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Before yesterdayI Am UU on Facebook

10 things We Want Everyone to Share About Unitarian Universalism

27 January 2022 at 09:43
By: I Am UU
Every few weeks, something we post really takes off and reaches a lot of people who have no idea what Unitarian Universalism is and it starts the kind of conversation we are most proud of here at I Am UU.

But, what do you tell someone about what Unitarian Universalism is? It's not simple, and it isn't the same for everyone. We do have some tips, though, about what we think is important to know:

https://iamuu.net/learn-unitarian-universalism/10-things-want-everyone-share-unitarian-universalism/


A friend asks you about Unitarian Universalism. You are wearing a piece of jewelry with a flaming chalice on it, or maybe drinking from your Flaming Chalice adorned coffee mug, and the questions co…

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If you like the way Thomas writes, you might also like the way they speak. Thomas is available for sermons and guest speaking bo...

25 January 2022 at 14:02
By: I Am UU
If you like the way Thomas writes, you might also like the way they speak. Thomas is available for sermons and guest speaking both virtually and in person.

Please send requests to Thomas@IAmUU.net!



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To Be Good, Do Good

24 January 2022 at 09:10
By: I Am UU
We all have an image of ourselves in our heads. We also know that there are people in the world who do not see us the way we see ourselves; they have seen or heard or otherwise experienced something that has them thinking we're not as good as we seek to be. And they are right. From their limited perspective, you were not....

https://iamuu.net/meditations/to-be-good-do-good/


We all have an image of ourselves in our heads. We also know that there are people in the world who do not see us the way we see ourselves; they have seen or heard or otherwise experienced somethin…

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The I Am UU project is all about making it easier for you to confidently and proudly tell the world "I Am UU". We hope to inspir...

22 January 2022 at 10:07
By: I Am UU
The I Am UU project is all about making it easier for you to confidently and proudly tell the world "I Am UU". We hope to inspire conversations about what it means to be Unitarian Universalist and why belonging matters to each of you. We want you to have those conversations with one another so that it is easier to have them with the people you meet in your daily life, should it come up. Some UUs seem almost ashamed of their church, they are so resistant to bringing it up, and we want to help change that.

We are not sponsored, edited, or endorsed by the UUA, but the UUA is well aware of our work. We are lay-led, crowdfunded, and grassroots, much like many of your congregations. And like a congregation, our work is too important to charge admission for! We give it away because we want people to share it and start conversations among their friends. The shares are what we work for!

If you value what we do, it helps a lot when you make a comment about it. Likes are great, but comments are more informative and help us get seen.

If you *really* value our work, we need funding, and with over ten thousand fans, it wouldn't take a lot to fund us if more people just gave a little.

Ko-fi.com/IAmUU

Patreon.com/TEarthman

And you can buy this design on a shirt, a mug, and lots of other products:
IAmUU.net/Shop



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Timeline photos

21 January 2022 at 15:09
By: I Am UU



"God" is not a name. The New King James Bible uses the word "gods" hundreds of times to refer (disdainfully) to deities of other cultures.

The world has worshiped thousands, possibly millions, of gods throughout history. The methods of worship and the stories told about them helped define cultures for tens of thousands of years.

Each of these gods represented the hopes and/or fears of a community. Learning about them teaches us much about humanity.

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"Being UU is a choice to be part of something and letting that something help you be a better member of the various communities ...

20 January 2022 at 10:28
By: I Am UU
"Being UU is a choice to be part of something and letting that something help you be a better member of the various communities you move through. Unitarian Universalism is about trying to be your best self, knowing that you will occasionally fail, and trying again. It is about building and rebuilding relationships; we have to adjust and grow as we learn."

~ @Thomas Earthman

https://iamuu.net/being-uu/covenant-is-a-relationship/



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β€œAn Appeal for Law and Order and Common Sense”

17 January 2022 at 11:00
By: I Am UU
An interfaith group of clergy leaders, responding to protests and demonstrations and the arrest of these activists, released a public statement to the local press:

β€œWe are now confronted by a series of demonstrations by some of our Black citizens, directed and led in part by outsiders. We recognize the natural impatience of people who feel that their hopes are slow in being realized. But we are convinced that these demonstrations are unwise and untimely.”

Now, I must confess that I have altered the above ever so slightly, substituting the word β€œBlack” for the original, β€œNegro”. With that one change, the condemnation of Martin Luther King Jr., which inspired his β€œLetter From a Birmingham Jailβ€œ, sounds almost exactly like the condemnation we hear today against #BlackLivesMatter:


Today will present many, many chances to read the words of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. There are already oh-so-many opportunities for the curious to study his work. There are many, many sch…

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Peace Cannot Come in Pieces

15 January 2022 at 11:00
By: I Am UU
Even at the famous March on Washington, among the leaders of the Civil Rights and Labor movements, there was still prejudice and marginalization. We can learn a lot from examining that, and we can choose to do better in our own work.


Today, you will hear a lot about the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. It was the setting for the most celebrated words of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., what has become know as …

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New Completely Fungible Tokens to support the I Am UU Project! You buy the thing, you own the actual thing and get to do what y...

14 January 2022 at 18:15
By: I Am UU
New Completely Fungible Tokens to support the I Am UU Project!

You buy the thing, you own the actual thing and get to do what you want with it!

Ok, honestly, we're about out of gimmicks, and these are just coasters, but they are available through our shop along with dozens of other products with dozens of different designs on them.

IAmUU.net/Shop

Our Website hosting expires next week. We want to be able to get the best deal on renewal, so we need to raise another $250 to get the 3 year package. If you go buy something now, we'll go ahead and put that money towards the website in anticipation of the eventual payout.

Or, to help more directly without buying anything, you can use one of these links:
Ko-fi.com/IAmUU
Patreon.com/TEarthman



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Quoting MLK; Inaction Is Not the Same as Nonviolence.

13 January 2022 at 09:53
By: I Am UU
Over this long weekend a lot of people are going to be quoting Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And, if tradition holds, a lot of them are going to be pulling quotes out of context and misrepresenting what Dr. King believed.

I encourage you all to read one or two of Dr. King's lectures, in their entirety, this week. Here are some suggestions on where to start.


James Luther Adams, in his foundational β€œ5 Smooth Stones of Liberal Religion” said that, as religious liberals, We deny the immaculate conception of virtue and affirm the necessity of s…

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"People are hurting. They are hurting because they were born with dark skin in a place where that is still a minority condition,...

11 January 2022 at 12:00
By: I Am UU
"People are hurting. They are hurting because they were born with dark skin in a place where that is still a minority condition, and where that condition has historically kept them from opportunity...

"Our congregations are not pledged to uphold the status quo. We are not covenanted to make people comfortable. We promise to one another and the world that we will (among other things) affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person. When black people are being oppressed and their concerns are being ignored, we have a duty to say to them, 'We hear you, and we care. We will affirm your inherent worth and dignity. Black lives DO matter.'”

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Taken from this post to our blog, responding to negative feedback on #BlackLivesMatter

http://iamuu.net/social-justice/blm-blowback/



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Hello! The person sharing this with you is a Unitarian Universalist. Maybe you've heard about us from Stephen Colbert or Garriso...

6 January 2022 at 09:55
By: I Am UU
Hello! The person sharing this with you is a Unitarian Universalist. Maybe you've heard about us from Stephen Colbert or Garrison Keillor, maybe you've heard us mentioned on The Simpsons.

We don't want to be defined by pop-culture anymore, and this message is being shared as an invitation. If you want to know what being a Unitarian Universalist means to your friend, this is a great time to start a conversation.

No one will call or come to the house uninvited, but we really want to let people know who we are and what we stand for. If you're curious, please ask!



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Our posts have been re-printed in church newsletters. They have been copied to church websites. Several churches use our art as ...

30 December 2021 at 18:32
By: I Am UU
Our posts have been re-printed in church newsletters. They have been copied to church websites. Several churches use our art as their profile icon on social media or the banner for their Fb group.

We're proud of all of that, but we need to know what it is worth to you; we need your financial support to keep our website online and to feel making new art and posts to share Unitarian Universalism with the world.

Is you value what we publish, please give what you can to sponsor more innovation and outreach in 2022

Ko-fi.com/IAmUU



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Holy Night, Every Night

25 December 2021 at 16:09
By: I Am UU
For me, the meaning of Christmas is hope and dedication; hope that the world can be better than it is and dedication to know that it can only get there through human hands doing divine work...

https://iamuu.net/meditations/holy-night-every-night/


We cannot celebrate every single day. While I am grateful to the Labor movement every day, I set aside Labor Day (and May Day) to observe that; just as I am grateful to our armed forces, we have Ve…

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"Innovative Liberal Religious Outreach" That's the tag line on our website, because liberal religion is a community good for al...

22 December 2021 at 12:21
By: I Am UU
"Innovative Liberal Religious Outreach"

That's the tag line on our website, because liberal religion is a community good for all of us looking for belonging and encouragement without dogma and condemnation and we think that is something worth inviting people into. If we don't share, we will surely continue to fade away.

We've been sharing that message for a decade now, with posts meant for UUs and for seekers, and we've helped quite a lot of people chose to visit their local congregation, and a lot more to recommit to one they already had a relationship with. "IAmUU.net" has made Unitarian Universalism stronger, and we are proud of what we host there.

But it is all at risk of coming down. It costs money to keep it online, and we don't make much. We depend on the community to cover our expenses, and we don't have a strong enough level of monthly support to do that, yet.

And so, in times like this, we have to have a sort of pledge drive to ask people to help us out. And the reception is always mixed, but we find that the people who complain aren't really missed while the people who give are always kind and complimentary.

So, I ask if you can think about your interactions with our page and the interactions you've seen from others and if there is a value there; is there a benefit to you, to Unitarian Universalism, or maybe to Facebook in seeing our posts? Can you put a number on that for the year? For 2 years? For however long you have been following? Then, give that number (or whatever you can truly afford) to help keep us online?

Ko-fi.com/IAmUU

Or, become a monthly patron of Thomas Earthman and get more inspiration, more encouragement, and maybe even tools for your own worship!
Patreon.com/TEarthman



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Being a Unitarian Universalist actually asks a lot of us, and it isn't for everybody: -We discuss important questions but refuse...

22 December 2021 at 10:53
By: I Am UU
Being a Unitarian Universalist actually asks a lot of us, and it isn't for everybody:
-We discuss important questions but refuse to give you a simple, rote answer.
-We ask you to believe that you are worthy of compassion and respect, as so is literally everyone else.
-We ask you to love humanity while fully acknowledging the bad things we need to be discouraged from doing to one another.
-We make no promise of eternal reward (or punishment), but tell you that your actions will live on, and they matter anyway.
-We ask that you keep trying to be your best self, without telling you what that is supposed to be, though we will be there to help you figure it out for yourself.

Just because we are willing to accept everyone does not mean that we should expect everyone to feel like they belong. Some people will not be comfortable in liberal religion. Some people need certainties we cannot give them in good faith.

We cannot convert people to Unitarian Universalism; they either understand it and want to be part of it, or not. They see us doing together what they are already doing alone, and some of them will want to be part of that community. Those people are out there, waiting to hear about us. Let's make sure they find us. Let's go invite them in.
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Image is a flaming chalice cut-out activity with the words "Unitarian Universalism: Free Faith* Assembly Required"

Help us reach people who might not know that UUism exists:
Ko-fi.com/IAmUU



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We did it, friends. The longest night is over and they get shorter from here until June. The new year has a lot of potential, t...

21 December 2021 at 10:58
By: I Am UU
We did it, friends. The longest night is over and they get shorter from here until June.

The new year has a lot of potential, though we already know that it comes with difficulties. It is up to us to overcome them or to be overcome.

Beloved Community is possible, but it will take so much work. Like so many things, it is work that gets easier the more people we share it with.

That's why Unitarian Universalist evangelism matters: people need an invitation to check us out and see if we are who we say we are, or at least how hard we are working to become what we aspire to. If we live into our values, there are many people who would gladly join in our mission.



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Photos from I Am UU's post

19 December 2021 at 11:09
By: I Am UU
Do you want I Am UU to stay online? Then I need your help.

I've renewed IAmUU.net for the month, as it would have been completely deleted on Tuesday night, but I renewed it for only one month.

We need to know if you value our website. We need to see it in the form of a small gift to keep it online. If you have shared our "Ten Things We Want You To Know About Unitarian Universalism" or "Are You Looking For Something Different" or any of our other posts, please consider whether you can afford to help us keep them online.

The more we raise, the longer we can renew for and the longer we pay for, the better the deal! We're hoping to raise at least $700 to cover the costs for 3 whole years. If we raise more, please know that it will go towards helping a lay community minister plan for a better new year and encourage them to write and create more content to help share Unitarian Universalism with the world.

One-time gifts can be given through:
Ko-fi.com/IAmUU

Or become a monthly Patron for added content:
Patreon.com/TEarthman







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Merry Everything and Happy Always | Thomas Earthman on Patreon

18 December 2021 at 13:58
By: I Am UU
Our website is down, so we are sharing this message posted on another platform. If you want to help get the website back up, you can sign up as a Patron while you are there!

https://www.patreon.com/posts/60038027


Official Post from Thomas Earthman

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Our website is temporarily down. We hope to have it up again in a couple of weeks, but we just cannot afford the hosting fees ri...

17 December 2021 at 15:29
By: I Am UU
Our website is temporarily down. We hope to have it up again in a couple of weeks, but we just cannot afford the hosting fees right now.

Thank you all for understanding...



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The New Year Calls For a New Plan: Thank you, Patrons | Thomas Earthman on Patreon

15 December 2021 at 21:00
By: I Am UU
Whether you are a Patron or just a supporter of my work, I want to know what you think I should be planning for the new year:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/59955694


Official Post from Thomas Earthman

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We don't expect perfection. By covenanting as Unitarian Universalists we commit to trying to grow and improve, even if it is in...

15 December 2021 at 14:09
By: I Am UU
We don't expect perfection.

By covenanting as Unitarian Universalists we commit to trying to grow and improve, even if it is in small ways; even if it sometimes looks like going backwards. We commit to making changes and seeing how they work out and then taking that information and using it for making more changes.

We are always in a state of growth, even if sometimes that growth isn't visible to others, and that only comes from recognizing that we are never perfect. It takes some amount of humility because perfection isn't possible. We are never completely done growing.

We can always be better, and we can count on our community to help us get there.

#MidweekMotivation



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These last several years have been hard on a lot of us. You might be feeling like you haven't achieved as much as you hoped. Let...

9 December 2021 at 11:58
By: I Am UU
These last several years have been hard on a lot of us. You might be feeling like you haven't achieved as much as you hoped. Let me tell you that it's OK.

You survived. You did what you needed to do to make it through, and that's the achievement that matters most.

Just focus on doing your best each day, remembering that your best is going to change from one day to the next and that progress isn't a straight line.

#MidweekMotivation



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Liberal Religion: Free and Responsible Faith

6 December 2021 at 13:19
By: I Am UU
We profess the inherent worth and dignity of all people. We believe that compassion and justice should be the focus of relationships between people. These things not evident in the world we currently live in. They are currently just our best guess about what Beloved Community will look like. Our Principles have changed and will likely change again.

https://iamuu.net/meditations/faith-unitarian-universalist-2


Many Unitarian Universalist will gladly give you a litany of things they do not believe. If asked about β€œBelief” in a religious context, some of us have a hard time committing. It’…

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Our website is due for renewal and we don't know if there is enough interest to make it worth the fee. Do you read posts on IAmU...

5 December 2021 at 19:26
By: I Am UU
Our website is due for renewal and we don't know if there is enough interest to make it worth the fee. Do you read posts on IAmUU.net? Do you share them with your congregation and friends?

If so, we need to hear from you! Which posts have been meaningful? Which have started conversations? Are they maybe worth supporting with a small gift, either one-time or monthly?

Help directly by giving on Ko-fi (pronounced like "coffee")
Ko-fi.com/IAmUU

OR Buy some presents at our RedBubble Shop:
IAmUU.net/Shop



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Today, November 20th, is the Transgender Day of Remembrance. "With 46 known deaths since January 1, HRC has officially recorded...

20 November 2021 at 08:00
By: I Am UU
Today, November 20th, is the Transgender Day of Remembrance.

"With 46 known deaths since January 1, HRC has officially recorded more violent deaths of transgender and gender non-conforming people than any year since we began tracking this violence in 2013."

https://www.hrc.org/press-releases/marking-the-deadliest-year-on-record-human-rights-campaign-announces-release-of-annual-report-on-violence-against-transgender-and-gender-non-conforming-people



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This is the FINAL DAY to order this Fair Trade t-shirt and be part of this fundraiser to help keep I Am UU stable for the new ye...

15 November 2021 at 14:47
By: I Am UU
This is the FINAL DAY to order this Fair Trade t-shirt and be part of this fundraiser to help keep I Am UU stable for the new year!

Think of it as the thank-you gift for your contribution OR think of it as us selling a shirt for a small profit to subsidize the rest of the ministry, but please know that without your support, we cannot keep publishing new images and posts to help share Unitarian Universalism with the world!

Please, please tag your friends in a comment, share the link with your church, and consider whether you think this page matters (or maybe you just like the shirt). We need to see a lot more sales if we're going to keep producing the same quality content in the new year!

https://inktothepeople.com/uu-pride/



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Reclaim Armistice Day

10 November 2021 at 14:37
By: I Am UU
Armistice Day was meant to focus on the horrors of war, the beauty of peace, and the victory of democratic forces over authoritarianism. America has lost something by focusing, instead, on Veterans today.

https://iamuu.net/celebrations/reclaim-armistice-day/


Armistice Day was meant to put the focus on peace, on the horror of war, and on the victory of democratic nations over authoritarianism. The United States is missing something by focusing today, in…

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This fundraiser is really important to planning our next steps. We need to know if the community that follows us is willing to i...

9 November 2021 at 17:13
By: I Am UU
This fundraiser is really important to planning our next steps. We need to know if the community that follows us is willing to invest, and since we have some pretty great designs, we thought we'd give you a chance to own a couple.

The cost of everything is up, especially hardware. If something goes out, we need to be able to replace it quickly to keep things running. That is why we need to raise funds ahead of a possible disaster! And you get a great product!


We're starting end-of-year fundraising early so that you can have items in time for the holidays. First up is this fair-trade t-shirt featuring one of our most popular designs!

We rely on the generosity of the community that appreciates our work to fund this ministry. Please share this link with your congregations and UU friends!

https://inktothepeople.com/uu-pride

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Things are so messy right now, so hard for so many of us. You are still here, still doing your bit of good where and how you can...

3 November 2021 at 18:14
By: I Am UU
Things are so messy right now, so hard for so many of us. You are still here, still doing your bit of good where and how you can. Be proud of that.

Take a moment to be grateful for the community and friends you have and all the ways that they support you. Gratitude isn't always reflexive, but it helps us when we reframe and focus on the good things in our lives. We don't have to ignore what is hard in order to be grateful for what isn't.

Unitarian Universalism reminds me every day that I am not alone in my search for truth and meaning. I am not alone in striving for a more just and compassionate world. I am a person of inherent worth and dignity, and what I do matters.

And so are you, my friend.

#MidweekMotivation

Support my ministry:
Ko-fi.com/IAmUU



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Photos from I Am UU's post

2 November 2021 at 13:03
By: I Am UU
We need to raise some money for the end of the year and we are trying to offer these items early enough that you can get yours in time for the holidays.

We are entirely funded by the generosity of the people who like what we do--people just like you. We need website hosting, software subscriptions (you can't just buy things outright anymore), phone and electricity, and caffeine to make this ministry possible. All of those things require that we bring in some money. And when it is time to upgrade or replace a computer or we have some other big expense, we have to turn to you all to make it possible.

So, we are currently offering this Fair Trade t-shirt and this special edition coffee mug to try and help us coast into the new year!

Shirt:
https://inktothepeople.com/uu-pride

Mug:
https://inktothepeople.com/i-am-uu-coffee-chalice





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I Am UU Coffee Chalice

1 November 2021 at 17:20
By: I Am UU
Next up in our end-of-year fundraiser, we have a special edition coffee mug! This is really just for ordering one or two (or three). If you want to restock the church kitchen, email Thomas about a bulk order.

https://inktothepeople.com/i-am-uu-coffee-chalice


Ok. It's not a real chalice. No one drinks coffee from an actual chalice. Still, this mug is great & you'll be supporting liberal religious outreach!

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"The DNA of your ancestors is alive in you. Look at your children and grandchildren and see yourself and your ancestors. Think o...

31 October 2021 at 09:55
By: I Am UU
"The DNA of your ancestors is alive in you. Look at your children and grandchildren and see yourself and your ancestors. Think of the decisions made by your parents and grandparents. Their choices shaped your life. And the choices we make every day shape the lives of those to come. The interconnections stretch across time. This is what the DΓ­a de los Muertos reminds us of, and this is its power."

~ Peter Morales, "Bringing the Dead to Life "



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We're starting end-of-year fundraising early so that you can have items in time for the holidays. First up is this fair-trade t-...

29 October 2021 at 19:25
By: I Am UU
We're starting end-of-year fundraising early so that you can have items in time for the holidays. First up is this fair-trade t-shirt featuring one of our most popular designs!

We rely on the generosity of the community that appreciates our work to fund this ministry. Please share this link with your congregations and UU friends!

https://inktothepeople.com/uu-pride



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