This is draft to be considered by Minneapolis Friends Meeting and, if approved, would probably be sent in response to the Kickapoo Meeting’s minute and to Northern Yearly Meeting to indicate where our deliberation is right now.

Minute of Affirmation of God in All Family-Types and Individuals

Minneapolis Friends Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) supports the action of Minnesota voters who chose to affirm the equality of family types.

Quakers believe that there is that of God in all people, indeed in all forms of life. In witnessing the truth of God’s love to the wider community, we notice actions that give freedoms, rights, privileges or power to one group while excluding other groups. We recognize that marriage laws, as currently enacted, privilege legally-married couples above unmarried individuals, above same-sex couples, and above families that are not built on a dual-adult pattern. We call for thoughtful, respectful consideration of ways to honor all responsible, loving individuals and families, especially those with dependent children or adults.

Minneapolis Friends Monthly Meeting joyfully recognizes the diversity of individuals and commitments within our religious and broader community. We affirm the goodness of committed, loving, responsible people, whether their consensual commitments are to adult partners, or to other family members, or to children, or to single lives and vocations, no matter what their sexual orientations or choices may be.

We take all such individuals, families, and households under our care if they request such care and seek clearness with us.

While we affirm the rights of all couples to be recognized as couples if they so choose, we note with some concern that the privileges, rights, and honors attendant to marriage are not usually extended to non-traditional households (for example, to single adults living with aging parents, single parents living with children, aunts and uncles caring for child family members, brothers and sisters maintaining family homes). We honor same-sex couples equally with different-sex couples; however, we also honor gay and lesbian and straight and other individuals equally with our coupled brothers and sisters.

Following are previous minutes recorded by Minneapolis Friends.

July 11, 1990 Monthly Meeting Minutes:

“We affirm that our belief in that of God in every person embraces all persons regardless of sexual orientation; we affirm that we welcome to our meetings for worship and to all occasions for fellowship attenders who are gay and lesbian, and we affirm that we welcome and encourage full membership in our Meeting for lesbians and gays who are or wish to become Friends. We do this without regard to whether such persons choose to speak to any or all of us of their sexual orientation.

“Further, we commit ourselves to educating ourselves and others in the Religious Society of Friends about the condition of those who are lesbian and gay in a society that is frequently hostile to them and about prejudice toward and discrimination against people who are lesbian and gay in the Religious Society of Friends and in society at large.”

August 14, 1991 Friends approved the following minute:

“Minneapolis Friends Meeting will witness and celebrate same-sex relationships and take
them under its care. This includes the Meeting’s clearness process and a ceremony to
celebrate the union.

“While this minute does not represent an end to our efforts to reach clarity, Minneapolis
Friends desire to record the sense of the Meeting at this time in our on-going process. The
Meeting does not have unity in regard to the use and meaning of the term ‘marriage’.
However, with this minute, we officially take same-sex relationships under our care.”

March 9, 2003:
The Meeting approved language change to support marriages of same sex couples rather than unions.

August 2011:
Minneapolis Friends made a statement of support for the Resolution against the Constitutional Amendment to Ban Marriage for Same-Sex Couples.