Friends have a special responsibility to be aware of infringements of civil rights and to work to correct them. We encourage Friends to actively advocate for the basic civil rights of all people through legislative process in their various states. Members and attenders have written what they would put in a minute. We studied these and met in small groups made up of people with different viewpoints, after which the leader of each group wrote a summary. The present statement was formulated by the Ministry and Oversight Committee, based on the small group summaries, and was further refined in a discussion by the Meeting as a whole.
Feelings run high and are sincere all across the spectrum of beliefs.
We have listened and learned from each other, and we have learned that there is not unity on the question of same-gender marriage. We have gained a deeper understanding, and feel strengthened by the Quaker process. We agree that we accept and lovingly welcome all people into our Meeting as members and attenders who share our affirmation of Friends principles, regardless of their sexual orientation. We affirm our faith in the Quaker process, and in the role of each monthly meeting in considering issues of membership and marriage. We plan to continue our process through further dialogue and exploration of our beliefs regarding marriage and family, and the important role our Meeting plays in these relationships.