Be Mine, Marriage Equality

This Valentine's Day, the Unitarian Universalist Association would like to propose marriage -- equality, that is.

For the second consecutive year, the liberal religious denomination has declared Valentine's Day National Standing on the Side of Love Day, reimagining it "as a day of love and acceptance for all people," says Dan Furmansky, campaign manager for the UUA's Standing on the Side of Love effort, which focuses on LGBT rights, immigrant rights, and religious freedom and diversity.

Unitarian congregations and allies around the nation are holding rallies and other events for marriage equality and other LGBT rights in connection with the campaign, most of them today or over the past weekend, with some scheduled for later this month. The total is about 150, up from about 100 last year, according to Furmansky, who spoke to The Advocate shortly before he was to take the stage this afternoon at a rally just outside the state capitol building in Annapolis, Md., sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis, Equality Maryland, and the Human Rights Campaign. Marriage equality advocates spent Monday meeting with state legislators, who are considering a bill that would allow gay couples to marry, and lobbying will continue throughout the week.

Marriage equality legislation is also pending in Rhode Island; there, the historic First Unitarian Church of Providence, which dates to 1728, is today announcing the congregation's endorsement of the bill and calling on state legislators to pass it and Gov. Lincoln Chafee to sign it. (Chafee has said he will do so if it reaches his desk.) Sunday in South Kingstown, R.I., the local Unitarian church hosted an interfaith service in support of marriage equality.

Unitarians and other gay-supportive religious groups had an interfaith service today in Richmond, Va., after which Jeanne Pupke, senior minister of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Richmond, applied with her female partner for a marriage license; several other same-sex couples did so as well. Although Virginia does not have marriage equality, Pupke noted that a few years ago, the Richmond city clerk began storing applications from gay couples, saying they needed to be saved because of their historic significance.

"The truth is that everyone there knows these laws will change, must change," Pupke said in an e-mail. "While we lobby and demonstrate, protest and witness throughout the year, the Valentine's Day witness is a day in which we signal over and again, we are determined to achieve justice for the next generation, and we will not go away."

In New Mexico, Standing on the Side of Love, Marriage Equality USA, and GetEqual held a marriage equality rally today in Albuquerque. Rallies were also scheduled in Boston, Nebraska, Florida, and other locations. Among other events, several Unitarian congregations are taping messages for the It Gets Better Campaign, aimed at preventing suicide among LGBT teens, and more than 20 churches in the denomination are screening the film version of The Laramie Project to raise awareness of LGBT issues and funds for gay groups.

Numerous churches, Furmansky notes, devoted this week's Sunday services to pro-LGBT messages. At the Emerson Unitarian Universalist Chapel in Ellisville, Mo., a suburb of St. Louis, Sunday's annual youth-led service was a reenactment of the Stonewall riots.

Also on Sunday, Standing on the Side of Love honored the Knoxville, Tenn., church that was the scene of a tragedy gave rise to the campaign. On July 27, 2008, Jim David Adkisson opened fire on the congregation at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, killing two and wounding six. Adkisson, who had objected to the church's liberal views, especially its pro-gay policies, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and six of attempted murder, and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

The church's minister, Chris Buice, said Sunday that Standing on the Side of Love, which began in response to the shootings, is designed to bring "the voice of the faith community to what have really been divisive and polarizing issues of our time," local television station WBIR reported.

In addition to its work for LGBT rights, Standing on the Side of Love seeks to promote "comprehensive, humane immigration reform that provides a path to citizenship" for those here illegally, Furmansky says, and also ends inequities in immigration law for same-sex couples. Because federal law does not recognize gay relationships, U.S. citizens cannot sponsor a same-sex partner for legal residency. Also, in addressing religious freedom and diversity, the campaign spends much time responding to anti-Muslim rhetoric. Around September 11 of last year, when a great deal of that rhetoric was being heard, many Unitarian congregations held events in support of Muslims, Furmansky notes. The campaign "weaves together the common thread of all justice issues," he says.

And on Valentine's Day it's sending a heartfelt message for LGBT equality. "The energy around this year has been tremendous," he says.