Times are tough for many in the LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual/Aromantic) community. How can your affirming congregation care for LGBTQIA+ children, youth, and households during these trying times?

More and more churches are participating in LGBTQIA+ pride events and boldly proclaiming welcome and inclusion to the LGBTQIA+ community. This trend is coming at a crucial time. The ACLU is tracking over 500 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills in the United States, with much of the legislation targeting transgender communities. The UCLA Williams Institute produced a study in 2025 about how this is affecting trans youth, showing that “more than half of transgender youth live in a state with at least one law or policy restricting their rights.”

This year also marks the tenth anniversary of the Pulse Shooting in Orlando, Florida, where a gunman murdered 49 people at a queer nightclub. With all of this going on, the rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide among LGBTQIA+ people, and particularly among youth, have skyrocketed, with 90% of LGBTQIA+ people surveyed in 2024 by the Trevor Project saying “their well-being was negatively impacted” due to the ongoing rise in anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation and violence. Due to this ongoing crisis, many faith leaders have reached out to me with questions about how to care for their LGBTQIA+ youth and their households.

Welcoming the LGBTQIA+ Community

Caring for LGBTQIA+ youth and their households includes starting with small, tangible things that can make a huge impact. My blog post “Building a Trans-Inclusive Program” from June 2024 is a good starting point; I share suggestions like sharing pronouns as a regular part of introductions and having a gender-neutral restroom.

As mentioned above, attending pride events is another way of showing welcome that many churches do. One note of caution, though: assess how welcoming your congregation actually is before representing the congregation at pride events. It is good to welcome and affirm LGBTQIA+ people in our congregations and communities. But in our desire to do so, we must not lead people who might be more vulnerable into situations where they can be harmed.

Hope and Faith in a LGBTQIA+ Future

I asked my friend, trans theologian and historian, River Cook Needham, what would have been helpful for her when she was a youth. She responded, “One of the most impactful things that could have happened for me was to know there is a future with me in it.” So much of the violent rhetoric is focusing on erasing LGBTQIA+ people from public spaces: bathroom bills, removing access to medical care, and more are ways of subtly (or, sadly, overtly) saying that LGBTQIA+ people are not welcome in public spheres. To River’s point, welcoming LGBTQIA+ people in the present is powerful, and giving space to imagine a future can be even more so. The Bible and Christian history are full of stories about marginalized communities hoping for a better future, and God being present in that hope. Boldly proclaiming that a future is possible for LGBTQIA+ individuals—and the community at large—is even more so.

Suggestions on Creating Belonging

An activity you could do in your programming that can be particularly powerful for LGBTQIA+ individuals is to gather art or writing supplies and ask participants to imagine what they want their future to look like. For youth and young adults, consider including questions about what they would want their body, relationships, and social life to look like, and what barriers—legal, familial, or otherwise—that would no longer be in place to achieve those goals. Having a safe place to imagine a future is a powerful tool, especially for LGBTQIA+ people who may not be able to talk about these things with their immediate family or friends.

Another option is to have a prayer service or similar intentional communal gathering. Use the time to tell stories from the Bible and from LGBTQIA+ history about hope and survival. Consider including a time for lament and celebration, where participants can share examples of each from their lives in the presence of a sacred community.

Invitation

This year, let Pride be an invitation. Let it be an invitation to your congregation to welcome LGBTQIA+ people more fully. Share stories of hope, resilience, and resistance, and give space for the LGBTQIA+ participants in your programming to be seen and loved in the present and imagine a future of possibility and hope.

Peace and all good,

Dr. Pace Warfield

About the Writer

Dr. Pace Warfield (they/them/theirs) recently received their PhD from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA. Their dissertation, Our Greatest Glory: A Queer Theological Anthropology in Conversation with Martin Luther’s Genesis Lectures, examined Luther’s writings from queer and disability theological frameworks. They have presented on Luther, queer sexuality, and religious history throughout the country. Pace lives in Minneapolis with their two dogs.

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