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UUA President Receives "Spirit of Justice" Award from GLADRemarks on Receiving the GLAD Spirit of Justice Award
The Rev. William G. Sinkford What an honor to be introduced by Hillary and Julie…and to be compared to the young man in the poem, but please - do not expect the same degree of public exposure from me tonight. It's a profound honor to accept this Spirit of Justice award from the Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders. And while this is a deep personal honor that I am delighted to accept, I fully recognize that I stand here on behalf of all the Unitarian Universalists, congregants and clergy, who have devoted their energies to the struggle for full equality for our gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender sisters and brothers. Some of the UUA staff who have worked tirelessly on this issue are here with me tonight, and I would like them to stand to be recognized. (Rev. Sinkford gestures to the members of the staff seated at two tables in the ballroom). We Unitarian Universalists are proud of our role in this advance toward equality. We work in alliance with other groups from state to state, groups with whom we cooperate closely on strategy and tactics. We are grateful for their leadership. The arguments against marriage equality are almost entirely based on a narrow view of religion and a constricted view of faith. Sadly, the strong opposition to full equality for BGLT people oftentimes comes from religious groups. To balance this opposition, the people of the Commonwealth and the people of the United States need to know there are many many faithful people from many many religious traditions who support marriage equality. This is the mission of the Religious Coalition for the Freedom to Marry We people of faith can offer our voices to this work, but we realize that at a practical level, the issue of marriage equality involves serious legal issues. And in this area, we have been blessed and blessed again by the work of our hosts tonight, the Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) Our work together for marriage equality clearly has these legal components, but at the fundamental level, this work is about basic fairness and decency for human beings. In all our Unitarian Universalist work, we have tried to highlight and keep the focus on the human beings involved, the couples who ask nothing more than to be treated fairly. There is nothing more satisfying for a minister than marrying two people you know have a strong sense of commitment to each other. Performing the wedding for Hillary and Julie with their daughter, Annie, and so many of their friends and family in attendance was a real joy. Their marriage serves as an inspiration to all married couples, to all long-standing relationships everywhere. And besides, by standing in front of them at their wedding, I managed to get my face splashed across the cover of newspapers from Boston to Borneo. Not a bad day! Some of our ministers began performing religious same-sex marriages from the late 1960s: we have an oral history but no official records because these ceremonies rarely took place in the church but rather, on beaches, meadows, etc. (“After all, it was the Sixties”). There are some congregational records for religious marriages from the early 1970s. In fact, one of the earliest recorded marriages took place right here in Boston at the Arlington Street Church . The first gay prom in Boston was held at Arlington Street Church in 1981. Not surprisingly, this congregation continues to be a leader on this issue. David Wilson and Rob Compton's wedding at Arlington Street Church was the first legal same-sex marriage in any church in the United States . In 1984, Unitarian Universalism officially endorsed our ministers to unite same-sex couples in religious weddings in our buildings. Twelve years later in 1996, we passed a resolution calling specifically for the legalization of civil marriage for same-sex couples, introducing a new era of UU advocacy on this issue. With this resolution, when we UU clergy spoke out in favor of marriage equality, it was not as an individual, nor as a representative of a single congregation; it was with the backing of our General Assembly. We have never looked back. We will continue to work on this issue across the United States until the other 49 states have joined Massachusetts in what all already know: Marriage matters. Family matters. Equality matters. Justice matters. People matter. Of course I am delighted over the recent Con Con vote that defeated one attempt to revoke equal marriage equality rights for same-sex couples. But I realize that this victory occurred in part because reactionary groups deserted the amendment as well. I know that GLAD is committed to facing the legal challenges of the new citizen petition, and even if that issue does appear on the 2008 ballot, I am confident because I am a person of faith as are all of you, that the people of MA will defeat it. And UU congregations are committed to retaining Marriage Equality in our state. And I give you my personal promise that I will do everything in my power to be a public voice in this work. In some ways, since the first same-sex marriages were performed on May 17th, 2004, nothing has changed here in Massachusetts . It is clear to any rational observer that the dire predictions of societal collapse that accompanied these joyful marriages, many between couples who had been together for decades, were nothing more than illusions based either on fear or, sadly, on outright hatred of gays and lesbians. Indeed, the reality is that heterosexual marriage is alive and well in the Commonwealth. On the other hand, a great deal has changed here in Massachusetts over the past 16 months. Gay and lesbian married couples now enjoy the same legal protection that heterosexual couples enjoy. Families have been strengthened; children are better protected. And we have taken a huge step forward in advancing the American ideal of equal rights for all. These last weeks have been difficult ones for us all. Those of you who know me well and there are many here who do, know that I am not given to easy anger. But recently I have found myself angry at so many things. Perhaps some of you probably have your own list. But one of the things I am most angry about is that Marriage Equality is so hard to achieve and to sustain. Even here in Massachusetts it seems that we have to fight the battle over and over again. I'm angry, and I'm frustrated. I had the great blessing of being married myself in April, to a woman I've known for 44 years. Back when we met our marriage would have been illegal in 16 states because I'm Black and she is White. It took 19 years from the time the first state legalized interracial marriage (that state was California ) until the Supreme Court made such marriages legal throughout the land in a case ironically named “Loving v. Virginia . 19 years. 19 years. Yes, I'm angry and I'm frustrated and I bet there are many here who are as well. But I'm also completely committed. Whether it takes 19 months, or 19 years I promise you that I will be speaking up for simple justice. And whether it takes 19 years or 90 years, I promise you that Unitarian Universalism will be standing with you, standing on the side of love. This is a great honor, and I thank you so much.
UUA President Receives "Spirit of Justice" Award from GLAD | ||
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