Loving Our LGBTQ+ Neighbors

Thank you to those who attended some or all of our series on loving our LGBTQ+ Neighbors. We had three moving sessions with a bonus potluck dinner. (Thank you to Sue and Mike Sames for initiating and organizing the potluck!)

As part of our adult education program and a continuation of our LGBTQ+ programs, we had amazing dialog based on the following content:

- The children's book My Shadow is Purple, a book about diversity and inclusion.

- Queer Eye's season 2-episode 1 God Bless Gay, a story of acceptance, forgiveness, and inclusion.

- The TED Talk, Why I Chose my LGBTQ Daughter over the Evangelical Church, a story of the power of family, faith, and love.

We had great attendance, including several community members who are not (yet?!) members of SUM. The conversations were steeped in curiosity, learning, vulnerability, and, most importantly, love. We shared our observations and hopes and practiced introducing ourselves using our pronouns. The highlight was when we were blessed to have an attendee share their struggles and joys of being non-binary.

Feedback highlights include:

·       We experienced a feeling of acceptance.
·       Good presentations. Challenging questions.
·       Informative, collaborative, and kind.
·       Let’s keep the conversation going.
·       I enjoyed the small breakout group discussion.
·       We were glad others with children who are non-binary and trans were there to share their experiences.

If you missed it and want to learn more, in addition to checking out the materials listed above, you can check out this link here regarding Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20.

Also, stay tuned for the next steps on this journey and many other wonderful topics as part of our continuing adult education opportunities!

Jenny Euting
Eileen Brogan