Law firm Prather Ebner LLP offers four presentations which deal with LGBT issues: Example:
1) Estate Planning for Same-Sex and Unmarried Couples 2) The Illinois Civil Union Act 3) Wealth Transfer Planning for Same-Sex Couples 4) LGBT Planned Giving In addition, Prather and Ebner recently conducted a Q&A session entitled “Legal Issues for LGBT People & Our Friends” at a gathering of Metropolitan Community Church member congregations entitled “Piecing It Together.” This is a good example of a way in which to incorporate an issue which touches the LGBT community within a much wider agenda. Prather Ebner LLP For more information, please see: http://www.pratherebner.com/
Request a toolkit from a reputable organization such as Lambda Legal’s “People of Faith Speak Out!,” a toolkit on marriage equality in religious communities. Example:
Lambda Legal is a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and those with HIV through impact litigation, education and public policy work. For more information, please see: http://www.lambdalegal.org/publications/toolkits
“transACTION: A Transgender Curriculum for Churches and Religious Institutions” Example:
Most transgender Christians are searching for the same things that other believers want: a connection to their God within a loving community where worship and working for equality and justice are the focus of the Christian experience. Unfortunately, these searching transgender people are too often left without a place to call their “church home” because many congregations and religious institutions have not readily welcomed them as their Christian companions. transACTION is designed to help churches and institutions address this issue of understanding and welcome by providing step-by-step training about the needs, apprehensions and gears of transgender people – as well as the wealth of gifts and graces they bring – while responding to the concerns of the church or religious institution. transACTION is a toolkit broken up into three sections, each reaching one step closer to full inclusion of transgender members. Session one is entitled “How do we get to understanding?” Session two is “How do we get to acceptance?” And finally, session three is “How do we get to welcoming?” The end result, the institute hopes is that congregations “will be ready to offer a welcoming environment to any transgender people who walk through your doors.” From the Institute for Welcoming Resources: National Gay and Lesbian Task Force For more information, please see www.welcomingresources.org or www.welcomingresources.org/transgender.xml A guide to LGBT-Inclusive religious practices
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