“Being gay is OK.”

This is the theme of a service to be held at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Sunday from 9:15 to 11 a.m.

The fellowship is hosting the service as a show of support for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community in Ames.

Carol Hepokoski, interim minister of the fellowship, said the sermon is being held at the beginning of National Coming Out Week and also as a part of Solidarity Sunday, a nationwide movement..

Hepokoski will give a speech called, “Boxes, Lines and Supportive Circles.” She will talk about ways in which people can live in solidarity, helping gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders.

There will be singing, stories, readings, reflections and lighting of rainbow candles.

“The solidarity pledge is to work for civil rights,” Hepokoski said, “speaking out against slanderous violent speech, and also to stop violence against people, especially violence against gay people.”

Hepokoski said support of the gay community is not unusual from the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. “We have a tradition for performing holy union or marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples, and we have a number of families who are lesbian or gay couples with families,” Hepokoski said.

Finding a religious community that is supportive of gay students is an important, especially when coming out, said Reis Pearson, a graduate student and coordinator for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Student Services Office.

“I think that it’s very encouraging that a church is going to be open, accepting and affirming of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students as well as faculty. We do have a lot of Christian students in our group,” Pearson said.

Less liberal organizations, like the Catholic Church, are also wrestling with recognition of homosexuals.

The Rev. John Seda of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church said the Catholic Church is supportive of homosexuals, but makes a distinction between orientation and the sexual activity of homosexuals.

Homosexuals are accepted into the Catholic Church and may receive every sacrament except marriage, Seda said.

The idea comes from the natural law, which says that a marriage is to deepen the love of the couple and for creation of life. Because homosexual sexual activity doesn’t create life, it goes against natural law, Seda said. “Our moral teaching comes from the natural law tradition more than from the scripture.”

But, since sexual orientation does not involve choice, there is no morality judgment, so the Catholic Church supports people’s human dignity and their rights as citizens, he said.

The church does not condone adoption and marriage rights for homosexuals.

The issue is of on-going discussion among Catholic Church officials.