Are We There Yet? A glance in rearview mirror on winding journey to liberty, justice, equality

Submitted

“Are We There Yet? A glance in the rearview mirror on the winding journey to liberty, justice and equality” will be the topic of the next Oak Ridge PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) meeting.

The meeting, held at the new Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike on Monday, April 6, is open to all who are interested. Social Hour will begin at 6:45 p.m., with the meeting scheduled from 7-8 p.m.

Partners Gina Grubb and Beth Meyer will share their perspectives and  experiences as gay rights activists during the past 16 years. Grubb is a native Oak Ridger and served nearly 15 years in the Oak Ridge Police Department. She is currently a STEM and science teacher at Eagleton Middle School in Blount County. Meyer has lived in Oak Ridge for 23 years and teaches fourth grade at Webb School of Knoxville.

Soon after they met, they became deeply involved in activism with the clergyman/author/film producer Mel White and his fledgling organization, Soulforce, now a front-line presence in challenging the religious right through nonviolent resistance to end political and religious oppression of LGBTQI people. In 1997,White received the American Civil Liberties Union’s National Civil Liberties Award for his efforts to apply the “soul force” principles of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. to the struggle for justice for sexual minorities. He founded Soulforce in 1998.

The Oak Ridge Chapter of PFLAG meets monthly, rotating the venue among the following local churches: First Presbyterian, First United Methodist, Grace Covenant, and Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist.