The History of Seventh-day Adventist Kinship International
Committed to celebrating and advocating for SDA LGBTQIA+ lives for almost five decades
Supporting SDA LGBTQIA+ individuals since the early 1970s
In the early 1970s, a few brave gay Adventist individuals sought connection and understanding with others who shared their journey. A single, small ad placed in The Advocate, a national gay news magazine, sparked a wave of responses—37 letters from current and former Adventists across the United States and Canada. This moment of connection planted the seeds for what would soon become Kinship.
Founded after a meeting in Palm Desert, California, Kinship quickly grew. Within four months, the group had 75 members, a temporary chairperson, and four active committees focused on membership, education, social activities, and spiritual growth, meeting twice a month.
Kinship's influence expanded further as it joined forces with an Adventist in northern California who had organized a national gay SDA pen-pal network and a group in New York City that had been meeting informally since 1974. Together, these efforts created a vibrant and supportive community, laying the foundation for Kinship’s ongoing mission.
Cherished Memories & Significant Moments
July 29, 1970
THE VERY BEGINNING
In the early 1970s, several Adventist gay people independently began to look for other Adventists with whom they could discuss their feelings. One placed a single, small notice in the classified section of The Advocate, a national gay news magazine. It resulted in 37 responses from all areas of the United States and Canada; all were current or former Adventists.
January 10, 1976
KINSHIP WAS FOUNDED
Kinship was founded with a meeting in Palm Desert, California, as a result of an ad placed by two gay Adventist men. Within four months, Kinship had 75 members, a temporary chairperson, and four committees: membership, educational, social, and spiritual. The new group met twice a month.
Kinship soon joined forces with an individual in northern California who had established a gay SDA pen-pal list throughout the United States, and another group that had been meeting informally in New York City since 1974.
March 15, 1978
FIRST KINSHIP NEWSLETTER
Kinship published an official newsletter, later to become known as the Connection. In 1985, the Connection was first produced on a computer.
August 05, 1980
FIRST ANNUAL KAMPMEETING
The first annual Kampmeeting was held in Arizona. At Kinship’s request, two Adventist pastors and three seminary professors attended as official delegates of the General Conference. Thirty-five courageous members attended this historic meeting, breaking ground for the larger numbers that now attend with less apprehension.
March 18, 1981
KINSHIP WAS INCORPORATED
Seventh-day Adventist Kinship International was incorporated by and in the State of California.
December 07, 1987
THE LAWSUIT
The General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists filed legal action in a federal district court in California against Kinship for trademark infringement for using “Seventh-day Adventist” in the name.
October 05, 1990
FIRST CHURCH-SPONSORED AIDS CONFERENCE
Kinship participated in the first church-sponsored AIDS conference. As the organization became impacted by the AIDS epidemic, we developed a quilt to memorialize members who were lost to AIDS. The Kinship AIDS quilt has been displayed in several Adventist churches and universities.
October 03, 1991
KINSHIP WON THE LAWSUIT
Kinship won the lawsuit brought against it by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, which sought to bar Kinship from using “Seventh-day Adventist” as part of its name. A California judge ruled in favor of Kinship, stating that there was no trademark infringement and allowing Kinship to continue using its official name.
January 30, 1992
KINSHIP’S FIRST ONLINE SERVICE
Kinship’s online service was developed, first as an email listserv and later as an online discussion and chat group called KinNet.
April 17, 1997
SOMEONE TO TALK TO
Carrol Grady (decd. Mar. 2023,) the author of My Son, Beloved Stranger (1995), started a support group for parents and families of gays and lesbians, which included a monthly newsletter and later an email group and website.
August 17, 2001
FIRST WOMEN & CHILDREN FIRST
WEEKEND
The first Women & Children First weekend preceding Kampmeeting was held as a social time for Kinship women and their children.
June 25, 2003
KINSHIP LOGO CREATED
In June 2003, Seventh-day Adventist Kinship announced a new logo, designed to help communicate its mission and outreach to LGBTIQ Seventh-day Adventists.
January 6, 2006
CONFERENCE ON HOMOSEXUALITY
The Kinship Advisory Council organized a Conference on Homosexuality at the Ontario Convention Center that was attended by over 300 denominational leaders.
July 06, 2006
OPEN HEART, OPEN HAND
In 2006, the Kinship Advisory Council produced the video, Open Heart, Open Hand, for use by Kinship and Someone to Talk To.
June 17, 2028
CHRISTIANITY & HOMOSEXUALITY BOOK
Kinship coordinated the publication of the book Christianity and Homosexuality: Some Seventh-day Adventist Perspectives. The book has been sold and distributed to numerous pastors, educators, and libraries. It triggered a one-sided conference on homosexuality at Andrews University in October 2009, to which no book editors or authors or even Kinship members were invited or asked to participate.
June 28, 2012
IAGC ORGANIZED
Groups of students at Adventist colleges and universities formed a network of official and unofficial gay-straight alliances to provide resources, programs, and support for LGBTIQ students. The Intercollegiate Adventist Gay-Straight Alliance Coalition (IAGC) was organized to bridge the gap between our Seventh-day Adventist faith-based institutions and the LGBTIQ students who attend them.
July 19, 2002
FIRST EUROPEAN KINSHIP MEETING
The first European Kinship Meeting was held in Tunhem, Sweden.
December 30, 2012
SEVENTH-GAY ADVENTISTS
Straight allies Stephen Eyer and Daneen Akers, professional filmmakers, produced the documentary Seventh-Gay Adventists: A film about faith on the margins and began screenings in strategic locations across the United States and in other countries.
February 28, 2018
PASTOR'S CONFERENCE IN KENYA
Seventh-day Adventist Kinship International sponsored its first conference in Nairobi, Kenya where Rena, George, and Professor Mugerwa from Uganda presented to over 200 Adventist pastors on how to meet the needs of the LGBTQ+ members in their congregations. This launched a Kinship program to provide this training to all Kenyan pastors.
July 11, 2018
KINSHIP'S UPDATED LOGO
In July 2018, Seventh-day Adventist Kinship announced our refreshed logo that reflects our legacy, who we are today, and symbolizes our dynamic future.
Decmeber 06, 2020
WHERE WE ARE TODAY
Kinship has a board of directors, regional coordinators, and chapter leaders in the United States and in other countries. At the time of this writing (2020) SDA Kinship has 3,616 registered members, including both LGBTIQ and straight allies, plus many more individuals who benefit from our website and resources.
Kinship’s goals for the future are reflected in its stated mission: to [provide] a safe spiritual and social community to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex current and former Seventh-day Adventists around the world. This means reaching those rejected and sent away by the organized church with the news that a different view exists, a biblically sound view of love and acceptance.
