Blessing

by Rev. Duncan Teague, Minister of Abundant Love UU Congregation, Atlanta, GA

I hope this time that we are sharing is a time when you are feeling loved and appreciated.

I am Rev. Duncan Teague, Minister of Abundant Love UU Congregation here in Atlanta, Georgia and I want to share about how I believe strongly in the power of our electoral and democratic participation as an affirmation of our love. 

And I will bet that with an opening like that many of you anticipate already that I am talking about our possible love of our country or our liberal patriotism, which I could talk about. We are acknowledging love at this time of year because of the power and influence of romantic love and in this context the right of adults to have love like that in our lives if we choose.

As a gay man born long before the society was ready to embrace my relationships and my marriage I remember believing that I deserved the right to marry and the desire to do so.  I also remember believing from the time I came out as a teenager that I would have to live without the blessing of my community and legal rights held by heterosexual, monogamous couples.  I knew that there was for a few people the option of being joined spiritually or philosophically in a marriage that not one state in our nation would recognize.

The Unitarian Universalist offered that kind of spiritual and community support without the benefits of what other citizens enjoyed if they wanted them because they were fortunate to be born with a desire for the gender of a person different than their own.

It was our power as citizens to vote, to speak out, and to consider changing our hearts about marriage and the fairness of marriage equality that allowed the idea of same sex marriage to become a legal right.  We appreciate the vision and leadership of Evan Wolfson, who pushed for this right and started a movement that many in the queer community thought would maybe happen someday but not in our lifetime.  

It is this time of year when the political and heart work of thousands of people and the power of the work of people were doing, even though many queer identified people did not believe we even deserved this responsibility and this right. It comes to my mind about recognizing love and putting it to work in our flawed but rather awesome system.  When a few states actually supported marriage equality at the ballot box and changed their restrictions on marriage that the Supreme Court of that day, saw that it could logically conclude gay, lesbian, transgender and queer individuals were in long term stable relationships and deserved the legal right to marry. 

The state should not interfere in that love and in that relationship should folks decide to marry. We have had to defend this position and may in the future but the decision to establish this majority opinion that would not succeed if challenged in electoral politics.

I was blessed to be in the General Assembly when the decision came and my marriage became legal in that moment. Ironically I flew to go to a wedding of my nephew and he and his bride celebrated the decision in their wedding. We all won. 

Please continue to let your heart lead your feet to the polls to set others free.