In 1972, a gay man, Bill Johnson was ordained a United Church of Christ (UCC) minister. Nancy and Bill formed a UCC gay caucus. Other denominations founded their own gay caucuses. Nancy attended seminary at Crozer Seminary in Chester. She had good grades and she decided to "come out" with her sexual orientation. Nancy was kicked out of the seminary. She still felt called to be minister, but was not allowed to through the seminary. She chose to become a UCC lay minister.
Terms: the acronym LGBTQIA refers to...
Lesbian: Usually refers to a woman who has a romantic and/or sexual orientation toward women. Some nonbinary people also identify with this term.
Gay: A person who is emotionally, romantically or sexually attracted to members of the same gender.
Bisexual: A person emotionally, romantically or sexually attracted to more than one sex, gender or gender identity though not necessarily simultaneously, in the same way or to the same degree.
Transgender: An umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or expression is different from cultural expectations based on the sex they were assigned at birth. Being transgender does not imply any specific sexual orientation. Therefore, transgender people may identify as straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, etc.
Queer: A term people often use to express fluid identities and orientations. Often used interchangeably with "LGBTQ." Questioning: A term used to describe people who are in the process of exploring their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Intersex: An umbrella term used to describe a wide range of natural bodily variations. In some cases, these traits are visible at birth, and in others, they are not apparent until puberty. Some chromosomal variations of this type may not be physically apparent at all.
Asexual: The lack of a sexual attraction or desire for other people.
Other terms:
Cisgender: A term used to describe a person whose gender identity aligns with those typically associated with the sex assigned to them at birth.
Ally: A person who is not LGBTQ but shows support for LGBTQ people and promotes equality in a variety of ways.
Gender identity: One’s innermost concept of self as male, female, a blend of both or neither – how individuals perceive themselves and what they call themselves. One's gender identity can be the same or different from their sex assigned at birth.
Gender non-conforming: A broad term referring to people who do not behave in a way that conforms to the traditional expectations of their gender, or whose gender expression does not fit neatly into a category.
Non-binary: An adjective describing a person who does not identify exclusively as a man or a woman. Non-binary people may identify as being both a man and a woman, somewhere in between, or as falling completely outside these categories. While many also identify as transgender, not all non-binary people do.
What is the history of the rainbow pride flag?
It is intended to celebrate the variety of human sexuality. Current versions of the rainbow flag now incorporate black and brown colors to recognize the inclusion of people of color.
