2023.09.02. Friends Meeting of Austin minutes our support for Transgender and Gender Diverse Individuals. Friends Meeting of Austin minutes our commitment to be an affirming, safe, and nurturing place for everyone to live fully that which Spirit is leading them to be. We affirm the rights of all individuals to bodily autonomy, and respect the gender identity of each person, as that person determines it. With glad hearts we acknowledge and affirm the transgender and gender diverse Friends in our community.
We appreciate the full and Spirit-led participation provided by all members of our community, made up of individuals with a diverse range of gender expressions. Our testimonies of Equality and Community confirm that when we embrace that of God in all people, including the full and changing spectrum of gender identities in our Meeting and community, our worship deepens and we are enriched. Our testimony of Integrity leads us to recognize that our differences are a blessing, one that we rejoice in. We seek to continue to educate ourselves and our communities and take appropriate action to bring about a more just and equal world. We urge Friends and Friendly organizations to work for legislative change and the full protection of civil rights for all, including transgender and gender diverse individuals.
Source documents:
Support for Transgender Individuals (SCYM Minute 2023.03): https://www.scym.org/qnut/
Quakers pledge to welcome trans and non-binary people (2021): https://www.quaker.org.uk/
Collected Minutes Welcoming and Affirming Transgender People: https://www.flgbtqc.org/