Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Concerns (FLGBTQC) is a faith community within the
Religious Society of Friends
Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abili ...
in USA.
Purpose
From a
minute
The minute is a unit of time usually equal to (the first sexagesimal fraction) of an hour, or 60 seconds. In the UTC time standard, a minute on rare occasions has 61 seconds, a consequence of leap seconds (there is a provision to insert a nega ...
approved in 1999, FLGBTQC states:
FLGBTQC publishes a semi-annual newsletter, which is received by 1,500 individuals and Quaker Meetings worldwide.
The group maintains a collection of Marriage Minutes by Quaker Meetings regarding
same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...
. FLGBTQC has also sponsored the publication of Each of Us Inevitable, (), a collection of talks about coming to terms with one's identity and direction.
Membership
FLGBTQC holds twice-yearly Gatherings, one in February and one in July at the
Friends General Conference
Friends General Conference (FGC) is an association of Quakers in the United States and Canada made up of 16 yearly meetings and 11 monthly meetings. "Monthly meetings" are what Quakers call congregations; "yearly meetings" are organizations of mon ...
Annual Gathering of Friends. Most participants live in the United States, which is where all of the February Gatherings (and all but one of the July ones) have been held for over twenty-five years.
History
FLGBTQC's origin comes from groups founded in the 1970s, when gay and lesbian Friends were first becoming visible in North American Quakerism. Initially, these Friends founded a group called Friends Committee for Concern. The group has since changed its name three times: first, to "Friends Committee on Gay Concerns" (FCGC), then to "Friends for Lesbian and Gay Concerns" (FLGC), and most recently, to "Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Concerns" (FLGBTQC). This most recent name change occurred at the Gathering in February 2003, at
Ghost Ranch
Ghost Ranch is a retreat and education center located close to the village of Abiquiú in Rio Arriba County in north central New Mexico, United States. It was the home and studio of Georgia O'Keeffe, as well as the subject of many of her painti ...
, in New Mexico.
See also
*
LGBT-welcoming church programs
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) affirming religious groups, otherwise referred to as gay-affirming religious groups, are religious groups that welcome LGBT people as their members, do not consider homosexuality as a sin or negati ...
References
{{Reflist
External links
Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer ConcernsBruce Grimes and Geoffrey Kaiser journal collection
a
Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore CollegeFriends for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Concerns records
held b
Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College
LGBT Christian organizations
Quaker organizations based in the United States
International LGBT organizations