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Queer At HSU

St. Alban's Episcopal Church

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Located in Humboldt County, St. Alban's Episcopal church is known as a welcoming congregation for all people of the LGBTQ+ community and is a very open and friendly place for all types of people. We would definitely say that it is a resource for queer religious people at HSU and the surrounding community. Their website holds a lot of valuable information on the history of the church, as well as the upcoming events. There is even a resources tab where people can learn about the process of how St. Alban's became an open welcoming church.

Here is the link to their website for more information: http://www.stalbansarcata.org.

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Here are some different pages within the St. Alban's Episcopal Church welcoming pamphlet that demonstrate their openness to the queer community, not only in Humboldt County, but from around the world as well.

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Rev. Sara Potter has been serving as the Rector of St. Alban's since 2008, and was a leader in making the church officially welcoming to the LGBTQ community. As a local in Humboldt county, she also identifies as a part of the LGBTQ community which she discusses further within her interview. For a couple years now, she has helped the church be a part of the Humboldt Pride Parade in Eureka, CA and even runs an informational booth for the event as well. She even implements intersectional feminist ideals within the sermons that she gives each Sunday by calling out patriarchal language, and promoting community building. Occasionaly, she has been a guest speaker in mutliple courses, and has even tabled for St. Alban's at different events on the HSU campus.

-Watch Rev. Sara's Full Interview Here-

 

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LGBTQ and the Episcopal Church: A Brief History

 

According to the Human Rights Campaign, the Episcopal church has been historically one of the more accepting and encompasing religions within the religious Canon. "In 1976, both the House of Deputies and House of Bishops voted for a fully inclusive Episcopal Church, stating, "homosexual persons are children of God who have a full and equal claim with all other persons upon the love, acceptance, and pastoral concern and care of the church.” " Since then, the progression of the Episcopal church has encouraged more and more change and inclusion, and has adapted to the expanding LGBTQ community. Not only has the Episcopal congregation historically shown acceptance and intersectionality, it has also created an environment wherein it is acceptable and encouraged to become ordained as a priest who identifies within the LGBTQ community. "“God’s call is open to all,” and eradicating discriminatory barriers to the election of bishops. However, the church had already consecrated its first openly gay bishop in 2003. Women have been ordained priests and elected bishops in the Episcopal Church since 1974." In the above interview, Rev. Sara goes in depth about the ordination process, and the issues and triumphs she came across throughut it. Expressing that though St. Alban's Episcopal Church is a very progressive and accepting church, there are still very heteronormative and strict structures in place, even within the Episcopal diosese. 

 

To learn more about the Episcopal Diosese, Click Here.  

 

 

St. Alban's Episcopal Church