A candlelight vigil at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Louisville, Kentucky, memorializes transgender individuals who’ve been targeted or murdered for being who they are. Nov. 20, 2023. Photo: John Nation

[Episcopal News Service] On Nov. 20, Episcopal churches nationwide will observe Transgender Day of Remembrance by holding special worship services and prayer vigils to memorialize transgender individuals who’ve been targeted or murdered for being who they are and to raise awareness of violence against trans people.

“There are a lot of days where I’m terrified to leave my house, so knowing that Episcopal churches are somewhere I can always go and be safe is amazing,” Rocky Vanderford, webmaster for St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Louisville, Kentucky, and a trans man, told Episcopal News Service.

St. Mark’s, in partnership with several local nonprofits and faith groups, will host an evening vigil on the 20th and a fundraiser at Highlands Community Ministries, with proceeds benefiting Mandala House, an LGBTQ+-affirming outpatient mental health facility in Louisville. The money will be added to a mental health grants fund for trans people without health insurance. 

“A lot of people within the trans community, especially trans people of color, have a harder time accessing the resources they need when they’re visibly trans … in terms of employment and housing and health care access,” Vanderford said.

On the 21st, St. Mark’s members will attend a community Q&A panel discussion on trans issues at Mandala House.

The term “transgender” refers to an individual whose gender identity, expression, or behavior does not conform with the person’s assigned sex at birth; nonbinary reflects a gender identity that is not strictly male or female. The terms are often associated with each other but are not interchangeable.

Luminaries bearing the names of transgender people who’ve been murdered are lined in front of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church ahead of its Nov. 20, 2024, candlelight vigil observing Transgender Day of Remembrance. Photo: Dick Arnspiger

Worldwide, 281 trans people – including 31 in the United States – were murdered between Oct. 1, 2024, and Sept. 30, 2025, though the exact number may be much higher, according to the latest data compiled by the Trans Murder Monitoring Project, an initiative of the Berlin, Germany-based Transgender Europe. Most victims were Black or brown.

In Russellville, Arkansas, All Saints’ Episcopal Church will host a candlelight labyrinth walk on Nov. 20 in the parish hall. Names and photos of trans people murdered in the last year will be projected on screen, with participants asked to reflect silently on their lives while walking the labyrinth.

Jana M. Hall, co-coordinator of the labyrinth walk and an All Saints’ parishioner, told ENS that the church is working to establish relationships with Arkansas Tech University students and the newly formed local chapter of the nonprofit advocacy organization Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, or PFLAG. She hopes the relationships will make LGBTQ+ community members aware that they are safe to be themselves at All Saints’.

“We’re in a small town in rural Arkansas, so there’s a lot of struggle and a lot of hatred and a lot of fear going around as trans people try to live their daily lives,” Hall, who has trans siblings, said. “Not everyone has a solid support network, but we can try to be that for them.”

Out of 1,012 bills introduced nationwide in 2025 by federal, state and local legislators targeting LGBTQ+ rights, 124 have passed and 506 remain active. This is the sixth consecutive record-breaking year for the total number of proposed anti-LGBTQ+ bills, according to Trans Legislation Tracker, an independent research organization that tracks bills affecting anti-trans and gender-diverse people in the United States.

Many trans Americans and their families are moving to more LGBTQ+-affirming states or, if they can access passports, to other countries for safety reasons and in response to President Donald Trump’s executive orders targeting transgender rights, including limiting access to gender-affirming care for minors, according to Rainbow Railroad, a global nonprofit that helps LGBTQ+ people move to safety. Latoya Nugent, Rainbow Railroad’s head of engagement, told Time Magazine in an interview that the organization has received a record-high number of relocation assistance requests from U.S. citizens since Trump was elected a year ago.

However, not everyone can move because of financial constraints, family ties and other reasons. That’s why it’s “really important” for Episcopalians not only to support trans and nonbinary people at church, but also through political advocacy, Aaron Scott, The Episcopal Church’s gender justice officer and a trans man, told ENS. 

“Episcopalians need to ground ourselves in whatever we’re doing in our congregations and communities and support policy at every level – local, state and federal – to help everybody access gender-affirming care and establish and strengthen all LGBTQ rights,” Scott said. 

For example, General Convention in 2022 passed Resolution D066, which calls on Episcopalians to advocate for policies that support gender-affirming care for people of all ages, including minors. 

Scott has been working with the church’s Office of Communication to build a social media campaign in support of transgender people, which will launch on Nov. 20. The campaign will include a blessing video by the Rev. Cameron Partridge, rector of St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church in San Francisco, California, and a tribute to three trans Episcopal leaders who have died in recent years: the Rev. Gari Green, a founding member of TransEpiscopal, a group that advocates for more inclusive church policies toward transgender people and creates supportive spaces for trans Episcopalians; the Rev. Iain Michael Stanford, a member of TransEpiscopal who co-led advocacy efforts to add “gender identity and expression” to The Episcopal Church’s nondiscrimination canons for access to the ordination process at all church levels of leadership; and the Rev. Vicki Gray, the first openly trans person ordained in the Diocese of California.

“I miss each of these friends very, very much, and I think of them in the great cloud of witnesses standing with us,” Partridge, a trans man, told ENS. “I don’t know anyone who’s not impacted deeply, internally, emotionally, spiritually by the targeted attacks that are coming at us in various forms of violence in the wider world.”

Partridge said he will spend Transgender Day of Remembrance at a gathering at San Francisco City Hall. The group of activists will march to a nearby LGBTQ+ center.

“Organized action, active prayer … all are super important on Trans Day of Remembrance and beyond,” he said.

The day of remembrance was first observed in 1999 in response to the separate murders of three Black trans women in the Greater Boston, Massachusetts, area: Chanelle Pickett in November 1995; Monique Thomas in September 1998; and Rita Hester in November 1998. Hester’s unsolved murder sparked the day of remembrance. The Nov. 20 international observance concludes Transgender Awareness Week, Nov. 13-19. The day of remembrance is distinct from International Transgender Day of Visibility, which takes place every March 31 to celebrate and acknowledge transgender people and their contributions to society.

-Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.

Staff members from St. Luke in the Fields Episcopal Church in New York pose for a photo on the set of “Saturday Church,” an off-Broadway musical inspired by the church’s LGTBQ+ ministries. Photo: St. Luke in the Fields Episcopal Church

[Episcopal News Service] Welcoming and supporting the LGBTQ+ community of New York’s West Village is nothing new for St. Luke in the Fields Episcopal Church.

The congregation has been an active and affirming presence in its neighborhood at least since the 1980s, when it was known for openly ministering to people living with and dying from HIV/AIDS. And for decades on Saturday evenings St. Luke in the Fields has been a hub for activity through its community dinners, now promoted as Art and Acceptance gatherings.

What’s new now is the spotlight: St. Luke in the Fields’ ministries have inspired an off-Broadway musical, “Saturday Church,” based on a 2017 movie of the same name.

The production at the New York Theatre Workshop tells the story of a New York teen called Ulysses. “A chance encounter on the subway introduces him to the world of Saturday Church, a sanctuary for LGBTQ+ youth,” according to the production’s plot summary. “Caught between two worlds, Ulysses wrestles with family and faith as he strives to find the place where he can love and be loved – in all his fabulousness.”

For church members and leaders at St. Luke in the Fields, that theatrical spotlight has been a pleasant surprise — and an affirmation of their call to be an inclusive Christian presence in their urban neighborhood.

Until the show opened, “we had no idea … that this was in the works,” the Rev. Caroline Stacey, St. Luke in the Fields’ rector, told Episcopal News Service, adding that the musical’s significance is bigger than just their church. “Anything that connects the world that most people live in and the joy of the Gospel is a good thing.”

Last week, Stacey and other church staff members attended a performance of “Saturday Church” and were joined by New York Bishop Matthew Heyd. The production is due to run through Oct. 24, after which, time will tell whether it is able to move up to a Broadway theater.

“It’s a spectacular show,” the Rev. Andrew Ancona, senior associate priest, told ENS. He oversees outreach ministries at St. Luke in the Fields, including the Art and Acceptance dinners on Saturdays that inspired the musical. Ancona called the show “a wonderful representation of … the kind of chosen family that exists within the queer community, and the way that the church comes alongside that.”

“Saturday Church” was created by Damon Cardasis, who wrote and directed the original 2017 movie after visiting St. Luke in the Fields’ Art and Acceptance dinners. Cardasis describes himself as “the gay son of a female Episcopal priest,” and it was his mother who first suggested he check out the church’s gatherings.

“I thought it was fascinating that there was a program that was helping and providing social services to a lot of at-risk, LGBTQ+ youth, especially given the sort of contentious relationship between Christianity and this community,” Cardasis said in an interview with NY1’s “On Stage” TV show.

Cardasis’ movie caught the attention of Australian pop music star Sia, who signed on to provide the music and lyrics for the stage adaptation at New York Theatre Workshop, which opened on Aug. 27.

Its message is simple but timeless. “God loves each of us for who we are,” Ancona said.

That also is the spirit he and other church leaders bring to the Art and Acceptance dinners. They draw people from the neighborhood and across the city, usually 50 or more each Saturday from 4-7 p.m. The event starts with the meal, sometimes provided by local restaurants. It then transitions to fellowship time and various arts-influenced activities, from painting and music to fashion and dancing — “anything that allows us to express the fullness of who we are,” Ancona said.

“We also want to take care of the folks who come to us in other ways,” he said. For those living on the economic margins of the city, that might mean opportunities to learn about local social-service supports or the congregation’s other feeding and clothing ministries.

For St. Luke in the Fields, being LBTQ+ inclusive “doesn’t mean just saying we’re glad you’re here,” Ancona said. “It means uplifting the experiences of queer people and making sure they’re loved.”

The congregation’s Sunday services draw about 160 worshippers a week. And though the Art and Acceptance dinners on Saturday aren’t intended to fill the pews the next morning, Stacey said she thinks “Saturday Church” will help raise general awareness about ways church can still bring people together in an increasingly secular society.

“It’s about uplifting and celebrating the work of the Holy Spirit in the world today, creating communities of belonging,” Stacey said. “I hope it becomes a gateway for people to see the reality of God’s work.”

– David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.

St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church in Keller, Texas, hosted the city’s first Pride festival on Oct. 4. The event attracted at least 1,600 people and included live music, food trucks, games, face painting, arts vendors, yoga, mental health workshops and more. Photo: Pride Keller/Facebook

[Episcopal News Service] St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church in Keller, Diocese of Texas, hosted the city’s first Pride festival in collaboration with Pride Kel-So despite protests and backlash from local lawmakers.

At least 1,600 people attended the Oct. 4 Pride festival on St. Martin-in-the-Fields’ 12-acre campus, according to the Rev. Alan Bentrup, the church’s rector. He told Episcopal News Service that despite his congregation being “purple” politically, the vestry unanimously agreed to let the parish host the festival and be an example of “Jesus’ radical welcome.”

“It was just one way we can be a good neighbor and show God’s love to a community that too often has not felt that from churches,” Bentrup said.

Most Pride festivals and parades are celebrated in June during Pride Month, but many cities nationwide celebrate later in the year for various reasons, such as to coincide with National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11, or to avoid extreme summer heat. April Dreyson, co-founder of Pride Kel-So, said Pride Kel-So scheduled its festival for October to avoid the extreme heat – the city is in north-central Texas – and because October is LGBTQ History Month and many Pride festivals in the Dallas-Fort Worth areas already take place in June. The later date also gave the planning committee more preparation time.

“My wife [fellow Pride Kel-So co-founder Shaina Dreyson] and I both grew up in Keller and had no idea for the longest time that there’s such a huge LGBTQ+ community within Keller despite this area being so conservative,” Dreyson said. “We didn’t have any visibility here, but now we’re providing it to the community. …It was very beautiful and we’re still processing how incredible the festival was.”

April and Shaina Dreyson connected with Bentrup after noticing that St. Martin-in-the-Fields was sponsoring an interfaith concert supporting the North Texas TRANSportation Network, a nonprofit that provides travel and relocation grants to North Texas families of youth needing out-of-state gender-affirming care. They began planning the Pride festival earlier this year. 

The Pride Kel-So festival included live music, food trucks, games, face painting, arts vendors, yoga, mental health workshops and more. Seven other LGBTQ+ affirming churches from the area also had booths at the event.

Some lawmakers in Tarrant County, whose county seat is Fort Worth, openly opposed the festival ahead of the event, particularly plans for a drag show that Dreyson said was family friendly. A transgender musician also was scheduled to perform, but she voluntarily withdrew from the lineup to protect herself from further backlash. On Sept. 29, Keller Mayor Armin Mizani posted on X accusing the event of violating Texas Senate Bill 12, a law which prohibits sexually oriented performances in front of minors but was blocked by a federal court after being declared unconstitutional. The law was originally intended to specifically target drag shows, according to The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit politics and public policy website based in Austin.

Dreyson and Bentrup said they intentionally avoided engaging with protesters, many who arrived with signs denouncing the festival and quoting passages from the Old Testament that are interpreted as anti-LGBTQ+, such as Proverbs 16:18, which addresses pride and arrogance. One protester yelled at Bentrup when he offered him a bottle of water. Another screamed obscenities at festivalgoers, including children, through a bullhorn, as members of the Oak Lawn Band, an LGBTQ+ ensemble, marched over to him and performed “as loudly as possible” to drown out the obscenities, according to Bentrup.

“I didn’t hear a lot of the words of Jesus,” he said.

Bentrup said many “angry” protesters called St. Martin-in-the-Fields to express disapproval of the church’s stance affirming LGBTQ+ people and of hosting the Pride festival. He responded by asking for prayers that all festivalgoers are safe.

“That, to me, is what got through to a lot of people,” he said. “We’re still going to disagree, but they’re not yelling at me anymore, and I’m not yelling at them anymore, because that doesn’t lead anywhere good.”

Before the festival, some people called Dreyson expressing concerns over a church hosting the Pride festival because “there’s so much religious trauma in the LGBTQ+ community, and so many have been turned away from church.”

“[Bentrup] has healed so much of that trauma for me personally without ever giving any pressure to attend his church. He’s just genuinely there for us,” Dreyson said. “We wouldn’t have held this festival at a church that wasn’t truly affirming. It’s hard to compete with all the mega churches out here, but it’s so reassuring to know such affirming and welcoming churches [like St. Martin-in-the-Fields] are out there.”

-Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.

The Rev. Vicki Gray, the first openly trans person ordained in the Diocese of California, died Aug. 3 at age 86. Photo: Facebook

[Episcopal News Service] The Rev. Victoria Gray, a deacon in the Diocese of California and the first openly transgender person to be ordained there, died on Aug. 3. She was 86.

Gray, who was known as Vicki, was ordained to the diaconate on Dec. 2, 2006, following her graduation from the diocese’s School for Deacons. Her death was announced by TransEpiscopal in an Aug. 6 blog post paying tribute to Gray.

TransEpiscopal, a group of transgender, nonbinary and allied Episcopalians, called Gray “a proud deacon and passionate advocate for social justice in manifold intersecting forms.” The tribute said she also had been a longtime member of the Episcopal Peace Fellowship’s Palestine Justice Network and had supported numerous resolutions in support of Palestinian justice at California’s diocesan convention, as well as at The Episcopal Church’s General Convention.

Gray served at St. James Episcopal Church in San Francisco after her ordination and then for many years at Christ the Lord Episcopal Church in Pinole, California, as well as the San Francisco Night Ministry’s Open Cathedral. She was a member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Benicia, California, before her ordination and was attending there when she died.

Born Feb. 16, 1939, in New York City, Gray was formerly a political scientist, having earned a bachelor’s degree in science from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1962, a master’s degree from Boston University in 1971 and a doctorate from the University of Maryland in 2002. She worked for a time as a member of the U.S. Foreign Service and served in the U.S. Navy, including a tour in Vietnam.

TransEpiscopal said she “was haunted by the violence she encountered and participated in” during the war, and it prompted her later efforts working for “the eradication of war, poverty, racism, sexism, xenophobia, transphobia and their intersections.”

She became associated with TransEpiscopal in 2008 and was a part of the organization’s team at the 2009 General Convention, when resolutions on non-discrimination against trans people were debated. That effort came to fruition in 2012, when the church voted to add “gender identity and expression” to the canon on non-discrimination in access to the discernment process for ordination in The Episcopal Church.

Gray was one of the Episcopalians featured in the 2012 video, “Voices of Witness: Out of the Box,” which recounts the experience of several trans people within the church. In it, she described her decades-long marriage to her wife, Mimi, who died in 2000.

In an Aug. 7 Facebook post, the Rev. Susan Russell, canon for engagement in the Diocese of Los Angeles and herself a longtime proponent of the rights of LGBTQ+ people in the church, called Gray “one of the great siblings in the struggle for LGBTQ equity and justice.”

The Rev. Kenneth Parris, a deacon at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, on Aug. 5 wrote on Gray’s Facebook page, “in life you were a vocal advocate for those who had no voice. You would engage in ‘good trouble’ on behalf of the poor, the weak, the sick and the lonely. And you always strived to live a life full of the Gospel of Christ.”

In response, Sarah Lawton, a longtime General Convention deputy from the Diocese of California, replied, “Vicki was the best of us! Stalwart, so intelligent and accomplished, fierce and also gentle. I’m sure she is glad to be joining her beloved wife Mimi in God’s love for us beyond the grave. I hope we can take strength from her voice and witness now to face these times — as she would urge us to do.”

Funeral services for Gray have not yet been announced.

The Lutheran Church of the Reformation near the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., held a gender-affirming care rally on June 18, 2025, in response to the court’s ruling upholding Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors. The Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision in the case of U.S. v. Skrmetti that Tennessee’s ban, which bans puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender and nonbinary youth, does not violate the U.S. Constitution and can remain in effect. Photo: Bryan Dozier/AP

[Episcopal News Service] The Memphis-based Diocese of West Tennessee and the Southeastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America released a pastoral letter “with heavy hearts” expressing their commitment to support transgender youth and their families in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling last week upholding a Tennessee ban on providing gender-affirming medical care for trans and nonbinary minors.

“Today, transgender youth and their families find themselves in positions of profound vulnerability, facing legal barriers to accessing health care that medical professionals and major medical associations consider appropriate and necessary,” the June 23 letter said. “In our Lutheran and Episcopal traditions, we proclaim the fundamental truth that every human being is created in the image of God – the imago Dei – and is therefore deserving of dignity, respect, and love.”

In 2023, the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee and other legal groups sued the state on behalf of a Nashville couple and their 15-year-old trans daughter, a Memphis-based doctor and two other anonymous plaintiffs.

The Supreme Court ruling against the plaintiffs in the case, United States v. Skrmetti, now permits similar bans in 25 other states – where an estimated 39.4% of trans youth live, according to the Human Rights Campaign – and effectively prevents extending new constitutional protections to trans people. Some states, like Ohio and Florida, have gone further and moved to restrict access to gender-affirming care for adults. Some advocates fear that the court’s June 18 ruling could lead to bans on other forms of health care, like birth control, in vitro fertilization or vaccines.

Out of 940 anti-trans bills introduced in 49 states so far in 2025 by federal, state and local legislators, 115 have already passed, and 729 cases remain active, according to Trans Legislation Tracker, an independent research organization that tracks bills affecting anti-trans and gender-diverse people in the United States.

“Both Episcopal and Lutheran social teachings call us to work for systemic change that promotes human dignity and wellbeing,” the letter said. “We continue to advocate at local, state, and federal levels for policies that protect the rights and health care access of transgender individuals, particularly minors who are most vulnerable to legislative restrictions. Our collaborative efforts to advocate for and provide access to health care for all is a matter of justice for all people.”

Several independent studies conducted by professional medical organizations find that access to gender-affirming care – including puberty blockers, hormones and surgical procedures – improves the mental health of trans and nonbinary youth, reducing depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation.

The ruling was decided one day after the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration announced that the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline will no longer offer the “Press 3 option” for LGBTQ+ youth-specific services. 

The latest data from The Trevor Project, a nonprofit organization committed to providing counseling and suicide prevention services for LGBTQ+ youth, shows that 90% of young LGBTQ+ people reported recent politics has “negatively impacted” their well-being, and 45% of trans and nonbinary people or their families have considered moving to a different state because of LGBTQ+-related politics and legislation. The same report shows that young LGBTQ+ people who live in “very accepting” communities attempt suicide at less than half the rate of those who live in “very unaccepting” communities.

In the letter, the diocese and synod listed four commitments:

• Praying for trans youth, their families and their allies.
• Working to understand practically the meaning of being welcoming and inclusive communities.
• Supporting organizations that provide resources for trans people.
• Proclaiming “the Gospel truth that God’s love knows no boundaries.”

“While last week’s ruling represents a significant setback, we are reminded that God’s justice is not bound by human institutions or court decisions,” the leaders said. “It is incredibly important for us to stand together with all who identify as transgender, gender non-binary, or gender fluid. Please hear us clearly say: We see you. We love you. We are with you. You are beloved children of God. Your identity is sacred, your dignity is non-negotiable, and your place in God’s reign is secure.”

TransEpiscopal, a group that advocates for more inclusive church policies toward transgender people, last week released a statement calling on Episcopalians to “stand with us” in response to United States v. Skrmetti:

“We are afflicted but not crushed, perplexed but not despairing, persecuted but not forsaken, struck but not destroyed,” the June 18 statement said. “For we struggle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places, confident that Jesus’ risen life is being made visible in our bodies.”

-Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.

In 2023, the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee and other legal groups sued the state on behalf of a Nashville couple and their 15-year-old trans daughter, a Memphis-based doctor and two other anonymous plaintiffs.

The ruling against the plaintiffs in the case, United States v. Skrmetti, now permits similar bans in 25 other states – where an estimated 39.4% of trans youth live, according to the Human Rights Campaign – and effectively prevents extending new constitutional protections to trans people. Some states, like Ohio and Florida, have additionally moved to restrict access to gender-affirming care for adults.

TransEpiscopal’s statement follows.

Together with other trans people and our families across this country, we received with heaviness of heart, if not surprise, today’s news of the Supreme Court ruling in United States v. Skrmetti. In the ruling, a 6-3 majority upheld a Tennessee ban on gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth, thus protecting bans in more than 20 other states, with more in the pipeline.

These bans constitute a deeply cynical, life-undermining political interference in the most intimate and often life-saving health care decisions. Such decisions are processes of careful discernment with the support of medical doctors who are following growing evidence in their field and with families who know and love their children. This ruling also encourages a hateful movement that foments exclusion and violence against vulnerable youth and indeed all transgender people, by refusing to uphold constitutional protections against discrimination on the basis of sex.

“In sadness, I dissent.”

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who read her dissent out loud from the bench this morning, wrote that the majority decision is a retreat from heightened scrutiny of discrimination on the basis of sex under the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution, upholding a “categorical ban on lifesaving treatment” on the basis of sex and transgender status. “The Court today renders transgender Americans doubly vulnerable to state-sanctioned discrimination,” she said. “It authorizes, without second thought, untold harm to transgender children and the parents and families who love them … By retreating from meaningful judicial review exactly where it matters most, the Court abandons transgender children and their families to political whims. In sadness, I dissent.”

We are crystal clear that this majority ruling, and the hundreds of anti-trans bills – over 700 – now moving through statehouses and Congress today, are part of a strategy to use transgender people, and especially transgender youth, who are a small minority with little political power in American life, as pawns of political convenience. They are using our existence, our very lives, as an opportunity to gin up a culture war to support a surging right-wing political movement – a movement that deploys a distorted, Christian nationalist rendition of Christianity. If these same legislators really and truly cared about the health and well-being of America’s children, they would not now be moving a “Murder Budget” bill through Congress that proposes draconian cuts to Medicaid and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) that will snatch access to health care and food from millions of kids with the stroke of a pen in order to fund tax cuts for billionaires.

A faithful response

In the midst of this maelstrom, we are also encouraged by the support that surrounds us.
​
We are grateful for the Episcopal Church’s clear, official position of support for anti-discrimination laws, gender-affirming care and access to health care for all, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.

We are inspired by vocal support from bishops, clergy and lay Episcopalians in state legislatures against bans such as the one in Tennessee. As Bishop Betsey Monnot said in her recent testimony to the Iowa state Legislature, “Transgender Iowans are members of my congregations and members of communities across the state of Iowa. They are your neighbors and my neighbors. Jesus calls us to love our neighbors as ourselves. It is unthinkable to remove civil rights and legal protections from people that we love.”

We are deeply appreciative of the Episcopal dioceses and congregations that held Trans Day of Visibility events and services this year, and for the Episcopal Church’s recent celebration of LGBTQ+ Pride with Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe.

With pride we lift up the work of Aaron Scott, the Gender Justice Staff Officer at Episcopal Church Center, and all who support his vital ministry. Aaron has offered galvanizing webinars (such as the Gender Justice Jam and “Building a Fighting Church”) and other formation resources to support dioceses and congregations in responding to what is an unfolding health and pastoral care emergency.

Stand with us. 

Indeed, with this Supreme Court ruling, this pastoral emergency affecting families with transgender youth will be deepening. Families in states with health care bans will be considering whether to stay or go, even as nearly 50% of trans adults have moved or are considering moving to another U.S. location or out of the country altogether. Churches in states that still allow health care for trans youth may be receiving some of these families, even as churches in states with bans continue to be called upon to support those who remain. In an atmosphere of rejection, menace and violence, our Episcopal congregations are, in many places, a singular place of refuge for our families. More than ever before, now is the time to step up our pastoral care, advocacy and solidarity with trans people of all ages.

In the coming days, we urge our congregations and dioceses to join in the Pride events happening in your local communities as a visible Christian presence of love and solidarity, especially in trans-specific events. Please also observe the Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray’s feast day on July 1; this is an opportunity to lift up the work of a remarkable legal scholar and Episcopal priest whose writings were fundamental in constitutional advances to roll back discrimination on the basis of sex and race – and whose own gender identity was almost certainly transgender, although Dr. Murray was not able to express this identity in a public way.

As we sit with today’s news and gather strength for the journey forward, we are reminded of the Apostle Paul’s words to Jesus-followers in Corinth and Ephesus (2 Corinthians 4:8-9, 10b; Ephesians 6:12). We are afflicted but not crushed, perplexed but not despairing, persecuted but not forsaken, struck but not destroyed. For we struggle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places, confident that Jesus’ risen life is being made visible in our bodies.

Michigan Bishop Bonnie Perry

[Episcopal News Service] Michigan Bishop Bonnie Perry will celebrate the second full weekend of Pride Month with Anglicans in Dublin, Ireland, beginning with preaching at the fifth annual livestreamed Pride worship service at Christ Church Cathedral on June 13.

Perry, a lesbian, told Episcopal News Service in a phone interview that she’s still “in awe” at having been invited to lead Pride Month programming at Christ Church Cathedral.

“In 2006, when I was the first out lesbian on a ballot in the Diocese of California, the archbishop of Canterbury spoke out against my candidacy,” said Perry, who’s been bishop of Michigan since 2020. “I came in dead last in that election for a number of reasons, but one of the reasons was the overwhelming sense that the Anglican Communion did not want another LGBT person in the office of the bishop after [former New Hampshire Bishop] Gene Robinson.

“If someone had told me nearly 20 years later that I would be flying out to Ireland to preach at their pride service as the bishop of Michigan, I would have been amazed.”

LGBTQ+ issues have always been a significant part of Perry’s ministry. In 2007, she co-founded and became a co-convenor of the Chicago Consultation, a network of Anglican theologians, clergy, community leaders and activists who work for full inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in The Episcopal Church and in the wider Anglican Communion. The consultation was involved with passing resolutions at General Convention in 2009 and 2012, including the affirmation of opening all orders of ministry to LGBTQ+ people, eliminating canonical discrimination against transgender people and providing The Episcopal Church with a liturgy for blessing same-sex marriages. Today, most of the Chicago Consultation’s work is concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa.

In 2023, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer appointed Perry one of 13 commissioners for the state’s LGBTQ+ Commission.

Ireland became the world’s first country to legalize same-sex marriage through a popular vote in 2015. However, the Church of Ireland, a member of the Anglican Communion, doesn’t permit same-sex marriage.

Christ Church Cathedral has been hosting its annual Pride Service since 2021. It’s organized by Changing Attitude Ireland, a Church of Ireland-based organization that seeks to promote love, understanding and justice for LGBTQ+ people from both within and outside the church.

Michigan Bishop Bonnie Perry, right, and the Very Rev. Dermot Dunne, left, at Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland, for the 2025 Pride Month worship service. Photo: Courtesy of Matthew “Matty” Zaradich

“I am delighted with the raising of the profile of the service this year when, on Friday 13 June we will welcome Bishop Bonnie Perry of the diocese of Michigan to preach at the annual service in the cathedral. Bonnie is a leading voice in promoting LGBTQ+ issues in The Episcopal Church,” the Very Rev. Dermot Dunne, dean of Christ Church Cathedral, told ENS in an email. “I am very happy to represent the community of the cathedral in its support for the LGBTQ+ community and to identify publicly with all the issues facing that community in these troubled times.”

This year’s Pride Month is taking place as hate crimes targeting LGBTQ+ people continue to increase worldwide. Between Oct. 1, 2023, and Sept. 30, 2024, 350 known transgender people worldwide were murdered, though the number may be much higher, according to data compiled by the Trans Murder Monitoring Project, an initiative of Transgender Europe, a Berlin, Germany-based nongovernmental organization.

Globally, LGBTQ+ people are also at risk of suffering from mental health issues because of discrimination, homophobia or transphobia, social isolation, rejection, negative experiences of coming out or being afraid to come out. Many LGBTQ+ people have also been denied or received unequal health care treatment, according to the Mental Health Foundation, a United Kingdom-based organization committed to addressing mental health issues through education and advocacy programs.

After the Pride service concludes, the cathedral will host a reception and celebration honoring Belong To – LGBTQ+ Youth Ireland, the country’s national organization supporting young LGBTQ+ people. During the reception, Dunne will present a €3,000 check to Belong To.

On June 14, Perry will lead a workshop on The Episcopal Church’s decades-long journey toward LGBTQ+ equality and inclusion. She also will discuss community organizing for the Church of Ireland, addressing how to best connect with people of different perspectives when engaging in discussions of same-sex marriage and other LGBTQ+ issues.

On June 15, Perry will preach at Christ Church Cathedral’s livestreamed Trinity Sunday worship service. Matthew “Matty” Zaradich, a former parishioner of Perry’s when she was rector of All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Chicago, Illinois, now lives in Dublin and is planning the cathedral’s Pride service. He told ENS that having Perry preach during the service this year “is an absolute joy.”

“Bringing [Perry] to my new home in Dublin for our Pride Service at Christ Church is profoundly meaningful,” Zaradich said in an email. “What I learned from Bonnie then still grounds me now: where there is love, there is holiness; and where there is holiness, there is God. Her preaching will be a gift to our community, and I know it will leave an indelible impact.”

Perry said this will be her first time visiting Ireland, and she’s “super excited” to be there with her wife, the Rev. Susan Harlow, a pastor in the United Church of Christ.

“Christ Church Cathedral is graciously welcoming to people who are LGBTQ+, and I am happy to be a part of it,” Perry said. “It’s truly an honor.”

Watch the livestream of both services here.

-Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.

Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe, right, presided over a June 1, 2025, Eucharist at the Chapel of Christ the Lord at the Episcopal Church Center in New York, New York. The worship service served as a blessing and formal commissioning for Episcopalians and Episcopal congregations to observe Pride Month throughout June. Photo: Screenshot

[Episcopal News Service] The Episcopal Church kicked off Pride Month celebrations and affirmations of LGBTQ+ people with a special livestreamed Eucharist at the Chapel of Christ the Lord at the Episcopal Church Center in New York, New York.

Watch the service on the church’s website or Facebook page.

Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe presided in person at the June 1 service, which served as a blessing and formal commissioning for Episcopalians and Episcopal congregations to observe Pride Month. The Rev. Cameron Partridge, rector of St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church in San Francisco, Diocese of California, and a trans man, preached remotely.

“Let us love one another, not even thoughor despite our queerness, our transness but because of the unique human beings God has created us to be and to become,” Partridge said during his sermon. “In the face of so many who refuse to know us, may our love, our lives reflect the glory of God upholding us, transforming us, strengthening us, and charging us to make our way forward in this moment, together.”

Read Partridge’s entire sermon here.

Pride Month has been celebrated nationwide in June since 1970. It began after the Stonewall riots, a series of gay liberation protests that took place one year prior between June 28 and July 3, 1969. The riots started in response to a police raid at the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York’s Greenwich Village neighborhood. In 1999, former President Bill Clinton commemorated the Stonewall riots’ 30th anniversary by declaring June as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. June 28 is International LGBT Pride Day, though celebrations are held throughout June.

“LGBTQ+” stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning, with the “+” sign representing the many other sexual orientations and gender identities that are not explicitly included in the acronym, including intersex, asexual, two-spirit and more. The inclusive terms and its variations – such as “LGBTQIA2S+” and others – are meant to acknowledge the diverse and expansive spectrum of human sexuality and gender expression.

The service began with a recorded performance by Trinity Church Wall Street’s choir of “Epilogue: Meet Me Here” from “Considering Matthew Shepard,” Craig Hella Johnson’s Grammy-nominated three-part oratorio. Johnson composed the work as a musical response to the murder of Shepard – a young gay man who in 1998 was beaten and tortured to death because of his sexuality. Shepard’s parents held onto his ashes for 20 years out of fear his grave would be vandalized before they were safely interred at Washington National Cathedral.

This year’s Pride Month is taking place as hate crimes targeting LGBTQ+ people continue to increase worldwide; and as anti-LGBTQ+ bills continue to be introduced nationwide, with six additional anti-trans bills passing since May 30.

The Rev. Cameron Partridge, rector of St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church in San Francisco, Diocese of California, and a trans man, preached remotely during The Episcopal Church’s June 1, 2025, Eucharist at the Chapel of Christ the Lord at the Episcopal Church Center in New York, New York. The worship service kicked off Pride Month celebrations and affirmations of LGBTQ+ people. Photo: Screenshot

Since The Episcopal Church formally began to welcome and affirm LGBTQ+ people in 1976 through acts of General Convention, Episcopal dioceses, congregations, organizations and individuals continue to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. LGBTQ+ people also now serve in multiple clergy and lay leadership roles, including bishops. Many churches sponsor and march in their local Pride parades and festivals, while many others display the rainbow flag despite the risk of vandalism.

The rainbow flag – designed by Gilbert Baker and other artists in 1978 by commission from Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California – reflects the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community and the spectrum of human sexuality and gender. More Episcopal churches are also now flying the Progress Pride flag, a variation on the traditional Pride flag with added white, pink and light blue stripes to represent the transgender community, a brown stripe to represent communities of color and a black stripe in remembrance of the 42.3 million people who have died by HIV/AIDS since 1981 – many of whom were LGBTQ+.

“Pride gives us an opportunity to remember the struggles, celebrate the joy, and give thanks for the love of God that binds us together and makes us one,” Rowe wrote in a message printed in the service bulletin. “Especially this year, Pride provides an opportunity to stand against injustice and fear by proclaiming that LGBTQ+ people are beloved children of God and cherished members of The Episcopal Church and the Body of Christ.”

New Testament readings included passages from Acts 1:1-11 and Revelation 22. The Gospel reading was John 17:20-26 – Jesus prays for all believers.

The service also included a recording of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, California’s choir performing “In the Midst of New Dimensions,” a hymn written and composed by Julian B. Rush, an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church.

During the commissioning, adapted from the Book of Occasional Services, Rowe addressed the congregation: “You have been called to ministries of the church, to be carried out in communities, congregations, dioceses and all the places in which you serve. Will you faithfully do so to the honor of God and the benefit of the church?”

The congregation replied: “We will.”

Shaneequa Brokenleg, the presiding bishop’s staff officer for racial reconciliation and a Lakota “winkte,” or “two-spirit,” sang an original work called “Creator God, We Cry to You.”

“Hear our prayer for all who serve across your church, for all who doubt and all who search, for all who seek, for all who find, for open hearts and open minds, for justice, peace and equity… .”

Native American cultures generally have a broader understanding of gender identity than European cultures. As an example, the Lakota language does not use gendered pronouns, and two-spirit are seen as reconcilers and healers.

The service also included a reading of Prayers of the People written by the church’s Task Force on LGBTQ+ Inclusion: “For communities that honor queer and transgender lives, and for voices that proclaim your gospel of love and transformation. Strengthen your Church with power through your Spirit, especially where it has caused harm or withheld blessing. Teach us to walk in love, as Christ loved us, and to be faithful stewards of your reconciling grace. … For all who carry hidden wounds, who live with chronic pain, illness, addiction, or despair. For LGBTQ+ youth and elders, especially those cut off from family or care. Let your Spirit bring healing, courage, and companionship.”

The Episcopal Church has special Pride Month resources available on its website, including a downloadable Pride shield, short videos highlighting the church’s advocacy and support, social media graphics and more.

During his sermon, Partridge recalled while a student at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania interviewing an openly gay priest for an essay on the conflict of sexuality in The Episcopal Church in the 90s. Partridge asked the priest, “Do you see [being gay] as integral to your ministry or do you see it as somewhat a part of you that isn’t necessarily in the forefront?”

The priest replied, “People say to you, ‘oh, I love you even though you are gay.’ And my answer is, ‘on the contrary, you love me because I am gay. That the things that you love about me – my warmth, my empathy, my identification with the marginalized, my passion for justice, my humor – all of those things have been shaped by the experience of being gay. So if you love me, not only is being gay part of the package. In a very, very real spiritual sense, gay is the package.”

-Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.

Every year, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Kansas City, Missouri, hosts the Dioceses of Kansas and West Missouri’s annual Diocesan Mass as part of the Kansas City PrideFest during Pride Month in June. After the mass, members of the dioceses march in the Pride parade in solidarity and celebration of LGBTQ+ people. Photo: Diocese of Kansas

[Episcopal News Service] Episcopal churches nationwide will recognize Pride Month throughout June with special events to celebrate and affirm LGBTQ+ people, and to raise awareness of increasing anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment.

“It’s really important for Christians to be actively, vocally affirming and visible in Pride Month. It’s a time to be fabulous, to be joyful and to celebrate,” the Rev. Cameron Partridge, rector of St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church in San Francisco, Diocese of California, and a trans man, told Episcopal News Service. “I’m looking forward to continuing to live out our witness as a church in support of the community and as agents of good news and transformers of this world.”

On June 1 at 6 p.m. Eastern, The Episcopal Church will kick off Pride Month with a special livestreamed Eucharist at the Chapel of Christ the Lord at the Episcopal Church Center in New York, New York, “to bless and commission Episcopalians who will share God’s love at Pride events across the church,” and to “celebrate the dignity, love and lives of LGBTQ+ people.” Partridge will preach and Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe will preside.

Pride Month has been celebrated nationwide in June since 1970. It began after the Stonewall riots, a series of gay liberation protests that took place one year prior between June 28 and July 3, 1969. The riots started in response to a police raid at the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York’s Greenwich Village neighborhood. In 1999, then-President Bill Clinton commemorated the Stonewall riots’ 30th anniversary by declaring June as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. June 28 is International LGBT Pride Day, though celebrations commonly occur on other days in June.

This year’s Pride Month events will take place as anti-LGBTQ+ bills continue to be introduced nationwide. As of May 16, the American Civil Liberties Union is tracking 588 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in the United States. Out of 910 anti-trans bills introduced in 49 states so far in 2025 by federal, state and local legislators, 103 have already passed, and 731 cases remain active, according to Trans Legislation Tracker, an independent research organization that tracks bills affecting anti-trans and gender-diverse people in the United States.

In January, President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning initiatives that support diversity, equity and inclusion, prompting federal agencies and now some private corporations to discontinue commemorating holidays and observances, including Pride Month. By early February, agency websites began to remove mention of transgender or queer people, including the Rev. Pauli Murray, and changed the acronym LGBTQ (for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) to LGB.

Additionally, hate crimes targeting marginalized groups, including LGBTQ+ people, also have increased worldwide. Between Oct. 1, 2023, and Sept. 30, 2024, 350 known transgender people worldwide – including 41 in the United States – were murdered, though the number may be much higher, according to data compiled by the Trans Murder Monitoring Project, an initiative of Transgender Europe, a Berlin, Germany-based nongovernmental organization.

The Episcopal Church has been formally welcoming and affirming LGBTQ+ people since 1976, when General Convention adopted two resolutions stating that “homosexual persons are children of God who have a full and equal claim with all other persons upon the love, acceptance, and pastoral concern and care of the Church (A069), and that they “are entitled to equal protection of the laws with all other citizens (A071).

Today, Episcopal dioceses, congregations, organizations and individuals continue to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, and LGBTQ+ people now serve in clergy and lay leadership roles, including bishops. Many churches display the rainbow flag despite the risk of vandalism, while many others sponsor and march in their local Pride parades and festivals.

“I recognize that sometimes there may be a place where, for instance, it’s not safe to have pride flags flying outside your church. Maybe in those cases, you don’t do that, but you make sure that within your community, you are doing the work to be fully welcoming and supportive,” Partridge said. “I recognize that not all contexts are the same, and you have to know your context and what’s going to create the greatest reality of sanctuary for trans and nonbinary folks in your midst.”

The Episcopal Church has special Pride Month resources available on its website, including a downloadable Pride shield, short videos highlighting the church’s advocacy and support, social media graphics and more.

The following is a list of some Episcopal congregations hosting Pride Month gatherings or participating in community-led events. Check online for additional events hosted by local dioceses and parishes. All times are local.

Every year, members of the Diocese of Indianapolis participate in the Indy Pride Festival & Parade in Indianapolis during Pride Month in June to welcome and affirm LGBTQ+ people. Photo: Diocese of Indianapolis

Lebanon, Pennsylvania — St. Luke’s Episcopal Church will hold a livestreamed Pride service on June 1 at 10:30 a.m. followed by a luncheon. At 3 p.m., St. Luke’s will host the Harrisburg Gay Men’s Chorus, who will perform their spring program, “A Choral Kaleidoscope.”

Crystal Lake, Illinois — Trinity Episcopal Parish: St. Mary’s Church is sponsoring and participating in the city’s downtown Pride Walk & Social, taking place June 1 beginning at 11 a.m. A festival featuring live music, line dancing, karaoke and a car show will follow. The festival will also include a craft fair supporting LGBTQ+-owned businesses and makers, as well as opportunities to connect with local nonprofits and community resources.

New York City — St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Harlem, Upper Manhattan, will host a special Pride worship service on June 1 at 10 a.m. After the service, everyone is welcome to gather in the church’s garden beginning at noon for the “Gay Garden Get Together,” “where the vibes are lush, the love is loud, and the community is unapologetically queer.” There will be a DJ and live performances and presentation, as well as open mic opportunities for poetry readings, music and storytelling. “This is a celebration of Pride, joy, resilience, and community. Whether you’re out and proud or still finding your way, this space is for YOU.”

Greenville, North Carolina — Members of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church will participate in an interfaith Pride prayer service on June 1 at 3 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Greenville. The Rev. Josiah Daniels, associate rector of St. Paul’s, will be the headline speaker. The event will include activities for children.

Arlington, Virginia — St. George’s Episcopal Church will host a special choral evensong service on June 1 at 3:45 p.m. followed by a festive reception. Selected repertoire will include works by LGBTQ+ composers.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma — Members of St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral will march in the 39th Street Pride Parade on June 1 at 7 p.m. This year’s parade theme, “They Can’t Erase Us,” will serve “to remind the world that our stories, our love, and our existence cannot be erased. …We are here, and we are unstoppable.”

Homewood, Alabama — All Saints Episcopal Church will host a contemplative prayer service celebrating and uplifting the LGBTQ+ community on June 4 at 6 p.m. The service will include reflection and music. The Rev. Dillon Greene, rector of St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church in Chelsea, Alabama, will preach.

Salt Lake City, Utah — The Episcopal Church of Utah will host and participate in several events in conjunction with the city’s Utah Pride Parade & Festival beginning with an interfaith Pride service on June 5 at 7 p.m. at First Baptist Church in Salt Lake City. Utah Bishop Phyllis Spiegel will lead the service. On June 7 and 8, the diocese will have a booth at the Pride festival in Salt Lake City. The diocese will also participate in the Pride parade on June 8, starting with a pre-parade led by the Rev. Jeff Stevenson, canon to the ordinary, at 10 a.m.

San Francisco, California — St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church will host a “Pride poster pizza party” on June 6 at 6 p.m., where members of the congregation and community can make LGBTQ+-affirming posters ahead of Pride Month events in the San Francisco Bay area, including the Queer Faith Festival from 1-4 p.m. at St. Anselm’s Episcopal Church on June 14 in Lafayette, the Trans March on June 27 in San Francisco and the San Francisco Pride Parade on June 29. Also in San Francisco, Grace Cathedral will host its annual Pride Mass on June 1 at 6 p.m.

Kansas City, Missouri — St. Paul’s Episcopal Church will host the Dioceses of Kansas and West Missouri’s annual Diocesan Mass on June 7 at 9 a.m. as part of the Kansas City PrideFest. After Mass, members of the dioceses will march in the Pride parade.

Memphis, Tennessee — Members of Grace-St. Luke’s Episcopal Church will participate in the Mid-South Pride Parade in Memphis on June 7 at 11 a.m. The church will also include a collect supporting its LGBTQ+ ministry during worship services throughout June.

Patchogue, New York — St. Paul’s Episcopal Church will host its second annual Pride Mass on June 7 at noon. The special worship service will kick off Pride Weekend in Patchogue.

Seward, Alaska — St. Peter’s Episcopal Church will conclude Pride Weekend Seward with a special Pride worship service on June 8 at 9 a.m.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin — Episcopalians in the Diocese of Wisconsin will march at the Milwaukee Pride Parade on June 8 beginning at 2 p.m. “The Episcopal Diocese of Wisconsin is proud to show up in love, solidarity, and celebration with our LGBTQ+ siblings. …All are welcome – really.”

Indianapolis, Indiana — Members of the Diocese of Indianapolis will march in the Indy Pride Parade in downtown Indianapolis alongside the diocese’s special float. Participants will gather at the lineup at 9:30 a.m. for a brief worship service, a half hour before the parade begins. The diocese will also have a booth at the Indy Pride Festival during and after the parade.

Missoula, Montana — Members of Holy Spirit Episcopal Church will march or ride vehicles in the Missoula Pride Parade on June 21 at noon. Staging begins at 10 a.m.

Las Vegas, Nevada — All Saints/Todos Los Santos Episcopal Church will dedicate its 9:30 a.m. English language worship service to Pride Month and expressing solidarity for LGBTQ+ people on June 29. “Diverse and beautiful, blessed and beloved, we are all made in the image of the Creator of all things.”

-Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.

A transgender pride flag is displayed at a booth during Portland Pride on July 21, 2024, in Portland, Oregon. Photo: Jenny Kane/AP

[Episcopal News Service] Over the next week, some Episcopal churches will recognize International Transgender Day of Visibility, March 31, with special worship services and educational events to celebrate transgender people and their contributions to society, and to raise awareness of the discrimination they face worldwide.

“This is a time of celebration. I do think it’s important to acknowledge the particular context we are in right now, but for now we will focus on empowerment and strengths and celebrating the vibrant, lived reality of trans and nonbinary and two-spirit [meaning, third-gender person],” the Rev. Cameron Partridge, rector of St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church in San Francisco, Diocese of California, and a trans man, told Episcopal News Service. “We’re here and we are in community and we’re in leadership, and we have opportunities to experience and express our joy even in the midst of hardship.”

Partridge will preach at Grace Cathedral’s Trans Day of Visibility evening Eucharist at 6 p.m. Pacific on March 30, which will be streamed via Zoom. 

“There are so many pressures for trans people to fly under the radar, to not be noticed, to try to minimize who they are. This Eucharist is a chance to let that aside and just be loved for who you are and to celebrate before God who God created you to be,” the Very Rev. Malcolm Young, dean of Grace Cathedral, told ENS. “It’s so important to support and love our trans siblings every day.”

After the worship service, Partridge will moderate a conversation with Nico Lang, an LGBTQ+ news and politics reporter, about their newest book, “American Teenager: How Trans Kids are Surviving Hate and Finding Joy in a Turbulent Era.”

Earlier in the day on March 30, St. Aidan’s morning worship services will incorporate some liturgical resources recently created for the day of visibility. TransEpiscopal, a group that advocates for more inclusive church policies toward transgender people and creates supportive spaces for trans Episcopalians, and the Associated Parishes for Liturgy and Mission collaborated on the liturgical resources.

Also, in the Diocese of California, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Redwood City will host a day of visibility service on April 5.

The term “transgender” refers to an individual whose gender identity, expression or behavior does not conform with the person’s assigned sex at birth, whereas nonbinary reflects a gender identity that is not strictly male or female. The terms are often associated with each other but are not interchangeable.

Rachel Crandall Crocker, a transgender activist and psychotherapist from Michigan, founded the first Transgender Day of Visibility in 2009 out of frustration that the only designated day recognizing trans people was the Transgender Day of Remembrance. The day of remembrance, which takes place every Nov. 20, memorializes those who’ve been targeted and murdered for being transgender and raises awareness of violence against trans people. In contrast, the day of visibility is a time of unashamed pride, celebration and acknowledgement of trans people’s existence and resilience.

The Diocese of New York will host a livestreamed 12 p.m. Eastern prayer service celebrating Transgender Day of Visibility on March 29 at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. Aaron Scott, The Episcopal Church’s gender justice officer and a lay trans man, will preach.

“I am most excited to be with a whole bunch of other trans people at a gathering that is about us being alive – right together – even when we now have officially seen legislation that says we don’t exist,” Scott told ENS.

LGBTQ+ sentiment and hate crimes targeting LGBTQ+ people have increased in recent years. Out of 821 anti-trans bills introduced in 49 states so far in 2025 by federal, state and local legislators, 40 have already passed, and 725 cases remain active, according to the Trans Legislation Tracker, an independent research organization that tracks bills affecting anti-trans and gender-diverse people in the United States. Last week, South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden signed a bill into law that restricts trans people from using public bathrooms that match their gender identity. Similar bills are moving forward in Arkansas, Tennessee and New Hampshire.

After taking office on Jan. 20, President Donald Trump issued a series of executive orders aimed at erasing references across federal agencies and departments to issues of diversity and “gender ideology.” By early February, agency websites began to remove mention of transgender or queer people, including the Rev. Pauli Murray, and changed the acronym LGBTQ (for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) to LGB.

“Now more than ever, it’s important for the church to invest in real relationships, whether that’s one-on-one in your parish or between your parish and diocese, and whatever transgender-led organizations that are in your wider community,” Scott said. “This is a great time to reach out to your local trans youth group or LGBTQ center and say, ‘Hey, we are an affirming church. If you have a need for food donations or a need for people who need transportation to and from medical appointments or whatever, we’re here for you.’”

New York Assistant Bishop Mary Glasspool, the second openly gay – and first lesbian – bishop in the Anglican Communion, told ENS in a phone interview, “When you are in a group that’s considered a minority group, and there is a whole sort of stereotypical characterization of that group, and you may feel targeted simply because you’re a member of that group, not because of who you are as an individual, it can be very scary,” 

Glasspool, who oversees the Diocese of New York’s LGBTQ+ Concerns Committee, will retire on June 30 after almost 45 years of ordained ministry.

“You can’t say there aren’t transgender people in the world. They are wonderful human beings – children of God – deserving … to be loved and accepted into the human community,” she said.

New York Bishop Matthew Heyd, who will preside over the prayer service at St. John the Divine, echoed a similar sentiment when he spoke with ENS by phone.

“The Holy Spirit moves at ground level, and welcome is a gift and an opportunity for The Episcopal Church that we would make clear our welcome to transgender people, and that they would know that in all of our communities, they can find a place to belong,” he said.

The day of visibility service at St. John the Divine will also feature live music from the TRANScend Ambassadors, New York’s first and only choral ensemble featuring trans and gender-expansive singers. The ensemble performed at St. John the Divine’s first day of visibility in 2024 and beforehand at St. John’s in the Village in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village neighborhood.

“One of the bits of feedback that I get constantly is, ‘I never thought there was going to be a place for me. I never thought I would hear trans people singing liturgical music in a church. I never thought there would be a place where I could go and feel spiritually at home and have music that spoke to me from people who I identify with,’” Felix Graham, a trans vocologist and music pedagogue who founded TRANScend in 2021, told ENS.

In the Diocese of Newark in New Jersey, the diocesan LGBTQ+ task force will offer a celebratory day of visibility service on March 31 at Grace Episcopal Church in Madison. The Rev. Abigail King, priest-in-charge of Trinity Episcopal Church in Bayonne and a trans woman, will officiate. Brigid Dwyer, a lay leader in the diocese and a trans woman, will preach. The liturgy will incorporate some of TransEpiscopal’s liturgical resources.

“When I came out to my parish, one of the things I said in my letter was that in an ideal world, coming out would be a little bit like letting people know that you moved to a new house, otherwise Christmas cards will go to the wrong place. …But we don’t live in an ideal world, and coming out is more fraught than that,” King told ENS. “Transgender Day of Visibility is a good way to elevate trans voices and celebrate who we are.”

-Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.