CUUPS is an inclusive organization committed to the foundational values regarding sex and sexuality endorsed by the Unitarian Universalist Association of congregations.
Members and friends of CUUPS are aware that our popular western culture often acts as ‘rape culture’, creating non-consensual sexual interactions, colonization, bullying, and other unhealthful conditions for human beings.
We are committed to ushering consent culture fully into active reality in our communities.
Consent culture is a culture in which asking for consent is normalized and encouraged. It is respecting the person's response even if it isn't the response we had hoped for. We will live in a consent culture when we no longer objectify people and we value each other as human beings.
- We inherit a tradition of inclusivity from Unitarian Universalism and from Earth-centered spiritualities. Every person is entitled to respect, dignity and self-worth for their attitudes and beliefs about their sensual and sexual selves. All bodies and and human sexuality are sacred.
- We are a community of people of all ages, cultures, genders, sexual orientation, social status, and mental and physical abilities who are welcomed and treated with hospitality and dignity.
- We promote education and information regarding the belief that all persons have the right to accurate and readily available information about responsible choices, sex and sexuality that enhances the wholeness and fulfillment of consensual sexual expression, touch, commitment, love, and joy.
- We work toward social justice that acknowledges the often harmful, even violent, cultural biases and stigmas past and present associated with bodies, sex and sexuality against persons outside the narrow Western definition of sex and relationship.
- We assert that every person has an affirmative duty to actively own their own physical expression and sexuality and take responsibility for for that in an honest, accountable and responsive way without coercion, bullying, mental and or physical abuse, rape and assault, social discrimination or intimidation.
- We believe that every human has the right to live without fear of being outed or targeted, marginalized or oppressed by individuals, groups, institutions or other religious adherents.
- We recognize the right of all people to control our own bodies in all areas of life.
Suggested action steps:
- Be consent allies: learn more, practice and intervene in any situation where consent has not or can not be given.
- Encourage parents of children and young people to enroll their children in Our Whole Lives (OWL) classes within UU congregational settings, as designed and led by credentialed OWL facilitators trained to work with specific age groups within the overall OWL guidelines.
- Encourage all people to participate in young-adult OWL, adult OWL and facilitator training within local congregations, including raising funds to train facilitators.
- Implement action steps from UU curriculum and consent culture training to make our spaces safe, for children, youth and adults in our congregations, religious education settings and gatherings that we sponsor, host, or participate in.
