Standing On The Side of Love 2011 and 2012
Standing on the Side of Love. Powerful words, and I can feel the love and strength of our denomination when we sing this song together. One of the great things about being a Unitarian Universalist is that we don’t simply sing lines to our shared songs, we are called to live out the values of those words in our daily lives. And we are obligated to share those values with our young people.
As I return from this year’s General Assembly in Charlotte, North Carolina, I know that I am blessed to belong to a faith that asks its member’s to act on their shared values. On Friday June 24th I stood in Marshall Park in downtown Charlotte beside my husband and hundreds of our UU sisters and brothers of all ages. We were there to stand up for LGBTQ rights and marriage equality. Later I was able to cheer with a large group of UUs when the passage of the New York Marriage Equality Act was recognized and announced.
It is distressing that this type of activism is needed. Sadly, rather than declining, violent acts against this part of our community are on the rise. In the U.S. violence against victims because of real or perceived sexual orientation, HIV status or gender identity rose 13% in 2010 over the previous year, according to a report by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-lgbt-hate-crimes-20110713,0,3199857.story
At General Assembly in Phoenix, we will be asked to stand on the side of love for immigrant families. I hope to see many OCUUC families make the trip. This is a wonderful opportunity to show our children and the world that we stand on the side of love in response to immigration issues. We have one year to plan for this event.
Our voices are being heard. I was at the Charlotte airport and started chatting with one of the guards while I was waiting to go through security. I said I had been at a church conference at the convention center. He asked if “y’all are part of that yellow shirt group?” There was not a hint of displeasure in his tone, he was simply curious. I proudly said, “yes, we are the yellow shirt group.” We are being noticed as we stand on the side of love and justice: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/06/25/2405808/liberal-denomination-stands-up.html
Please pick up a yellow “Standing on the Side of Love” tee shirt or hat in the months ahead, and be ready for next June’s General Assembly: http://www.sslonlinestore.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=77&zenid=4c9ec254f165b7ddc3981ad3f51160ea
I hope to hold your hand, let our hearts beat as one as we Stand on the Side of Love together.
In Gratitude~~
Rayna Hamre, OCUUC Director of Religious Education
“I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” Elie Wiesel
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