NEWS FEED
Sunday Morning Experience for Sunday, March 26, 2023
Rock the Week March 22, 2023
A conversation in Tucson…
~the adult-level Our Whole Lives training centering table~
Hey Shadow Rock friends. I missed being with you all at worship on March 5. I was in Tucson with Unitarian Universalist colleagues, participating in a multi-level 50+ person Our Whole Lives facilitator training event. It was a fantastic experience, soaked in the OWL values of Self-Worth, Responsibility, Sexual Health, and Justice & Inclusivity.
During a break, my co-trainer (the wonderful full-time sexuality educator Emmalinda MacLean) and I had a questions posed by a training participant:
“I’ve noticed that the more we strive for inclusive and welcoming language, the more pushback we get from people who are determined to de-humanize LGBTQ persons, especially trans people. This feels like a cause and effect. What do you think?”
Whew. I mean… this is the $64,000 question, right? I took a deep breath before answering.
Here’s my best recollection of my response:
“It feels like that, doesn’t it? It feels as if we could soften our defense of our trans siblings so that, with a quieter voice, other people could hear us and understand. But I’m not going to do that. I’m not going to stop being fierce in my solidarity with trans people. I want them to know where I stand. And it is NOT cause and effect; it is NOT a pendulum swing that will balance itself. It is instead a slide toward fascism. And that’s not something I can be gentle about.”
I looked at this training participant with compassion, and continued:
“It’s tempting to frame attacks against marginalized groups as the noisy gasps of a dying worldview. That’s a hopeful way of seeing what’s going on right now, but I’m not going to take any chances.”
Join me in a season of solidarity. More to come!
~Karen
Sunday Morning Experience for Sunday, March 12, 2023
Rock the Week March 8, 2023
Sunday Morning Experience for Sunday, March 5, 2023
Rock the Week March 1, 2023
Shadow Rock United Church of Christ
12861 N. 8th Avenue | Phoenix, AZ 85029
Rev. Ken Heintzelman, Senior Minister

Church Office Hours:
Monday-Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Phone: 602-993-0050