Who We Are:
We are an interfaith organization of people who all share one thing- a deep commitment to our faith tradition, which kindles our deep commitment to social justice. As rabbis, ministers, priests, and lay people, we are all dedicated to working for equal rights for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender community in Virginia. We recognize that LGBT citizens are not faceless and nameless, but are members of our religious communities and our families, friends, neighbors, and people with whom we do business. We also recognize that God loves and sustains all of creation and that we must act when any part of that creation is endangered- physically, emotionally, or spiritually- by misunderstanding, hate, and discrimination.

• Through prayer, we ask for God's care of all those who are without legal protections in our society.
• Through education, we provide resources for people of faith who approach issues of equality from unique theological perspectives.
• Through organization, we provide religious communities and individual believers with a statewide infrastructure that enables an effective response to any GLBT issue.
• Through letters and lobbying, we speak of our common vision to all candidates and legislators.

Check out their web site here:  People of Faith for Equality in VA 

What We Do:
We seek equal rights for all citizens through prayer, education, organization, and advocacy. We challenge those who equate religious faith and intolerance.  

 

Is Your Neighborhood Welcoming and Safe for All?  

Many people do not know ??

Even though GLBT (gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgender people) lives are not fundamentally different from those of others, current laws make Virginia unsafe for GLBT folks. Same-sex marriage has become a hot button issue, but it is not the only issue facing our GLBT neighbors. There are no basic protections for them and their families. Because of sexual orientation or gender identity, GLBT folks:

• can be fired from jobs
• can be evicted from homes
• can't necessarily pass on our inheritance to a loved one
• can't assume the ability to visit a loved one in the hospital
• can't always have a legal tie to their own children
• can't assume wills and powers of attorney will be recognized in Virginia
• can't often provide health care for our spouse, partner or child
• can't enjoy legal, religious, and social recognition and celebration of long-term, committed relationships

POFEV are people of multiple faiths who are working together to weave a new social fabric that includes all Virginians. We are pastors, priests, and rabbis, leaders and elders of congregations, and people who have never been active in a cause before all of us determined to create an environment where all Virginians can live in security and peace, safe from harm.

GLBT citizens are not faceless or nameless to us; they are members of our religious communities and our families, friends, neighbors, and people with whom we do business. We reject the idea that their lives and their families - and thus their emotional and spiritual well-being - should be put at risk in order to enshrine into law one, severely limited, view of God's creation.
We may call God by different names, but we are clear that God loves and sustains all of creation, and that the people of God are to work for justice and inclusion for all. God has not made a mistake in creating differing sexualities and gender expressions. We celebrate our GLBT neighbors as vital parts of the rich tapestry of life.

How can you help your GLBT neighbors?
As people of faith, we believe in helping our neighbors, not hurting them. Neighbors stand with neighbors in times of need. They are many ways all of us can help. Here are some (and we encourage you to think of, and do, others):

• Pray for God's care of all those, including GLBT people, in society who are without legal protections
• Tell the leaders and your friends at your place of worship about your prayers and ask them to join you in those prayers
•  Ask these leaders and friends to speak openly for equality
•  Ask candidates for public office about their support for GLBT people and the issues affecting their lives
• Tell your elected representatives that you support your GLBT neighbors
• Include GLBT families in your neighborhood and faith community activities
• Talk to your friends, family, co-workers and people with whom you do business, about equality
• Attend, encourage, and/or coordinate inclusive diversity events at work and at your place of worship
• Vote for equality (and against discrimination)
• Pray more

As people of faith -- of many creeds, and all sexualities, genders, races -- we stand against those who, because of fear and misinformation, are trying to inflame divisions in the Commonwealth of Virginia. We are stand against any and all attempts to perpetuate second-class legal status for our brothers and sisters who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered.

We do so because God calls us to carry on the work to create the Beloved Community for which Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. struggled. A community cannot survive by turning against part of itself. Instead, a community thrives when all parts are accorded hospitality, and treated with dignity and justice.

As people of many faiths, we strongly believe in recognizing the God-given worth and dignity of all people. We accept our faiths' codes of hospitality toward the stranger and the sojourner and all in need, and we heed our faiths' calls for justice toward the outcast.

These beliefs are being challenged here in Virginia once again, but this time it is gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) people who face great odds against being accepted as full members of the community. They are, as individuals and as a group, a strong part of the fabric of every Virginia community. They are our fellow citizens, working to build strong, safe communities with good schools and transportation systems, a strong economy, and effective public services. GLBT folks may seem invisible, but it's only because they are so much a part of our day-to-day lives. They work with us, worship with us, serve in the PTA with us, they are our family and friends.

Join the People of Faith for Equality in Virginia (POFEV) Today! 

 

 Prayer Breakfast, January 2006

People of Faith for Equality in Virginia Lobby Day Breakfast, 2006 Hope Church Members -- Pastor Ken, Harry, Pauline, & Carol  Prayer Breakfast at the Second Presbyterian Church  Making new friends	Hope United Church of Christ Minister, Rev. Ken Harrington   Read Pastor Ken Harrington's remarks here: POFEV remarks
Equality Virginia Lobby Day briefing at Richmond City Hall Hope Church members, Pauline, Carol, and Harry -- putting faith into action!	Hope Church UCC member, John Humphrey talks with a friend about the High School Gay-Straight Alliance bill

UCC Clergy and laity lobby in Richmond
February 2006