JUNE is Pride Month, dedicated to celebrating LGBTQIA+ communities around the world.

It marks the anniversary of the Stonewall riots, a protest that sparked a movement for equality for LGBTQIA+ people in the USA and across the world.

The first Pride march was in New York on 28th June 1970. 2022 is the 50th anniversary of the first Pride march in the UK, on 1st July 1972.

Today it is a celebration of the relative freedoms LGBTQIA+ people have won in the last 50+ years, but it also remains a protest against the prejudice which still holds us back, especially for our siblings in countries where they may risk their liberty or even their lives to live authentically and openly as LGBTQIA+.

OTN’s online service for Pride Month features a reflection by our Co-Chair Revd Alex Clare-Young, on the relationship between Pride and Pentecost, the 50th day after Easter, on which Christians remember the gift of the Holy Spirit to the frightened first followers of Jesus following his crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension to heaven (Acts of the Apostles Chapter 2).

Alex is a theologian, writer, campaigner and United Reformed Church pioneer minister. As a trans-masculine non-binary person, Alex is passionate about advocating for the inclusion of, and social justice for, trans people. Their first book, Transgender. Christian. Human. was published in 2019. WATCH Alex’s intro video [2.5 mins].

This Pride Month celebration also includes a beautiful time of prayer led by Revd Tracey Byrne, former Chief Executive of the Lesbian & Gay Christian Movement, now OneBodyOneFaith.

Head to our YouTube channel to watch this special time of reflection to mark this significant moment in our community’s shared story and struggle for justice.

Download our celebration booklet so you can follow / join in.