Pride Has Always Been a Protest

The UCC’s celebration of Pride means more than ever this year. Amidst cruel, hateful, and discriminatory attacks on the LGBTQ+ community, a faithful presence at Pride helps dispel the myth that religion and queerness can’t coexist.  Even as many religious spaces seek to cast us out and marginalize us, LGBTQ+ people of faith still choose to pursue a relationship with God and the church, because we know we are beautifully created in the image of God, and queerness is a gift from God.  

Ever since its inception, pride has been a protest. Pride is held every year in June to remember and commemorate the series of protests that kicked off on June 28, 1969, at the historic Stonewall Inn in New York City. Stonewall Inn was—and remains—a popular bar and community space for LGBTQ+ people. During the 1960s, the policing of and attacks against the queer community were growing. Stonewall Inn was regularly raided by police, but the queer community bravely continued to gather there. One June day, when police stormed Stonewall Inn and started arresting people, its patrons fought back. Trans women of color led this resistance, including renowned LGTBQ+ activist Marsha P. Johnson.  

A Stonewall patron named Michael Fader remembers how “there was something in the air, freedom a long time overdue, and we’re going to fight for it. It took different forms, but the bottom line was, we weren’t going to go away. And we didn’t.” The following year, on the anniversary of the Stonewall Raid, the first pride march was held in New York City. 

Now, the rights that were fought for during the Stonewall riot are under attack. In a systematic attempt to erase Trans history and divide the LGBTQ+ community, our federal government has scrubbed its policies and documents for words like “Queer” and “Trans” and “sexuality” and “gender,” leading to the erasure of protections for queer siblings. And despite being less than halfway through 2025, there have already been 588 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced at the state level across the country. This is immoral and unacceptable. LGBTQ+ rights are truly a matter of life or death. From poor mental health outcomes to deadly violence against the queer community, lives, including those of children, are at stake. An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us. We must stand together and remember our shared humanity as we traverse such a heartbreaking landscape of utter cruelty 

Visibility and solidarity among the entire LGBTQ+ community could not be more urgent. As those in power threaten the sacred dignity of the queer community across the country we must remember: Queer joy is protest. Queer resilience is protest. Queer existence is protest. Pride has always been a protest. And it will continue to be until we fully live into God’s vision of a just world for all.   

The United Church of Christ will have a faithful presence at World Pride in Washington D.C. this weekend. From the sanctuary to the streets, the UCC is ready to rally alongside and celebrate LGBTQ+ children of God. World Pride being held in Washington D.C., the site and origin of much of the heightened targeting of the LGBTQ+ community, is a testament of the resilience, strength, and beauty of our queer siblings. We are here, we are queer, and we are not going anywhere.  

We march for a world where children know they can be who they are without fear. We march for a world where children are never taught to hate. We march for a world where queer people can grow old and become queer elders. We march for a world where no one is marginalized or oppressed. Until it is in heaven as it is on earth, we march into a brighter, more beautiful future, hand in hand. Join us. Whether you’re in DC or elsewhere, pride celebrations will be painting the streets and towns rainbow with God’s love across the country. We invite you to be a part of the movement.

And remember, Pride month shouldn’t be the only time we advocate for LGBTQ+ equality. Pride is every day. Remember God created you exactly as you are meant to be. You are so loved. Love your neighbor boldly and out loud! 

Put your faith into action and protect trans, nonbinary, and intersex civil rights here! 

To find an affirming UCC church near you, visit this website.  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Cassandra Saunders is the Justice and Peace Policy Fellow at the United Church of Christ Office of Public Policy and Advocacy in Washington D.C.