UUFCM
  • HOME
  • WORSHIP
    • Welcome!
    • About UU Worship
    • Upcoming Services >
      • Orders of Service and Inserts
      • Worship Resources
    • Music Program
    • On Spirituality
    • For Inspiration...
    • Sermon Archive
  • LEARN
    • Learn – Faith Development
    • WiRE
    • Youth RE
    • Adult RE
  • CONNECT
    • Find Community – Connect Your Life
    • Social Justice >
      • Social Justice News >
        • Election Worker
      • Anti-Racism
      • Mother Earth Love
      • Social Justice Interest Survey
    • Serve
    • Shared Interest Groups >
      • Social Events
      • Shared Interest Groups Calendar
    • Calendar
  • NEWS
    • UUFCM eNews >
      • Subscribe to UUFCM eNews
    • UUFCM Events
  • ABOUT US
    • Our Minister >
      • Minister’s Column
    • Membership >
      • New Members
    • Who We Are >
      • Covenant and Mission
      • Welcoming Congregation
      • Arms Around
      • What UUs Believe
      • Principles
      • UUFCM History >
        • Past as Prologue
    • Administration & Staff
    • Governance >
      • Leadership >
        • 2022 Annual Meeting Documents
      • President's Report
      • UUFCM Bylaws
      • UUFCM Policies
      • 2020-21 Q4 Financial Report
      • UUFCM Board Minutes
    • Facility Use
  • VISIT
    • Visit the UUFCM
    • What to Expect
    • Service Cancellation Policy
    • Safety Procedures
  • CONTACT
    • Ask Us
    • Find Us
    • Directory & Important Contacts
  • DONATE
    • Ways to Contribute >
      • Pledge Card
      • Volunteer Form
    • Stewardship >
      • Testimonials

Minister’s Column

11/20/2019

 
Today is the Transgender Day of Remembrance, which we will commemorate with a special service in the sanctuary tonight. On this day we recognize the many people who have died due to anti-transgender violence in our nation and around the world.
 
Recently on Facebook I made a big mistake regarding gender. I mis-gendered someone based on their first name and their photo, and I made a comment on their Facebook past based on the gender that I thought they were. In the context of the issue we were posting about, gender made a big difference. A mutual friend pointed out the error that I made, and I apologized to the person and rescinded my initial post.
 
This experience shows me that I have a lot of work to do about gender. When I reflect on what happened, I was projecting my idea of gender onto someone else, and proceeding from that assumption. I know that I do that all the time, subconsciously: upon seeing someone, I automatically want to categorize them as male or female. I am stuck in the binary world of gender categories, and therefore my work is to re-program my own thinking. There are more than two categories of gender. The male/female thing is convenient for me because that’s in my comfort zone and matches my own personal experience of gender.
 
This is true for other identities as well, such as race and class. Based on your appearance, I am likely to project on to you what I think your racial identity is…based on your clothes and the way you speak, I am likely to project on to you a socio-economic class identity as well. This points to more work for me to do, de-programming my own assumptions beginning at the conscious level and going into the subconscious as well. Because any time I assume that I know something about you based on a perceived category, I diminish your individuality. You know how you identify in gender, race, class and other categories—you may embrace identity categories or reject them; you may define yourself as this, that, or neither one. And no one else can do that for you.
 
Just as I want to be perceived and appreciated for my uniqueness and my nuances, I want to experience you the same way. I want to see past categories and into the real you—not the categories that I project onto you or the way I want you to be—but the way you really are.
 
Prayer
God without gender, God without race, God who loves auto mechanics and college professors equally, be with me now. Remind me of the beautiful kaleidoscope that each human represents. Help me to remove the lenses that see only black and white, male and female, rich and poor.
 
Help me to create a community and a world where everyone is safe, where transgender people need not fear violence.
 
Let love and trust and understanding grow between each of us as we recognize each other in our individual beauty. May that love blossom within me and may it spread to the whole world with no exceptions.
 
Blessed Be.
Aho.
Amen.
 
Andrew Frantz

Comments are closed.
    Picture

    Rev. Andrew Frantz

    UUFCM Minister

    Office hours:
    Drew's office hours are suspended until further notice. However, he is reachable at any time via email, phone, or text.
    Day off: Monday

    minister@uufcm.org 
    Phone/text: 440-935-0129
    Pastoral Care Concerns
    For support with life's challenges, please contact Drew during his office hours or make an appointment with him.

    For specific needs such as rides to medical appointments or meals for people recovering from illness or surgery, please contact the Arms Around team via Gisela Moffit at gbmoffit@gmail.com or 989-772-1602. Every effort will be made to lessen the burden on the individual or family who is dealing with a difficult circumstance.

    Archives

    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Worship Services

Sunday Mornings at 10:30 a.m.
Upcoming Services:
August 7: The Kindness of Strangers
August 14: The Change We Hope to Bring



Quick Links

Minister's Column
​Sermon Archive
eNews
  - Subscribe!

Calendar
​Find Us
​Directory
​Facility Rental
The UUFCM is funded solely by members and friends.
Picture

We are a Welcoming Congregation

Picture
Service Cancellation Policy
 ©2021         319 S. University Ave., Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858 • P.O. Box 41 • 989.400.4933 • admin@uufcm.org