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In June we celebrate LGBT Pride. It is a special time for the “promotion of the self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people as a social group.” This is a time also recognized by Unity. “We recognize and honor the Divine within as the one common denominator that we share on our human journey”, reads Unity’s Statement of Diversity. This is beautifully expressed. As Unity people, we all subscribe to an innate Divinity and goodness by nature. This is not altered by whom we love or are attracted to. Just as we reject the denigration of people based on skin color, we likewise reject the same with regards to sexual orientation. It is very interesting to consider the evolutionary march of human history. In August of 1963, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. made his famous “I Have A Dream” speech in Washington, D.C. and spoke of the coming together of “all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics”. In doing so he identified three distinct points of unity; racial, ethnic and religious. The one he obviously left out was “Gay and Straight”. This is not to disparage The Dreamer; Gay Rights at this time was not a part of the Civil Rights Movement. It would have been an even harder sell to white, Christian America than the equality of the races. It would likely also not have gone over well in King’s own organization, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Interestingly, one of Dr. King’s chief strategists was Bayard Rustin, a gay man. He operated behind the scenes so as to not open the Movement to further criticism due to his sexual orientation. He nobly kept himself hidden knowing the time for people like himself had not yet come. The watershed event for gay rights is generally considered what has come to be known as the Stonewall Uprising. This took place in Greenwich Village in New York City, June 28, 1969. Its name was derived from the Stonewall Inn, a Mafia owned bar in the Village. Weary of constant police harassment, the patrons began to fight back and protest over the next several nights. After Stonewall, there was a concerted movement to organize gay activist groups which became the Gay Rights Movement that continues to this day. In honor of Pride Month, I will be devoting my articles to gay people who have made an impact on our world. We are thankful for their gifts, energy and love. Happy Pride Month! Rev. Mickey This Sunday I will be sharing the 6th Power; Imagination. Our affirmation will be as follows: I claim Imagination Now! I visualize the best person I can be I imagine the best person and the best Christ I can be My thoughts become my Reality!  Click this image to visit Unity's LGBTQ Spiritual Resource Center. |
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