Adopted November 1990; Revised January 1999
CLOUT is proudly progressive, actively anti-racist, creatively spiritual, milagro bound
Christian Lesbians OUT, CLOUT, is a developing coalition of “out” lesbian Christians in solidarity with one another. Because Christian institutions have historically devalued the gifts and stifled the voices of lesbian women, we hold our identity as “Christian” and “Lesbian” in creative tension. We respect the right of every woman to define for herself what it means to be both Christian and lesbian.Our primary purpose is to claim our spiritual and sexual wholeness, to proclaim the goodness of our lives, our ministries and our relationships, and to empower ourselves and each other to challenge the churches to which we belong.
CLOUT’s Five Primary Aims:
1.To call upon women who are lesbian Christians to come out of the closet, whenever and wherever possible, and to help empower one another in taking this courageous step.
2. To tell our stories and share our spiritual journeys so that we may create and embody lesbian Chrsitian understandings and contexts for justice-based theologies, ethics, liturgies, rituals, psychologies, recovery programs, and other spiritual resources. In so doing, we partner with justice-minded sisters world-wide to further the healing and liberation of all creatures and the earth.
3. To make the struggle to become an anti-racist and anti-classist movement a priority in all our endeavors.
4. To explore new understandings of erotic power and sexuality, of mutuality, commitment, faithfulness and partnership so that we do not merely replicate or imitate sexist, heterosexist or capitalist relationships.
5. To network with post-christian lesbians and all other spiritual and secular groups of lesbians; with profeminist/womanist gay men; and with pro-feininist/womanist lesbian-affirming organizations, especially those of other marginalized women and men, both within and beyond the churches.
As a developing inter-cultural, multi-racial coalition, we are committed to struggling against all oppressive forces, within ourselves and within institutions of which we are a part. As global citizens and lesbian sisters, we struggle against the forces of sexism and misogyny, heterosexism and homophobia. We disavow racism, anti-Semitism, anti-Arabism, US imperialism, classism, ableism, clericalism and any action, structure or system that fosters domination and injustice.
We value the richness of partnership between lay and ordained women in ministry, and equally affirm the leadership, gifts and perspectives of each. Because of the increasing oppression of lesbian clergy and seminarians in the Protestant churches at this time, we seek the empowerment of ordained lesbians and those who are being rejected for ordination because we are lesbian. We recognize that lesbian clergy leader tip is compromised by institutional policies which reinforce “closeting” and create a high price for openness. Therefore, we work to overturn such policies, inviting our lesbian clergy sisters to join in claiming our wholeness together. We also recognize that there are those sisters who have not sought the structural privilege of ordination because they do not regard it as necessary or helpful to the integrity and wholeness of their lives and leadership in ministry. We celebrate the diversity of different views and different choices in ministry. Together, we will work on behalf of justice and liberation for all lesbians, lay and ordained, Catholic and Protestant.
YES, I want to join with CLOUT to affirm the Statement of Commitment.
Name: ____________________ Date: ___________________________
