It’s Pride Month!

I am grateful to be a member of a meeting that has wrestled with how to become more welcoming to the LGBTQIA+ community over the years. As a result of years of discernment, my meeting is now a place where I have never doubted whether my sexual orientation would be counted against me as a negative.

My meeting did the work and then executed a sincere welcome. It now has a twice-monthly meeting for worship that is organized by members of the LGBTQIA+ community, while still being welcoming during its other meeting times.

I am also happy that, as part of FGC events, I also have spaces to meet and network with other gay folks and to benefit from their wisdom.

Let us not forget that Pride is not just a month to fellowship, but a time to reflect on all of our heroes who have done the hard work and left a blueprint for us to follow.

Let us march, let us reflect, and let us continue to press on until all marginalized people enjoy the freedoms of us all.

In Friendship,

Rashid Darden

Associate Secretary for Communications and Outreach