by WUUC | Jun 29, 2016 | Minister Blog
I am thrilled to welcome to our staff and community, M. Jamil Scott, our new Director of Lifelong Learning. Jamil has been a religious educator in 3 of our UU churches both in California and in the Denver/Boulder area. He is a graduate of Naropa in Boulder where he received his master of divinity and he is an ordained Buddhist minister. He will officially start on Aug. 7. He is currently at the General Assembly leading programs for middle school aged youth. He will finish his position at the downtown UU Church in Denver on July 31, pack up, and head our way!
I am quite excited that Jamil has chosen to come to WUUC. He is a recognized leader in our UU movement. Jamil has many skills and talents to share with us. He is sensitive, able to listen deeply, be both lighthearted and serious, and full of ideas for programming. He is extremely collaborative. He is committed to his own and others learning. He is rooted in his Buddhist practice and brings with him a spiritual depth. Whereas I am an extrovert with introvert tendencies, Jamil is more introverted with extrovert tendencies and capabilities. He will work both on site at the church and from home some days of the week.
Jamil will need to find housing. He is drawn to Redmond because of the racial and ethnic diversity there. So if any of you have leads on potential housing for him and his 3 year old rescue Chihuahua mix, Bodhi, please pass that information along to Leslie Schmidt so that she can get it to him. (I am trying to keep the number of emails that he receives from us before he arrives to a minimum.) Given how expensive rents are in our area, it will take all of us keeping an eye out to help Jamil and Bodhi find a place to settle into.
When Carrie Krause arrived to be our DLL, she found a desk and chair that were ready for the trash to welcome her. I was on vacation and she was left to make her way alone. I vowed to never let that happen again to any staff person. The REALL Committee has already begun its work with Jamil. Lindsay Rogers will overlap with Jamil for several weeks to bring him up to speed. Whenever you see Jamil, tell him your name, as he will be trying to learn about 200 names and put them with faces. Remind him of who you are especially if you run into him someplace other than church. Share your favorite places to eat, coffee shops, bookstores, and things to do in Seattle and on the Eastside.
Jamil is here to support and create programming that will allow all of us, from cradle to sage, to be engaged in lifelong learning, spiritual and personal growth. I ask that you not only welcome him but ask him how you can help. Beginning any new job can be daunting if not overwhelming. Respond to his requests for volunteers and practice saying “yes” to our religious education commitment to lifelong learning at WUUC. Make sure he takes his day off and respect that day off.
But most importantly, open your hearts to Jamil and what he will bring to us.
Peace, Shalom, Salaam,
Rev.Lo
by WUUC | Jun 13, 2016 | Minister Blog
In 1979, the first March on Washington for Gay Rights was held. I was in my first year of seminary and deeply closeted. Though as with so many queer folk, I would later learn that my closet was made of glass walls. Those who identified as queer saw me even when I would not see myself or acknowledge what could be so obviously seen by them. I wasn’t fooling anyone. But I was terrified. These were the years when gay and lesbian ministerial aspirants faced two unholy choices: lie about who we were to be hired only to be fired when who we were was discovered; or tell the truth about who we were and never get hired. Remember, this was only 10 years after Stonewall and the breakout of Gay Liberation.
I cannot remember the first Pride March I walked in but I know it was in Portland, Oregon and I know it was in the early 1980’s. Even though I walked, I was afraid. These were the years when there were no corporate sponsorship or contingents. These were the years when the “Christians” lined the streets to taunt and yell and hold huge signs assuring us of our place in hell. Though it was liberating for so many of us, it was not safe.
I went to the second March on Washington in 1987 with a contingent from Oregon. It was the year the NAMES Memorial Quilt that memorialized those who had died of HIV/AIDS was unfurled. The space in front of the stage was filled with men in wheelchairs in various degrees of wasting and disease from HIV/AIDS. The feel was a mix of grief, shock, and anger as well as tentative courage and hope. As we marched by the White House we raised our fists and yelled, “Shame, shame, shame.” For our government had remained silent in the issue of HIV/AIDS. I still remember the brave contingent from Idaho that marched behind the Oregon contingent- all 8 or 12 of them. They wore jeans and flannel shirts and were shouting out the spelling of Idaho that spelled out “Idahomos.” I have never been able to call Idaho anything other than Idahomo ever since.
In 1993, I went to the 3rd March on Washington for Gay and Lesbian Rights. Because there had been so many years of antigay legislation proposed by the religious right and passed by voters in so many of our states, the contingents from states like Oregon and Colorado who had been at the forefront of the fight for GBL rights were huge. We weren’t fooling around anymore. We had learned to be political for our own survival. The restaurants in DuPont Circle, the gay neighborhood, ran out of food. As folks came up from the Metro to the street level at that stop, people who were lining the sidewalks cheered for them. It actually felt odd to see a heterosexual couple on the Metro. We were no longer timid or apologizing. As the chant went, “We’re here, we’re queer, and we’re not shopping!”
Each year, Pride marches grew in numbers as well as in a sense of empowerment. There was less fear. Our civil rights movement was gaining momentum. The media weren’t just interviewing the most outrageously outfitted Pride goers. Now they wanted political commentary from those they interviewed.
I had not been to a Pride march for years when Referendum 74 that granted marriage equality in this state, was passed into law. Lori and I had gotten married on the first day it was legal to be married in Washington at City Hall: December 9, 2012. We decided it was time to walk in a Pride Parade again. I was shocked by how dramatically things had changed since the first time I had marched. It seemed as if every major corporation had some sort of float or contingent. Attending Pride was now a “thing” to do almost like a tourist attraction. It seemed as if Pride had become a party thrown by the queer community for the non-queer community. There was nothing courageous about it any more. Lost was the recognition that there were folks who had marched for their lives. I told Lori that that was the last time I needed to go to Pride.
But the massacre of 50 people and the wounding of 53 others in the gay nightclub, Pulse, in Orlando, in the early morning hours of Sunday, has changed all that for me. Many in the queer community had been lulled into complacency about our place at the table, about our assimilation into the mainstream culture. We thought some battles were over. The fight in the queer community had seemed to be shifting to transgender rights and affirmation. The phrase, “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance,” has been attributed to many political personages from Jefferson to Lincoln. The events in Orlando are a wake up call for all of us to embrace the phrase today.
This morning I called my colleague in Kirkland, Marian Stewart, who used to be a graphic designer, and asked her to create a sign for our wayside pulpit. It will say, “Thou shalt not murder.” Because the biblical mandate is not that thou shalt not kill but that thou shalt not murder. I asked her to then put a rainbow triangle in the sign with the words “Orlando” in the middle of it. And underneath I asked her to put in, “Standing on the Side of Love.” I would love for members and friends of WUUC to attend pride as a contingent, and carry signs with those words and that image on it.
To those of you who are allies of the queer community and are outraged, appalled, and grieving the events in Orlando, know that this is a raw time for the queer community. And when any of us is raw, we are not always at our best. Expect anger alongside of the pain. Expect confusion and bewilderment. Expect shock and disorientation. Perhaps even fear. Respect the need for queer folk to gather separately as a community to process Orlando.
May there be healing….
Peace, Shalom, Salaam,
Rev. Lo
by WUUC | Jun 8, 2016 | Minister Blog
At his sexual assault sentencing, Brock Turner’s victim read a statement to him, to his father, and to the judge. She made the decision to make that statement public and it has now been read by at least 5 million people. I am one of those people. But if you are a sexual assault survivor, I would caution you before reading the statement. It is frank, brutally honest, and deeply disturbing. Those of yo
u who have been through this do not need to be further traumatized or re-traumatized. For those of you who have ever questioned a woman’s statement that she has been assaulted, this is mandatory reading.
Once again, the legal system favored a privileged white male and compounded the assault that the woman initially experienced. Shame on it. Shame on the prosecutor and the judge. Shame on Brock Turner’s father who characterized his son’s actions as “20 minutes of action.” Shame on Brock Turner. I am surprised that any woman who is sexually assaulted seeks legal action. How many of us are as strong as Brock Turner’s victim?
I wish it wasn’t a given that our culture wasn’t a “rape culture.”
(http://everydayfeminism.com/2014/03/examples-of-rape-culture/ for an in depth definition.) But to put it simply, “rape culture is a setting in which rape is pervasive and normalized due to societal attitudes about gender and sexuality.” So women end up seeing themselves as potential victims and men as potential rapists. Women enroll in self-defense courses. On college campuses, women can call for safe rides after dark. We have rape crisis centers and groups for survivors of sexual assault. Why aren’t we focusing on preventing men from assaulting women rather than putting the burden on women to protect themselves?
Why aren’t we putting time and energy into educating male identified persons about sexual assault? Why aren’t men talking to men about cultivating a respect for women as opposed to reducing them to sexual conquests? What is wrong with our culture that a college freshman can sexually assault an unconscious woman and believe that she gave her consent? How can anyone say that she was “asking for it?” Really?
Rape has been used as a form of power, control, and degradation forever. Rape is not a sexual orientation. It is a power orientation and there are no circumstances in which it can be legitimized. Nor can I think of any circumstance in which any form of assault can be legitimized.
My only hope about this situation is that it be able to trigger an cultural shift in attitudes about women, sexuality, and assault. That we may move from a “rape culture” to a “respect culture.” I can only hope that we as UUs, will be on the front lines of ushering in this shift.
Peace, Shalom, Salaam,
Rev.Lo
by WUUC | May 27, 2016 | Minister Blog
June at WUUC is a month of celebrations, honoring, and blessing. It is the time we recognize all of you
who volunteer countless hours at the church to keep it not just functioning but alive and vibrant. Many of you wear so many hats it is hard to keep track! As we say in response to the offering each week, “Some of those offerings are visible to all, while others happen behind the scenes. Regardless of how they are made, each of your gifts is appreciated.” You are so appreciated.
And we are so fortunate here at WUUC to have paid staff that goes above and beyond from Terry Levitt who not only accompanies the choir but arranges music for them and works with special musicians. Alison Bush has been our lead teacher in RE all year as well as directing our Children’s Choir and planning full community worship services. Cora Goss-Grubbs has worked with our Junior and Senior Youth as well as coordinated the Coming of Age Program. She also works with District and Regional Staff on Senior Youth CONs. Rebecca Guthrie has taken on overseeing the Nursery and ensuring childcare at WUUC events, making them accessible to more folks. And Lindsay Rogers has taken on the role of overseeing and coordinating all RE activities working closely with me and the other paid RE folks.
It is often said that the church administrator is the person who runs the church. We learned last year when Lori Varosh went on vacation that she is the glue that keeps WUUC running smoothly. I cannot say enough about her professionalism and welcoming attitude to all those she interacts with. She, too, goes way above and beyond.
On June 5, the youth and their mentors who were part of the Coming of Age program this year, will be leading the worship service. Each youth will share their Credo (a statement of what they believe) with the congregation. Mentors will share what they learned from their mentees. We will end the service with the ritual of our annual flower communion. (Yes, bring your flowers this Sunday.)
On June 12, we honor the life transitions of our children and youth. Out of Kindergarten into Elementary, Elementary into Middle School, Middle School into Senior Youth, and Senior Youth into Young Adulthood. The last transition is known as the Bridging Ceremony and marks the bridge from “child” to “young adult.” The advisors who have worked with these youth will speak about each one of them. The congregation will bless them on their journey into adulthood. Traditionally, members of the congregation add words of advice and inspiration by letter or note. (Please place them in the basket in the foyer by June 5.)
At a smaller congregation I served, I developed a “Keeper of the Chalice Flame” award certificate. They were handed out to acknowledge everything from serving as Board President to nearly 100% attendance at Sunday services. Sometimes I am overwhelmed by how much so many of you do at and for WUUC. You keep me inspired and wanting to rise to the top of my game. You are each keepers of this congregation’s chalice flame. And for that, I am filled with gratitude.
Peace, Shalom, Salaam,
Rev.Lo
by WUUC | May 19, 2016 | Minister Blog
I recently finished Kristin Schreier Lyseggen’s book, The Women of San Quentin– Soul Murder of Transgender Women in Male Prisons. The book is based on a series of interviews of transgender women who are incarcerated in U.S. prisons. It reveals the chronic abuse of, violence toward, and refusal to recognize the gender identity of transgender women in the prison industrial complex. For those of us who watch the Netflix series, Orange is the New Black, Lyseggen’s book provides a reality check about life for transgender women behind bars.
The book had an unexpected affect on me: I can no longer support our current prison system. I question the rehabilitative possibilities of such a system. I question the sanction of a system that dehumanizes persons at every turn. I found myself wondering if I could survive incarceration. Solitary confinement is now being recognized for what it is: torture. I have long known that our prison population is disproportionately made up of people of color due to a combination of both racism and classism. I have come to conclude that our current prison system actively participates in the “soul murder” of all within its confines. Soul murder has been defined as “the deliberate attempt t eradicate or compromise the separate identity of another person.”
One of the reasons that the Black Lives Matter Action of Immediate Witness at the General Assembly last summer was so controversial was because it included the dismantling of the prison industrial complex. At the time I found that clause to be troublesome. But I find myself wanting the United States to look at the prison systems of other countries like Norway. For in those systems, the “inherent worth and dignity” of persons is honored. The violence that exists in our prison system does not exist in other systems.
Do we need to potentially remove persons from the general population who are a threat to others and the fabric of safety in the societal web? Of course. But we need to remove race and class as a factor in who goes to prison and who does not. Do some persons need to be removed even from the general prison population? Probably. But they do not have to be dehumanized and tortured. Nor should beatings, rape, and all sorts of assault be a prison norm. We are far behind much needed reform to our prison system. Why can’t we invest as much in truth and reconciliation processes as we do in building more prisons? Why can’t we allocate monies for prevention and drug and alcohol treatment rather than the millions that go into death penalty cases?
Unitarianism: “ There is a Love holding us.” Universalism: “Love will not give up on you and neither will we.”
Peace, Shalom, Salaam,
Rev.Lo
by WUUC | May 13, 2016 | Minister Blog
For years I used to speak college classes about being lesbian and about some of the realities of being a minority without equal protection. I always emphasized the role that Christianity played in this country when it came to ensuring that GBLTQI persons were not afforded equal rights. Without fail, someone would raise their hand and say, “I’m a Christian and I don’t discriminate.” I would respond, “Then the burden is on you to speak up and not let right wing conservative Christians define or claim what it means to be a Christian.”
I find myself wanting to utter a similar sentiment to progressives and Democrats and Independents during the presidential primary and election campaign: “Don’t like the candidates and what they espouse or stand for? Then speak up and do something.” Let’s not just sit around in disbelief or horror and wonder how we got to this point. We’re here and it is up to us to act.
No church may endorse or sponsor a political candidate without putting its tax status in jeopardy. (We are allowed to take a position on any ballot measure or referendum or voter initiative.) That said, as Unitarian Universalists whose principles endorse the democratic process, I suggest we get busy. Get busy ensuring that Americans engage in the democratic process, educate themselves, and vote. If we do not and those who are traditionally marginalized by society do not, and if those who make up the vast swaying middle of sentiment do not, we will have no one to blame but ourselves come November 8, 2016.
This is no time to withdraw from a system from a lack of belief or trust in it or to make a statement. Others will rush in to fill the participation vacuum, skewing election outcomes. This is the year to make our system be accountable by engaging with it. The depth of what is at stake this election season is tremendous, far reaching, and long lasting.
Engage, educate, get out the vote, and vote.
Peace, Shalom, Salaam,
Rev.Lo
