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October 9, 2024

Our congregation is proud to be a Unitarian Universalist Association Welcoming Congregation. We’ve been committed to openly inviting, accepting, and including the LGBTQIA+ community for many years.  Welcoming Congregations are asked to participate in continuing education on LGBTQIA+ issues to maintain their recognition as a Welcoming Congregation. This year, from October to June, the congregation will do some of that continuing education.  Our particular area of focus will be transgender issues. Specifically, the entire congregation will read a book and take an online course together. All of our members and friends are invited to read the book Authentic Selves: Celebrating Trans and Nonbinary People and Their Families (which is the 2024-2025 UUA Common Read) and to attend a discussion group based on the book.  All our members and friends are also invited to participate in a program called “Trans Inclusion in Congregations.”  This program was created by the Transforming Hearts Collective, a group of trans ministers who provide resources and education on trans issues for congregations and other organizations. Rev. Tony Lorenzen has already taken the course as an individual.

Why Transgender Issues?

Our focus will be on transgender issues because the religious and political right are heightening their anti-transgender rhetoric and also legislating against basic health care and human rights for transgender people.  People’s health, safety, and lives are actively being threatened, and taking the side of love calls us to be supportive, active, educated, and engaged allies.  
Authentic Selves Book Study

Everyone in the congregation is invited to read the book Authentic Selves: Celebrating Trans and Nonbinary People and Their Families. This book is this year’s UUA Common Read. Each year, the Unitarian Universalist Association asks every Unitarian Universalist to read a book together, and UUA publish various study guides and other resources related to that book.  Learn more about the Common Read program.

The book Authentic Selves celebrates trans and nonbinary people and their families in stunning photographs and in their own words. The foreword is by by Jazz Jennings and her mother, Jeanette Jennings. You can learn more about this book on the UUA website.

This cost of the book is $22, but if we order 10 or more or 20 or more we get bulk discounts of 10% or 20%.   If you would like to buy a copy, or borrow a copy, please let Rev. Tony Lorenzen know by emailing him or filling out this form (also linked below) no later than November 1.  

We look forward to your participation.