One of the gifts that CST gives to our graduates is a rainbow tassel, a gift from the Center for Sexuality, Gender, and Religion (CSGR) at CST to remind graduates of their journey of learning at CST.
The colors of the rainbow carry significance in many spiritual traditions; in the Abrahamic traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, the rainbow signifies God’s covenant with the earth. The rainbow can also signify the diversities of human love, identity, and experience.
A unique part of theological education at CST is a public commitment to the flourishing of, and justice for, persons of all genders and sexualities. On October 11, 2010, National Coming Out Day, the CST faculty unanimously approved the following statement:
Claremont School of Theology affirms its longstanding welcome to LGBTQI students, faculty, and staff. This commitment is in harmony with the specific call of the United Methodist Church toward inclusiveness. It reflects our hope and expectation that welcome and inclusiveness will become the accepted norm throughout the world.
As CST sends graduates forth into a world of renewed challenges to this vision of justice and flourishing for all, we hope this tassel reminds them–and everyone who sees it–of the commitments we have shared here, and of our support of our students as they live out those commitments as leaders of diverse religious, racial-ethnic and social communities.
To all our graduates and alumni: Wherever you serve, may you carry this tassel with you, and in doing so, may you feel the best wishes and confidence that the CST community has in you, now and always.