Denver PrideFest 2008! Saturday and Sunday, June 21st and 22nd Denver's Civic Center Park Admission is free

Denver’s LGBT PrideFest is recognized as one of the top ten pride events in the country. It is a two day event that features a Family Field Day on Saturday (with activities for children), and a Parade on Sunday. Vendor booths will be set up all weekend and will include food, art, crafts, and other merchandise as well as exhibitors from a variety of service providers and non-profit groups.

The Sunday PrideFest Parade begins at 9.30 a.m. in Cheesman Park and proceeds down Colfax Avenue to the Civic Center Park. It is a favorite event every year with walkers, music and floats from sponsors, faith-communities, non-profits, local businesses, and politicians.

As in previous years, adults and kids from CUUC and other area UU churches will be marching together in the Parade on Sunday, so please join us! It is a lot of fun and a great way to show your support for the LGBT community. Many of us will be wearing the CUUC “Celebrate Diversity” T-Shirts, so if you would like to order one, please add your name to the list on the "sign-up ledge" in the back of the Sanctuary. Please sign up for the PrideFest Parade there as well.

What is a Welcoming Congregation?

Columbine Unitarian Universalist Church is a Welcoming Congregation, welcoming lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people to our community.  The rainbow sticker worn by many members and friends on their nametags is a symbol of our commitment to diversity.

Read more information on the Unitarian-Universalist Association Welcoming Congregation Program.

ACCORDING TO THE UUA, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A WELCOMING CONGREGATION?

Congregations who publicly and successfully welcome bisexual, gay, lesbian, and transgender people have the following qualities:

• Include and address the needs of b/g/l/t persons at every level of congregational life—in worship, in programs, in social occasions, and in rites of passage—welcoming not only their presence, but the gifts and particularities of their lives as well.
   
• Assume the presence of b/g/l/t people and celebrate this diversity by having inclusive language and content in their worship.
   
• Fully incorporate the experiences of b/g/l/t persons throughout all programs, including religious education.
   
• Include an affirmation and nondiscrimination clause in our by-laws and other official documents affecting all dimensions of congregational life, including membership, hiring practices, and the calling of religious professionals.
   
• Engage in outreach into the b/g/l/t community in advertising and by actively supporting b/g/l/t affirmative groups.
   
• Offer congregational and ministerial support for union and memorial services for b/g/l/t persons, and for celebrations of ... family definitions.
   
• Celebrate the lives of all people and welcome same-sex couples, recognizing their committed relationships, and equally affirming displays of caring and affections without regard to sexual orientation.
   
• Seek to nurture ongoing dialogue between bisexual, gay, lesbian, transgender, and heterosexual persons and to create deeper trust and sharing.
   
• Encourage the presence of a chapter of Interweave.
   
• Affirm and celebrate b/g/l/t issues and history during the church year.
   
• Attend to legislative developments and work to promote justice, freedom, and equality in the larger society.
   
• Speak out when the rights of bisexual, gay, lesbian, and transgender people are at stake.
   
• Celebrate the lives of all people and their ways of expressing their love for each other.

Pride…..Not Prejudice

On Wednesday, March 1st, 2006, in Annapolis, Maryland at a hearing on the proposed Constitutional Amendment to prohibit gay marriage, Jamie Raskin, professor of law at American University, was requested to testify.

At the end of his testimony, Maryland State Republican Senator Nancy Jacobs said: "Mr. Raskin, my Bible says marriage is only between a man and a woman. What do you have to say about that?"

Raskin replied: "Senator, when you took your oath of office, you placed your hand on the Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution. You did not place your hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible."

The room erupted into applause.