----------------------------------------------------------------- UNITED CHURCH ACTIONS ON LESBIAN AND GAY RIGHTS 1969-1994 By Andy Lang Office of Communication United Church of Christ June 17, 1994 The 1.5-million-member United Church of Christ was formed in 1957 by the union of the Congregational Christian Churches and the Evangelical and Reformed Church. Both of these churches were strongly anchored in the prophetic tradition of social justice. In the 19th century, Congregationalists were active in the movement to abolish slavery. Congregationalists ordained the first black man (Lemuel Haynes in 1785) and the first woman (Antoinette Brown in 1853) to the Christian ministry in the United States. The United Church of Christ was the first mainline denomination to lift barriers to the ordination of gay men and lesbians to the Christian ministry. The following is a record of United Church of Christ actions and pronouncements on lesbian and gay rights. Although resolutions adopted by the church's General Synod are not binding on the UCC's 6,200 congregations, the Synod and other national bodies do provide moral guidance on important questions facing the church, including equal rights for gay and lesbian citizens. --> 1969 Two months before the Stonewall uprising in New York-- generally recognized as the beginning of the modern gay and lesbian rights movement--the UCC Council for Christian Social Action declares opposition to all laws criminalizing private homosexual relations between adults. The council also opposes the exclusion of homosexual citizens from the armed forces. --> 1972 The Rev. William Johnson becomes the first openly gay man ordained in modern times to the ministry by an historic or ``mainline'' Christian church. His ordination is authorized by the UCC San Francisco Bay Association. --> 1973 The UCC Executive Council says that sexual orientation should not bar qualified candidates from ordination. The UCC Gay Caucus receives official standing at General Synod. The caucus will later change its name to United Church Coalition for Lesbian/Gay Concerns. --> 1975 General Synod declares that sexual orientation is not a legitimate ground to deny civil liberties. Synod supports federal, state and municipal laws to protect equal rights for all citizens. --> 1977 In Virginia, the Rev. Anne Holmes becomes the first openly lesbian woman ordained in the UCC. --> 1983 Early in the AIDS epidemic, General Synod declares ``compassionate support'' for people with AIDS. It urges increased funding for research. --> 1984 The Rev. Diane Darling becomes the first openly lesbian woman called to parish ministry in the UCC. She is elected pastor of College Avenue UCC in Modesto, Calif. --> 1985 General Synod calls on all UCC congregations and bodies to study homosexuality and declare that they are ``open and affirming.'' --> 1987 General Synod declares opposition to ``sodomy'' laws and resolves to witness publicly against these laws whenever meeting in a state where a sodomy law is still on the books. At the same Synod, UCC minister Marie Fortune accepts the Antoinette Brown Award for exemplary achievements in ministry to a standing ovation, while her lesbian partner stands at her side. --> 1989 In sermons and speeches across the country, newly- elected UCC President Paul H. Sherry calls for an end to homophobia in society and in the church. --> 1991 General Synod ``boldly affirms, celebrates and embraces the gifts of ministry of lesbian, gay and bisexual persons.'' --> 1993 UCC leaders, including President Paul Sherry, join the ``March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Equal Rights and Liberation.'' --> 1993 In testimony to the House Armed Services Committee, President Sherry urges Congress to lift the ban on military service by gays and lesbians. ``To allow the military to discriminate is morally intolerable and contrary to the values that undergird our society,'' he says. --> 1993 Hours after President Clinton authorizes military commanders to dismiss lesbians and gays from the armed forces, General Synod votes by a wide margin to denounce the ban. UCC President Paul Sherry tells the Synod that ``this is a moment for the church to speak truth to power.'' --> 1993 The UCC publishes the only comprehensive curriculum for AIDS awareness and prevention designed for use in Christian education. --> 1994 University Congregational Church in Seattle, Wash., calls the first gay clergy couple in history to serve a mainline Christian congregation. A two-thirds majority of the congregation elects the Rev. Peter Ilgenfritz, 32, and the Rev. David Shull, 35, as associate ministers. --> 1994 There are now 137 ``open and affirming'' congregations in the UCC. Three predominantly lesbian and gay congregations are affiliated with the denomination: Liberation UCC in Cleveland, Spirit of the Lakes UCC in Minneapolis, and Phoenix UCC in Kalamazoo, Mich. The full texts of all UCC pronouncements and resolutions on lesbian and gay rights are available from the Office of Church in Society, United Church of Christ, at (216) 736-2174. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Andy Lang (216) 736-2215 office United Church of Christ (216) 295-8280 home Office of Communication (216) 736-2223 fax 700 Prospect Avenue East ANDY LANG EcuNet Cleveland, Ohio 44115-1100 langa@ucc.org Internet -- __ David B. O'Donnell (PMDAtropos@aol.com, atropos@aol.net) \/ System Administrator, America Online, Inc. - Tel. +1 703/556-3725 List Owner/Editor of Belief-L, GLB-News and Softrevu