So, England Did A Thing

Wales too, we mustn't forget Wales

Did I ever tell you the story about the time my elderly grandparents visited Wales and stole a street sign?

Oh, well, that’s a completely different tangent, best left for another day.

Because today, we’ve got to talk about UGLE!

So sometimes UGLE does things that seem really odd to me. Like that goofy logo they came up with a few years ago. What on earth is that 90 Degree angle thing where the Square is supposed to be? Looks like an open book to me. And if it is a Square, why on earth isn’t it making contact with the Compasses?

But hey, that’s another tangent. And all in good fun.

It is true though, sometimes UGLE does do things that seem strange to me. I presume these things seem strange to large numbers of Freemasons in North America.

But, then I remember that Freemasonry seems to be under almost continual attack in the United Kingdom. The press writes untrue and negative things about Freemasonry, sometimes the government tries to take legal steps against individual Freemasons and Freemasonry. Things that don’t really happen to us here in the United States. Or at least haven’t since our country went through that whole Anti-Masonic madness in the 1820’s and 1830’s.

We have the occasional lunatic saying bad things about us, Our Brothers in the United Kingdom have major legacy media outlets saying bad things about them.

Ultimately, I think it is all driven by some sort of misguided envy, over things that don’t actually exist. That lots of people feel as if Freemasons are given an unfair leg up in employment, legal matters, and all the rest, simply because they are Freemasons. That their Brothers will cover for them, promote them, no matter what.

Of course, we know that isn’t true, but I do think it drives much of the negative attention our Brothers of the UGLE receive.

As a result of all this, UGLE has to consider things that we don’t have to consider, and sometimes do things that we don’t have to do.

Most recently, UGLE, along with two feminine Grand Lodges created the Council For Freemasonry In England And Wales.

Why?

Because the press started harping that it was somehow really really bad that single gender groups exist. That UGLE should come into the modern world and admit women. Presumably that the two feminine Grand Lodges should do the same and start letting in the dudes.

This is an effort to show the public, and presumably the press, that men and women can both be Freemasons. That women’s Grand Lodges have a long and distinguished history. And importantly that there is nothing wrong, morally or otherwise, with single gender groups.

The fact that female Freemasons exist certainly holds true in the United States as well. While perhaps not nearly as well known as in the United Kingdom, we do have female only Lodges and Grand Lodges here, as well as mixed gender Lodges and Grand Lodges. Some with quite long and honorable histories.

Perhaps we in the United States don’t have to work with these other organizations right now. Perhaps we can conveniently forget that they exist most of the time.

But, we shouldn’t fool ourselves. Someday our Regular Grand Lodges will come under attack for being single gendered. Someday we will have to fight back, as UGLE has had to fight back.

It is probably a lot better to start making those connections and building those bridges now, rather than waiting for the media, or our government to go on the offensive.

So, UGLE did a thing. And it’s a good thing.