59 20 2479 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/de0346cdf6ed40ddd7d7238205bf0aef.jpg 83b7c061907856d17346fe4695834f23 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/418f87cedd34dfcd20ae2b5a9d5d4447.jpg a5050852240e5984ee1803fcf212e17f https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/e4d929fdd8423456f5659af1328b8dc4.jpg 13eb41f71496bbeb25dc2ca619e796b2 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/58cc834b89db225dc07df346258b7407.jpg 63ef5298d0836392974cb11d1ca5322d https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/2c8c5c478b67e7b499b422f2c2d710c6.jpg 77ec16eea52f3d0cd5894aee087886ad https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/fef85681bc31f0c5f3571ab2d8af92a4.jpg d83c381a3bb249393092cbff7cc91125 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 The Friend May 27, 1960 Letters to the Editor Towards a Quaker View of Sex It is most gratifying that a concerned group of qualified Friends should face up to delicate and difficult sexual problems--usually the taboo in religious circles--and issue such an enlightened and courageous statement as appears in your last number. The treatment and punishment meted out to male homosexuals (who are often unable to change their natures any more than the colour of their hair), leading to suicide, blackmail and social ostracism, seem absolutely barbaric, especially when prostitution, adultery, and lesbianism are not regarded as criminal. Moreover, people who are more attracted to their own than the opposite sex are often people of the highest intelligence and moral character and innocent of perverted sexual practices. It is to be hoped that the recommendations of the Wolfenden Report will eventually be implemented. In the meantime it is encouraging to find that the "hush-hush" policy is gradually giving place to a reasoned public ventilation of the problem, and that the Homosexual Law Reform Society--sponsored by over 100 leading people, including the Archbishop of York and a number of Bishops--is doing a valuable service in educating public opinion. Arthur Hadley 40 Oak Hills Gardens Woodford Green, Essex. I am very glad to see in The Friend (May 20) an article on one of the problems of sex, and hope this will be but a beginning. Friends have outspoken views on many social questions, but on sex they at least as reticent as members of any other Church. Indeed the Quaker testimony to the equality of man and woman before God encourages the fallacy that there is "no essential difference" between them, and therefore emotional difficulties cannot arise in relationships between them. Was this attitude sufficient preparation for young people in days of a strong tradition and a closely knit community of Friends? Or is it a twentieth-century invention? In any case, it is not good enough in the condition of today. Advice on conduct and standards can be freely obtained from popular newspapers, magazines and books, but, though often honest enough, they lack the necessary religious basis. We need a frank recognition that emotional problems do arise in the lifelong process of growing up, and an interfusion of Quaker ideals with an understanding of human nature in order to help their solution. Another point. In nearly twenty years of reading THE FRIEND, I remember no article at all on the ethics of birth-control. No doubt individuals needing personal guidance may obtain it from the Marriage and Parenthood Committee, but this is a question for us all, married or single, as citizens of our country and of the world. After immediate issues of peace and war, it is the most vital question of all for inhabitants of this limited planet. This week the Church of Scotland General Assembly is to receive a report and issue an official statement on the subject. If someone asks what Friends' views are, are we to reply: "We never discuss it?" Moreoever, the main--Roman Catholic--opposition to birth-control claims to rest on reverence for life and the holy purposes of marriage. Surely Friends before anyone should look at this claim squarely and honestly, and base a judgment on surer grounds than expediency, however pressing the practical needs of the world situation? There are but two examples of questions which call on Friends to lay aside their unnatural restraint, and treat them as frankly and straightforwardly as they would any other social or human problem. Alison M. Douglas 6 Woodlinn Avenue Glasgow S.4 _________________________________________ Letters to the Editor June 3, 1960 Towards a Quaker View of Sex The report of a Quaker group, "Towards a Quaker View of Sex" in THE FRIEND of May 20 focuses a strong and disturbing tendency in the Society towards humanism. The article is academic, devoid of any vestige of the Christian Gospel and contains no indication that any help has been given to the "young Friends in one of our Universities". It says: "In our discussion of all these problems we could not always follow what has traditionally been regarded as Christian judgment. We have asked ourselves anew what we really think is right or wrong." Paul, in his letter ot the Christians in Rome, condemns the pagan society in which he lived, one of its marks being that men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with me and receiving in their own persons the due penalty for their error. Is this a part of the Christian judgment that the group could not follow? What what is the competence of a Christian group which does not know what is morally right or wrong? Indeed, in committal to Christ right and wrong is included in a higher quality of life: "Do you know know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you had from God? So glorify God in your body." We are told that masturbation is now known to occur almost universally during adolescence. Masturbation is self-abuse and therefore sin against the temple of the Holy Spirit. All Friends, and Friends' Schools, have a responsibility to instruct adolescents on the physical changes through which they are passing and to seek to win them to obedience to Christ: for it is only through his power that we can, like Paul, say: "I pummel my body and subdue it." The article refers indiscriminately to the world at large and to Friends, i.e., the Christian fellowship. All thoughtful, responsible persons are, of course, concerned with their fellow human beings. The Christian Church's responsibility to deal with homosexuality and the many other vices which beset unredeemed mankind is to communicate the Gospel--the power of God unto salvation. Friends have a special contribution to give to the universal Church, but there is nothing distinctively Quaker about our life in Christ, and only he can illuminate us, cleanse and empower us to live in the Spirit and not in the passions of the body. William Creed Lightfoot Lane, Heswall, Wirral, Cheshire. ________________________________________ Letters to the Editor June 17, 1960 Towards a Quaker View of Sex We thank God that some Friends are filled with a tender concern for those who have succumbed to sexual problems. We whole-heartedly agree with the views they express and welcome their unprejudiced spirit of inquiry. We were sorry to see William Creed's letter (June 3) on the subject. Elsie and Angus Earn.... 13 Sandringham Avenue, Newcastle-upon-Tyne William Creed reveals one of his difficulties by using the phrase "homosexuality and the many other vices which beset unredeemed mankind". The physical expression of love between males, in the form known as "gross indecency," is at present a criminal offence in the country, and it may also be a grievous sin. Homosexuality is but a sexual act, but love between two people of the same sex--which is neither a crime nor a sin. There are many thousands of clean-living men more attracted to those of their own sex than to women. Thinking of such people, ones comes to realise the injustice of the present law and the prevailing social attitude towards the "non-practising" homosexual, forcing him to disguise his feelings for fear or being blackmailed or falsely accused. Does the Gospel of Christ demand that men should live in fear and loneliness? What was meant by the description of one of Jesus's followers as "the disciple whom Jesus loved", if it was not a special relationship that existed between them, differing from the love which Jesus had towards all men and women? Right at the centre of the Gospel of Christ is exactly where I should expect to find an example of the "true love of comrades." William K. Robinson 28 Kingswood Court Brewey Road Walden Surrey. __________________________________________ Letters to the Editor June 24, 1960 Towards a Quaker View of Sex Al parents and teachers need to be aware that to tell a child, or an adolescent, given practising masturbation that this is "self-abuse and therefore sin against the temple of the Holy Spirit", as William Creed (June 3) suggests, might if he were to believe you, cause psychological harm far greater than ever masturbation is likely to do. Masturbation is neither moral nor immoral. It is the sexual act of a solitary and isolated being; what evil there is in it lies in the situation of being isolated and unable to form a satisfactory relationship. With regard to young people, this situation is, to some extent, unavoidable. Unable to form a satisfactory heterosexual relationship safely until long after they are physically mature, who can wonder that masturbation is "know to occur almost universally during adolescence"? Those practising it habitually--more particularly, adults--need drawing into loving friendship, and need reassuring that others care for them in the deepest sense of the word. This seems to me the essential Christian attitude, to be applied to all, including those who sexual activities are not, as the law stands at present, socially acceptable. Where no younger and weaker personality is harmed, and where there is not public scandal, it is not for us or for the law to condemn. Christ did not do so, whatever St. Paul might have felt himself called upon to do. Phyllis Bush 17 Paddock Way Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire 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 Letters to The Friend 1960 Description An account of the resource In the weeks that follow the group's May 20 article in <em>The Friend</em>, a number of letters to the editors are published which reflect a great diversity of perspective on the group's concern. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Reproduced by permission of<em> The Friend</em>, May 27, 1960, pp. 732-33; June 3, 1960, p. 772 ; June 17, 1960, p. 868; June 24, 1960, pp. 897-98 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/46f8acd0da16df9cf1fa9a07ae0c5138.jpg a4bffd56826b0ac1360ec3625263383f https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/9857e28d09b8d3284575c359dcbe0865.jpg 8f9780b73831f128df4c30fe43f1dbdf https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/c54de3582be276a96c06e551b347e366.jpg 3b455cea3138d0162bac2e79e9413b26 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/56e9c04fc226045e9672e17797c95d54.jpg c880fed755aaf4f50e327bdf13693dc1 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/0937911940a87e5f92df97821447929e.jpg bafc499740761cfeb2e87d8bf69ad5c1 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/379fd1254f9c385f2e5027132ac7dbfb.jpg 37653f329972476437e5fc6221874cdb https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/50bb87681faea8110f4fc2b5a20671bb.jpg 28dbf7e0fb84e7bdf6f9401d82d05e4c https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/4aa42ba65fa5cf464401a721cf12e231.jpg b5b281e119d0ca66dcb57c015fa21988 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/e634c854ce06dd0cfbeda1318aab8179.jpg 0eeb8a8c4beac633cf643c8a0b3e357a https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/86da9177d6feae41b0bcfa0b10c55b60.jpg 780f092405aa337283799341bb675494 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/f02906ad23ef077295e3f1b72e9150e6.jpg e9a4b92e11bb6dcd4759cc328076c97c https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/e6a0d59cf61396aad3e511693e610e76.jpg 1e9e36d8714509f0f26f4f5aabf55028 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/8aca8a3ffd1809c5bfb2e7fa6913b6ba.jpg fe32490c60dc6ef6e38a970a2c2d6ffa https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/5051fa85e1c039756cab4cfe98d988b3.jpg 22eeca2b1975363e0a9855f46ed32337 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/3d3e67af171b1e8edd58d221db8865a4.jpg 89266d373259da2366eb084c6f9dfcc4 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/000389ab5f49e6c3638dc34ac2c0ee8b.jpg 5c0adce1d15b0071f2bb6a24d055345c https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/f85e8c74ce310e2eb9328d62d55f543a.jpg 51ec6dc2b7cf1f5d40933bf7c802184f 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 Letters to the Editor February 22, 1963 One of the difficult tasks of the individual at our business meetings is to abide by "the sense of the Meeting". How can he who sees a vision do so? I could have wished that the writers of "Towards a Quaker View of Sex" had been as patient as forward-looking Friends have to be at business meeting and in Meetings for Worship. Had they been so their thoughtful work might have had to wait for publication but might then have borne the imprint of the whole Society. Henry L. Wilson. Letters to the Editor March 1, 1963 Towards a Quaker View of Sex is like The Cloud of Unknowing; it should be read from beginning to end--or not at all. Peter Reeman Stonebower Fellowship Silverdale, Carnforth, Lancs Within a week of publication, Towards a Quaker View of Sex was the subject of criticism in the correspondence columns of The Friend. This may or may not have been valid. The group of Friends who produced this document based on their considerations on study and experience of various kinds, and they accepted the discipline of group discussion over a long period before publishing their conclusions. I wonder how much understanding of these problems, and how much prayerful consideration, has provided a basis for the criticisms we are offered. To what extent has the document itself been studied first? I may be wrong in wishing that the prayerful submission to divine guidance which precedes ministry in our Meetings for Worship should also precede publication in The Friend. But I cannot help fearing that the facile expression of opinion in public may sooner or later extend to ministry. Brian F. Bone 52 Harcourt Drive, Earley, Reading. I hope that no one in the Society of Friends would do anything but thank the group who produced Towards a Quaker View of Sex for bringing before us the sexual situation as it exists. Personally, I would like to thank, even more, John Ounsted for his commentary, which puts forward so admirably the attitude of those of us who believe that there is a Christian rule about chastity. Taking the matter out of its Christian context, which presumably the majority of this nation does, is this country really able to cope with further "permissiveness" just at present? Since we are told that one in five or six children born in this country today is born out of wedlock and that many, as a result, begin life deprived of the security of home and parents; that this, in turn, leads them to become the problem children with whom an ever increasing number of social scientists are needed to deal, ought we not to be concentrating our every effort on encouraging recognition of the fact that heterosexual intercourse still tends to produce children and that the place for children is in a secure home with parents who will often have to make considerable sacrifices to keep it a secure home? I find myself increasingly depressed by the tendency in this country nowadays to regard the acceptance that a state of affairs exists as a reason for making that state of affairs the standard above which one does not aim. Is this not, perhaps, the cause of our "malaise". Isabel B. Taylor 29 Falstaff Road, Earley, Reading, Berkshire I am deeply disturbed by the publicity which has already been given to the report Towards a Quaker View of Sex, both in the Press and on television: despite the fact that at this stage it does not represent the views of anyone outside the group itself, this publicity is of such a nature that the man in the street will undoubtedly accept it as at least approximating the views of the Society as a whole, and subsequent disavowals will tend to pass unnoticed. I trust that consideration may be given at some suitable time to ways of ensuring that such a situation does not arise again. I am sure I am not alone in desiring to thank John Ounsted for his able review, and particularly for the words with which he closes it. Why is it that, attaching as we do particular value and importance to most of the Sermon on the Mount, we yet shy away from Christ's forthright words in such passages as that beginning at Matthew v. 27, feeling instead that a new code of morality, bringing with it wider "permissiveness", is what is required today, the argument apparently being, as I understand it, that moral standards around us have changed, and that we must conform to them if we are to speak acceptably to people of the second half of the twentieth century. Let us remember that the "civilised" world of Christ's day accepted many practices which we do not tolerate even today, yet this did not deter him from condemning adultery both in thought and in deed. The pages of history are full enough already of examples where a relaxation of moral standards has brought ruin to individuals, groups and even to whole nations. If our standards are deteriorating, let is never have to be said that the Society of Friends has contributed to, or condoned, the process. George Burnham Braithwaite, 1 Pittville Crescent, Cheltenham. I wish to express my disquiet at the way in which Towards a Quaker View of Sex has been publicised. The first intimation of publication appeared in t he form of a review of its contents in THE FRIEND of February 15 and a second in the BBC television programme of the following Sunday. At that time the essay was not available to our members. it would seem prudent to publicise essays of this type (which the formulators must have realised would be most controversial) only after approval by the Society as a whole. After all, it took five years to produce the report; it could have waited a little longer. John Mayman 15 Warwick Road, Redcar, Yorkshire Although I have not at the time of writing been able to read Towards a Quaker View of Sex, I consider the reviews in The Observer and The Guardian, and even the Daily Express with its forthright recognition of "concern and experience", will be far more effective in rousing interest in the Quaker message than any advertisement. All people, truly concerned with "a revolution in the mind of man" (to use Ibsen's phrase), whatever their personal faith be based on, will say to the compilers, "Well done, good and faithful servants". All to whom "mercy, pity, love and peace" mean something will acknowledge, whatever their religious views, that the Quakers have opened out vistas, that they have used concern, experience, compassion and insight into actuality, to break down preconceived ideas, dogmas and inhumanity. All honour to that large body of Quaker thought, honest, humane and informed, that is behind the report; all honour to the newspapers which have given it such thoughtful and just consideration. Millicent Price 129 Foley Road West, Streetly, Sutton Coldfield. I believe that I am expressing the opinion of many Canadian Friends when I say that Quakerism has suffered a damaging blow by the unfavourable publicity given to the essay Towards a Quaker View of Sex. This essay may represent the view of some Quaker in England. But to release such a publication with a title which implies that this is a Quaker view of sex seems to me to have been a serious blunder and a great disservice to our Religious Society. The disclaimed that the essay does not represent the official view of the Society of Friends is largely nullified by the fact that an official committee of the Society was responsible for its publication. As might have been expected, newspapers and TV commentators immediately seized upon it, giving the impression that the views expressed in the essay represented a considered Quaker approach toward unconventional sexual behaviour. Especially to be deplored is the effect that such a pronouncement will have upon our Quaker education and particularly upon young people, by the implication that Quakerism condones homosexuality and pre-adult experiments in sex, with the further implication that Christian morality is out-dated in our present era. It may flatter the vanity of Friends to believe themselves the prophets of a new morality. But to me this is only further evidence of the state of moral anarchy into which two world wars have brought out Western civilisation. Arthur G. Dorland 2755 Yonge Street, Apt. 325 Toronto. Now that a concerned group of Friends, moved by charity, hope, faith mixed with much current commonsense, have brought the Society to speak on sex, is there another such group that could bring it to speak honestly on the social order? John Sykes 26 Stevenage Road, London, SW6. Letters to the Editor March 8, 1963 "Towards a Quaker View of Sex" The Executive Committee of the Friends Temperance and Moral Welfare Union, at its meeting on February 28, desired us to seek the hospitality of THE FRIEND to explain the relationship of the Union to the essay by a group of Friends Towards a Quaker View of Sex. The Editor's note on Page 3* of the document accurately records the part which the Union took as the channel through which the financial assistance of the Joseph Rowntree Trust was made available. The reasons for our acting as intermediaries in this way are somewhat technical, and we need not go into them but we were also, of course, sympathetic all along to any serious study by trusted Friends of the subjects of the essay. The point it is message to make is that, while we have broad reports on progress from time to time when we passed on t he Rowntree Trust's contributions, no one on behalf of the Union had at any time any knowledge of the direction of the group's thinking or the contents of the essay until it was already in the hands of the printers, and the appearance of the name of the Union must not be taken as any identification of itself with the tentative conclusions or lines of approach. On the other hand, this must not be read as a repudiation. We have as yet not corporate view of the essay in one direction or another. H. Cecil Heath, Chairman. Reginald A. Smith, Secretary Friends House, London _____________________________________ * This states: "Grateful acknowledgement is made of the generous financial assistance from the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (made available through the Friends Temperance and Moral Welfare Union)..." _________________________________ No doubt our eleven Friends expected the mixed reception which their report is receiving and I trust they are undismayed by it. I only wish that some of those who are glibly discussing it had taken more time and care in their reading and consideration of it. I think we should realise that this is a report of responsible Friends hammered out over six years; as such, I am delighted the the Home Service Committee saw fit to publish it, even if they or we may have reservations on many aspects of it. For this is just the sort of rethinking that we as a Society can do especially well unencumbered as we are--or should be--by tradition or precedent for their own sakes. For me, this report has thrown a new light on homosexualism--it treats the matter in a way which is both intellectually and scientifically acceptable and which is in no way contrary to our conception of the mind Of Jesus; and it has opened up some very basic questions about human relationships and the way sex enters them. There is deep thinking here, and the superficial questions brought up in the popular Press and elsewhere should be answered--as Jesus did in similar circumstances--by asking the more profound and underlying questions. Paul Hickinbotham 2 Knighton Grange Road, Leiscester. We must be grateful to the Home Service Committee for its reminder nine years ago that "oddity, whimsy, anarchy beset the path of the Christian who tried to push his insight too far alone; and from the earliest days the Society has rightly sought to maintain unity among Friends by providing for the sharing and pooling of individual judgements" (Christian Faith and Practice, Extract 327). The same dangers beset the path of small groups who try to push their insights too far without checking them against the judgment of a larger and more representative body. We may be glad of the opportunity of trying to enter sympathetically into the concern which has occupied eleven of our members or the past five years, but they must not expect us rapidly to adopt conclusions which they have wrestled over for so long a period. They must realise, too, that the fact that they have chosen to publicise their views widely to others even before they have shared their concern with the Society has caused many of us acute embarrassment when we are asked by neighbours or the local Press for snap judgments on a document we have barely had time to study. The true concern shared "in the life" does not hurt Friends in the way they have been hurt in the last fortnight. But perhaps out of our painful exercise to heal this fracture in our body we may look more deeply into our historic experience of the way in which the concerns of individuals or of small groups are shared, modified and enriched by wider judgment, so that they are ultimately accepted loyally, if that judgment has been reached through faithful dependence upon God. We are so infected by materialistic assumptions that we get worried at the thought that this process "takes time", and we murmur that we are "busy people". So we may be, but phrases like these can be temptations of the devil, diverting us from a recognition that time belongs to God. It is only as we place time in his hands that we do not either outrun or lag behind our guide, and it is only as we walk obediently in the light that we do not stumble. Mary S. Milligan 182 Shinfield Road, Reading, Berks. We might have guessed that this publication would bring down censure on the authors and on the Home Service Committee. But what other course was open to those concerned? I would like to share Henry Wilson's optimism (THE FRIEND, February 22) that had they waited their work "might then have born the imprint of the whole Society". Alas, experience has taught me that Friends have no conception of the passing of time; too often the horse can be miles away while they deliberate whether or not to shut, leave open, padlock, remove, replace, etc., the stable door. Too often these tedious deliberations take place on issues--and this is one--about which the majority have no specialised knowledge at all. I suggest that had this courageous group waited for the Society's sanction this pamphlet never would have been published. Perhaps rightly so in that case--but it has been made quite clear to those who read the document who is to be held responsible for its contents. Kathleen Arman. 28 Rodway Road, Bromley, Kent. As a social worker I welcome this essay because it states truthfully aspects of sex and morality constantly encountered in the course of our work, and about which there is often confusion of thought. People who have little contact with what they regard as the "seamy side of life" tend to be puzzled because Christian social workers "condone immorality" and fail to bring pressure to bear where sexual expression is other than that normally associated with marriage. I think myself that they confuse the mature person, who is deliberately behaving in am immature manner, with the immature person who is still too immature to behave in a mature manner. They recognise easily the mentally dull or the physically handicapped, but without contact and experience it is harder to recognise the emotionally damaged, the spiritually underdeveloped, or those with mental or glandular abnormality. Thus while no one would ever dream of punishing an educationally subnormal child for failing to pass GCE, we may inadvertently be making just such a foolish demand when we try to insist on conformity in sexual expression. Human beings have been created with great diversity of capacity, and they grow up with an equally great diversity of environmental influences, so that how they are able to use sex is inevitably determined to some extent by both factors. Christians have always been aware of this problem, but too often their approach to its understanding has been limited by inexperience, moral teaching and concepts about society's needs. From a distance it is possible to say that such and such conduct is bad and ought not to be allowed, and even to support deterrent measures in the hope that people will pull themselves together, exercise self-control and behave. But for anyone like myself, who has had almost daily contact with "immorality" over some thirty years, it is impossible because it is absolutely unrealistic. Over and over again one sees that in a situation free from exploitation the practice of mutual love--however unorthodox--can be thoroughly wholesome. I begin to see that mutual love will occur at the level necessary to the parties concerned. That is to say, well-developed personalities will need what is called "moral" expression, and less well-developed what is called "immoral". The stage of development will determine the pattern of love, and as people grow spiritually, mentally and emotionally so the pattern will indicate the degree of their maturity. If we deny or interfere with the expression of love, I think there is danger that we may distort or retard development of the personality. I would regard marriage as an expression of maturity, and I am doubtful if it is a suitable pattern for immature or emotionally damaged personalities. In order that they may ultimately succeed in marriage it is probably necessary for them to experience less lasting relationships. Some women appear only to mature sufficiently for marriage after they have born a child. Many inadequate personalities can never reach full maturity, but socially they need to be accepted and encouraged to develop as far as possible. But what about "corruption"? Many people agree in principle that there is a case for tolerance, but fear in practice that the expression of sexual immaturity is like a virulent infection. In the absence of tolerance in this country it is impossible to refute this empirically, but in theory it seems improbable. Children pass through many forms of behaviour as they grow up, and we do know that the less notice taken of forms we do not like, the quicker the child grows out of them. Prolonged bed-wetting, thumb sucking or even stammering are often linked with too much attention and disapproval in the first place. It is therefore probably that damage is caused not by a casual experience but by the notice taken of it. Speaking generally, experience helps rather than hinders development. I think that greater tolerance would enable more people to express love at their own level instead of trying to force themselves into socially approved patters for which they are still too immature. This might lead to a temporary increase in immature sexual expression, but in the long run to more genuine and therefore happier marriages. It is significant that so many married people speak as though they believed that given a free choice anyone would go in for some other sexual pattern! If only more people could enter marriage knowing by experience that it is what they need, then they would surely be much happier, and also able to regard immature sexual expression with tolerance rather than with fear and envy. We can all at times be so concerned with what other people ought to do sexually that we fail to make friends with them. However incomprehensible someone's sexual life may be to us, it is well to remember that God loves people as they are--and who are we to differ? Towards a Quaker View of Sex recognises the wonderfully healing quality of love, and pleased with those who are richly endowed to give generously to the poor. I find the essay both inspiring and humbling. Ann B. Jackson. 91 London Road, Sevenoaks, Kent. The immediate reaction of some Friends to publicity about this essay saddens me, and appears to be based on unthinking and uncreative criteria. Thus, first, horror that the subject has been mentioned in public at all. This is surely unworthy of a Society that claims to welcome new light "from whatever source". Secondly, the narrow assumption that any attraction felt between a man and a woman not married to each other implies an immediate and irresistible urge on their part to leap into bed together. Surely with civilised people this is often a quite unjustifiable presumption? This preoccupation with the physical reflects the gross materialism of our age and its neglect of those adventures of mind and spirit that are out true business here on earth. Among these is the rewarding spiritual communion that can occasionally blossom between a man and a women, even of widely differing backgrounds or ages. This level of oneness, whose exquisite quality cannot be more than hinted at in print, can be sustained in untarnished splendour for decades, with injury to none upon obedience to a condition that is both simple and demanding--that carnal contact is confined to the conventional handshake. To me, Extract 493 in our Book of Discipline hints at just this, and no more as some seem to fear. We can be profoundly thankful for the way Hugh Doncaster has elucidated this topic in this Personal Relations Between Men and Women. His treatment of it cannot fail to exalt the reader, and is the finest thing in print on this subject that I have ever come across anywhere. If personality takes precedence over possessiveness, as it surely should for a Christian community, then we cannot afford to judge merely by taboos inherited from pre-Christian concepts mainly based on possessiveness over property. W. Harry Butler. 6 Youngs Rise, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire. Letters to the Editor March 15, 1963 Reading the letters in THE FRIEND on Towards a Quaker View of Sex, I am puzzled to find that the chief controversy rages, not around whether or not the essay holds something of truth, but around whether or not it should have been published before it had been shared and accepted "in the life" of the Society. I cam to Quakers only by one road--the search for truth. Now I find myself asking: how can truth be served except by the publication of such essays, which are the fruit of the travail of concerned minds? It is the force of its challenge--not only to the Quaker way of thought as well--that is so revealing. Its instant sparking off of dissentient or approving voices shows that in some measure it touches all. Therefore, should not all, not only Quakers, have the opportunity of responding to it? Are we going to say to the seekers among us: "Go, search for truth, but don't do it in our name, nor speak it in the hearing of others, until we've vetted your findings and pronounced them safe and respectable"? The truth is that such findings are not always safe or respectable. To allow the intrusion of a third party into the relationship of a married pair, for example, is highly dangerous. Those who have tried to accept it, and failed, will not underestimate the immensity of the problems involved. Nevertheless, it is with the so-called "injured parties" that the initiative at the moments rests. Love was never meant to bind the married pair ingrowingly and to force it into this mold is to destroy it. Marriage at its best can be a way to a greater outgoing of the spirit, which alone makes possible the forgiveness of injury in the welling up of universal love. This could redeem not only many a marriage but the suffering world we live in. But first must come a change in society itself--the whole society of man and not only the Society of Friends. A changed outlook from that of a possessive and acquisitive society into a forgiving and responsive one would uphold all its members in all their difficulties. Dorothy Cocks. Midway, Lenten Street, Alton, Hampshire. The discussion on sex has not, I think, touched on the question of celibacy. Christianity owes something to the early celibates, and after all, its Founder was one. As for women, the nineteenth century produced few finer than Florence Nightingale. In the twentieth century I rejoice that the statue of Edit Cavell occupies a prominent position in London. Indeed, there is much to recommend celibacy, not the least being that one has greater freedom from the dictates of our decadent civilisation--if civilisation is the mot juste. Admittedly, marriage and parenthood are normal procedures. Whether or not the infants should be grateful for the inestimable boon of being introduced to our beautiful civilisation is a matter of opinion. Tom Sullivan. 31 Knockbreda Park, Belfast 6. In the correspondence about Towards a Quaker View of Sex the most urgent advice comes from Peter Reenan (March 1): "It should be read from beginning to end--or not at all." I should add: "and not only once". John Ounsted gave similar advice and the fact that he took it himself makes his report, both in its praise and its criticism, a valid and valuable document. I should not wish to add to the correspondence had there not been one aspect of the pamphlet which has not been sufficiently emphasised but which I find of great importance. This is the spirit of "seeking", which is well within the historical and spiritual tradition of Quakerism. It is for this reason that I cannot fully agree with John Ounsted when he says that a better title for the pamphlet would have been "Away from a Traditional Christian View of Sex". The writers do seem to be looking "towards" something, but make no claim to have arrived. I believe that the writers have a right to use in their title "Towards" and "Quaker". We cannot find the answer in their deliberations (how we wish we could; that is where the disappointment lies), but we can find a plea for continued seeking; seeking in the Quaker way. And I do find a sense of direction. Joseph Brayshaw (THE FRIEND, February 22), quotes the "two contrasted schools" of Lord Samuel and asks: "Towards which choice would our eleven Friends lead us?" My answer to this question is unhesitatingly: "Towards 'lasting affection, stability, home, children, the family system' and away from 'will treat sexual relationships lightly'." A careful reading of page 40 must lead to an answer in this direction. David Murray-Rust. 29 Ashburton Road, Birkenhead. Adam Faith is reported as having said recently: "I have had no sex." May he not have done more good than Towards a Quaker View of Sex, bearing in mind the thousands of adolescents who have read his statement? Norman and Rosemary Ferguson. The Grove, Denholm, near Hawick. Letters to the Editor March 22, 1963 As one-time social workers who have had some contact with the "seamy side of life" we have great sympathy with the attitude of mind conveyed by the letter from Ann B. Jackson (THE FRIEND, March 8) although not in complete agreement with all the views expressed. However strong our sense of distaste or disapproval may be, it is essential, if we are to be of help to others, that we should maintain an attitude of tolerance best expressed by the words "Neither do I condemn you". We thank the group of Friends who contributed to much time, thought and expert knowledge to the preparation of the pamphlet and hope that it may lead to careful and sympathetic examination of the problems involved. We earnestly hope that the Home Service Committee's promise to re-examine its policy in regard to publications does not imply any intention to suggest or accept any form of censorship. While feeling that a tactical error was made in the timing of the general release of the pamphlet and in the choice of title, we should deeply regret a decision which required that future publications should bear the imprimatur and obstat nihil of the Society as a whole. Had that been necessary in February, 1963, we share Kathleen Arman's feeling that the pamphlet should never have been published. George W. Reddick. Mabel N. Reddick. 7 Pembroke Avenue, West Worthing. In spite of criticism and disagreement within the Society and misunderstanding outside, it is to be fervently hope that the present facilities will continue to any such future concerned group of Friends to publish their considered opinions of any matters of fundamental important to society at large. Stephen H. Stoner. Dimbola, Freshwater Bay, Isle of Wight. The use of the word "Quaker" in "Towards a Quaker View of Sex" is bad because the group is really speaking as psychiatrists and doctors. That is why they use "Towards", quite properly, to avoid a dogmatic note. If they had said "A View of Sex, by Eleven Friends" they should not have compromised those of us who have other experiences and loyalties, but "Quaker" has an advertisement value. In the discussion other words are badly used, for example, "Mutual 'love' will occur at the level necessary to the parties concerned", followed by the assurance on "the wonderfully healing quality of love". This is erotic love, of our age: Jesus says nothing of it, but condemns inordinate desire in the heart. His teaching requires a man to say "No" to himself, and his love, like Paul's in I Corinthians 13, is compounded of esteem and self-control. Surely no settled Meeting even would issue what might be taken for an authoritative Quaker pronouncement on these "difficult questions". And even less, we trust, any ad hoc committee, or annual gathering. On this we take issue with the Home Service Committee minute which thinks that on these "difficult questions...the Society ought to have something to say". Who are "the Society"? Wilfrid Allot. 7 Rawcliffe Grove, York. I have just read the pamphlet, Towards a Quaker View of Sex, and although I can understand that it may surprise some non-Friends, especially those whose knowledge of the Society of Friends is not very clear, I am at a loss why it should create any furor among Friends. I find nothing in it to take exception to or disagree with. It is not only an informative and thoughtful approach, by professionally qualified Friend, to a difficult problem, but it is also obviously inspired by a deep desire to seek the will of God in this matter. The references to relations between men and women outside marriage no not for a moment, in my view, suggest an invitation to general license, but an attempt to avoids accepting a traditional principle without being sure that it is right, and to approach the difficulties and temptations of others in a very tender and understanding spirit, which cannot simply say, "Thou shalt not". Those of us who are social workers know that to say to our patients and clients, "This is wrong. Fullstop", is of no help to them, and effectively prevents us from being able to give them any further help with their problems. In many Meetings Young Friends must feel to be up against a blank wall where difficulties regarding sex are concerned. This pamphlet may help them to feel that after all Quakerism has an understanding of their problems, and that they may find help from an older Friend. Non-Friends, on the other hand, who do not go to church because of the condemnation they have found there or expect to find there, may feel that here at least is a religious Society where they will find sympathy and help. Barbara M.R. Northrop. 10 Tredgold Close, Bramhope, near Leeds. Much as we may regret the premature publicity which surrounded the publication of this essay, we must be grateful to its authors for the sincere and thoughtful attempt which they have made to bring reason to bear on such an emotional subject. After careful study of the booklet I find myself profoundly disturbed by several aspects, in particular: 1. The emphasis throughout seems to be too much towards what can only be regarded as abnormalities. Perhaps the opening words give the clue to this, in stating that its origins lie in problems brought by those experiencing homosexual difficulties. 2. Throughout the work it is very much easier to find apparent condonation of irregularities than positive precepts for guidance, and the latter, when found, are often vague. I am afraid that the booklet may be used as an excuse for misbehaviour, by those who have not troubled, or have not wished, to make sure of its real meaning. 3. An altogether disproportionate part of the work is devoted to homosexuality. Granted that these problems exist, let them be viewed in proportion. It may be that homosexual feelings are common to a greater or less degree, and are "natural". But surely this is not to condone homosexual acts, which are essentially unnatural. 4. The general statement on sexual morality to be found on page 40 can be accepted as sound, but does not seem to go far enough. It does not sufficiently emphasise that, besides the two people most directly concerned, the effects of their behaviour on others must be fully taken into account. This must include not only any child which might be born as a result of their action, but any child which either party may have at any time in the future. Our society depends essentially on the family as a stable unit within which the development of our children may proceed, and if we depart from this principle, the only logical conclusion is a society such as that depicted in all its horror in Huxley's Brave New World. I believe that the sexual act, potentially resulting in the birth of a child, should only occur between a couple in the state of stability and mutual responsibility represented by a permanent marriage. 5. Throughout the essay, it seems to be accepted that no friendship between two people can exist without a sexual element, but I profoundly disagree. Man has an intellect and powers of communication denied to the lower animals, and I am convinced that many friendships, based on intellectual communion, contain no element of sex whatever. 6. While not presuming to condemn those indulging in extramarital sexual relationships, surely one can say that, in every case, it would have been better for the temptation to be resisted? J. Bowman Brockbank 35 Spring Hill Park, Lower Penn, Wolverhampton. I would like to express by gratitude to the group of Friends who have written Towards a Quaker View of Sex for their wisdom, compassion and, to me, Christian approach. This deep appreciation I have found especially among younger members of my Meeting and among friends of my own outside the Society. It has also, to my knowledge, aroused real interest among professional people, particularly those connected with the administration of education and health. Marjorie E. South. 5 St. Andrew's Avenue, Windsor. Letters to the Editor March 29, 1963 Towards a Quaker View of Sex In the editorial note which prefaces the pamphlet Towards a Quaker View of Sex a concern, as understood by the Society of Friends, is defined in Roger Wilson's words as: "A gift from God, a leading of his Spirit which may not be denied." Throughout its history the Society has realised the profound importance of such a call and that this must lie at the root of creative action. But is has also realised, through bitter experience, that the individual or the small group may easily mistake their own desires and hasty impulses for the divine gift, and has therefore devised the equally important means of checking a concern against the judgment and spiritual experience of a wider body of Friends, gathered in a Monthly, Quarterly, or Yearly Meeting. The importance and necessity of this check is the point in the discussions on the publication of the pamphlet, save in the letter of Mary Milligan, published in THE FRIEND of March 8. Whatever views individual Friends may hold on the contents of the pamphlet, no one can doubt that the group has been working for five years under a most deep sense of concern as defined above. That is not in question. Again, however much individuals may disagree with their findings, all must be grateful to our Friends for facing so courageously and frankly some of the most difficult problems of personal life. The fact remains that a great deal of unnecessary pain and trouble has been caused, because they were not prepared to share their concern with Friends for the testing and enrichment of a wider judgment, before issuing it to the public at large. Two courses were open to the authors of the pamphlet. First, as individuals they could have published it privately under some such title as Wilfrid Allott suggests (The Friend, March 22) and without the imprint of a Quaker committee. If they wished their work to go out over such an imprint and bearing the word "Quaker" in the title, then the only right course would have been for one or more of the group to have brought the concern to the Quarterly Meeting of their membership, asking if the Meeting felt it right that it should go forward to Meeting for Sufferings. Or, alternatively, they could have sought the means of approaching Meetings for Sufferings direct. They would then have given Friends the opportunity for entering into their concern with understanding, and might have gone forward to the public strengthened by the conviction and prayer of their fellow-members. If this meant a delay in publication, we would ask Friends to consider carefully where the modern sense of haste may lead us. Our Friends had spent five years in their deliberations; a few more months would have meant little one way or the other. As Mary Milligan suggests, in our modern impatience our perspectives of time are all awry. Once the importance of the group check is overlooked and the sharing of a concern with a wider body of Friends is set aside as time-wasting and unnecessary, we are indeed in the quicksands. If the claim of an individual or an ad hoc group to speak or act in the name of the Society on the strength of their personal conviction alone is accepted, the door is set wide open to that anarchy and "Ranterism" whose dangers are always liable to beset the Quaker movement, as George Fox was the first to realise. The understanding of concern, together with the necessary check, is unique to our Society. It is by faithful adherence to and following of this way that the Society has been enabled on more than one occasion to strike out in a new direction which in the eyes of the world, and even to some of its own members, has seemed revolutionary. Peter Scott. Richenda Scott. Tree Anna, Dwyran, Anglesey. Many Friends, especially probably older Friends, will have read your correspondence columns recently with some dismay. One of the great surprises concerning the publication of Towards a Quaker View of Sex is the number of Friends who are quite happy about substituting for the traditional "Thou shalt not commit adultery" the theme of the essay, "You should not commit adultery, unless you think you have sufficient reason to do so." It was regrettable enough that we, as Friends, were to some extent implicated by the publicity given to the views of a tiny, unrepresentative group, who had every reason to know that their views would be quite unacceptable to many Friends, but the resultant developments have been much more serious. The Home Service Committee has appeared to be very content about the essay and unduly pleased at the enormous secular publicity and comment upon it, even in the least desirable section of the Press. Moreover, Meeting for Sufferings quite obviously did not wish to discuss the content of this matter, which as drawn more public controversial comment and attention to the Society than any matter for a hundred years. Quite obviously, Friends who are not prepared to agree, in these days, to the relaxing of the Christian moral code, which we have always regarded as an elementary principle, will have to reappraise their views of the value of membership of our Society, of whose standards we have, in the past, felt some pride. Wallace Hancock. 8 Barclay Oval, Woodford Wells, Essex. The writer of "Why a New Morality?" in THE FRIEND (March 22) asks whether the authors of Towards a Quaker View of Sex have "been too concerned with abnormal behaviour" and "over-influenced by psychological and sociological considerations at the expense of religious ones". This view seems to me to raise important issues. Much of what is called "abnormal" behaviour is merely exaggerated "normal" behaviour. In studying it we come to know more about ourselves, about "the shadow side of each one of us". To say of this study that "a better way is not to blur the distinction between good and evil in society but to confess the active presence of sin in our own natures" is to confuse two types of human activity, religion and psychology. What is meant is: "My moral code, derived from my religious faith, tells me that what the psychologists call 'behaviour difficulties' is another and evasive name for sin." Further evidence of this interpretation of the writer's attitude comes later in the article. He argues that "crucial periods" of decision are not "appropriate occasions for reassessing moral values". True; but if by the time the moment of decision has been reached a "new morality" has already been accepted, the decision, influenced by this morality, should not be judged by the "old" morality. To speak then of being "held back from an act of adultery" and "saved from one blunder" is irrelevant and misleading. What is in question is the extent that we allow "religious" standards to govern our lives. And it is here that the new pamphlet is creatively modern. It seems to me to be written in what the Bishop of Woolwich has called a spirit of "glad acceptance of secularisation as a God-given fact". It may be that "Christian understanding has been both enriched and confused by psychology and sociology", but whole spheres of human activity which a century ago were governed by religious taboos are now open to rational consideration by means of those two disciplines. To say that in Quaker thinking and Quaker teaching "the religious attitude" should be pre-eminent over "the analytical attitude" and "the social attitude" is to set in opposition activities which need not conflict. Christ's life was lived love. His teaching is falsified when it is hardened into a moral code. The increasing secularisation of life means that we have less and less need to live our lives according to precepts derived from this false code. Christ's life can once again be active and spiritual, the ground of our being. This is what should be meant by being religious; its standard is nothing less than "Be ye perfect!" It is also the answer to the question "Why a new morality?" Pat Radley Penhaven, Winscombe, Somerset. My copy of Towards a Quaker View of Sex is now in the hands of a Roman Catholic student at this University. This is after it has been used in a discussion group of the Presbyterian and Congregational Society and in a discussion group on Christianity and Sex. It has been recommended in a psychology tutorial group and many students I know have bought copies of their own. Much interest has been aroused by it within the student population and praise that something new and relevant should come out of the Christian Church. Certainly its publication has stimulated much lively discussion and, if for this reason alone, has been worth while. Judith Maddocks. Union Room, Nottingham University. Letters to the Editor April 5, 1963 Towards a Quaker View of Sex Wallace Hancock (THE FRIEND, March 29) invokes "The Christian moral code, which we have always regarded as an elementary principle", and writes of "our Society, of whose standards we have, in the past, felt some pride". This seems to pinpoint the crux of the controversy. Would not George Fox have dismissed "elementary principles" as "notions", and is not a "moral code" a creed if it is to be the basis of membership of a religious society? Have these things (or pride) anything to do with what is really the Quaker interpretation of Christianity? Albert Carr 45 Wealden Way, Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex. If Christ were to speak the truths of his Sermon on the Mount today, some Friends would protest in your columns because he had not submitted his concern to the "judgment and spiritual experience of...Monthly, Quarterly or Yearly Meeting". And others would claim he spoke for a "tiny, unrepresentative group". How can Richenda and Peter Scott imply that the concern of a group of the most responsible and intelligent members of the Society, published after five years' deliberation, under the auspices of the Home Service Committee (with suitable and prominent warnings, and with a suitably qualified title), have anything to do with "Ranters"? Monthly, Quarterly, Yearly Meetings are not infallible. We hear the clear and lovely voice of reason, truth, God. Instead of crying, "Thank God!" a minority of our Friends would muffle the voice because it conflicts with old rules and established forms. If they so believe in the value of "group check", one wonders why they do not submit their own views to that check, before rushing to print. Charles Davey 44 High Street, BIllingborough, Sleaford, Lincs. I wish to support wholeheartedly the letters that you have received from Mary Milligan and Peter and Richenda Scott. One of the matters that is so disturbing regarding the publication of this pamphlet is the lack of judgment of the Home Service Committee in not seeing that here was a controversial issue about which Meeting for Sufferings had to be consulted. While it is right that the Home Service Committee should reconsider its procedure on publication of literature, this will do no good unless there is a change of heart on the part of the Committee. It is essential for all central committees and their principal officers to recognise that they have a responsibility to consult Meeting for Sufferings or Yearly Meeting before making any major departures on matters of policy. There is a danger which is already evident that the authority of Meeting for Sufferings and Yearly Meeting will be formal only, and that the standing committees will be masters in their own houses and responsible in practice to nobody. I am personal concerned at the increasing tendency of the Home Service Committee to act as it publicity of any kind is good for its own safe, and I think this gives often a false picture of the Society to those interested in learning about it. I hope that it will not be long before this question is seriously considered by Yearly Meeting. I agree that the Friends who produced the pamphlet should have brought their concerns before their Monthly or Quarterly Meetings to test the views of a wider group of Friends. On the other hand, many Monthly and Quarterly Meetings have not been imaginative in encouraging Friends to raise concerns on wider issues and have concentrated too much on routine business. It has also been clear in recent years how very few matters have come to Yearly Meeting via the traditional method of Monthly and Quarterly Meetings, and as a result many topics of real concern have not been discussed, partly because they are or a controversial nature. This is illustrated by the experience of the recent Revision Committee, which wished to include in Christian Faith and Practice extracts on a number of important questions from corporate Quaker decisions but completely failed to find such extracts. This particular discussion may well be useful if it emphasises the duty of all of us to encourage greater discussion of matters of general interest at meetings for church affairs. It may well help to stimulate greater interest in our business meetings and encourage Friends to bring their concerns through the front door and not the back stairs. Richard E. Stagg 12 St. Peters Close, St. Albans, Herts. Although the pamphlet on sex has been greeted with some appreciation by many who welcome this statement of the basic principles of sexual behaviour (which are available in textbooks and popular works), this offering should surely be weighed on the merits of what it purports to be. It is not entitled Some Elementary Considerations on Sex, as one would perhaps expect, but Towards a Quaker View of Sex. If our Friends are to point the way towards a new Quaker view of sex, their suggestions will proceed in the direction which has been followed by Quakerism from the beginning. "A new morality" of itself does not frighten Friends. But what morality? We must consider these suggestions to make sure that their polarisation is true, that they point in the direction in which Friends have found the Light shines. One of the characteristic testimonies of Friends has been a testimony for truth and faithfulness to commitments undertaken. Are we to exempt loyalties between men and women, which involve the very springs of our being, from the standard of truth? Most Friends today live out their lives in the midst of the temptations of social groups in which the "enrichment" of personal experience is overvalued. Week by week Friends are finding in the Meeting the faith and the strength they need for living in a complex world. These can testify that those who seek the will of God are indeed protected in the very midst of temptation. "Love seeketh not her own." Those who minds are filled with active love are little troubled by temptation to "enrich" their own emotional experience at the cost of another's confidence. The Meeting, we still believe, offers support and encouragement to men and women who wish to shepherd their thoughts and guard their conducts. Friends can still invite the perplexed and the troubled to share our fellowship, assuring them that they do not stand alone in seeking of way of life which is peace. George Fox's saying that he was living in a life and power which took away the occasion for war may provide us with an analogy in this regard. Friends have always found in the life of the Spirit that life and power which takes away the occasion for unlovely behaviour in a great many respects. "A new morality" was proposed for Friends by George Fox, and early Quaker marriages were not legitimated for many years. But his changes were always in the direction of the "new morality" taught by Jesus. A "new morality" was offered to us by Jesus, and if Friends are to afford leadership in our contemporary society, we shall do well to examine the direction of his innovations and make sure that we are going in the same direction, advancing and not regressing. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus proposed a revision of the law of Moses in four respects (Matthew v). To prohibit killing, he pointed out, left untouched its roots in resentment and contempt. Adultery he traced back to the wayward thought. Oaths, he pointed out, were superfluous when men can be relied on for simple honesty. The old revenge principle of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, he said, should be superseded by a new morality of non-resistance. We must ask ourselves why Friends have been so passionately committed to Christ's "new morality" of peace and non-resistance; and have suffered death rather than swear an oath; but have overlooked this other principle of Jesus' "new morality". Probably it is because Friends have taken personal rectitude in these matters for granted. Chastity, it was thought, was surely a sine qua non. Chastity, like the other commandments, was raised by Jesus to become a thing of the heart and spirit. If it is no longer taken for granted, perhaps the time has come for our Society to raise a standard to which the good and simple-hearted may repair, to say clearly that we believe that sexual integrity is a part of the Quaker way of life, and that a part of our service is to encourage and aid those who find the going hard in this day of blurred values and shifting social patterns. Helen Richards 93 Thames Drive, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. Letters to the Editor April 19, 1963 "Towards a Quaker View of Sex" Peter and Richenda Scott (March 29) and Richard E. Staff (April 5) appear to have introduced to the correspondence on Towards a Quaker View of Sex a quite separate issue--that of whether the Society's Committee should be allowed to publish unofficial books or essays. The suggestion that Towards a Quaker View of Sex should have been submitted to Meeting for Sufferings or to Monthly or Quarterly Meetings strikes me as meaningless. It is essentially a thought-provoking essay; as such it is open to valid criticism both in terms of content and balance and possibly choice of title. It is inconceivable that such an essay could be accepted officially by the Society; and if it has been submitted before publication to Meeting for Sufferings it would have been hypocritical to publish it subsequently as an unofficial document. Yet surely the publication of responsible unofficial books or essays is vital to our Society's corporate growth in terms of stimulating and developing thought? Like many others I don't personally agree with the entire essay in question, and I am sure its authors don't expect or desire such complete endorsement from their readers. But in terms of caring, study and knowledge it is clearly an important and authoritative document by a well-qualified group of Friends. In my judgment the Home Service Committee would have been acting irresponsibly if it has refused publication. Surely our three Friends are not seriously wishing to suggest that the Society's Committees should publish only official documents approved by the whole Society? To take a more fundamental, though perhaps less emotionally charged example, would they have deprecated the publication by the Home Service Committee of a book, such as Honest to God, as an unofficial contribution to essential thought of a kind that couldn't possibly be endorsed officially by the whole Society? Richard S. Rowntree Brooke House, Thornton-le-dale, Pickering, Yorkshire. On the method of publication of Towards a Quaker View of Sex, surely this may be said. Had the orthodox procedure been followed on such a controversial subject, the inevitable result would have been a compromise statement, soothing to Friends, but void of meaning to outsiders unversed in Friends' methods. As matters stand, it was made clear in the publication, and on the BBC, that this was not an official publication and the Press were very thoughtful in generally emphasising this point. If the result is considered in terms of "outreach" towards agnostics, to whom it may be though that Friends have something to offer, surely what may happen is this. Whether they agree with the theme or not, many will be inclined to think that, even in their differences, Friends are confirmed seekers after truth--and not only in such matters as their Peace Testimony. This may induce some of them to explore that Society. They may then find that not all Friends are agreed on the terms of the pamphlet, or indeed on other matters, but may be impressed by our attempts to live up to the motto which appears every week in THE FRIEND: "In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, and in all things charity." Wilson Dove. 117 Moorside North, Newcastle upon Tyne 4. 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 Letters to The Friend 1963 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Reproduced by permission of<em> The Friend:</em> February 22; March 1; March 8; March 15; March 22; March 29; April 5; and April 19, 1963. Description An account of the resource A large volume of letters--supporting and decrying TQVOS--were received by The Friend. Several letters were published in each biweekly issue over two months. https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/8fedb9de53ea2954ed5a11052fd4120c.png ac9171a89550dac525446ddb21bfc262 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.lgbtfaithleadersofafricandescent.com 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 LGBT Faith Leaders of African Descent Subject The topic of the resource Dr. Wilhelmina Perry served as Administrative Coordinator and is now Founder Emeritus. Description An account of the resource This organization worked with clergy, lay leaders and congregations. Its members strove to secure protections and inclusion for LGBT people in churches or houses of worship.<br /><a href="http://www.lgbtfaithleadersofafricandescent.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">http://www.lgbtfaithleadersofafricandescent.com</a> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived https://www.facebook.com/LGBTFLoAD/ http://www.lgbtfaithleadersofafricandescent.com/ https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/62a5427cda273b7b25ffd6ee71b1356e.png 1c05e29f4bd0746cedf9c2b356ac02c8 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://charterforcompassion.org/lgbtqia 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 LGBTQIA Charter of Compassion Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived https://charterforcompassion.org/lgbtqia Description An account of the resource <p>The charter's mission is to cultivate compassion through LGBTQIA+ Social Action, Education and the Arts.&nbsp;</p> <p><a href="https://charterforcompassion.org/lgbtqia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://charterforcompassion.org/lgbtqia</a></p> https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/47dac0e06f0d2dab0622b55340d37bc0.jpg 6396e4592761e68a4f16e131510d5292 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 Life in Philly.01 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Peter Sewally/Mary Jones, June 11, 1836, by Jonathan Ned Katz and Tavia Nyong'o. OutHistory, https://outhistory.org/exhibits/show/sewally-jones/visualizing/questions Subject The topic of the resource A person of African descent, assigned male at birth, dresses smartly in a masculine way by day and dresses by night as a female sex worker. She reports to the court that she typically dresses this way even when attending events of her own colour. Description An account of the resource Two historians, Jonathan Ned Katz and Tavia Nyong’o, present and analyze the story and visual depiction of Peter Sewally/Mary Jones, a Black transgender person in New York City, in 1836. First published on OutHistory in 2017. Adapted with permission from Jonathan Ned Katz's Love Stories: Sex Between Men Before Homosexuality. https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/4cba840e7b436b0f55c75851a7ce8d29.jpg 0115a26bd145ed8a2261d9c0e53406c1 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 Life in Philly.03 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Peter Sewally/Mary Jones, June 11, 1836, by Jonathan Ned Katz and Tavia Nyong'o. OutHistory, https://outhistory.org/exhibits/show/sewally-jones/visualizing/questions Subject The topic of the resource A person of African descent, assigned male at birth, dresses smartly in a masculine way by day and dresses by night as a female sex worker. She reports to the court that she typically dresses this way even when attending events of her own colour. Description An account of the resource Two historians, Jonathan Ned Katz and Tavia Nyong’o, present and analyze the story and visual depiction of Peter Sewally/Mary Jones, a Black transgender person in New York City, in 1836. First published on OutHistory in 2017. Adapted with permission from Jonathan Ned Katz's Love Stories: Sex Between Men Before Homosexuality. https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/dca2362ee44558e637f192f5a53f70dc.jpg 7a48f001743b2ffa8fbd5c0a90484b08 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 Life in Philly.04 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Peter Sewally/Mary Jones, June 11, 1836, by Jonathan Ned Katz and Tavia Nyong'o. OutHistory, https://outhistory.org/exhibits/show/sewally-jones/visualizing/questions Description An account of the resource Two historians, Jonathan Ned Katz and Tavia Nyong’o, present and analyze the story and visual depiction of Peter Sewally/Mary Jones, a Black transgender person in New York City, in 1836. First published on OutHistory in 2017. Adapted with permission from Jonathan Ned Katz's Love Stories: Sex Between Men Before Homosexuality. Subject The topic of the resource A person of African descent, assigned male at birth, dresses smartly in a masculine way by day and dresses by night as a female sex worker. She reports to the court that she typically dresses this way even when attending events of her own colour. https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/7c9f3927a34188dbb4b09d7224944665.jpg 3900cee5d42d13738cff604c78296f2c 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 Life in Pilly.02 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Peter Sewally/Mary Jones, June 11, 1836, by Jonathan Ned Katz and Tavia Nyong'o. OutHistory, https://outhistory.org/exhibits/show/sewally-jones/visualizing/questions Subject The topic of the resource A person of African descent, assigned male at birth, dresses smartly in a masculine way by day and dresses by night as a female sex worker. She reports to the court that she typically dresses this way even when attending events of her own colour. Description An account of the resource Two historians, Jonathan Ned Katz and Tavia Nyong’o, present and analyze the story and visual depiction of Peter Sewally/Mary Jones, a Black transgender person in New York City, in 1836. First published on OutHistory in 2017. Adapted with permission from Jonathan Ned Katz's Love Stories: Sex Between Men Before Homosexuality. https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/4fbeb0862361cc3ee759d220c36e63cf.JPG 6c5e0d78bf4babd485c1580480089226 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/ff70dcf96e6d1771d2d99515f7c165de.JPG 5f11b9f3301342b321856986b3dd5c0e 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 Life in the Upstairs Lounge Description An account of the resource Photo 1: Stanley Plaisance, Gene Davis, and two unknown bar patrons. Photo 2: Mardi Gras costume contest, 1973. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Johnny Townsend Collection https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/d3301a410c7d9c7b67e78a350df11d32.jpg 6709854ffea8193d182021b44130d022 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 J_Z21MQcPNA 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 Life Story: Jarena Lee (1783–1855) Preacher of the Second Great Awakening Subject The topic of the resource Jarena was a very spiritual person, but she had never found a religious community that was right for her. About 20 years old, Jarena moved to Philadelphia to work as a domestic servant. In her spare time she went the many churches in the city. One day she attended a service at Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church and heard Bishop Richard Allen speak. As a formerly enslaved person, he founded the Church when the white parish he previously attended began segregating its services. There was no segregation at Mother Bethel’s because all parishioners were Black. The services resonated with Jarena’s feelings and experiences. She asked to be baptized into the church. Around 1807, Jarena felt God had called her to the ministry, but women were not allowed to speak in most Christian churches based on a scriptural prohibition. Description An account of the resource Jarena became part of a broad spiritual movement called the Second Great Awakening that lasted from the 1790s to the 1840s. A religious fervor crossed the land and reached its peak in the 1820s, when Jarena began her missionary work. It was not just a religious movement but also was a social revolution. A central idea was that anyone saved could be a spiritual leader. Women organized and flocked to the huge religious gatherings called camp meetings and converted in huge numbers. About 100 women became preachers who traveled the country like Jarena seeking converts. Many used their platform to popularize reform movements like temperance, abolition, and women’s rights. For example, Jarena joined the American Anti-slavery Society in 1839. Jarena Lee and the other female preachers of the Second Great Awakening were trailblazers. At the start of her life, Jarena was not allowed to speak out at church services because people believed it went against the teachings of the bible. By the time of her death in 1855, religious women like Sojourner Truth were meeting with U.S. presidents to demand the abolition of slavery. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Jarena Lee: in Her Own Words https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_Z21MQcPNA Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource This resource is adapted from the New-York Historical Society’s Saving Washington: The New Republic and Early Reformers, 1790-1848 curriculum. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Women & the American Story https://wams.nyhistory.org/building-a-new-nation/american-woman/jarena-lee/ 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. Lili Bohar Stole Text <strong>Lili Bohar</strong><br />God grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change, the courage to change what I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Denomination Presbyterian Church (USA) Contribution Date 1996 Contribution Story <p>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.</p> <p><strong>Martha Juillerat</strong><br />Founder, Shower of Stoles Project<br />2006</p> 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 273 Title A name given to the resource Lili Bohar 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 Bohar, Lili Covenant Network of Presbyterians More Light Presbyterians for LGBT Concerns New York New York City Presbyterian Presbyterian Church (USA) That All May Freely Serve (TAMFS) Theology https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/7f542e3614bf509fd2b51b9602884700.pdf 660888e20992343b056e9fad0ec86b5f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Historical Development of BIPOC Trans-spiritual Leadership Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Limpieza de Sangre and the origins of the Caste system Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived S. Subrahmanya. IndiaFacts, May 9, 2020 https://www.indiafacts.org.in/limpieza-de-sangre-and-the-origins-of-the-caste-system/ https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/e153eb0b123b2140a00456e234c39419.jpg bee45ac24f2a46b629b73f2448ceec3f https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/e3803c37c622f86d2354bd0e2b729d4a.jpg 58250d0c5d35c2bcba476fe9c0550407 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/79fc163972254eabdc44ee2f69e94844.jpg f901d19ad7e0dc7baf63cce263da4f9c 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. Linda (Calvary St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, Rochester NY) Stole Text <p>LINDA<br />CSA<br />ROCHESTER, NY</p> <p>MATTHEW 7:1-7</p> Denomination Presbyterian Church (USA) Contribution Date 1996 Contribution Story <p>This is one of thirteen stoles donated in 1996 to the Shower of Stoles collection by members of Calvary St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Rochester, NY.  CSA is one of three More Light churches in Rochester that are working towards the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people into the life and leadership of the Presbyterian Church (USA).</p> <p><strong>Martha Juillerat<br /></strong>Founder, Shower of Stoles Project<br />2006</p> 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 173 Title A name given to the resource Linda (Calvary St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, Rochester NY) Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Rochester, New York (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Calvary St. Andrews Presbyterian Church More Light Presbyterians for LGBT Concerns New York Ordination Presbyterian Presbyterian Church (USA) Theology https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/273722394c6c99c328083f29ec830f1e.jpg a97b760a275eac88a35f71a71f8139bd Person An individual. Text Any textual data included in the document <p><a href="mailto:linda@rollingthestoneaway.org">linda@rollingthestoneaway.org</a></p> <p><strong>Linda L. Brenner</strong><span>&nbsp;</span>is an Associate Director for Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC) and sets and guides the communications strategy for a diverse, international population. Before joining the MCC staff, Linda was a high school journalism teacher, adjunct instructor for international students in the English as a Second Language program, and educational director in a psychiatric boarding school. Linda and her wife, Susie Brenner, have a nationally touring music/storytelling ministry. Linda enjoys graphic design, photography, and editing her wife’s memoir.</p> Biographical Text <p><a href="mailto:linda@rollingthestoneaway.org">linda@rollingthestoneaway.org</a></p> <p><strong>Linda L. Brenner</strong><span>&nbsp;</span>is an Associate Director for Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC) and sets and guides the communications strategy for a diverse, international population. Before joining the MCC staff, Linda was a high school journalism teacher, adjunct instructor for international students in the English as a Second Language program, and educational director in a psychiatric boarding school. Linda and her wife, Susie Brenner, have a nationally touring music/storytelling ministry. Linda enjoys graphic design, photography, and editing her wife’s memoir.</p> 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 Linda Brenner Linda Brenner RTSA Conference Staff 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. Linda M. Kaufman Stole Text <p>SERVING THE HOMELESS<br />WASHINGTON, D.C.</p> <p>THE REV. LINDA M. KAUFMAN</p> <p>FOUNDRY  UNITED METHODIST CHURCH</p> <p>Ordained in 1987 as an Episcopal priest, Linda Kaufman has served the  Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C.  In many ways that have strengthened the congregation and the community.  Linda served as Minister of Missions at Foundry from 1996-97, and has also led several spiritual retreats for Foundry women.  Linda wore this stole during the Sunday service at the Foundry women's retreat in February 2000.</p> <p>Linda's calling has been very specific and very powerful: to help the homeless, particularly the urban homeless.  As Homeless Services Coordinator for the Downtown D.C. Business Improvement District, she has established new systems for providing valuable services to the homeless -- from shelter and daily care, to housing and employment opportunities.</p> <p>Linda serves on the ministry of St. Stephen and the Incarnation in downtown Washington.  She came out within her conservative Virginia diocese several years ago when she realized the importance of demonstrating that issues of homosexuality in the Church are not abstract and rare, but real in the everyday life of the Church.  "We are an incarnational faith," she says, "where knowing someone in the flesh - as we knew Jesus in the flesh - changes us."  Knowing each other as we truly are -- "in the flesh" -- is how we grow in faith.</p> <p>Linda and her partner Liane have an adopted son, Ryan, now 12, who began his life as an inner-city child facing the challenges that Linda sees in the people she works with each day.</p> Denomination United Methodist Church Episcopal Church Contribution Date 2000 Contribution Story <p></p> <p>Established in 1815, Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington, DC has been the home to Presidents, members of Congress, and many other public servants.  In 1995, Foundry became one of the largest Reconciling congregations in the country, working for the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people into the life and leadership of the United Methodist Church.</p> <p></p> <p>This is one of six stoles (#587-591, 846) donated by Foundry in advance of the 2000 General Conference of the United Methodist Church in Cleveland, OH.  In 1999, the Reconciling Ministries Network (RMN) inquired about the possibility of having a display of the Shower of Stoles at the General Conference the following April.  At the time, there were only around twenty United Methodist stoles in the collection.  We decided to introduce the Shower of Stoles to the Reconciling community by bringing the twenty UM stoles and about a hundred others to RMN’s Convocation in Denton, TX over the Labor Day weekend.  Stoles started to trickle in during the fall, and by February they began coming in droves.  In all, we received 220 United Methodist stoles – the vast majority of them arriving within eight weeks of the Conference.  Thanks to a monumental effort by a number of volunteers who pitched in to help record, inventory, sew labels and make last-minute repairs, all of the new stoles were present in Cleveland.  Twenty more people brought stoles directly to Cleveland, bringing the total number on display to 240.</p> <p>Towards the end of the General Conference, twenty eight lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender United Methodists and allies stood on the Conference floor in silent protest over the Conference’s failure to overturn the ban on LGBT ordination – a profound witness and act of defiance for which they were later arrested.  As these twenty eight moved to the front of the room, another 200 supporters stood up around the balcony railing, each wearing one of the new United Methodist stoles.  Hundreds more stood in solidarity as well, in the balcony and on the plenary floor, wearing symbolic “stoles” made from colorful bands of cloth.  A group of young people from Minneapolis, members of a Communicant’s Class, had purchased bolts of cloth the preceding evening and stayed up all night cutting out close to a thousand of these “stoles”.  In less than eight months, a handful of stoles had grown to become a powerful, visible witness to the steadfast faith of LGBT United Methodists nationwide.</p> <p><b>Martha Juillerat<br /></b>Founder, Shower of Stoles Project<br />2006</p> 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 587 Title A name given to the resource Linda M. Kaufman 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 Foundry United Methodist Church Clergy Activist Episcopal Church Kaufman, Linda M. Methodist Ordination Reconciling Ministries Network (formerly Reconciling Congregation Program) United Methodist Church Washington, D.C. Women and Religion https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/6b7b672b2f6eef4f41ea509d3f2c734d.jpg 494980d9e09f0ad00857c9348ee3c689 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/276d9d357fbd0f4d501c6b95df560ca3.jpg b2f7219bdd1aacbfa7e871f43cb8c198 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/a6f90d2bb2c1b23e6aa5baa125dbad06.jpg 560c7aa2bf74561657c393a55a96a611 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. Linda M Schultz Stole Text <p><strong>Linda M. Schultz</strong><br />Elder<br />First United Church of Oak Park</p> <p>Nothing shall separate us from the love of God</p> Denomination Presbyterian Church (USA) United Church of Christ Contribution Date 1996 Contribution Story <p></p> <p>The Shower of Stoles Project owes its very existence to First United Church of Oak Park, where Linda Schultz is an ordained Elder.  FUCOP is a More Light and Open and Affirming congregation working for the full inclusion of LGBT persons into the full life and leadership of the church.</p> <p>First United Church of Oak Park was formed in 1975 by the merger of First Presbyterian Church of Oak Park and First Congregational Church of Oak Park.  Both congregations can trace their roots back to the same church, Oak Ridge Church of Harlem.  Oak Ridge Church, which met in a small, wood-framed schoolhouse, counted among its thirteen founding members Mr. and Mrs. Anson Hemingway, grandparents of author Ernest Hemingway.</p> <p>The merger between these two churches was a unique and remarkable event.  While most mergers take place between small, dying congregations, these two churches were both strong, healthy, fiscally sound churches when they decided to make this unprecedented move.  Both congregations had long histories of work on the forefront of social justice causes.  Looking for more opportunities for cooperative work between them, they concluded that by merging and selling off one of their two large physical plants they could use their common resources more effectively and put far more money towards mission giving.  The result was the creation of a million dollar Special Mission Endowment Fund which has supported advocacy and justice efforts locally and across the globe.</p> <p>By late 1996, my partner, Tammy and I had collected well over three hundred stoles -- kept in plastic trash bags and old suitcases -- and were beginning to get requests for small displays from dozens of churches.  At the time we were not incorporated "project" and had no funding; Tammy and I paid for these first displays out of our own pockets.  Since we had both returned to school, however, and had very meager income from part-time jobs, we soon hit the financial wall.  Two churches, FUOP and St. Luke Presbyterian Church of Wayzata, MN, sensed the importance of what we had in our hands and decided to take a chance.  Both churches wrote us a check for a few thousand dollars with instructions to get the stoles out of trash bags and find a way to share them with the world.</p> <p>The end result of their generosity, we believe, is far greater than any of us could possibly have imagined.</p> <p><strong>Martha Juillerat<br /></strong>Founder, Shower of Stoles Project<br />2006</p> 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 319 Title A name given to the resource Linda M. Schultz Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Oak Park, Illinois (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource First United Church of Oak Park Ally Clergy Activist Illinois More Light Presbyterians for LGBT Concerns Open and Affirming in the UCC (ONA) Presbyterian Presbyterian Church (USA) Schultz, Linda M. United Church of Christ https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/dfcce19a5b031dca381ab8de390b1f25.jpg fa1bedf99957e982a6dea58a0e03d198 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/a86d34d1857881ad8c37c0900096b193.jpg d2450aa560168171a7e41a2ef1ab71ca 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. Linda Parr Stole Text <p><strong>LINDA PARR</strong></p> <p><strong>CHURCH OF GOD (ANDERSON, INDIANA)</strong></p> <p>Minister for more than twenty years.  <br />Credentials removed when I "came out."<br />Now a minister at The Church Within, a nondenominational church in Indianapolis.</p> <p>This stole is  a gift from Rev. Howard Warren</p> Denomination Church of God (Anderson, IN) Contribution Date 2002 Contribution Story <p>This stole was dedicated at an interfaith service in Indianapolis in 2002.  The Anderson, IN branch of the Church of God is extraordinarily conservative, but does acknowledge the leadership of lay women to work in some capacities within a congregation.  In Linda's case, she was a minister in a congregation for two decades.  After coming out, she worked with a small group of LGBT friends in Indianapolis to found a non-denominational church that has become active in the community and in interfaith work at the state and local levels.</p> <p>Howard Warren was for many years a leader in the movement for the full inclusion of LGBT persons in the life and leadership of the Presbyterian Church, both nationally and state-wide.  Many LGBT people of faith, including Linda Parr, count Howard as a mentor and friend.</p> <p><strong>Martha Juillerat<br /></strong>Founder, Shower of Stoles Project</p> 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 904 Title A name given to the resource Linda Parr Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Indianapolis, Indiana (USA) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Linda Parr Church of God Indiana Ordination Parr, Linda Warren, Howard https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/c3327250517225fb03e360cdb8e37024.jpg 16cc13cab47ba2765b87d57c43c4115d Hyperlink A link, or reference, to another resource on the Internet. URL http://www.humandignitytrust.org/uploaded/Library/Other_Reports_and_Analysis/Wolfenden_Report_1957.pdf 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 Link to Wolfenden Report Description An account of the resource Link to the full text of the Wolfenden Report, 4 September 1957, Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Online Library of the Human Dignity Trust https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/08b26d31c4a2ae580cbe83384a441a34.pdf 84ffeb0f08ac7e8991da2881675b6e8e 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 Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control State of California No. 7378 Catering Authorization In accordance with the privileges granted under Catering Permit No. CT-503-T, Sam Jordan, 4004-Third St., S.F., is hereby authorized, subject to the Laws of the State to engage in the Alcoholic Beverage business at the premises described below: Void except at this address: Calif. Hall - Turk + Tolk St., San Francisco, S.F. Date of Use: Jan 1, 1965 Hours of use: 8pm to 2am This Authorization is good only on the above date during the hours specified and is not transferable. Issued by: Betty G. [illegible] Title: [illegible] Date: 12/29/64 Malcolm E. Harris Director Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control 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 Liquor License Issued for New Year’s Day Ball at California Hall Description An account of the resource Donald S. Lucas Papers. 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/0732c953e3c01f29dd6b5b355586cd97.jpg 024f451f3ff3d469e6110c6e548d9dfc https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/6e16fe7b55de6df8cfdd715fc32aa813.jpg 670dbe73e11d646eed85e9a259d3bcd2 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/2f050286a2087c44a8c478aa202a6d6f.jpg d38b3d5df15044dcdec5080be03e86e2 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. Lisa (Church of the Covenant, Boston MA) Stole Text <p><strong>FOR LISA<br /></strong>UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST/PRESBYTERIAN</p> <p>For my darling daughter Lisa from her loving mother</p> <p>C.G.C. 2001</p> Denomination Presbyterian Church (USA) United Church of Christ Contribution Date 2001 Contribution Story <p></p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p><strong>Martha Juillerat</strong><br />Founder, Shower of Stoles Project<br />2006</p> 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 763 Title A name given to the resource Lisa (Church of the Covenant, Boston MA) 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 Her Mother (Church of the Covenant) Clergy Activist Feminism More Light Presbyterians for LGBT Concerns Open and Affirming in the UCC (ONA) Presbyterian Presbyterian Church (USA) United Church of Christ Women and Religion