo, 5 October 1961 Description An account of the resource Richard Fox sent memo, dated 5 October 1961, to rest of group indicating his absence from the upcoming meeting and enclosed comments on the Female Homosexuality section and his draft text (not available). Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Keith Wedmore Papers 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. Fr. Bernard Lynch Stole Text Fr. Bernard Lynch Roman Catholic London, England 1982 Founded first pastoral AIDS Ministry in the city with Dignity New York. 1986 Testified before NYC council for successful passage of Intro 2, protecting LGBTQ people in jobs and housing. 1987 Exiled to the Vatican. 1988 Former student manipulated by Archdiocese of New York and the FBI to falsely accuse me of abuse. Went to trial in the Bronx Supreme Court and was found not guilty and innocent of all charges by Judge Burton Roberts on April 21, 1989. 1992 Moved to London, England, continuing work with LGBTQ people, especially those with HIV/AIDS. Met life partner Billy Desmond. 2011 Pope visits the UK. Outside Number 10 Downing Street, I respectfully asked Pope Benedict to apologize to LGBTQ people for harm done by Catholic teaching. 2012 Suspended from SMA Order after 47 years as priest. Deo Gratias. Denomination Roman Catholic Church Contribution Date 2013 Contribution Story Click <a href="https://www.lgbtran.org/Profile.aspx?ID=294">here</a> for Fr. Bernard Lynch's biographic profile in the LGBTQ Religious Archives Network's Profiles Gallery. 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 1191 Title A name given to the resource Fr. Bernard Lynch Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant London, (England) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Fr. Bernard Lynch AIDS Catholic Church Trials Clergy Activist Dignity England London Lynch, Bernard Roman Catholic https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/fa89b5ce7144fb89a8fc7701148aec02.jpg 8aa8d629598aa45937a511dc199bcd77 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/d41ee1995d1316e19f43c7361ae5c008.jpg 68e1106d57d899955ee49c011b0e5e98 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/f99dfb2579aacdebdcf8c9dc0522abef.jpg 52f176af8ae57ee062138130701a8783 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. Fran Bogle Stole Text FRAN BOGLE 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 748 Title A name given to the resource Fran Bogle 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 Bogle, Fran Boston Feminism Massachusetts More Light Presbyterians for LGBT Concerns Open and Affirming in the UCC (ONA) Ordination Presbyterian Presbyterian Church (USA) United Church of Christ Women and Religion https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/7d85fc8d821a2aab01f8e4850c8a5a9b.jpg 05c20a05bdc795449c6cd86fd85445e3 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/ece8f6611b391a4eaa4e5c763be89c85.jpg 8c58e67d66f0cd5540b71c52af6a69d3 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 France-observateur, 7 March 1963 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived clipping in Keith Wedmore Papers Description An account of the resource The report was reviewed in the French weekly newsmagazine, France-observateur, on March 7, 1963. https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/b3cc65502ec6b3f1ad9a56368c35876f.pdf 5c1c4903dd83688a7f8cf738ecfab248 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. Local URL The URL of the local directory containing all assets of the website https://sultana-isham69.medium.com/the-holy-presence-of-frances-thompson-bafd47e90a9f 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 Frances Thompson Subject The topic of the resource A published speech honoring a black trans woman, Frances Thompson, who was a survivor of the 1866 Memphis Race Riot. Description An account of the resource Frances Thompson testified before Congress that she and five other black women were raped by white men who killed many and destroyed so much on that fated day. Ten years later, when someone discovered she was a trans woman, they used that fact to repair the reputation of the white rapist and to discredit Frances Thompson's congressional testimony. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived The Holy Presence of Frances Thompson. Sultana Isham delivered this speech at a press conference at New Orleans City Hall on June 6, 2020. https://sultana-isham69.medium.com/the-holy-presence-of-frances-thompson-bafd47e90a9f The Pulaski Citizen Pulaski, Tennessee · Thursday, July 20, 1876 https://zcenter.org/blog/frances-thompson/ https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/1b7782aa5d2f5ef17f5c76ce145a1026.jpeg 2135cc68696ea7e3aabbc056ac98ac93 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 Under Franco's fascism, a generation of scientific knowledge was lost in Spain 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 Francisco Franco Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Under fascism, a generation of scientific knowledge was lost in Spain https://timeline.com/fascism-scientific-knowledge-spain-6bf13d635951 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/86a6edf9758b0165d74ca9c7a6ddbdeb.jpg b0d2ffa1399ac875ba8f37914a3088b7 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/853a498dd5968d8db918f89a3e881d74.jpg 0d419cffe70a0809cdb51164b222e0e4 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. Frank Schaefer Stole Text FRANK SCHAEFER United Methodist Pennsylvania Frank Schaefer is a former ordained minister of the United Methodist Church (Eastern PA) where he ministered for more than 20 years until December 2013. He is married to Brigitte and has four children. He was educated at Princeton Theological Seminary and also earned a CPE degree at Hershey Medical Center’s residency program for chaplains. In 2013, Frank Schaefer was tried by a United Methodist court for officiating his son’s same-sex marriage in 2007 and was defrocked over his refusal to uphold the Book of Discipline in its entirety because it contains discriminatory laws and language toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer persons. Now a United Methodist lay person, speaker, and activist, he continues to advocate for human rights. Denomination United Methodist Church Contribution Date 2014 Contribution Story Frank donated his stole during a series of events at First United Methodist Church of Germantown, PA. Events included an exhibit of the Shower of Stoles Project and a demonstration against the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church and it's decision to defrock Frank. The back of the stole contains heartfelt, hand-written messages from his colleagues and supporters: “God made you a prophet.” “Thank you for your strong stance for integrity in the church.” “Frank, ordained in the spirit—an ordination that can never be taken away.” “Thank you for your witness with a father’s love.” “We are greater today because we have been blessed by your courage.” 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 1177 Title A name given to the resource Frank Schaefer Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Pennsylvania (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Frank Schaefer Ally Clergy Activist Marriage Equality Methodist Ordination Pennsylvania Schaefer, Frank United Methodist Church https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/d75acdec8854f3c42836b56e5209f364.jpg 2bce46e295b9987f7848df3d587d3a4a https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/1cdfcbebf59d9a68041b5022ccdf2619.jpg 9d765f8d9c7ee59377b3094de00b5ab9 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. Frank Wulf Stole Text FRANK WULF A GAY PASTOR Denomination Presbyterian Church (USA) Contribution Date 1996 Contribution Story This is one of about thirty stoles donated to the collection over the years by the members of Rutgers Presbyterian Church in New York in honor of their lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender members, many of whom hold leadership positions within the congregation and in the Presbytery of New York City. Established in 1798 in lower Manhattan, Rutgers has a long history of involvement in social justice and community development issues. Rutgers is a More Light congregation, working for the full inclusion of LGBT persons in the life and leadership of the Presbyterian Church. Along with More Light Presbyterians, Rutgers is a sponsor of Presbyterian Welcome (an affiliate of That All May Freely Serve) and the Covenant Network in their common pursuit for the end of discrimination against LGBT persons in the Presbyterian 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 261 Title A name given to the resource Frank Wulf Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant New York, New York (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Rutgers Presbyterian Church Covenant Network of Presbyterians More Light Presbyterians for LGBT Concerns New York New York City Ordination Presbyterian Presbyterian Church (USA) That All May Freely Serve (TAMFS) Wulf, Frank https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/5d610533ba9be63ffb34fac5d33869df.jpg 8a9d27bbcb9bfc65bc5f7cfd0e94b671 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/c90c831dfc84709f3f31d062bb634ad7.jpg 574ee45237a898b3bdb2c9cf3fbde3f7 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/b1f9a6854ed2ad6ee36a6685c1e9cad2.jpg f5b21e9c0e4d8313cef44e4d463f8230 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. Fred Kerwood Stole Text FRED KERWOOD Elder and Deacon First Presbyterian Church Ewing, NJ This stole is given in memory of those gay and lesbian Christians whose human spirits desire to openly love and know God as part of a faith community but cannot because of their own church's cultural prejudice and blatant discrimination. I thank God for the First Presbyterian Church of Ewing, NJ which has supported me in being able to express my love, gratitude and service towards God as an openly gay Christian. I pray that someday God's inclusive love will be reflected in the hearts of all people so that we can worship and love God, and each other, together. Amen! Denomination Presbyterian Church (USA) Contribution Date 1998 Contribution Story This is one of sixteen stoles donated by First Presbyterian Church of Ewing, NJ on behalf of members and friends of the congregation. 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 452 Title A name given to the resource Fred Kerwood Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Ewing, New Jersey (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource First Presbyterian Church Kerwood, Fred New Jersey Ordination Presbyterian Presbyterian Church (USA) https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/17105cc8a417d84c78c091123871d1b2.jpg ed81a0d315f702d12c0e28598381f818 Person An individual. Text Any textual data included in the document Freda Smith was born Mary Alfreda Smith on November 22, 1935, to Alfred and Mary Smith in Pocatello, Idaho. Alfred and Mary had married while at college in Enid Oklahoma, and moved to Idaho shortly before was born. (Alfred was 21 years old and Mary was 20 years old). This was during the depths of the Depression and Alfred found work as a mechanic at the Union Pacific Railroad. Later he would be employed as a language teacher (German, Spanish, French, Italian) and Mary would fulfill her early aptitude and education in math and science working for the U.S. Navy.   <img src="http://rollingthestoneaway.org/media/profile/elder-freda-smith/PicGrandmother.jpg" />Baby picture with great-grandmother,  a Nazarene preacher However, the early years were difficult. Three children--Freda, Lydia and Alfred, Jr.--were born in the first four years of marriage. The small family moved to a remote rural area south of Pocatello. They were accompanied by Alfred's grandmother, Nazarene preacher Lydia Harriet Smith, who had rescued Alfred from a Denver orphanage and raised him in the small churches where she served. The Nazarene Church and its ministry was the focus of Freda's early life.  Rural southeastern Idaho, in the late thirties and through the war years, was largely a LDS (Mormon) settlement. The Smith family was the only "Gentile" family "south of town." However all families--both Mormon and Nazarene--were church-goers whose religion dictated the customs of life.   <img src="http://rollingthestoneaway.org/media/profile/elder-freda-smith/PicStartingSchool.jpg" />Just before starting elementary  school, Pocatello, Idaho  As Nazarenes, the Smith family (shepherded by Freda's great- grandmother) avoided liquor, smoking, cards, dancing, profanity, and any  "near occasion of sin."  Mormons danced, while to Nazarenes dancing was a sin. Nazarenes drank coffee, which to Mormons violated the "Word of Wisdom."  Aside from these and other surface differences in religious practices and beliefs, the rural southern Idaho community members were united against sin in any form and for chastity, holiness, and a strong work ethic. They had no apparent knowledge or understanding of alternate lifestyles. Freda attended church Sunday mornings and nights and the Wednesday evening mid-week services, as well as weekly home prayer meetings and a home atmosphere of hymns, Bible study,  and prayers. The Nazarene theology embraced salvation and sanctification (the second work of grace), eschewed worldliness (i.e. movies, etc.), yet presented a joyful, optimistic faith and an abundance of musical celebration. Altar calls were regular Sunday night occasions where kneelers struggled against temptation and despair, wept, and were blessed by rapturous renewals of faith and a sense of the undeniable presence of God. These themes of great spiritual striving, the poetical thrust of Biblical drama presented in word and song, and the sense of a divine providence became a sacred "calling" very early in Freda's life. She determined that she would either be a preacher or a poet.  Freda entered the first grade in 1941, shortly before the bombing of Pearl Harbor.  The war years had a profound effect on her as they had on so many that experienced the heroism, and sacrifice of the times.   <img src="http://rollingthestoneaway.org/media/profile/elder-freda-smith/PicAdvocate.jpg" />Photo from The Advocate, May 7, 1975.  Lobbying for California's  "Consenting Adults Law"  L–R: California State Senator George Moscone  (later Mayor of San Francisco, murdered with Harvey Milk by Dan White  in 1978), George Raya, Rev. James Sandmire, Rev.  Freda Smith,  Gary Hess, Assemblyman Willie Brown (author of  AB-489 which  decriminalized gay and lesbian relationships in the State of California) Following the war years and the death of Freda's great- grandmother, the family began to drift from the Nazarene Church and she independently left to become a member of the Salvation Army. The fire and passion of the Salvation Army, preaching "with heart to God and hand to [man] humanity," coupled with the familiar hymns and the salvation/sanctification struggle for souls and a compassion for the lost, the least, and the forgotten, stirred her early "call" and she began the process of becoming an officer. It was also at this time that Freda realized her lesbianism. True to her early training and upbringing she entered into spiritual battle, seeking to overcome her nature and to find a state of sanctification where all of these feelings of love would be taken from her. During this struggle she left Idaho to live with her aunt and uncle in Texas. While there, she read every book in the library she could find on the subjects of homosexuality, lesbianism, inversion, sodomy, and other names given to the "disorder." Each book seemed more condemning and frightening than the one before. There was no account of a sane, healthy gay or lesbian person; all were criminal, insane, perverted degenerates. Homosexuality during the early 1950s  was universally condemned as criminal and  sinful, as well as a  mental illness.  Freda spent long evenings on her knees at home and at the altar in the Salvation Army Citadel where she worshiped. Nothing changed her heart.  <img src="http://rollingthestoneaway.org/media/profile/elder-freda-smith/PicPastor.jpg" />Pastor of Sacramento, California MCC  (1972–2005) Freda now looks back and sees that God was in the prayer-answering business.  However,  God did not want to change her heart. God wanted to use Freda's passion – along with the passion of others who were similarly struggling – to change the church and the world. Leaving Texas, Freda returned briefly to Pocatello for a term at Idaho State College (now ISU) majoring in speech/journalism.  She was still praying for a "cure" and was a passionate speaker and a part of the debate team as she had been in high school. She had a strong calling to preach and like Jeremiah there was a fire in her bones: "Then I said, ‘I will not make mention of [him]God , nor speak any more in [his] God's name. But [his] God's word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.’” (Jeremiah 20:9 KJV)  However, the fire in her bones ultimately gave over to a realization that she could no more change her orientation than she could change her height, eye color, or humanity. Following the biggest gay witch hunt in U.S. history in Boise (1955-56), she determined to leave Idaho and find "others like her."  In California, Freda found the gay community and became a closet Christian. As she once hid her lesbian identity from the church , now she hid her sense of God's calling upon her life from her friends in the gay community. Freda Smith entered California State University in Sacramento, majoring first in language arts (English, speech, journalism) and ultimately graduating with a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology. She was licensed by the State of California as a Marriage and Family Therapist. P<img src="http://rollingthestoneaway.org/media/profile/elder-freda-smith/PicSpeakingMOW.jpg" />Speaking at March on Washingtonassionate about human rights and activism, Freda was active in Bobby Kennedy's 1968 presidential campaign and, after his assassination, decided to "come out" publicly as a lesbian as well as a feminist and to work to change laws in California. This was "before Stonewall," and very few members of the gay community were open about their orientation. Homosexuality was a criminal offense in California, as well as condemned by the church and diagnosed as a mental disease. Freda became co-chair of the California Committee for Sexual Law Reform and worked for the passage of Assemblyman Willie Brown's consenting adult law. It was during this lobbying effort that she wrote her narrative poem Dear Dora/Dangerous Derek Diesel Dyke  which she read to a group of legislators which included Lt. Merv Dymally who voted to break  the Senate deadlock to pass the legislation. <img src="http://rollingthestoneaway.org/media/profile/elder-freda-smith/PicTeaching.jpg" />Teaching at Samaritan Theological  Institute (UFMCC)Early in the law reform lobbying effort, Freda learned of the Metropolitan Community Church which had been founded by the Rev. Troy Perry in 1968. Realizing that she could fulfill the calling to preach and to minister which had never left her spirit, Freda became active in MCC. Troy and Freda were featured speakers at the capital building in Sacramento in 1971 when Willie Brown introduced his consenting adults bill. Freda was the feminist speaker and Troy was the religious leader who had just led a march from Oakland to publicize the event. The bill was introduced repeatedly until it passed in 1975.  When Freda entered MCC the leadership was overwhelmingly male and as a feminist Freda went to work to encourage women to become active and to change the church by-laws to include women. MCC eventually became a leader in Christian social action, championing the ordination of women, inclusive language, and a theology of inclusion for all people.  Freda taught Christian Feminism at Samaritan Theological Institute, a religious institution established to provide instruction to MCC ministers and lay people before seminary doors were open to open LGBTI people.  <img src="http://rollingthestoneaway.org/media/profile/elder-freda-smith/PicPartnered.jpg" />With partner of 33 years, Kathleen MeadowsIn 1973, Freda was elected to the Governing Board of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (Board of Elders) where she served as World Church Extension Elder and Vice-Moderator for the next 20 years. During that time Freda was pastor of MCC Sacramento – from 1972 until she retired in 2005 to become an Evangelist for the denomination and an activist to preserve the early history of the LGBTI Christian Church.   Freda and her life partner, Kathleen Meadows have been together since 1974. Freda calls the MCC movement the most exciting church since the book of Acts. In an address to the 2007 UFMCC International Conference in Scottsdale she spoke of the relationship between the church in the book of Acts and the history of the LGBTI Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches: [The] achievement of the church in the book of Acts was accompanied by passionate, theological clashes over scripture, over custom, over all of the isms: racism, sexism, classism, over intense personal disagreements and rash actions; certainly often biting off more than they possibly could chew, facing opposition and persecution from "powers and principalities and the forces of evil in high places." All the while rushing headlong into history. We can know this because the Book of Acts was written down... We can write our history. How like the early church in the Book of Acts we were joined together in our many differences by the Holy Spirit  to become a church reaching  out to a fragmented, disenfranchised, closeted community. While we still have the voices to tell; let us tell of working, marching, fasting, praying, blending our spirituality with activism in order to change unjust  laws,  struggling to turn our isms into wasms (sexism, racism, elitism), to be inclusive, not only in language, but in every sense of the word, striving to educate our clergy when so many seminary doors were closed to them straining to reach our people where ever they were...  Struggling to balance all of our theological understandings to become ecumenical in our worship. As Troy Perry was wont to say: "We're going to treat you in so many different ways you're bound to like some of them" (and dislike, too.)  We can tell our personal stories of those early, tempestuous years... Freda is dedicated to telling that story. (This biographical statement was written by the Rev. Freda Smith to accompany an oral history interview that was conducted by Dr. Melissa Wilcox in 2007.)  Biographical Text Freda Smith was born Mary Alfreda Smith on November 22, 1935, to Alfred and Mary Smith in Pocatello, Idaho. Alfred and Mary had married while at college in Enid Oklahoma, and moved to Idaho shortly before was born. (Alfred was 21 years old and Mary was 20 years old). This was during the depths of the Depression and Alfred found work as a mechanic at the Union Pacific Railroad. Later he would be employed as a language teacher (German, Spanish, French, Italian) and Mary would fulfill her early aptitude and education in math and science working for the U.S. Navy.   However, the early years were difficult. Three children--Freda, Lydia and Alfred, Jr.--were born in the first four years of marriage. The small family moved to a remote rural area south of Pocatello. They were accompanied by Alfred's grandmother, Nazarene preacher Lydia Harriet Smith, who had rescued Alfred from a Denver orphanage and raised him in the small churches where she served. The Nazarene Church and its ministry was the focus of Freda's early life.  Rural southeastern Idaho, in the late thirties and through the war years, was largely a LDS (Mormon) settlement. The Smith family was the only "Gentile" family "south of town." However all families--both Mormon and Nazarene--were church-goers whose religion dictated the customs of life.   As Nazarenes, the Smith family (shepherded by Freda's great- grandmother) avoided liquor, smoking, cards, dancing, profanity, and any  "near occasion of sin."  Mormons danced, while to Nazarenes dancing was a sin. Nazarenes drank coffee, which to Mormons violated the "Word of Wisdom."  Aside from these and other surface differences in religious practices and beliefs, the rural southern Idaho community members were united against sin in any form and for chastity, holiness, and a strong work ethic. They had no apparent knowledge or understanding of alternate lifestyles. Freda attended church Sunday mornings and nights and the Wednesday evening mid-week services, as well as weekly home prayer meetings and a home atmosphere of hymns, Bible study,  and prayers. The Nazarene theology embraced salvation and sanctification (the second work of grace), eschewed worldliness (i.e. movies, etc.), yet presented a joyful, optimistic faith and an abundance of musical celebration. Altar calls were regular Sunday night occasions where kneelers struggled against temptation and despair, wept, and were blessed by rapturous renewals of faith and a sense of the undeniable presence of God. These themes of great spiritual striving, the poetical thrust of Biblical drama presented in word and song, and the sense of a divine providence became a sacred "calling" very early in Freda's life. She determined that she would either be a preacher or a poet.  Freda entered the first grade in 1941, shortly before the bombing of Pearl Harbor.  The war years had a profound effect on her as they had on so many that experienced the heroism, and sacrifice of the times.   Following the war years and the death of Freda's great- grandmother, the family began to drift from the Nazarene Church and she independently left to become a member of the Salvation Army. The fire and passion of the Salvation Army, preaching "with heart to God and hand to [man] humanity," coupled with the familiar hymns and the salvation/sanctification struggle for souls and a compassion for the lost, the least, and the forgotten, stirred her early "call" and she began the process of becoming an officer. It was also at this time that Freda realized her lesbianism. True to her early training and upbringing she entered into spiritual battle, seeking to overcome her nature and to find a state of sanctification where all of these feelings of love would be taken from her. During this struggle she left Idaho to live with her aunt and uncle in Texas. While there, she read every book in the library she could find on the subjects of homosexuality, lesbianism, inversion, sodomy, and other names given to the "disorder." Each book seemed more condemning and frightening than the one before. There was no account of a sane, healthy gay or lesbian person; all were criminal, insane, perverted degenerates. Homosexuality during the early 1950s  was universally condemned as criminal and  sinful, as well as a  mental illness.  Freda spent long evenings on her knees at home and at the altar in the Salvation Army Citadel where she worshiped. Nothing changed her heart.  Freda now looks back and sees that God was in the prayer-answering business.  However,  God did not want to change her heart. God wanted to use Freda's passion – along with the passion of others who were similarly struggling – to change the church and the world. Leaving Texas, Freda returned briefly to Pocatello for a term at Idaho State College (now ISU) majoring in speech/journalism.  She was still praying for a "cure" and was a passionate speaker and a part of the debate team as she had been in high school. She had a strong calling to preach and like Jeremiah there was a fire in her bones: "Then I said, ‘I will not make mention of [him]God , nor speak any more in [his] God's name. But [his] God's word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.’” (Jeremiah 20:9 KJV)  However, the fire in her bones ultimately gave over to a realization that she could no more change her orientation than she could change her height, eye color, or humanity. Following the biggest gay witch hunt in U.S. history in Boise (1955-56), she determined to leave Idaho and find "others like her."  In California, Freda found the gay community and became a closet Christian. As she once hid her lesbian identity from the church , now she hid her sense of God's calling upon her life from her friends in the gay community. Freda Smith entered California State University in Sacramento, majoring first in language arts (English, speech, journalism) and ultimately graduating with a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology. She was licensed by the State of California as a Marriage and Family Therapist. Passionate about human rights and activism, Freda was active in Bobby Kennedy's 1968 presidential campaign and, after his assassination, decided to "come out" publicly as a lesbian as well as a feminist and to work to change laws in California. This was "before Stonewall," and very few members of the gay community were open about their orientation. Homosexuality was a criminal offense in California, as well as condemned by the church and diagnosed as a mental disease. Freda became co-chair of the California Committee for Sexual Law Reform and worked for the passage of Assemblyman Willie Brown's consenting adult law. It was during this lobbying effort that she wrote her narrative poem Dear Dora/Dangerous Derek Diesel Dyke  which she read to a group of legislators which included Lt. Merv Dymally who voted to break  the Senate deadlock to pass the legislation. Early in the law reform lobbying effort, Freda learned of the Metropolitan Community Church which had been founded by the Rev. Troy Perry in 1968. Realizing that she could fulfill the calling to preach and to minister which had never left her spirit, Freda became active in MCC. Troy and Freda were featured speakers at the capital building in Sacramento in 1971 when Willie Brown introduced his consenting adults bill. Freda was the feminist speaker and Troy was the religious leader who had just led a march from Oakland to publicize the event. The bill was introduced repeatedly until it passed in 1975.  When Freda entered MCC the leadership was overwhelmingly male and as a feminist Freda went to work to encourage women to become active and to change the church by-laws to include women. MCC eventually became a leader in Christian social action, championing the ordination of women, inclusive language, and a theology of inclusion for all people.  Freda taught Christian Feminism at Samaritan Theological Institute, a religious institution established to provide instruction to MCC ministers and lay people before seminary doors were open to open LGBTI people.  In 1973, Freda was elected to the Governing Board of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (Board of Elders) where she served as World Church Extension Elder and Vice-Moderator for the next 20 years. During that time Freda was pastor of MCC Sacramento – from 1972 until she retired in 2005 to become an Evangelist for the denomination and an activist to preserve the early history of the LGBTI Christian Church.   Freda and her life partner, Kathleen Meadows have been together since 1974. Freda calls the MCC movement the most exciting church since the book of Acts. In an address to the 2007 UFMCC International Conference in Scottsdale she spoke of the relationship between the church in the book of Acts and the history of the LGBTI Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches: [The] achievement of the church in the book of Acts was accompanied by passionate, theological clashes over scripture, over custom, over all of the isms: racism, sexism, classism, over intense personal disagreements and rash actions; certainly often biting off more than they possibly could chew, facing opposition and persecution from "powers and principalities and the forces of evil in high places." All the while rushing headlong into history. We can know this because the Book of Acts was written down... We can write our history. How like the early church in the Book of Acts we were joined together in our many differences by the Holy Spirit  to become a church reaching  out to a fragmented, disenfranchised, closeted community. While we still have the voices to tell; let us tell of working, marching, fasting, praying, blending our spirituality with activism in order to change unjust  laws,  struggling to turn our isms into wasms (sexism, racism, elitism), to be inclusive, not only in language, but in every sense of the word, striving to educate our clergy when so many seminary doors were closed to them straining to reach our people where ever they were...  Struggling to balance all of our theological understandings to become ecumenical in our worship. As Troy Perry was wont to say: "We're going to treat you in so many different ways you're bound to like some of them" (and dislike, too.)  We can tell our personal stories of those early, tempestuous years... Freda is dedicated to telling that story. (This biographical statement was written by the Rev. Freda Smith to accompany an oral history interview that was conducted by Dr. Melissa Wilcox in 2007.)  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 Freda Smith Freda Smith MCC Metropolitan Community Church Nazarene Church https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/19809d2b0404ad67e0dc7f9c292307d0.jpg 3aa578cb08871bda4285f441e905718a 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. 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 Frederick Douglas Defends Chinese Immigration, 1867 Subject The topic of the resource Speaking in Boston, Douglas offers several arguments to refute the anti-Chinese Americans. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived When a Ban on the Chinese Was Proposed and Frederick Douglass Spoke Out, By Patrick Young, Esq. Long Island Wins, February 8, 2017 https://longislandwins.com/columns/immigrants-civil-war/ban-chinese-proposed-frederick-douglass-spoke-3/ https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/74904ee639b2127d5cc74e3bd8c88b7b.pdf 5cba4cf5b23b6be05c9b8f5fccc57e49 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. Text Any textual data included in the document Mrs. Harrop Freeman 108 Needham Place, Ithaca, New York January 18, 1964 Dear Friends: We thought that you might be interested in what the CURW (Cornell United Religious Work--the inter-faith organization at Cornell University) has done with "The Quaker View of Sex," and the comment from the daily paper published by the students. The Friends Meeting here has also have a discussion group which has considered the pamphlet. We do a great deal of pre-marriage and marriage counseling ourselves and have found the pamphlet most helpful in encouraging young people (and older ones as well) to think out a code of moral and spiritual approach to the subject of sex. Cordially, Harrop & Ruth Freeman Cornell Daily Sun 1/17/64 Dialogue Toward a New Morality by R.V. Denenberg ",,,In subscribing to a moral code, some of which is no longer accepts, society merits the charge of hypocrisy..." With this assumption a group of British Friends set off "Toward a Quaker View of Sex," in the current Dialogue's featured article. The issue, as the Quakers discuss it, is far from the "explosive subject" that the magazine's editors proclaim it to be. It is, rather, an eminently thoughtful and disarmingly frank consideration of the ethical, religious and psychological weakness of what we have some to call "conventional morality." The very currency of that term suggests that we are already way ahead of the Friends in assuming a detached a relativistic attitude toward an ossified sexual code, but underlying so much of the au courant criticism is a marked scorn for the religious bases of sexual mores. The significant of the Friend's essay is that is represents the search of profoundly religious men of new standards, standards which would embody Christian ideals, rather than hollow, lip-served precepts. They express their attitude with words whose tone conveys the gentleness and compassion of the Quaker faith: "It is the awareness that the traditional code, in itself, does not come from the heart; for the great majority of men and women it has no roots in feeling or true conviction. We have been seeking a morality that will indeed have its roots in the depths of our being and in our awareness of the true needs of our fellows." They find society plagued by sexual difficulties for which "a distorted Christianity must bear some of the blame," and hence they are led to an empiricism which asks if homosexuality is really unnatural or pre-marital intercourse always sinful. In the process they develop a humane and undogmatic concept of sin which takes exploitation of one person by another as its criterion. They founder, however, in attempting a universal morality to replace the conventional one. Trying to avoid advocating license, they stipulate that some "external morality" is necessary to govern sexual relationships, but after their stress upon individual needs, the insistance up an essentially social code to regulate private relationships which do not affect the community in any extend seems strangely out of keeping. A reading of their essay, nevertheless, remains a moving and challenging experience. 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 Freeman letter & Cornell Daily Sun article Description An account of the resource Ruth Freeman, from Cornell United Religious Work, sent a brief letter with a copy of an article from the Cornell Daily Sun as well as a copy of a review in their Dialogue magazine (see below). Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived HSC Quaker Group on Homosexuality records, Friends House, London 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. Fresno Wesley United Methodist Church Stole Text Fresno Wesley United Methodist Church Fresno, CA 25 Years Reconciling 1984-2009 Denomination United Methodist Church Contribution Date 2009 Contribution Story Donated in celebration of their 25th anniversary of becoming a Reconciling Congregation. 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 1150 Title A name given to the resource Fresno Wesley United Methodist Church Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Fresno, California (USA) California Clergy Activist Methodist Ordination Reconciling Ministries Network (formerly Reconciling Congregation Program) Theology United Methodist Church https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/1ee2a94b381115e18d3ff34a5470b02d.jpg 1ee47b5bfbc294343da18dad98992dca 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 Friends at a latke-making class, 1991 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived CBST Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Larry Selzer https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/00bc0ba7f4c5a68def4347aae5c9c96c.jpg 4454797985f3700615639ec3b29d3825 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://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-religion-kumbh-transgender-idUSKCN1PE04D 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 From pariah to demi-god: transgender leader a star at massive Indian festival Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Alasdair Pal, Reuters | Emerging Markets. January 19, 2019. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-religion-kumbh-transgender-idUSKCN1PE04D https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laxmi_Narayan_Tripathi Subject The topic of the resource She created a religious movement called the Kinnar Akhada. It became the first transgender group to bathe at the confluence of the holy Ganges and the Yamuna rivers on the first day of an ancient festival, traditionally reserved for reclusive Hindu priests, almost all of whom are men. Description An account of the resource Laxmi Narayan Tripathi is a transgender/Hijra rights activist, bollywood actress, Bharatanatyam dancer, choreographer and motivational speaker in Mumbai, India. She is also the Acharya Mahamandaleshwar of kinnar akhada. She was born in Malti Bai Hospital on 13th Dec 1978 in Thane. This news article contains a twelve-shot slide show depicting the transgender spiritual leader with her people. https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/eaf8e7b84dc5c2e237a3cdacc3173819.jpg 25f1fe84ffafd5860777a0fc7ff4935e 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 Second Stone Description An account of the resource Issues of the Second Stone publication. Issue An issue of a recurring publication. Issue Number The number of the issue (within a volume) #59 Publication Year The year the issue was published 1998 Publication Date The date the issue was published July/Ausut 1998 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 Front and Last Page of Second Stone Description An account of the resource The front and last page of the final issue of Second Stone.