Love: A Proclamation to the World

We, believers of inclusion and liberation, enthusiastically proclaim that love shared between people is one of existence’s great joys, and requires no ordaining from any being. Love is the supreme force which connects us to ourselves and all other living beings. Love is central to our individual and collective spiritual growth.

All human beings – male, female, transgender, cisgender, gender non-conforming, black, white, brown, gay, straight, bi, queer, able-bodied or differently-abled, religious or secular, monogamous or polyamorous – are worthy of respect, care, and connection. Each person is a beloved spirit with inherent worth, and as such, each individual has a unique nature and destiny. Gender roles and binaries restrain us from our authentic identities, preventing us from being fully known by one another. 

In this realm, our one and only guaranteed life, people contort their innate selves in order to conform to external standards of worthiness and to progress towards a fictional “perfection” defined by a christian-nationalist capitalist white-supremacist patriarchy. The divine plan of love liberates us from the socialization of our upbringings. Safe and nurturing communities make it possible to return to our true selves and live in alignment with our values.

Love is expressed in diverse relationship dynamics and none hold superior status. We declare the choice of how and who to love emanates from internal authority, and no external authority holds dominion over our expressions of love. We further declare that the manifestation of love physically, emotionally, and spiritually is always pure and holy, regardless of gender, creed, marital-status or race.

We declare that sex and sensuality are divine experiences left to our personal discretion and desires. We affirm the sanctity of pleasure as well as the importance of enthusiastic consent and clear communication to access pleasure. Sensuality, pleasure, and intimacy are expressed in varied ways and do not necessitate sex or intercourse. Sex for procreation is neither superior nor more sacred than sex for pleasure.

Love reminds us we have a solemn responsibility to respect and care for each other. As a society, we have a sacred duty to rear our communities in love and authenticity, to provide for the physical and emotional needs of every individual, to teach our young to love and serve one another, to free ourselves and others from the constraints of oppressive systems, and protest unjust laws and policies wherever they exist. Society will face the consequences of neglecting our obligations to each other.

Families are created through love. Partners, spouses, friends, one parent or two or three or four, animals, children, neighbors, siblings, blood-kin or chosen-kin, our families are made through the action of loving. Children are entitled to acceptance and respect from guardians who honor their autonomous individuality. Happiness in a family is most likely to be achieved when founded upon unconditional love and choice. Healthy relationships are established and maintained through clearly defined and mutually decided upon boundaries, as well as respect, love, compassion, communication, enjoyment, growth, introspection, flexibility, and acceptance. The ending of a relationship should not be viewed as a failure. It can be sign of self-love and liberation or an evolution of the love shared between people. The structure of each family should be self-determined. Default adherence to rigid heteronormativity and gender norms reduces authenticity as well as freedom in relationships. Forcing people to procreate through coercion, shame, removal of access to reproductive rights, or violence is an egregious violation of sovereignty, and lays a foundation for harmful familial dynamics. Family should extend far beyond the “nuclear” to include a vibrant community which builds up one another.

We warn that if we forget our collective responsibility to one another, we will stand accountable for creating a society of inequity, bigotry, oppression, tribalism, authoritarianism, and hierarchy. Further, we warn that apathy will lead to the destruction of our environment, our governments, and our liberties.

We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen love as the fundamental principle of society.