By Rev. Stephanie Johnson
With Pride month upon us, I’ve been thinking a lot about how people of faith support and love our LGBTQ siblings. At our church in Riverside, we have put up several signs around our property noting that “St. Paul’s has Pride.” I’ve noticed around town that many congregations have also hung out Pride banners and flags, signaling inclusivity and welcoming to our LQBTQ members and neighbors. At Greenwich Town Hall on June 4th a Gay Pride event was held.
In a time when countries such as Uganda have adopted laws that not only make homosexuality illegal but horrifically punishable by death, it is certainly heartening to see that so many of the people of Greenwich are welcoming and stand in solidarity. Sadly, around our country, painful and hurtful decisions have been made that exclude our LGBTQ friends and family members.
For me and likely with many other people of faith, the inclusion of all LGBTQ people is centered in our understanding of God’s movement in the world today. In the Book of Genesis, we read that God created humankind in God’s image. This image is spiritual rather than physical, creating all to perfection. As our LGTBQ siblings are all created in this perfect image and fully loved by God, I am called to look into the eyes of all I meet and to see God’s image. It is in the diversity of humankind that God’s fullness is revealed. It is through this revelation where all God’s kin are united and where God’s kingdom flourishes here on earth.
In my faith tradition, the Episcopal Church struggled for many decades to become a welcoming and inclusive place for LGBTQ members. We debated the role of gay and lesbian clergy and the rights of LGBTQ people to marry in a painful, honest, and faithful church wide conversation.
Ultimately, after prayer and discernment, the national Episcopal Church chose to be radically welcoming, recognizing that some people would leave our denomination yet realizing that “love always wins.” All are welcome to be married in our churches. In our congregation, all are welcome to fully participate completely in the life of God’s church. Most recently the broader Episcopal Church adopted a resolution which supports transgender people to change their baptismal records to reflect their name and sexual orientation.
For people in my faith tradition and other denominations, pride celebrations are important for so many reasons, including as an opportunity to stand united in radical inclusion and relentless love. But these celebrations are also mingled with lament as we mourn those lost to AIDs and those who are victims of crimes because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. As communities of faith, we are able to be a place for grief and sadness with those who are mourning, those who are victims of violence and those who are angry at the injustice of horrific crimes.
For some, Pride Month may be only the month of June. Yet for radical, inclusive love to flourish in our faith community, it is something we are constantly striving to live fully into. We are meant to have Pride year round. We know that being created in God’s image requires us to see God in all people that enter our doors.
Reverend Stephanie M. Johnson is the rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Riverside.
