LGBTQ Fellowship and Advocacy
Our Mission Statement
As members of an Open and Affirming, More Light congregation called by God to love one another, the LGBTQ Outreach Group of Rockville United Church strives through advocacy, education, words, visible signs and actions to welcome all into a place of sanctuary and community celebrating differences in sexual orientation and gender identity.
Recent Activities
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Co-sponsor of MoCo Pride Prom. May 2019.
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Host of "Be the Change" Concert featuring Heather Mae & Crys Matthews, folk singers-songwriters. Raised almost $2800 for the MoCo LGBTQ Teen Forum's 2019 Pride Prom. April 2019.
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Host of NO-H8 Campaign Community Photo Shoot. February 2019.
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Service of Thanksgiving & Remembrance for Matthew Shepard at the National Cathedral. October 2018.
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LGBTQ Worship Service at RUC. Another mountain-top experience for the congregation! June 2018 & March 2019.
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Installation of All-Gender Restroom at Rockville United Church. June 2018.
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Rockville Pride Festival Sponsor. June 2018. See pix at left.
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Co-Sponsor of MoCo Youth Forum Pride Prom. June 2016-2018.
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March for Our Lives, Washington DC, Gaithersburg, MD.
March 2018. -
"I Am Jazz" Community Reading in December 2017.
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MoCo Pride Center Launch Party in October 2017. LGBTQ Outreach Group gave $500 gift to the Center.
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LGBTQ presence with Montgomery County Police Department at the MoCo Friendship Picnic at Wheaton Regional Park. September 2016 & 2017.
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Transgender Day of Resilience Picnic in Howard County, Aprll 2017.
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MoCo LGBTQ Youth Forum New Year's Eve Pride Party, December 2016 - 2018.
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Annual Blue Christmas Worship Service & Supper. December. For those who feel blue at Christmas, a time to share worship & fellowship.
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“DOMA Diaries” Capital Fringe Festival. July 2016. Performance of new stage play written by Kevin Smith, a member. In program, a shout out & thanks to RUC for support. World premiere at RUC in September 2015.
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Capital Pride Parade. June 2016. See photo below.
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Expansion of RUC Statement of Faith to include “gender identity or expression.” Congregation voted to approve in April 2016.
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LGBTQ Worship Service. January 2016. Rev. Allyson Robinson, a trans woman and Baptist minister, led our worship and discussion on trans community.
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Montgomery County Transgender Day of Remembrance held at RUC in November 2015. Service and fellowship to honor the trans communities. Guests included MoCo and Takoma Park Police Chiefs, police officers, Maryland State legislators.
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Counter Protest of Westboro Baptist Church at Rockville High School with MoCo Police Department & other Rockville congregations. November 2015.
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Host of Montgomery County LGBTQ Teen Halloween Party. October 2015.
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Celebration of Supreme Court decision on Marriage Equality at the National Cathedral. June 2015.
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Host of first Maryland public screening of "Matt Shepard Is a Friend of Mine", documentary about Matthew Shepard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming who was beaten, tortured, and left to die on a fence near Laramie, Wyoming in 1998.
May 2015.
Today our new “Progress Pride” flag flies at RUC with the approval of the LGBTQ Outreach Group and the encouragement of the RUC Church Council! Created by Daniel Quasar, a graphic designer and funded by a Kickstarter project, it represents the LGBTQ community, including transgender individuals, as well as those in marginalized POC (persons of color) community, those living with AIDS, those no longer living, and the stigma sounding them.
In Daniel Quasar’s words: “We need to always keep progress moving forward in all aspects of our community. There still is work to be done. I wanted to highlight that. The 6-stripe LGBTQ flag should be separated from the newer stripes because of their difference in meaning, as well as to shift focus and emphasis to what is important in our current community climate. The main section of the flag (background) includes the traditional 6-stripe LGBTQ flag as seen in its widely adopted form so as not to take away from its original meaning. The trans flag and marginalized community stripes were shifted to the hoist of the flag and given a new arrow shape. The arrow points to the right to show forward movement, while being along the left edge shows that progress still needs to be made.
Background: LGBTQ 6 full-sized color stripes representing life (red), healing (orange), sunlight (yellow), nature (green), harmony/peace (blue), and spirit (purple/violet)
Hoist: 5 half-sized stripes representing trans individuals (light blue, light pink, white), marginalized POC communities (brown, black), as well as those living with AIDS, those no longer living, and the stigma surrounding them (black).”
Our New Flag
Future Activities
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Celebrate the $15,000 Twinbrook Baptist Church Legacy gift to the MoCo LGBTQ Teen Forum for the Teen Pride Proms, coffee houses, and other activities.
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Contact MoCo Council Member Evan Glass who has received homophobic hate because of his involvement in the MoCo Pride month activities. Go to Councilmember.Glass@montgomerycountymd.gov.
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View Karen Kendra Holmes, who shares her journey as a trans woman in a TEDx Asbury Park Talk. Go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wzFDdfJ8sc. Inspiring!!!
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Chaperone LGBTQ Teen Forum Open Mic Coffeehouses.
First Saturday night of month 7-10 pm. For more info, go to website of MoCo LGBTQ Teen Forum. -
Continue to support the MoCo Pride Center. The LGBTQ Outreach Group has contributed financially to the center.
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Give out rainbow "NO-Hate: Share the LOVE" wristbands.
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Support NO-Hate Initiative. RUC ministry to combat violence, homophobia, Islamophobia, racism, etc. See NO-Hate Initiative on RUC website.
Rockville United Church welcomes all persons:
gay, straight, lesbian, bi, trans, questioning, queer, all those in between, and those who love them. The group meets regularly after worship in the Conference Room. We share lunch, reflect, pray, discuss, and plan activities. We welcome all to our events and activities!