81 20 2484 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/05ebfc762218195e03aab1606ae8ed9f.jpg 253eaddc4cc76ca7585fc3d8d255669b YouTube Video A video hosted on YouTube. YouTube ID Eleven-character ID assigned by YouTube E_trLvqsUrw 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 Herb Donaldson Recalls Widespread Legal Support, Including the ACLU, for the Trial Description An account of the resource From “Shedding a StraightJacket” produced by GLBT Historical Society, October 1996; Paul Gabriel, videographer and curator; Edd Dundas, editor and duplicator. 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/10b33ef25b2d4a28413a5f30317f9898.jpg f9bc76c88eecffc813068d224301d280 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/70f7f3f9db3df10c12fe4d9a83baa192.jpg 1bf08db3510001030765f8fd4733f204 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 Henry Kubicki, then and now Description An account of the resource Henry Kubicki, participant in the Gay Liberation Front, on April 15, 1970 and on June 11, 2011. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived from Henry Kubicki https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/99346d3a9d02ce4d7a522ff7bb8824f8.jpg 8a9f9e4a53e64e892f08df54afc0242c 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 Henry Kubicki, early MCC member, at age 18 Description An account of the resource Kubicki shown camping it up with a friend on Bourbon Street in September, 1970. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived from Henry Kubicki https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/a02caa2a469123606f3280d2dcb5fb97.jpg e1ad64203d62267badc11539d3b66438 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 http://www.southernfriedqueerpride.com/clutch-community-space 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 Help Us Establish The CLUTCH Community Center! Description An account of the resource Our community is vibrant, resilient, and robust, but it does not yet own the brick-and-mortar spaces it needs to commune, heal, and build. The South has the largest LGBTQ+ population in the United States – with Atlanta being a Black Queer (BlaQueer) and LGBTQ+ capital – there are no drop-in centers or shelters for queer and trans people of all ages in Atlanta. A community center like THE CLUTCH can offer safety and support for Black and brown queer and trans folks, young people, disabled folks, and others marginalized by systemic injustice and a lack of infrastructure.   <a href="http://www.southernfriedqueerpride.com/clutch-community-space" target="_blank" rel="noopener">http://www.southernfriedqueerpride.com/clutch-community-space</a> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Southern Fried Queer Pride http://www.southernfriedqueerpride.com/clutch-community-space 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. Helene H. Loper Stole Text Rev. Helene Hibbard Loper, Pastor Cornerstone MCC, Mobile, Alabama There are some of us still in the PC(USA) but I am one who left. The PC(USA) was my primary church experience. I was baptized in it as an infant, raised in its Sunday Schools, confirmed into its membership at age 12, married in its sanctuary and well on my way to being accepted as a gifted leader… until someone thought I was a lesbian. After some very hurtful (and out of order) experiences with a Committee on Preparation for Ministry, I realized that, in order to follow my calling of God, I would have to leave the denomination in which I had come to know God's grace and love. After coming out to the truth, which I did not learn in PC(USA) teachings, my "choice" boiled down to following God and being who God created me to be or to yielding to the restriction of a human institution, this particular denomination. My gifts and calling, my passion and commitment are in pastoral ministry. God's people, all of us, need gifted and qualified leadership. I might have move from my deep south homeland to the west coast to follow my calling to ministry, but that would have limited it and left my brothers and sisters in the southeast in their woundedness and pain. So I left the PC(USA), who I now regard as my abuser, and have formed a relationship with another denomination as partners in ministry in God's Church. I do not intend to leave a good relationship to return to my abuser. My ministry now includes many of your outcasts. These, who have been so turned away from the God you preach that they refuse to ever darken the door of a church again, often wander for years before they find a church where they can be who God created them to be. When they come to the church where I now serve God, my ministry is to spend much time and energy teaching, healing, and preaching the good news of God's love for them. They too are gifted, deeply spiritual people who seek to serve God faithfully and my role is to equip them for their ministries. I went through deep grief over leaving my spiritual heritage and I hurt for the pain of God's people who choose to remain in places where they are not fully accepted as God accepts them. I have great respect for those who are called to be advocates for truth within the PC(USA) and other denominations that refuse to accept all people who come in faith as God's chosen ones. The PC(USA) may wrestle like Jacob with God over this matter, but in the morning God will not leave you unscathed. Your limp will be the leaders and members you lost in the struggle. It may also include the loss of others who are unable to let God be God in creation and each of our callings. Yet we are all still God's one Church and I am glad that whatever divisions have happened in the Church here in this life are not the last word on our unity in Jesus Christ in eternity. There are some Christians who will be very surprised at who their neighbors, their peers in God's grace, are in heaven. In eternity I will not be segregated from my parents, my children, my brothers and sisters and my friends who continue to be active and faithful members and leaders in the PC(USA). I just wish that this could have happened before I had to leave the PC(USA). Maybe it will for others who have not yet been forced to make a choice between their calling of God and the rules of this denomination. But that depends on the actions of the PC(USA). Will you let God be creator of all, Jesus savior of all and the Spirit uniter of all? -------------- [Addendum, sent to the Shower of Stoles Project in August, 2003] A decade later… The "Hapiru" were a mixed multitude that left Egypt, along with the descendants of Abraham, to go into the wilderness to worship God. They were included in the covenant and were never singled out as more sinful or more faithful than any other person or group among the people of God. Yet there is a feel to being a "Hapiru" that I have come to understand as the years have passed since leaving the Presbyterian Church (USA). Leaving the tradition of one's birth for an unknown future in another community of faith has its moments of blessing and pain. For me the blessings have been freedom to worship and serve God in new ways. They are in finding new relationships. They are in personal growth, deeper faith and a clearer focus on living the gospel rather than preserving institutions, habits or beliefs that are incompatible with a life of faith. The pain is here too. This experience is much like a divorce. There must be a complete break with the old before a commitment to anything new is possible. The point of giving up hope for the first relationship is like the moment when one's heart finally breaks so deeply that there is no going back. While the old relationship may have some healing and even become friendly or collaborative, one can not go back and retie the cords of trust or repair the levels of intimacy that were broken. Looking at my experiences of ministry over the past decade since leaving the PC(USA), I also find that after that first "divorce" it becomes easier to let go of other relationships when they become unhealthy. The gift of a clearer focus on the gospel daily reminds me of what it costs to let go of other things in order to be a healthier person. These are the mixed feelings of a Hapiru. Now I find myself living with looser ties to things and institutions in this life as I seek truth and the realm of God. This process is necessary as God creates an exodus community of faith that will include all people in eternity. Today Christian Hapiru are mixed within denominations and sprinkled about in independent churches. But not everyone is called to become a Hapiru with respect to his or her original faith tradition. The Israelites were not asked to give up being the children of Abraham. They were told to show hospitality to the strangers among them. They are to remember that they too were once wandering Arameans. Therefore it is important for people to not easily let go of hope for repentance and healing in their tradition. When a return to faithfulness, justice and mercy is needed, God usually calls Hebrews to be the prophets to the Hebrews. So to those who yet remain in difficult places, I speak urgently of keeping your hope. While some of us are called to live as Hapiru in order to minister in God's name among the wanderers, some of you are being called to be prophets to your own people. The outcome of our mutual faithfulness will be the fulfillment of God's promise of salvation for all of us. -- Rev. Helene H. Loper Denomination Presbyterian Church (USA) Metropolitan Community Church 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). For many years it was the only stole in the collection from Alabama, and one of very few from the Deep South. Helene is one of many "spiritual exiles" represented in the Shower of Stoles collection who left a denomination with discriminatory policies and renewed their ministries in a welcoming church -- in Helene's case, the Metropolitan Community Church. Like so many others, however, Helene continues to have mixed emotions over her departure from her church of origin, and holds out hope that it, too, will someday become a welcoming place. 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 79 Title A name given to the resource Helene H. Loper Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Mobile, Alabama (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Helene H. Loper Alabama Church Trials Loper, Helene H. MCC Ordination Presbyterian Presbyterian Church (USA) Theology https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/1e2e2bc7fe5c2a7c27dbf51968700c1b.jpg f34610fe16028dade48b9d3e7b1924eb https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/60d5756bfc7e2aa73d97813e2d01d741.jpg 3dab9bb16e25e9222d9baafd56bc86b8 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. Helene Butler Connie Nelson Stole Text Helene Butler Connie Nelson Denomination Presbyterian Church (USA) Contribution Date 2000 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 145 Title A name given to the resource Helene Butler 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 Butler, Helene California More Light Presbyterians for LGBT Concerns Nelson, Connie Ordination Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) Presbyterian Presbyterian Church (USA) https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/a3c31cd67138cf222fc7180c3f9b0df6.jpg 843c8e023cbdf04ab1a93c250b770c9a Person An individual. Text Any textual data included in the document Heather White (Ph.D., Princeton University) is Visiting Assistant Professor in Religion and Queer studies at the University of Puget Sound, with a joint appointment in the Department of Religious Studies and the Gender & Queer Studies Program. Professor White is a specialist in American Religions with a research focus on sexuality, gender, and twentieth century social movements. Her first book, Reforming Sodom: Protestants and the Rise of Gay Rights was published by the University of North Carolina Press in 2015. The book has been featured in Huffington Post, Religion and Politics, the L.A. Review of Books, and Religion Dispatches, and it was listed in the top ten “best LGBT nonfiction of 2015” by the Bay Area Reporter. She is also co-editing an anthology (with Gillian Frank and Bethany Moreton), titled Devotions and Desires: Religion and Sexuality in the Twentieth Century United States. Professor White has given invited talks and keynote lectures at the Birkbeck Institutes at the University of London, Otterbein University in Ohio, and Columbia University. She serves on the advisory board of the LGBT Religious Archive Network, and is a steering committee member of the Queer Studies in Religion group of the American Academy of Religion. At the University of Puget Sound, she teaches courses on twentieth century religion and queer politics, the history of Christianity and sexuality, religion in America, Introduction to Gender, Queer and Feminist Studies, well as other classes in gender, feminist and queer studies. https://www.pugetsound.edu/faculty-pages/hwhite Biographical Text Heather White (Ph.D., Princeton University) is Visiting Assistant Professor in Religion and Queer studies at the University of Puget Sound, with a joint appointment in the Department of Religious Studies and the Gender & Queer Studies Program. Professor White is a specialist in American Religions with a research focus on sexuality, gender, and twentieth century social movements. Her first book, Reforming Sodom: Protestants and the Rise of Gay Rights was published by the University of North Carolina Press in 2015. The book has been featured in Huffington Post, Religion and Politics, the L.A. Review of Books, and Religion Dispatches, and it was listed in the top ten “best LGBT nonfiction of 2015” by the Bay Area Reporter. She is also co-editing an anthology (with Gillian Frank and Bethany Moreton), titled Devotions and Desires: Religion and Sexuality in the Twentieth Century United States. Professor White has given invited talks and keynote lectures at the Birkbeck Institutes at the University of London, Otterbein University in Ohio, and Columbia University. She serves on the advisory board of the LGBT Religious Archive Network, and is a steering committee member of the Queer Studies in Religion group of the American Academy of Religion. At the University of Puget Sound, she teaches courses on twentieth century religion and queer politics, the history of Christianity and sexuality, religion in America, Introduction to Gender, Queer and Feminist Studies, well as other classes in gender, feminist and queer studies. https://www.pugetsound.edu/faculty-pages/hwhite 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 Heather White Heather White RTSA Scholarly Advisory Team 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. Hearts on Fire - Reconciling Ministries Network's Convocation (Solidarity Stole) Stole Text Hearts on Fire Reconciling Ministries Network’s Convocation Lake Junaleska, NC September 2-5, 2005 This gathering of RMN was protested by the Ku Klux Klan. This stole, and hundreds like it, was created by Parents Reconciling Network, an extension ministry of RMN. These stoles are distributed at every gathering of RMN and the wider United Methodist Church as a visible witness in support of ending the denomination’s anti-homosexual stance. Denomination United Methodist Church Contribution Date 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 1174 Title A name given to the resource Hearts on Fire - Reconciling Ministries Network's Convocation (Solidarity Stole) Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Lake Junaleska, North Carolina (USA) Ally Methodist North Carolina Ordination Reconciling Ministries Network (formerly Reconciling Congregation Program) United Methodist Church https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/e461a71bcbd03b3c91c55d97a3ece9b7.jpg 08d50c36375aa4c60c8b0d1f9f047cea 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 YouTube Video A video hosted on YouTube. YouTube ID Eleven-character ID assigned by YouTube A5nQZ7_ApM4 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 He Inoa Mana (A powerful name) | Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu (Kumu Hina) | TEDxMaui Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinaleimoana_Wong-Kalu TEDx Talks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5nQZ7_ApM4 Photo https://www.animationxpress.com/animation/exclusive-animated-short-kapaemahu-could-be-the-first-ever-hawaiian-film-to-be-nominated-for-oscars/ Description An account of the resource Kumu Hina, an educator, social and political activist, and Hawaiian cultural practitioner, shares her experience as a transgendered woman exploring her half Hawaiian, half Chinese ancestry. In her talk, she shares about a recent trip to China which unexpectedly connected her to her family there, and the realizations this new connection is bringing to her about the origins of identity. 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 Havurat Shalom Description An account of the resource Location of Havurat Shalom in Somerville, Massachusetts https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/d6d68ae5fcb935b038423acc83a80681.jpg dd322425a0b8baffcb98eac5b429fc8a Person An individual. Text Any textual data included in the document Haven Herrin is a queer, trans* white Southerner from Texas. They are in love with the organizing of Soulforce because it deeply connects the spiritual, the personal, and the political in the work of challenging Christian Supremacy. Haven started with Soulforce in 2005 as an Equality Ride Co-Director, a recurring tour of the campuses of the Religious Right. From that work unfurled an understanding of the Religious Right as a centuries long project premised upon colonization, white supremacy, and patriarchy and the stake that LGBTQI people have in ending that order. Haven loves nothing more than creating the space for everyday activists to locate and embrace their power and wholeness. They approach organizing as an artist and designer, and dance keeps their spirit alive in these challenging times. (This biographical statement provided by Haven Herrin.) Biographical Text Haven Herrin is a queer, trans* white Southerner from Texas. They are in love with the organizing of Soulforce because it deeply connects the spiritual, the personal, and the political in the work of challenging Christian Supremacy. Haven started with Soulforce in 2005 as an Equality Ride Co-Director, a recurring tour of the campuses of the Religious Right. From that work unfurled an understanding of the Religious Right as a centuries long project premised upon colonization, white supremacy, and patriarchy and the stake that LGBTQI people have in ending that order. Haven loves nothing more than creating the space for everyday activists to locate and embrace their power and wholeness. They approach organizing as an artist and designer, and dance keeps their spirit alive in these challenging times. (This biographical statement provided by Haven Herrin.) 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 Haven Herrin Haven Herrin https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/8451d1738f47e7f5825e717eb2017ea9.jpg 7fe38071dd755d38d76123a49704b8dd 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 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 Hastiin Tłʼa (Hosteen Klah) Subject The topic of the resource This Navajo artist was a Nádleeh (pl. Nádleehi, meaning "one-who-has-been-changed"). According to Wikipedia, the Nádleehi are a third gender recognized by the Navajo people who embody traditionally male and female roles. Description An account of the resource The male role of Hastiin Tłʼa was that of the medicine man. Their female role was that of a weaver. This artist, Hastiin Tłʼa, broke tradition when capturing the patterns used in their elusive impermanent sandpaintings in the relative stability or permanence provided by the medium of woven textiles. Yet, it was an act of cultural conservation when Hastiin Tłʼa sought to preserve the Navajo religion by helping a Boston heiress (his friend Mary Cabot Wheelwright) establish the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian in Santa Fe, New Mexico. That institution later was renamed the Navajo Museum of Ceremonial Art when it repatriated sacred materials and remains back to the care of the Navajo people. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hosteen_Klah 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 Harvard-Epworth United Methodist Church Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Location of Harvard-Epworth United Methodist Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/3e489f012c98174c9b19d772a804ff1f.jpg f024be51666ab984e82f62f504a35cbf https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/3a2a20242529d3b6aea28bebfe68dad2.jpg 7d0e9cad62c50c994da9f3c39348ccec https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/e4e278a47a848a157f17725d6f9014ff.jpg e61c439c440b6c185a08fced6c142ab2 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/1e3b09062e81ba7c952ce67fef36c3a3.jpg 3c29c358f252f06eab0c886443c48e26 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/f1f334c87bb4cee6251e647e31489df4.jpg 2639bbfaaea1f3ad2411ef41dd28a051 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/7a23909bf651cead1ec5a0bc7188cf54.jpg 29ed2a42299fbc7019dade297de8c464 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. Harry Knox Stole Text HARRY KNOX, M.Div. United Church of Christ Washington, DC Director, Religion and Faith Program of the Human Rights Campaign Harry Knox experienced a clear call to ministry on Lincoln's birthday, Feb. 12th, 1977 (now Freedom to Marry Day). In church that day, the spirit told him, “I want you to be my man in South Georgia.” When Harry asked, “Does that mean you want me to be a minister?” God answered, “for now.” Harry's ministry has been continually shaped by God's words, "for now." This calling took him from Candler School of Theology at Emory University, where he attempted to shut off his sexuality, to Lancaster Theological Seminary where he prepared as an openly gay man for ministry in the United Church of Christ. When Harry was denied ordination in the UCC Georgia-South Carolina Association of the Southeast Conference, God called him to do social justice work instead. At the American Cancer Society, he ministered to people dealing with life and death and modeled how an organization can better care for people in crisis. At Georgia Equality, at Equality Florida, at Freedom to Marry, and now at the Human Rights Campaign, he has pastored to a community under attack and served as a spiritual guide to those actively engaged in the struggle for equality. This stole honors his remarkable ministry outside the official church. In the face of prejudice and homophobia, Harry became pastor to people on the margins. He cares, as Jesus would, for those who have been castigated, shunned, and abandoned. His is a ministry of presence, teaching us the importance of being available when needed and representing God the best we can. Harry currently plans to pursue ordination in the United Church of Christ, Washington, D.C. To all of us, he was ordained in 1977 when he heard his first call. – His colleagues and friends at the Human Rights Campaign Denomination United Church of Christ United Methodist Church Contribution Date 2007 Contribution Story Comments from Sharon Groves at the Dedication of  Harry Knox’s stole for the Shower of Stoles Project Thank you all for coming out tonight. Assembled here Harry, are your partners in faith, in political advocacy, your wonderful colleagues from HRC, and many, many good friends who love you. We want to give a special welcome to Harry’s longtime friend Jeff Whitney. On his own dime and with virtually no advance notice from us, Jeff decided to catch a plane from Atlanta to be here with Harry. Special thanks also to Rev. John Mack and Rev. Barbara Gerlach, pastors of Harry’s Washington, DC church, First Congregational United Church of Christ and other First Congregational members for coming out tonight. I also want to thank those we’ve asked to speak. Winnie Stachleberg and Barbara Menard are the women responsible for creating HRC’s Religion and Faith program a year and a half ago and for hiring Harry. Also, my pastor and Harry’s good friend Rev. Louise Green will lead us in a short dedication service. Others wanted to be here but couldn’t make it. In particular, <a href="https://www.lgbtran.org/Profile.aspx?ID=242">Rev. Rebecca Voelkal</a> the program director for the Institute for Welcoming Resources, home to the Shower of Stoles project. Rebecca is due to deliver her new baby, Shannon Mackenzie, any day now. Though she can’t travel she still wrote a letter in honor of Harry’s, which Kyla will read later in the program. We also want to thank the artist who created the stole for Harry, Darcy Dye. Harry and I met Darcy in Iowa and liked her immediately. After talking to her at length about her work, her faith, her commitment to LGBT equality, Kyla and I knew she was the right person to create the stole. Darcy was captivated by Harry’s story as you can see from her artist statement on the back of the program. The stole she’s created is a labor of love bringing together the pivotal moments in Harry’s life as a person of faith. I’d like to say a few words about Harry’s ministry, but first let me give some context to the Shower of Stole project. In 1995, no longer able to work in the Presbyterian Church as an out lesbian, Martha G. Juillerat, the project founder, decided to forego ordination knowing that it would be revoked from her. Although she had been asked to spend the previous three years telling her story as a lesbian and Presbyterian pastor, the presbytery then told her she couldn’t be out. Rather than be defrocked she relinquished her ordination. To mark the decision and to let the presbytery know that she was not the only LGBT person of faith in the Presbyterian Church, she sent out a request for stoles that would be hung in the church where the presbytery was meeting. The stoles were intended to be evidence that homophobia and heterosexism affected many, many more people. Instead of the dozen stoles she expected, she received 80, almost all arriving overnight and most of them anonymous. With that, the Shower of Stoles project was born. The project now contains over a thousand stoles from LGBT people and allies from twenty-six different denominations. The stories these stoles tell are always poignant, and sometimes gut-wrenchingly so. They tell of children who have been denied baptism, clergy partners forced to live in separate towns for fear they’ll loose their positions, and church elders who have remained closeted for decades. They also tell positive stories of churches that have become welcoming, and of Out clergy honored by their congregations. Together they create a stunning picture of resilience, creativity, and grace in the face of tremendous obstacles. It is fitting that Harry should be included in this company. As you’ll hear more about later, Harry was denied ordination because of his sexuality, but through his deep faith and personal perseverance he refocused his energies and became a pastor to organizations that serve people on the margins, first cancer survivors and then the LGBT community. In thinking of what I wanted to say about Harry, I come back to a riveting performance I recently saw of Lorraine Hansberry’s, 1959 play A Raisin in the Sun. In the penultimate scene, the son in the family has hit rock bottom and is contemplating selling out the family to a white racist neighborhood association, to the complete disdain of his younger sister. In response: Lena Younger, the Matriarch in the family, posed the question that makes me think of Harry: She asks: “When is the time to love somebody the most? When they done good and made things easy?” She continues, “when you start measuring someone measure him right. Make sure you take into account the hills and valleys he’s come through before he got to wherever he is” To my mind, Harry is a pastor for the LGBT community the way Mama Lena Younger is for her family. Harry never looses site of the hills and valleys with which we all wrestle. He knows his own too well. He knows that to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender in this country--whether living openly or in the closet, whether an advocate or not—means that at some point or another there is going to be struggle often combined with degrees of shame, denial, and exclusion. He also knows that our religious communities, the place where we are at our most vulnerable and where we go for solace and refuge are often the places that hurt us the worst and are the first to shut us out. Yet, just as Harry became stronger through his struggle, his ministry to others is as much about hope and buoyancy as it is about compassion. Harry loves when it isn’t easy to love and he believes in our gifts even when we forget we have them. By so doing, he models a compassionate strength that empowers us to work harder for justice and to love those in our lives more deeply and freely. In my mind there could be no higher religious calling than this. Rebecca Voelkel’s Words About Harry For Harry Knox as his stole is donated to the Shower of Stoles Project With love and gratitude from Rev. Rebecca Voelkel, friend, colleague and Program Director of the Institute for Welcoming Resources, home of the Shower of Stoles Project I must begin by saying that my understanding of our vocation as human beings is to help participate in bringing in God’s realm here on earth. In order to do this, God has given us all gifts and graces, skills and passions so that we might be co-collaborators and co-conspirators with God in this joyful, justice work. But one of the truths about our world is that the powers of death use a variety of means to keep justice at bay and righteousness a far-too-distant reality. Among these means are the isms and phobias that would have some defending their humanity instead of using their gifts to hearken the realm of God. The Shower of Stoles Project seeks to both illustrate the sheer sinfulness of denying the power of God as manifest in many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender lives AND to highlight the creativity, power and beauty that are released when LGBT folk refuse to allow homophobia and heterosexism to keep them from sharing their God-given vocations. In other words, the Shower of Stoles Project calls the question on the powers of death and challenges us all to use what God has given us to make this world more like the one God intended. The fact that we are honoring Harry Knox today with a stole in this collection seems perfectly fitting to me, because Harry represents the best of Christian leadership and ministry if I have even seen it. If anyone in my life has embodied the gifts and skills, the graces and passions to help make this world more like God’s, it is Harry. Whether it is as a Southern raconteur whose self-deprecation and humble humor focus the listener’s attention on the moral of the story or as the soft-spoken man whose fearless presence in the halls of power have literally transformed minds, Harry is a minister of the Word. Whether it is as a ubiquitous presence at practically every conference on faith and LGBT issues around the country or as the man who responds almost immediately to your email, Harry takes seriously the call to embody God to those with whom he ministers. Whether it is as strategist and thinker or as behind the scenes organizer, Harry knows that faith without works is dead. The Church was wrong to deny Harry ordination the first time around. But Harry has refused to have his gifts go unused. As we receive Harry’s stole into the Shower of Stoles Project, we gift thanks to God for Harry’s co-conspirator status, for his co-collaborator heart that has meant that God’s ministry has been so powerful in his life. And, personally, as one who tries to stand in a similar place as Harry—between secular politics and Church dynamics—my heart is full that God has granted me the gift of Harry Knox in my life as colleague and as friend. Thanks be to God. <h1 style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;"></h1> <h1 style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;">Reflection for Harry Knox – Shower of Stoles</h1> Sermon by Rev. Louise Green January 11, 2007 The hour is striking so close above me, So clear and sharp, That all my senses ring with it. I feel it now: there’s a power in me To grasp and give shape to my world. I know that nothing has ever been real Without my beholding it. All becoming has needed me. My looking ripens things And they come toward me, to meet and be met. <h1 style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;">Rainer Maria Rilke’s Book of Hours</h1> It’s a great pleasure to stand before you for the purpose of honoring the calling and ministry of Harry Knox. We are fairly recent friends, but since the beginning I have resonated strongly with Harry’s great open spirit and obvious passion for his work. As I thought about what to say today, I came across this poem again…one of the great things about being a UCC minister in a Unitarian setting is that you can use poetry as sacred inspiration for the preaching moment! The urgent text moves me deeply, and also reminded me of Harry, so let me explore that for a moment with you. Rainer Maria Rilke wrote the Book of Hours, also called Love Poems to God, from strong inner stirrings over three powerful time periods. What he named as “inner dictations” were put to paper quickly and shaped to indicate his fervent belief in the experience of a reciprocal universe. By this I mean that he felt in two-way communication with God, with his calling, with destiny, as it unfolded, and knew that what he chose would create new shape to his life. This was a divine reciprocity in which Rilke’s participation was crucial and his actions significant. When we honor Harry today, I believe that we are celebrating that lively and disruptive reciprocal Spirit, the one the moves us and guides us, but also demands our own response to create our calling. In Harry’s journey, we are reminded that the principalities and powers of this earth may speak on the subject of call, but that they are often irrelevant or flat-out wrong. The Shower of Stoles is a project about callings that blossom and flower in spite of the limitations of human beings. It is a testimony to how God moves people regardless of the structures and injunction that appear to stand in the way. As we hear in Isaiah of the Hebrew Scriptures, “I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” On this evening, we only give voice to what has been so apparent for so many years, that Harry has shaped ministry from his calling. He was simply ahead of his time in the jurisdiction where he most unfortunately landed originally. But not ahead of God’s time, sometimes named the kairos moment! For if anyone reminds me a bell ringing clear and sharp, so that all your senses ring with it, it is Harry Knox. When Rilke says “there’s a power in me to grasp and give shape to my world” we see a map for what Harry has created. And isn’t this like so many transgender, bisexual, lesbian and gay folks who find themselves shut out of one party but able to create their own? Rilke goes on to say, “All becoming has needed me. My looking ripens things and they come toward me, to meet and be met.” It is a joy to see what Harry saw becoming here at HRC, and how his calling was true towards a creative vision that is literally touching thousands of people around the country. I believe this becoming, this Faith and Religion program at HRC, needed his looking to ripen the thing, his clear bell of recognition that this was his next place to be. Now the expanded vision needs the ongoing vision of Sharon and Kyla and Rebecca and other staff here, plus clergy and lay people around the country who are stirred by the accomplishments of this fine work. We who are outside the organization see also that the hour is striking so close above us, clear and sharp, that our senses ring with it. We feel the power of call, as it moves through Harry and this staff and directly to each of us. It is kind of an odd thing to commission a stole that you will only wear once, but in a way this is also emblematic of how calling works. We seek to give shape to what moves within us, and we let it go, we send it out into the world and pray that our blessing blesses others along the journey. Harry, your calling began back in your adolescent yearnings to participate in the life of congregation and polity, and in your deep and urgent questions about how you would serve. It has flowed out from you in various forms over time, and the Spirit is with you, clearly naming you a beloved child of God, with whom God is well pleased. Thank you for not hiding your light under the bushel, and for giving freely, and intensely, of the abundant talent that the Spirit has given to you. I would like to close with a blessing for Harry, and for each of us as we shape our calling and bring it forward. It comes from my other favorite Rilke poem, also from the Book of Hours: …If this is arrogant, God, forgive me, But this is what I need to say. May what I do flow from me like a river, No forcing and no holding back, The way it is with children. Then in these swelling and ebbing currents, These deepening tides moving out, returning, I will sing you as no one ever has, Streaming through widening channels Into the open sea. May it be so for you, Harry, my friend and colleague in ministry, and may it be true for each of us who are so fortunate to be here with you today. Blessed be and Amen. Click <a href="https://www.lgbtran.org/Profile.aspx?ID=417">here</a> to read Rev. Harry Knox'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 1104 Title A name given to the resource Harry Knox Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Washington, District of Columbia (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Sharon Groves Clergy Activist Groves, Sharon Knox, Harry Marriage Equality Methodist Ordination Theology United Church of Christ United Methodist Church Voelkel, Rebecca Washington, D.C. https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/05911c27dcd0bdbdf19d466c392e7e8e.png 4313f7998c6b03e46194ad43a759af8f 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 Harold L. Call Biography Description An account of the resource <a href="https://www.lgbtqreligiousarchives.org/profiles/hal-call">LGBT Religious Archives Network Pioneer Profile</a> https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/c0355c24160e99fcab8f10474b714853.jpg 94f9b256391e6fdfa514fa220dccfa90 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/aa1d99a5a0ee09a5e025648b68df65e0.jpg b7386ed5047807df605693d95e2f653d 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. Harold Stole Text HAROLD SJP DEACON More Light Denomination Presbyterian Church (USA) Contribution Date 2000 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 152 Title A name given to the resource Harold 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 Clergy Activist Covenant Network of Presbyterians Henderson, Mitzi More Light Presbyterians for LGBT Concerns Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) Presbyterian Presbyterian Church (USA) Theology https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/b64c62f42df32a8b38b9f44b3c205e22.jpg 2793420d622be61170bf293056fcbcfe https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/c89a46b3288663a63a6ab9356f430c1f.png 3491133ebf312070dc6e91f3dad6021f 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 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Salem_United_Methodist_Church_211_West_129th_Street.jpg 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 Harlem Takes the Drag Ball To New Heights Subject The topic of the resource A New York Times clipping reports that African American LGBTQ activity "bloomed" during the 1920s and 1930s in Harlem, Greenwich Village, Mid-town Manhatten, and near the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Description An account of the resource Of particular interest in the clipping are two notations: 1) Countee Cullen, like other African American LGBTQ luminaries of the Harlem Rennaissance, felt compelled to hide their sexual and gender identities as members of the Salem United Methodist Church; and 2) they would gather at the Hamilton Lodge where they would attend political events, banquets, church sermons, lectures, pageants, as well as an Annual African American drag ball, initiated in 1869, that drew 8,000 black and white onlookers. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Harlem World, The Legendary Hamilton Lodge Ball Home At The Rockland Palace Dance Hall In Harlem 1920’s. https://www.harlemworldmagazine.com/the-legendary-hamilton-lodge-ball-home-at-the-rockland-palace-dance-hall-in-harlem/ Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Biederman, Marcia. "A Journey to an Overlooked Past." Clipping. 2000. Digital Transgender Archive, https://www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net/files/6d56zw90r (accessed November 25, 2022). 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 Hanged man https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/cd4645098715c25ec5a8df5431e24b54.jpg 5ae278e4604c23a81f8f85b1e40d4e05 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 Hampstead Meeting House Interior Description An account of the resource Meeting room at the Hampstead Meeting House as it likely looked in the 1960s. Location of the 11 June 1960 Conference on Some Problems of Homosexuality. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Records of Hampstead Meeting House (provided by Rod Harper) https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/6f78f04e9cb5b0dae7e6a49e985abe93.jpg e3c50355f33c664fe0f301d698f0503f https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/da3161dcc9c1bda3c8435e7c7c7e8d28.jpg e926a23cc4b6c870f5bda637af5b1ca3 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. H.P. Stole Text H.P. Ordained minister Served faithfully for 13 years 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). 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 84 Title A name given to the resource H.P. 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 Withheld Ordination Presbyterian Presbyterian Church (USA) United States