2SLGBTQIA+ at GRU
Rev. Jessica Purple Rodela, one of the first openly queer ministers in Waterloo Region when she joined us in 2008.
Pride service at GRU June 2023
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A Visual Queerstory of GRU
WHO WE ARE
Welcome to Grand River Unitarian Congregation (GRU)! Founded in 1956, GRU is a Unitarian Universalist congregation located in Kitchener and a member of the Canadian Unitarian Council. Unitarian Universalists (UUs) are a historic denomination, founded in 1793. Originating as liberal Christians affirming universal salvation and the use of reason in the search for religious truth, UUs have evolved into a non-creedal religious community. We are grounded in our belief in the inherent worth and dignity of every person, our shared passion for justice, our mutual support of each person’s spiritual journey, and our respect for one another and the independent web of life of which we are all a part.
A history of welcomE
Our belief in the worth of all people and commitment to liberty and equity have made UUs pioneers in the promotion of 2SLGBTQIA+ rights and spiritual support. Starting in 1958 Unitarian Universalists were the first religion to conduct same-sex weddings (Unitarian Universalists performed Canada’s first same-sex wedding in 1973). Our activism strongly influenced the successful drive for marriage equality in Canada and the United States. We have called openly gay ministers to serve our congregations since 1979, and today have gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and nonbinary ministers serving various congregations in Canada and the United States.
Building on that inclusive tradition, GRU officially became a Welcoming Congregation in 2005, completing a process that involved systematic education to unlearn prejudice, make our policies and practices fully inclusive, and train us to provide full welcome and support for 2SLGBTQIA+ members and visitors. We are proud that many queer members, families, and friends are part of our congregational life. Our sexuality and relationships program—Our Whole Lives—provides education for all stages of life from kindergarten to elder ages. It focuses on respect, consent, pleasure, authentic self-expression, and informed health choices that support diverse sexualities, identities, and relationships.
CONTINUING ACTION
Our work for justice and liberation has included participation in Tri-Pride festivities, sponsorship of a transgender refugee from the Middle East, letter writing campaigns in support of 2SLGBTQIA+ rights, and much more. We are privileged to perform weddings and commitment ceremonies for people of all genders, sexual identities, and loving arrangements. Our Unitarian Universalist officiants can customize your wedding or other life ceremony. Contact Susan, Colin, and Evelyn through our Ceremonies page. All are enthusiastically welcome to attend our Sunday morning services at 10:30 a.m. (childcare and progressive children’s religious education is provided most Sundays).
a timeline
Interested in learning more about Unitarian Universalist history and 2SLGBTQIA+ issues? Here’s a partial timeline of important developments.
1958: Rev. Ernest Pipes, Jr. performed the first recorded same-sex wedding ceremony in history, at the Community Church of Santa Monica (Unitarian).
1964: Rev. Phillip Hewett opened the Unitarian Church of Vancouver to gay rights groups such as Association for Social Knowledge, and joined their meetings to indicate his support.
1969: Unitarian Universalist minister Rev. James Stoll became the first minister of a historic denomination to publicly come out as gay.
1970: The Unitarian Universalist Association (including the Canadian congregations) became the first religious organization in history to officially condemn discrimination against gays and bisexuals when it passed an official resolution urging “all peoples immediately to bring an end to all discrimination against homosexuals, homosexuality, bisexuals, and bisexuality.”
1971: Elgin Blair of Toronto and Rev. Richard Nash of Los Angeles formed the UU Gay Caucus, the first Unitarian Universalist queer interest group. The official Unitarian Universalist sex education curriculum was updated to include positive information about gay relationships, sex, and health. Additionally, 1971 was the year that the first religious group for gay people in Toronto—Unitarian Universalist Gays—was formed.
1973: In a private service, Rev. Robert Brownlie performed the first recorded same-sex wedding ceremony in Canadian history at the Unitarian Church of Edmonton. Also in 1973 the Unitarian Universalist Association created an Office of Gay Concerns to advance LGBTQ+ issues within and beyond the denomination, the first national-level such office for any religion.
1974: At the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Winnipeg Rev. Norm Naylor performed a same-sex wedding that was broadcasted on the CBC.
1976: Lay Chaplain Ruth Patrick of the Unitarian Church of Edmonton became the first Canadian woman to perform same-sex weddings.
1979: The first openly gay minister, Rev. Douglas Morgan Strong, was called to serve a Unitarian Universalist congregation, All Souls Church, in Maine.
1982: The Unitarian Congregation of South Peel was the first Canadian Unitarian Universalist church to call an openly gay minister, Rev. Mark Mosher DeWolfe, to serve as their minister.
1984: The Unitarian Universalist Association (including the Canadian congregations) overwhelmingly voted to affirm the legitimacy of same-sex weddings and the ministers who perform them, becoming the first historic denomination to affirm same-same marriage.
1980s: Unitarian Universalist congregations in Toronto, Winnipeg, and elsewhere begin participating in Pride events (UU individuals had been participating since the mid-1970s).
1988: The first openly transgender Unitarian Universalist was ordained.
2003: Same-sex marriage legalized in the province of Ontario. One of the first legal same-sex marriages in Waterloo Region was officiated by a Lay Chaplain from GRU.
2004: Julie and Hillary Goodridge, both Unitarian Universalist congregation members, were the lead plaintiffs in the lawsuit that led to the first legally-recognized same-sex marriages in the United States (by the State of Massachusetts). Canadian Unitarian Council representatives argued in favour of marriage equality before the Supreme Court of Canada as part of the case that ultimately led to national marriage equality in 2005.
2006: The Canadian Unitarian Council passed a resolution that “affirms and promotes the equal rights of persons regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.”
2015: The Unitarian Universalist Association was an official supporter of the lawsuit that resulted in the national legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States.
2023: The Canadian Unitarian Council issued a statement calling on the government of Saskatchewan not to implement policies preventing the use of students’ preferred names and pronouns at school, and issued a further statement of love and welcome in the face of rising Canadian anti-2SLGBTQIA+ hate.
2024: The Calgary Unitarian church celebrated Easter Sunday and International Transgender Day of Visibility by holding a drag show at its Sunday service.
Today: 99% of Canadian Unitarian Universalist congregations have completed the Welcoming Congregation process and been certified as actively inclusive communities supporting and embracing 2SLGBTQIA+ members and visitors.
even more resources
Want to learn even more? Here are some selected links to relevant resources.
Grand River Unitarian Congregation’s minister Rev. Jessica Purple Rodela’s sermon “When Rainbows Fade,” on anti-2SLGBTQIA+ bullying: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qk2KaX68bMs
UU Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Justice Work: https://www.uua.org/lgbtq
Canadian Unitarian Council: https://cuc.ca/
I Am Not a Criminal; My Child Is Not a Crime: https://www.uuworld.org/articles/my-child-not-crime
The World is a Better Place When Trans Lives Are Uplifted: https://www.uuworld.org/articles/authentic-selves-castro
Authentic Selves: Celebrating Trans and Nonbinary People and Their Families (from UU publisher Skinner House Books): https://www.uua.org/publications/skinnerhouse/authentic-selves