Volunteer with the Welcoming Congregation Renewal Working Group

A Unitarian Universalist Welcoming Congregation is a congregation that has intentionally spent time engaging in programming, worship services, and education to make their congregation a safe place for the LGBTQIA+ communities. UCE was certified as a Welcoming Congregation in 1997. The original Welcoming Congregation process focused on addressing homophobia in ourselves and our congregation. The UUA has updated this process with its Welcoming Congregation Renewal program to include addressing transphobia as well as homophobia. Members of our Rainbow Alliance have formed a working group to complete this Welcoming Congregation Renewal process.

This process involves the entire congregation and members with LGBTQIA+ identities and all allies are invited to join the Working Group. If you would like to be engaged with this process, please contact Rev. Susan at sfrances@ucevanston.org by July 7, 2024.

To learn more about Welcoming Congregations, please check out the UUA website – or our UCE Rainbow Alliance webpage.

Rainbow Alliance announces the addition of 27 new titles to the UCE Transgender Lending Library. The additions span all age groups from pre-school through adult. These books range from fiction to anthologies, sociology resources, and one graphic novel.

Here’s a preview of a few of these informative and inspiring books:

Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress by Christine Baldacchino: A picture book about a sensitive and artistic child who is bullied for wearing an orange dress. Presents a  message of self-empowerment. Winner of three accolades, including the American Library Association’s Rainbow List. Pre-K – Grade 2.

George by Alex Gino: George wants to play Charlotte from Charlotte’s Web in her 4th grade class play. The teacher says no, she can’t, because she’s a boy. George hatches a plan to be Charlotte and also to show who she really is. Winner of multiple book awards. For Grades 4-6.

Beyond Magenta by Kuklin: Interviews with and photos of six transgender teens as they describe the transition each of them made to recognize their true selves. A Stonewall Honor Book. Teens.

Outside the XY, Morgan Mann Willis, editor: an anthology of more than 50 autobiographical pieces by people of of black or brown color that examine what it is like to inhabit masculinity outside of cisgendered manhood. Offers a variety of perspectives from those too often marginalized. Adults.

Becoming Nicole by Amy Ellis Nutt: a true account of a family learning to embrace a transgender child. Based on 4 years of reporting by a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. Includes glossary, reader’s guide, and bibliography. A New York Times Notable Book and recipient of accolades from People, Men’s Journal, and  Stonewall Honors in Nonfiction. Adults.

The Transgender Lending Library book cart is outside Room 3. Browse through the books. You’re sure to find something you’ll want to read.

Six books are now available for sign-out on transgender issues, as put together by the Rainbow Alliance. Ranging from historical perspective to fiction, from bios to personal essays, from adult to children, in their own way all present a truth worthy of exploration.

Available for sign-out now. Look for them on the new lending library shelves.

Transgender History: Covers the history of the transgender movement from the mid-20th century through 2008. The first chapter includes a useful vocabulary breakdown. There’s an extensive resources list for other materials.

Gender Outlaws: the Next Generation: A personal look at the lives of a range of transgender folks. Essays, commentary, comic art, and conversations, all of which explore what gender means. Written by Kate Bornstein, who authored the original Gender Outlaws. Kate’s collaborator S. Bear Bergman is an award- winning author, storyteller, and performer.

Gender Failure: a creative book with alternating biographical essays. Includes song lyrics, photos, and art. Spoon, an indie folk-electronic musician, writes of the difficulties of dating when questioning one’s identity. Coyote, an author and spoken-word performer, writes of the decision to get a bilateral mastectomy.

Red: A Crayon’s Story: A picture book that makes the point to be true to your inner self, despite the opinions of others. A blue crayon mislabeled red tries to live up to the expectations of others who want him to conform to what red is. A new friend offers a fresh perspective that makes all the difference. Works as an uplifting story for children (pre-school through kindergarten) and as an allegory for adults.

10,000 Dresses: about a gender-variant child’s struggle to become who she feels she is inside. Bailey dreams about magical dresses but no one appreciates her passion. When Bailey meets Laurel, her life changes. NOTE: some reviewers thought negative elements in the story were not resolved. We advise you read Dresses before sharing with your child. Elementary reader level.

Symptoms of Being Human: the teen offering in our compendium. A debut novel in which Riley, the protagonist, is tagged an “it” in high school. Riley identifies as gender fluid and is forced to decide if they should come out when their anonymous blog attracts threats. Deals with many teens’ feelings of isolation.