Equality
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Some Minutes relating to our Equality testimony
- 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.
- March 2000: The Atlanta Friends Meeting intends to become a safer and more welcoming spiritual home for all. Recognizing that becoming more welcoming of any group makes us more welcoming to all, we ask all committees and organized groups of the Meeting to engage in a process of prayerful reflection and review about how the specific activities of their committees/groups contribute toward this goal. As a step toward this goal, we ask committees/groups to consider their activities specifically in relation to F(f)riends and attenders of African descent. We also ask Committees and groups to prepare and submit, by September 2000, a written report of their results and concerns so that there is an historical reference in the minutes of the Meeting for Worship for Business. Near the beginning of this process, a one-day workshop on personal racism will be made available to any member or attender who wishes to participate. The Meeting expects that the clerk or other designated person from each of the committees/groups will participate.
- June 1990: The AFM affirms our willingness as a Meeting
to hold celebrations of loving commitment under our care. We
intend to
follow the same customary and careful process of arriving at
clearness
for any couple who should wish to unite under our care, regardless
of
sexual orientation, when one or both of these partners participate
in
our community.
We are aware of the diversity of attitudes toward the term "marriage" and leave to the couple the characterization of their relationship--whether a celebration of marriage, commitment, or joining.
The Meeting acknowledges the certificate signed by the couple and those present at the ceremony as the witness of Friends to the couple's spiritual union. Mindful that only the heterosexual couples among us have the right to legally sanctioned marriage and its privileges, the Meeting asks Friends, and particularly couples preparing for marriage, to examine how best to respond and bear witness to the inequalities still present in the legal system. - April 1986: A Minute on Patriarchy was approved, calling for the replacement of patriarchal oppression with full equality for all humanity. "We acknowledge and believe that we as Quakers must identify, examine and eliminate patriarchical behavior which resides in ourselves. We will work in our homes, our monthly meetings and our communities to arrive at a new day when patriarchal oppression has been replaced by full equality for all humanity."
- March 1968: A decision has been made to support in every way possible Martin Luther KingÍs march in Washington, D.C., and to urge John Yungblut to help in any way he can. John brought it before the Meeting for consideration of total support. We could bring some leaders working in the poverty areas of Atlanta here to Quaker House to explore how Atlanta can be involved, even though Georgia Rural poor are asked to go to Washington. The title is "The Poor PeopleÍs Campaign for Jobs and Income." Friends agreed to support the campaign in every way feasible.
- August 1952: It was agreed to inform the League of Women
Voters of the approval of the Meeting of their recent resolution
condemning the injection of racial and religious prejudices into
election campaigns, and requesting all participants to abstain
from
exciting such emotions.
We call on political leaders and candidates for public office in the State of Georgia to see that our political campaigns are free from appeals to racial or religious prejudice.
We respectfully urge the newspaper editors and publishers of Georgia to decline any political advertisement which makes such an appeal to intolerance.
And further we ask the managers of radio and television stations of Georgia to do everything within their power to discourage any such violation of the basic principles of this State and this Nation. - Statement of Core Values and Commitments
- Queries
- Reflections on Recent Anti-Racism Work in Atlanta Friends Meeting
In our Meetings for Worship with Attention to Business, we often make public statements, called Minutes. Because we do all business by consensus, these Minutes represent the unanimous will of our entire community.
More minutes relating to our the Equality Testimony
SAYMA Minute on Patriarchy
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This minute on patriarchy was approved by Southern Appalachian
Yearly
Meeting and Association (with which we are affliated) in May 1993. View
this minute.