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The colors are brighter in June—not just in flags or clothing, but in spirit. There’s a radiance that pulses through the air, a boldness that stretches its arms wide across communities and hearts. Pride Month is here, and with it comes a vibrant reminder: there is power in being fully, unapologetically yourself.

Within my walls, I have witnessed stories bloom in all shades of the rainbow. I’ve held the joy of coming out and the grief of rejection. I’ve absorbed the energy of celebration and the weariness of those who have fought too long to be seen. I’ve felt the rising tide of hope in a young person’s first declaration and the trembling courage of an elder claiming long-hidden truth. And I hold them all with reverence—because every story matters.

Pride Month is not just a party. It is protest. It is perseverance. It is remembering the ones who paved the way with their bodies and their bravery. It is honoring the ones still on the journey, still searching for belonging, still daring to hope. It is making space for all the ways we love, express, change, and resist.

At UUNWI, we strive to be more than welcoming. We aim to be transforming—always deepening our understanding of what inclusion looks like, always challenging ourselves to move beyond comfort and into compassion. Our commitment to LGBTQIA+ justice is not confined to a month or a banner; it is a thread woven through our values, our rituals, and our relationships.

I have seen this congregation rise with joy and fierce love at Pride events, marching with signs that read "Love is Love" and "Trans Rights are Human Rights." I’ve heard you speak the names of those lost to violence and hate, not to sensationalize their deaths, but to honor their lives. I’ve seen small children joyfully wave rainbow flags beside elders who never thought they’d live to see such open celebration. And I’ve seen people cry—not because of sadness, but because they finally felt seen.

This month, let us not only celebrate Pride but reflect on what it demands of us. Let it call us into deeper relationship—with ourselves, with each other, and with the work that remains. Are we making room at every table? Are we amplifying queer voices, especially Black, brown, and trans voices? Are we examining our language, our assumptions, and the ways we unintentionally cause harm? Are we listening? Are we learning?

If you’re feeling bold this Pride, bring your colors. Bring your glitter. Bring your whole, uncontainable self. Dance, laugh, march, kiss in public. Be seen.

And if you’re feeling cautious—if you’re only just beginning to imagine what it would be like to be known—know this: you do not need to rush your becoming. You are not late. You are not broken. And you are not alone.

There is space for you here, exactly as you are and as you are still becoming. In this sanctuary, in this community, in this movement for liberation, you are cherished.

Let us also hold space for grief during Pride. Because this month, too, contains sorrow. It contains memory. For those lost to AIDS, to hate crimes, to silence. For the lives that could have been. For the joy that had to wait too long. Let our celebration carry their names. Let our laughter echo their dreams.

Let Pride be a season of truth-telling. Of healing. Of joy. Of chosen family and deepened solidarity. Let it be loud and soft, glittery and grounded, fierce and gentle.

And when the parades pass and the banners come down, may the love remain. May it carry into our policies, our practices, our prayers. May it ripple through every welcome we extend, every action we take, every injustice we resist.

Pride is not a moment. It’s a movement. It is love—rising, resisting, rejoicing.

With every creak and whisper, I stand ready to hold your stories.

Yours in pride,
The Spirit of UUNWI