Gay In Augusta

February 14 is “National Standing on the Side of Love Day“, what the sponsors are calling “Valentine’s Day Re-imagined.” Sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), Standing on the Side Of Love is promoting events across the country.

A local event will be at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Augusta at 3:00 p.m. The event is a UUCA “public advocacy campaign promoting respect for the inherent worth and dignity of every person.” The celebration will feature a free screening of the documentary ‘Lesbian Grandmothers from Mars.’ You are invited to join UUCA at 3501 Walton Way Ext and “celebrate a Valentine’s Day re-imagined. Love is about more than romance, greeting cards and chocolates. We want to celebrate love’s power to transform communities!”

To learn more about the Standing on the Side Of Love campaign, visit standingonthesideoflove.org

The Unitarian Universalist Church has long been an LGBT ally, but this Sunday a local church is leaving no doubt that there are indeed allies in the CSRA. On Sunday, October 11th (National Coming Out Day), the Unitarian Universalist Church of Augusta will focus their church service on the importance of this day.

“Come Out, Come Out Whoever You Are” The Reverend Margaret L. Beard

October 11th is “National Coming Out Day” which is an internationally-observed civil awareness day for coming out and discussion about gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) issues. Find out more about the history of this day, the national and local situation and why “fullness of being” and full equality are religious issues.

Service is at 11:00am

For directions and contact information, visit uuaugusta.org.

Tomorrow, students across the country will celebrate the National Day of Silence, bringing attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools. These students take a vow to not speak in honor of those who have been silenced and bravely stand up against anti-LGBT behavior.

I hope that students in the CSRA participate. If you or anyone you know participates, please leave a comment here with your experience.

To learn more about the Day of Silence, visit DayOfSilence.org.

This morning, I read a great article posted on the ACLU LGBT Rights blog called “Fighting for LGBT Rights in the Deep South”.  While the author maintains there is still a lot to be done, she also tells some great stories about positive change she’s seen in the south. In addition to sharing these great anecdotes, she says

 I could go on and on about the countless folks I’ve met who are working, mostly quietly and without fanfare, on bringing positive change to their communities. These are the folks who truly understand that it’ [sic] not enough to say that you “believe in not mistreating” people—you’ve got to act on it too.

Where do you see positive change in the CSRA? What gives you faith that our community can (and will) change?