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The Reverend James Lewis Stoll

1994 -

REV. JAMES LEWIS STOLL, M.Div.a Unitarian Universalist minister, died (b: 1936). Stoll was the first ordained minister of any religion in the United States or Canada to come out as gay. He did so at the annual Continental Conference of Student Religious Liberals on September 5, 1969 in La Foret, Colorado.

Born in 1936 in Connecticut, he was educated at San Francisco State University and the Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley, CA. In the words of his friend, Leland Bond-Upson, Mr. Stoll took a flat in the Eureka Valley neighborhood in San Francisco with three other friends. In September 1969, Mr. Stoll went to the La Foret Conference Center in Colorado Springs to attend a convention of about 100 college-age Unitarians. On the second or third night of the conference, Stoll got up to speak. He told the assembly that he’d been doing a lot of hard thinking that summer and that he could no longer live a lie.

He had been hiding his true nature—from everyone except his closest friends. “If the revolution we are in means anything, it means we have the right to be ourselves, without shame or fear.” And then he told the group he was gay, and it wasn’t a choice, and he wasn’t ashamed anymore and he wasn’t going to hide it anymore. From now on he was going to be himself in public.

He led the effort that convinced the Unitarian Universalist Association to pass the first-ever gay rights resolution in 1970. He founded the first counseling center for gays and lesbians in San Francisco. In the 1970s he established the first hospice on Maui. He was president of the San Francisco chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union in the 1990's. He died at the age of 58 from complications of heart and lung disease, exacerbated by obesity and a life-long smoking habit.

Via Daily Dharma: Treasuring Gratitude and Thanks

 During this time of giving, we should not place too much importance on material gifts; it’s our thoughts, words, and deeds that count. Sincere expressions of appreciation, praise, thanks, and an unexpected helping hand can be the most treasured gifts of all.

—Reverend Earl Ikeda, “O Bodhi Tree, O Bodhi Tree”

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Via Daily Dharma: Become Wise to Your True Nature

 No longer dividing the world into good and bad, love and hate, we not only have more freedom and ease in daily life; we also gain access to the wisdom of our real nature.

—Anne C. Klein, “The Four Immeasurables”

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Via Daily Dharma: What We Realize in Meditation

 In the very first moment of meditation, there is a profound realization: we recognize that we do not have to take our thoughts as completely real.

—Douglas Penick, “What Are You Meditating For?”

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Via Ram Dass - Love Serve Remember Foundation // Words of Wisdom - December 6, 2020 💌

 

Our whole spiritual transformation brings us to the point where we realize that in our own being, we are enough.

- Ram Dass -

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The Third Harmony
Directed by Michael Nagler

 

Nonviolent resistance is more effective—and now more frequently applied—than violent resistance. The Third Harmony takes a look at the peaceful path to humanity’s transformation in the 21st century.

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Via Daily Dharma: Discover Your Inner Motivation

 When there’s nowhere to turn, nowhere to run, we discover an inner motivation, a strong determination.

—Roko Sherry Chayat, “Nirvana: Three Takes”

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Via No Matter How Fine a Love: The LGBTQ Baha'i Experience

 

As more Baha’i LGBTQ Allies come forward we must constantly address what being an ally looks like, what is appreciated, and what we can work on, we are all still learning as we move forward in this new century.  This list isn’t exhaustive and I encourage everyone’s input as I don’t speak for all LGBTQ Baha’is.  

What Baha’i LGBTQ Allies CAN Do 

1. Stand up to / educate homophobic, transphobic, or misinformed Baha’is in person and on Social Media.

2. When discussing forms of prejudice in a Baha’i setting make a point to mention homophobia and transphobia as forms of prejudice that Baha’is should stand up against.

3. If a Baha’i promotes Reparative / Conversion Therapy please be a voice of reason and mention the dangers of this fringe science and its lackluster success rates.

4. Challenge Baha’is when they mention that they know happy celibate LGBTQ Baha’is, they are a very small minority of LGBTQ Baha’is whose life choices should be respected, but not reflective of most of our lived experiences.

5. On Social Media post stories of LGBTQ inclusion, show support for Pride Month, Transgender Awareness Week, and LGBTQ History Month.

6. Actually LISTEN to LGBTQ Baha’i lived experiences in the Baha’i Faith, many of us are very deepened and have served the Cause in many capacities.

7. Educate your Baha’i community on mental health concerns for LGBTQ people, inclusion matters, heavy handed Baha’is and Institutions have and will continue to push some of us over the edge.

8. Write your concerns to your National Spiritual Assembly and the Universal House of Justice, they need to hear from you, they’ve already heard from us believe me! 

What Baha’i LGBTQ Allies Should NOT Do

1. Showing support in a passive way such as hushed tones and when other Baha’is are not around.

2. Remaining silent when other Baha’is make homophobic and transphobic comments.

3. Remaining silent when Baha’is promote the fringe science of Reparative / Conversion Therapy. 

4. Telling LGBTQ Baha’is what is and what is not homophobic or transphobic, it’s not for heterosexuals to decide that.

5. Challenging LGBTQ Baha’is when they do not think the most recent guidance from the National Spiritual Assembly and the Universal House of Justice is helpful, inviting, or affirming.

6. Telling LGBTQ Baha’is that you are in the same boat for being a single celibate Baha’i, to many of us it’s a false equivalency.

7. Avoid posting LGBTQ affirming content on Social Media out of fear of other Baha’is and Baha’i Institutions.

Via Daily Dharma: Turning On the Light

 The technique of direct liberation is comparable to being afraid of a monster in the dark and then turning on the light. When the light goes on we see that there never was a monster in the first place, that it was just a projection of our own mind.

—Lama Tsultrim Allione, “Feeding Your Demons”

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Via Daily Dharma: Make Room for Happiness

 The more clearly we see the lack of worth in mental and physical sensations, the less desire we’ll have for them until, thoroughly disenchanted, craving will be snuffed out automatically. As soon as that occurs, pure happiness will arise by itself.

—Cynthia Thatcher, “What’s So Great About Now?”

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Seven wonders of the buddhist world BBC DocumentaryVideoStream

Via Daily Dharma: A Single Moment of Meditation

 Sooner or later our practice brings benefits. Sometimes you have to be patient; sometimes, the benefits are immediate. Ideally, you see how even a single moment of meditation has immediate benefits.

—Gil Fronsdal, “Evaluate Your Meditation”

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Via Ram Dass - Love Serve Remember Foundation // Words of Wisdom - December 2, 2020 💌

 

Unconditional love really exists in each of us. It is part of our deep inner being. It is not so much an active emotion as a state of being. It’s not ‘I love you’ for this or that reason, not ‘I love you if you love me.’ It’s love for no reason -- love without an object.

- Ram Dass -

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Why Finland And Denmark Are Happier Than The U.S.