A landmark collection of personal histories from LGBTQIA+ Unitarian Universalists.

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion, the Unitarian Universalist Retired Ministers and Partners Association launched what would become the UU Rainbow History Project, convening two groundbreaking conferences and creating a digital archive to preserve LGBTQIA+ Unitarian Universalist history. Defiantly Joyful grows out of that important effort to honor and reckon with that history.

Edited by Diana K. McLean, this collection brings together personal stories from LGBTQIA+ Unitarian Universalists, both religious professionals and laypeople, across a wide spectrum of identities and experiences. Through personal essays, sermons, and archival materials, contributors share what it has meant to live, serve, and seek belonging within Unitarian Universalism. The stories captured here bear witness to moments of great courage, as Unitarian Universalists took faithful risks to further the cause of justice and inclusion—revealing moments of joy and transformation alongside struggle and harm. Taken together, they illuminate how Unitarian Universalism has both shaped and been shaped by LGBTQIA+ lives, capturing pivotal chapters in the movement’s history.

Rich with insight and anchored by a timeline of Unitarian Universalist LGBTQIA+ history more thorough than any previously available, Defiantly Joyful honors the trailblazers who came before while challenging and inspiring readers to consider the work still ahead and continue the fight. This history is still being written.