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THE RELIGIOUS, SPIRITUAL PRACTICES OF GAYS AND LESBIANS

Religion and the transcendent are a part of gay life that one can't
ignore. Even gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals who aren't interested in
the spiritual dimension of life must address the reality that much of
organized religion condemns their sexual practices and that some
religious people will persecute them for those practices or even for
acknowledging their sexual orientation.

Moreover, a good number of gay E
min and lesbians have pointed out {5.3—}

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have been recognized as sfiamgns E 25:53; i

and seers. These people have been E a h" E

given respected places in their if g '.=:_
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and other groups claim that being :—: fi—E—w

gay is primarily a difference of g f -1- __T_
spiritua outlook. '~__ —_ :F g g‘ jéééfir-ee;

And finally, many gay men, =~____i::j" j. g -1 3:
lesbians and isexual people are ‘_’:;s&=~gr'§§ £3; 7::
serious and active adherents of _ "I * 5% 2' —-
many different religions. In this = g‘ “,EEILA“
issue of the News we examine the g; g {3. jg:
role of spirituality and religion u- _ 7:
in the lives of gay men, lesbians, E
and bisexuals in the Bluegrass.

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM: A SERIOUS RELIGIOUS ALTERNATIVE

By Craig Clare

Unitarian Universalism is one of religion's best kept secrets. Polls
indicate that 55 to 60 percent of Americans have never heard of
Unitarian Universalism. The Unitarian Universalism Association has
192,000 members on the rolls, but surveys have indicated that as many as
500,000 Americans identify themselves as "UU's".

Where did these UU's come from and why should we as lesbians and gay
men be concerned? Unitarians, who believed in the unity of God, and
Universalists, who believed in universal salvation for all people,
appeared in North America in the 1700's. Universalists were among the
first "evangelists," preaching the doctrine of "salvation for all" and
denouncing the concept of hell. Unitarians evolved from the
Congregational Churches and were known primarily as intellectuals and
social reformers who rejected the prevailing Christian doctrine of the
Trinity. Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Margaret Fuller, Susan B.
Anthony, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Albert Schweitzer were all Unitarians
or Universalists. The two separate denominations merged in 1961 as the
UUA.

Where do gay men and lesbians fit in the UUA? The denomination has a
long history of support for lesbians, gay men, and Continued: page 5