We are a Welcoming Congregation, recognized by the Unitarian Universalist Association. This means we affirm and include people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer at every level of congregational life—in worship, in program, and in social occasions—welcoming them as whole people.

As a Welcoming Congregation we have pledged to:

• honor the lives of all people and equally affirm displays of caring and affection without regard for sexual orientation.
• celebrate diversity by using inclusive language and content in worship.
• incorporate an understanding of the experience of lesbian, gay, bisexual,  transgender, and queer persons throughout all of our programs, including religious exploration.
• affirm and celebrate lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer issues and history.
• affirm marriage equality and conduct same-sex weddings.
• advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people, promoting justice, freedom, and equality in the larger society. We speak out when the rights and dignity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people are at stake.

Gender Identity/Pronouns. Many at CVUUS are unfamiliar with the evolving language and understanding of gender identity as a spectrum and the importance of personal pronouns in this context. CVUUS supports the Center for Emerging Adults.  We encourage you to use the Gender Unicorn worksheets and pronoun stickers found with our nametags as a useful ally move.

• Definitions of gender identity, sex assigned at birth, and sexual orientation as separate things (Gender Unicorn would be useful here)
• Explanation of gender identity as a spectrum/universe of many genders, including agender. Also that different cultures and times have different understandings of gender; many Indigenous cultures around the world do not conceive of gender in a binary way
• Introduction to personal pronouns: what, why, how to ask & introduce them, what to do if you mess up, practicing using gender neutral pronouns for people whose pronouns you don’t know yet, why not to assume people’s pronouns, why introducing your pronouns (or putting them on nametags/email signatures) is a useful ally move

Building Beloved Community Beyond the Binary Conference (April 26, 2025): CVUUS hosted a wonderful full day conference coordinated by Andrea Sambrook and others with special invited guests probing on how to support our LGBTQIA+ community, particularly our trans neighbors. View the agenda here. And this Know the Difference handout

Queerly Beloved Group: Queerly Beloved was a social group and support circle for LGBTQIA+ which met on Thursday nights from 6-8 pm.  The group was facilitated by Turning Point and hosted by members of CVUUS.  Due to staff changes, Turning Point is not facilitating the group as of December 2025.  A core group of QB members and CVUUS members will be shaping a follow-up program for 2026. Contact Andrea Sanbrook or Liam Battjes or office@cvuus.org  if you have suggestions.

CVUUS hosts regular gender-neutral Contra Dances, supported monthly Beloved Middlebury potlucks on the Marbleworks south lawn and participates in annual Pride Day and Parade events.  Jordan Young, Elio Farley, Gordon Gibson, Andrea Sambrook and Mike and Liam Greenwood can provide more info.

Our buildings include gender-neutral bathrooms and wifi access. We look forward to knowing you.