 Organizations such as DignityUSA and New Ways Ministry, which advocate for the rights of LGBT Catholics, and Courage International, which encourages gay and lesbian Catholics to be chaste, were established in the United States in response to the push within the United States for greater recognition within the church for gay men and lesbian women.Courage also has a ministry geared towards the relatives and friends of gay people called Encourage.There have been practical and ministerial disagreements within the clergy, hierarchy, and laity of the Catholic Church concerning the church's position on homosexuality.