Unitarian Universalist Association. Office of Lesbian and Gay Concerns. Records, 1972-1999

In June of 1973 the UUA General Assembly passed a resolution to create an Office of Gay Affairs (later called the Office of Gay Concerns) which would act as a resource for the UUA and the general public. The stated functions of the office were to: eliminate discrimination against gays; promote understanding and equality of their treatment; and to foster equal opportunity politically, socially and economically. This resolution came about through the lobbying efforts of the Unitarian Universalist Gay Caucus, which was founded by Richard Nash and Elgin Blair in 1971. The Office of Gay Concerns (OGC) was established in 1974 as part of the Department of Education and Social Concerns. At that time, the department director was Norman Benson. Arlie Scott was hired as the Office of Gay Concerns' first director in 1974.

In 1977 the UUA Board of Directors voted to create a new Office of Social Responsibility, which was to bring together all issues of social concern, and which would include the Office of Gay Concerns. Robert P. Wheatly was the associate director of the Office of Social Responsibility, and the new director of the Office of Gay Concerns. Wheatly divided his time between gay concerns and issues of aging.

The OGC later became known as the Office of Lesbian and Gay Concerns (OLGC). In 1985 a Task Force on Social Responsibility was formed which implicitly recommended that the OLGC be eliminated and that the UU Gay Caucus (which at this point was called the Unitarian Universalists for Lesbian and Gay Concerns (UUGLC) staff its own office and that a member of the Department for Social Justice (previously the Department of Social Responsibility) hold a portfolio for lesbian and gay concerns. In response to this, a program called Common Vision was initiated to decide how lesbian and gay issues should be addressed within the denomination. This involved the dissemination of a questionnaire to UUA districts which resulted in a general report which included a number of recommendations. As a result of this process, the OLGC remained intact, and Jay Deacon became director of the office in 1986. Programs like the AIDS Action Working Group were implemented, and in 1989 the Welcoming Congregation program, designed to combat homophobia, was initiated in many UU congregations throughout the country.

In 1996 the Office became known as the UUA Office of Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian and Transgender Concerns (OBGLTC). In 2010 the Office became known as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Ministries, and in 2012 the name was changed to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) Ministries.