5 Ways to Keep Pride Going Past June

The month of Pride is over but our continual work for queer inclusion is never finished. When the pride flags are taken down off corporate buildings, churches, or homes, queer people are still fighting for their rights. Pride 2021 was filled with empowerment and hope and it is our work, as people of faith and instigators of justice, to keep moving forward in the work of liberation for all.

Here are 5 Ways to Keep Pride Going Past June:

1. Support Queer Business
   Keep Pride going by putting your money where your mouths is. Queer businesses throughout the country and the world are often marginalized. Do your research and find a local queer owned business to support. A city or town may have a LGBTQIA+ chamber of commerce which could make it easier to locate these businesses.
   
2. Integrate Queer Theology
   Our theologies are in need of a liberation boost. Under the liberation theology umbrella are queer theologies that expand our ideas of God and the divine. Books such as Our Lives Matter: A Womanist Queer Theology by Pamela R. Lightsey, and Radical Love: Introduction to Queer Theology by Patrick S. Cheng are great resources to get started. But it must go beyond books. We must continue our work of inclusion through music, liturgy, and ritual.
   
3. Empower Queer Youth
   Young people are the future and meeting young people where they are is essential in empowering them. Our queer youth are in need of support because of increasing anti-trans legislation and discrimination and bullying. Organizations like Beloved Arise are transforming what youth ministry looks like and we must continue to create spaces for queer young people.
   
4. Keep that Flag Up!
   Representation and symbols matter. Keeping up Pride flags year round is so important to continue the message of love and affirmation. Churches, especially, have been places of harm for our queer siblings and flying the pride flag does matter. However, a flag isn’t enough. We must do the work to be truly welcoming and inclusive.
   
5. Intersectionality
   To keep Pride going, we must continue the conversations and actions that connect the ways systems of white supremacy and racism impact our lives. The queer community must continue honest conversations as the broader society should.

This JustLists was created by the Unbound Team