Minute Welcoming Transgender Persons

Approved January 13, 2013

Adelphi Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends understands that God, who loves all people unconditionally, is leading the Meeting to honor the gender identity of each person, as that person determines it.

In addition to welcoming transgender persons to worship with us, in 2009 our Meeting supported a Friend and her family through her gender transition as she claimed her wholeness as a woman. Our testimonies of equality and community confirm that when we embrace that of God in everyone, including the full spectrum of gender identities in our Meeting, our worship deepens and our community is enriched.

Every person should be able to live out fully what the Spirit is leading them to be. Adelphi will be an affirming, safe, and nurturing place for everyone. We extend our loving care to all transgender persons, and their families and friends, who seek to share our Quaker spiritual journey and corporate life.

November 2018

Athens Friends Meeting affirms that our Meeting has been gifted beyond measure by the presence, participation and Spirit-guided leadership of LGBTQ Friends. We want to say to all who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer that we stand together. Friends believe that we are all equal before God, and there is that of God in each of us. We aspire to be a safe and loving space and extend our loving care to all who come as seekers to share in worship and the life of our meeting. All are invited to attend and, if so led, to request membership. Membership includes the privilege of marriage under the care of the Meeting.

The Athens Friends Meeting is part of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). From the Society’s beginnings in the 1600’s, Friends have sought a religious experience that is personal – free from doctrinal creeds, and from institutional hierarchy. For Friends, religion is more than believing: it leads to acting in the world in the spirit of love. Friends recognize that religious understandings are not static, but that they grow deeper over time and with experience.

April 2005

As a community of faith, we [the Atlanta Friends Meeting] have become aware of the many ways in which lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and queer people have been silenced and excluded. We will never go back to silencing these voices among us, or suppressing these gifts, for in so doing, we impoverish our whole community. Our experience has been that Spiritual gifts are not distributed with regard to sexual orientation or gender identity. Our experience has been that the life of our Meeting and its work have been immeasurably enriched over the years by the full participation and Spirit-guided leadership of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer Friends. Full participation includes encouragement in ministry and positions of leadership, ability to be married under the care of the Meeting, and nurture to all families. We therefore explicitly celebrate the participation of LGBTQ Friends in these, as in all other aspects of the life of the Meeting. Our experience confirms that we are all equal before God, as God made us, and we feel blessed to be engaged in community and religious life together.

Approved April 3, 2022

Baltimore Monthly Meeting of Friends at Stony Run reaffirms the minute from 2006 and adds that we joyfully welcome requests for marriage under the care of the Meeting from any couple associated with us, regardless of either person’s gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

MINUTE ON THE CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS OF TRANSGENDER AND NON-BINARY PEOPLE

Baltimore Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) rejoices in the presence of transgender people in our midst including non-binary people. Our transgender members enrich our community and deepen our worship. We believe that there is that of God in everyone and everyone has gifts to bring to the world. Whenever anyone is excluded, God’s ability to work in our midst is diminished.

We commit ourselves to support transgender people in our meetings and the civil and human rights of our transgender members and all transgender people. We also commit to enlarging our understanding of the experience of being transgender. No one should face discrimination in employment, housing, health care, or otherwise, or have their dignity assaulted and their human rights curtailed because of their gender identity.

WHY WE DRAFTED THIS MINUTE

Since the November 2016 elections, we have witnessed a growing backlash against transgender people in the United States. The Trump administration has taken numerous steps weakening protection for transgender people in such areas as military service, prison assignment, health care, employment, schooling, and policing.

It is particularly important for us as people of faith to testify that our religious experience leads us to love, acceptance, and nondiscrimination, and to support the civil rights of these friends and family members.

June 27, 2013

In Friends’ tradition of advocating for justice and equality, members and attenders of Bloomington-Normal Friends Meeting welcome all who wish to join us in worship, including LGBTIQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, intersex, and questioning/queer) people. In the wider U.S. society, we support same-sex marriage and other forms of equality. We declare our Meeting for Worship to be a safe space for people who may feel their sexual orientation makes some other places of worship unsafe. We encourage Illinois Yearly Meeting likewise to declare ILYM a welcoming and safe space for LGBTIQ people.

Minute on Gender Expression and Identity

Halifax Monthly Meeting in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Approved on January 10, 2024

From the beginnings of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in the 1600s, Friends have sought a religious experience that is personal - free from doctrinal creeds and institutional hierarchy.

With this minute we affirm an understanding of spiritual equality and also affirm our growing understanding and respect for gender expression, identity, and sexuality. We acknowledge that we are still learning, but we recognize that when we embrace the full spectrum of gender and sexual identities in our Meeting and across our wider community, our worship deepens and our community is enriched. We seek to extend our loving care to all people. Our experience has been that Spiritual gifts are not distributed with regard to sexual orientation or gender identity and that the life of our Meeting and its work have been immeasurably enriched over the years by the full participation and Spirit-guided leadership of gender-diverse Friends. Our experience confirms that we are all equal before God.

We commit to:

— Continuing to learn about gender and sexuality concerns, and particularly learning how to support those who have experienced discrimination and other violence based on their gender identities or expressions.

— Honouring statements of personal pronouns among members, attenders, and visitors, and using inclusive language in our written communications.

— Creating a safe and welcoming place.

(with acknowledgement to Memphis and Atlanta Friends Meetings for inspired wording)

Gender and Sexuality Minute - Updated

At the April business meeting, Friends approved the commitments accompanying the meeting’s minute on Gender and Sexuality Equality. Below is the full minute.

From the beginnings of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in the 1600s, Friends have sought a religious experience that is personal - free from doctrinal creeds and institutional hierarchy. Quakers over the centuries have found that spiritual gifts are not distributed with regard to sexual orientation or gender identity. Friends recognize that full participation in Quaker practice includes being encouraged in ministry and positions of leadership, having the ability to be married under the care of the meeting (the Quaker congregation), and having your family embraced and nurtured by the meeting as a whole.

With this minute (a statement adopted by a Quaker meeting, expressing the unity of the meeting), Memphis Friends Meeting reaffirms this understanding of spiritual equality and also affirms our growing understanding and respect for gender expression, identity, and sexuality. We acknowledge that we are still learning, but we recognize that when we embrace the full spectrum of gender and sexual identities in our Meeting and across our wider community, our worship deepens and our community is enriched. We earnestly seek to extend our loving care to people of all genders and sexual orientations, their families, and their friends.

Quakers believe that religion is more than believing. In the words of Bayard Rustin, a Quaker who was a member of what we now call the LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Plus) community, “The proof that one truly believes is in action.” As part of Memphis Friends Meeting’s effort to live more fully our testimony of equality through action, we minute our commitment to becoming an affirming, safe, and nurturing place for everyone to live fully that which the Spirit is leading them to be.

We commit to:

— Continuing to learn about gender and sexuality concerns, and particularly learning how to support those who have experienced discrimination and other violence based on their gender identities or expressions.

— Honoring statements of personal pronouns among members, attenders, and visitors, and using inclusive language in our written communications.

— Affirming individuals’ gender and sexuality identities in all aspects of the life of the Meeting, including discerning ways in which each committee in the Meeting can be supportive.

— Seeking out and collaborating on community activities that are inclusive, welcoming, and supportive.

— Stating in our building-use contract, on our web presence, and on other platforms that all bathrooms are single-use gender neutral and that we intend to affirm and acknowledge, through our actions and in our building, the wholeness of all people, including their gender identities, gender expressions, and sexual orientations.

Our intent in writing and sharing this minute publicly is to learn and grow together and deepen our respect for one another. We make these commitments as a step closer to the world of safety, compassion, and justice which we strive to realize.

Approved in Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business, December 2020 and April 2021

Multnomah Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, a Quaker Meeting, is an open and affirming faith community. We welcome all who come as religious seekers to share in worship and fully participate in the activities of our common life. The Religious Society of Friends cherishes a greater than 360-year tradition of witnessing to the spiritual belief in the equality of all people.

Multnomah Monthly Meeting understands that the Divine Source is leading the Meeting to honor the gender identity and expression of each person, as determined by that person. We affirm that gender expression and identity may be fluid and changeable. We recognize that when we embrace the Light within the full spectrum of gender identities in our Meeting, our worship deepens and our community is enriched.

Multnomah Monthly Meeting minutes our commitment to becoming an affirming, safe, and nurturing place for everyone to live fully that which the Spirit is leading them to be. We extend our loving care to people of all genders, including transgender, genderqueer, cisgender, gender non-conforming and intersex persons, their families and friends.

Love Thy Neighbor: A minute in support of the dignity and basic human rights of transgender and gender non-conforming people.

As NYYM of The Religious Society of Friends, we embrace that of God and the Light in every person. We are horrified by and opposed to the rising wave of legislation that demonizes transgender and gender non-conforming people in order to deprive them of life-giving treatment and their basic human rights. This statement was born from a place of deep love. We are called to love all our neighbors without exception. We urge our elected officials to support legislation protecting the rights, safety, and human dignity of all people regardless of their gender identity or gender expression. As Friends, we reject any legal restrictions that target transgender and gender non-conforming people.

New York Yearly Meeting approved this minute at Spring Sessions 2024

(Background and reference links available here.)

Norman Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends is an open and affirming faith community. We welcome all who come as religious seekers to share in worship and fully participate in the activities of our common life.

The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) has a long-standing tradition of witnessing to the belief of equality and respect for all without regard to social rank, race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, immigration status, or religious background. We recognize and embrace the Light within every individual.

The Norman Monthly Meeting declares our opposition to any and all forms of violence, whether physical or verbal, and to any and all forms of discrimination. We declare our commitment to honoring the gender identity and expression of each person, as determined by that person. We affirm that gender expression and identity may be fluid and changeable. We extend our loving care to people of all genders, including transgender, gender-queer, cisgender, gender non-conforming and intersex persons, their families and friends.

Norman Monthly Meeting minutes our commitment to being an affirming, safe, and nurturing place for everyone to live fully that which the Spirit is leading them to, know that this deepens our worship and enriches our community.

For the Norman Friends Meeting November 2018, John Fletcher, clerk

December 9, 2018

After an extended period of consideration that had included several editing changes, Friends approved the below minute that initially had been delivered to the Peace and Social Action Committee by Robb Yurisko.

North Columbus Friends Meeting testifies to the truth of the prophetic witness of Friends who have come before us declaring that that of God can be found within everyone. In modern times, we find the testimonies of early Friends even more relevant and revolutionary as each year passes.

North Columbus Friends Meeting minutes our support for and affirmation of all transgender, intersex, gender-fluid, and non-binary persons. We find that unconditional love and inclusion allow the fullest Light into our Meeting and in our lives.

We invite and welcome into fellowship with us all persons so that they may share and we may be blessed by that which is of God within each of us.

Minute of Inclusion: Welcoming Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming People

North Pacific Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, an organization of unprogrammed Quaker meetings and worship groups in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana, seeks to be an open and affirming faith community. We welcome all to share in worship and the activities of our common life.

North Pacific Yearly Meeting understands that the Divine Source is leading our meeting to honor the gender identity and expression of each person, as understood by that person. We affirm that gender expression and identity may be fluid and changeable. We recognize that when we embrace the Light within the full spectrum of gender identities in our meeting, our worship deepens and our community is enriched.

As part of our evolving struggle to live our testimony of equality, North Pacific Yearly Meeting minutes our commitment to becoming an affirming, safe, and nurturing place for everyone to live fully that which the Spirit is leading them to be.

We extend our loving care to people of all genders, including, but not limited to, transgender, genderqueer, cisgender, gender-fluid, agender, gender non-conforming, and intersex persons, their families and friends. We will continue to educate ourselves and our communities and take appropriate action to bring about a more equal world.

Who We Are

Northside Friends Meeting is a Quaker Meeting affiliated with the Illinois Yearly Meeting of Friends and Friends General Conference.

We unite with the central Friends belief that all people have the power to become children of the Light, that there is that of God in every person.

We hold that in Quaker worship we can come to know that Light within ourselves.

We stand by Friends testimonies of Integrity, Simplicity, Equality, and Peace.

We honor Quaker process.

We gather for silent worship on First Day (Sunday) mornings at 10:00 am at the Japanese American Service Committee, 4427 North Clark Street in Chicago. Our meeting space is handicap accessible.

Northside Friends is a diverse community. All are welcome among us. Families of all sorts, single parents, youth and elders, people of all races and orientations may participate in our worship. As diverse as we are demographically, we are as diverse theologically as well. Friends come from a wide variety of faith traditions and histories. Instead of finding our diversity troubling, it is for us a cause for spiritual celebration and intellectual challenge; there is no impediment here to genuine worship, spiritual seeking and finding.

Since the earliest days of Northside, we have enjoyed a gay/ lesbian presence. In the 1980’s we supported our members through the AIDS crisis, in 1989 we celebrated our first lesbian marriage, and Friends of our Meeting with our support have twice organized the annual North American Mid-Winter Gathering of Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Concerns. In every way, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, and questioning people are welcome in our community.

Safety and Societal Participation of Transgender and Gender Non-conforming People (9 June 2024)

As Quakers, we attempt to answer that of God in every person. In light of recent events that have rocked our country and, in particular, our gender-fluid Friends, we feel that it is timely to state our support for transgender and gender non-conforming people, and affirm the safety and openness of our meeting space.

Orange County Friends Meeting welcomes transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming folks of all kinds into full participation in our Meeting. We recognize that our Meeting, and the Society of Friends in general, has not always been open and affirming to this integral part of humanity, and thus we have failed to act according to the values of Equality and Community. In light of this history, we endeavor to be tender to the concerns of these Friends and to learn about the barriers to their fellowship so that we may lift them.

In addition, we affirm that all humans have the right to express their identities and participate in the wider society as they define themselves, safely and on an equal footing with all others. We recognize that the Divine Light is not limited by societal convention, tradition, or law, and often surpasses human understanding. As Friends, we seek to create a society that welcomes diversity, recognizes that of God in each being regardless of appearance or gender identity, and is free of bigotry and exclusion.

Salmon Bay Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, a Quaker Meeting, is an open and affirming faith community. We welcome all who come as religious seekers to share in worship and fully participate in the activities of our common life. Salmon Bay Monthly Meeting understands that the Divine Source is leading the Meeting to honor the gender identity and expression of each person, as determined by that person. We affirm that gender expression and identity may be fluid and changeable. We recognize that when we embrace the Light within the full spectrum of gender identities in our Meeting, our worship deepens and our community is enriched.

Salmon Bay Monthly Meeting minutes our commitment to be an affirming, safe, and nurturing place for everyone to live fullly that which the Spirit is leading them to be. We extend our loving care to people of all genders, including transgender, genderqueer, cisgender, gender non-confoming and intersex persons, their families and their friends.

Minute Welcoming Transgender and Gender Nonconforming People

June 2017

In June 2017, after a year of education and discernment, University Friends Meeting approved the following Minute:

University Friends Meeting, a member of North Pacific Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, seeks to be an open and affirming faith community. We welcome all to share in worship and the activities of our common life.

University Friends Meeting understands that the Divine Source is leading our Meeting to honor the gender identity and expression of each person, as understood by that person. We affirm that gender expression and identity may be fluid and changeable. We recognize that when we embrace the Light within the full spectrum of gender identities in our Meeting, our worship deepens and our community is enriched.

As part of our evolving struggle to live our testimony of equality, University Friends Meeting minutes our commitment to becoming an affirming, safe, and nurturing place for everyone to live fully that which the Spirit is leading them to be.

We extend our loving care to people of all genders, including, but not limited to, transgender, gender queer, cisgender, gender fluid, agender, gender nonconforming and intersex persons, their families and friends. We will continue to educate ourselves and our communities and take appropriate action to bring about a more equal world.