UUA launches 'Standing on the Side of Love' campaign

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New website, resources to help congregations rally local communities on behalf of marginalized people.

The Unitarian Universalist Association launched a new public advocacy campaign this summer, “Standing on the Side of the Love,” aimed at helping UU congregations mobilize support in their communities for marginalized groups.

The campaign’s new, expanded website, standingonthesideoflove.org, went live on September 3. It offers photos and videos, extensive resources for organizers, social networking tools, inspirational stories, and guidelines with best practices.

Standing on the Side of Love (or SSL, which campaign organizers pronounce as “sizzle”) is based on Unitarian Universalism’s First Principle, which affirms and promotes the “inherent worth and dignity of every person.” Funded by special donations for one year, the campaign calls Unitarian Universalists to form local groups to address discrimination in their own communities. This might include lobbying for same-sex marriage, calling for immigration reform, or protesting hate crimes. The groups are encouraged to form coalitions with other religious or community groups. As part of the campaign, clergy and religious leaders will be trained in dealing with the local media to maximize their group’s message.

The campaign was started in response to the shooting last year at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville, Tenn. On July 27, 2008, Jim David Adkisson walked into the church’s sanctuary during the performance of a children’s musical and began firing a shotgun, killing two and injuring six. Among the fatalities and the injured were members of TVUUC and Westside Unitarian Universalist Church, also in Knoxville.

In a letter later found by police, Adkisson said that he targeted the church because of its liberal values—including its openness to gays and lesbians. “The UU church is the Fountainhead , the veritable wellspring of anti-American organizations like Moveon.org, Code Pink, and other un-American groups,” he wrote.
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FULL ARTICLE
http://www.uuworld.org/news/articles/147261.shtml


Standing on the Side of Love (website)
http://www.standingonthesideoflove.org/