LGBTQ Welcoming Congregation
First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh has long been recognized as a safe space for LGBTQ people. In the early ’70s we hosted a weekly coffee house for queer youth to meet. The first same-sex commitment ceremony was performed at our church in the mid-’70s, and over the next four decades until marriage became legal for same-sex couples, those ceremonies continued to be performed at First Unitarian Church.
In February 1996 the Unitarian Universalist Association officially recognized us as a Welcoming Congregation.
Being a Welcoming Congregation means that First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh affirms and includes people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer at every level of congregational life — in worship, in program, and in social occasions.
As a Welcoming Congregation we have pledged to:
- honor the lives of all people and equally affirm displays of caring and affection without regard for sexual orientation.
- celebrate diversity by using inclusive language and content in worship.
- incorporate an understanding of the experience of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer persons throughout all of our programs, including religious education.
- affirm and celebrate lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer issues and history.
- affirm marriage equality and conduct same-sex weddings.
- advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people, promoting justice, freedom, and equality in the larger society. We speak out when the rights and dignity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people are at stake.
We recognize that there’s always something more to learn, and remain open to deepening our understanding about the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people.