Pride Month: A Secular Invocation

As Pride Month begins, and as we mark the tenth anniversary of the Pulse tragedy here in Orlando, let’s reflect on remembrance, resilience, and love.

Pride is often celebrated through joy, visibility, and community. And it should be. The progress achieved through generations of advocacy, courage, and persistence deserves celebration.

But as we come together in celebration, we also honor and remember.

Those who fought for rights, equality, equity, and belonging.

Those who have lived authentically when doing so carried tremendous risk.

Those whose lives were cut short by violence, hatred, illness, or injustice.

And significantly, the 49 people we lost a decade ago, on June 12, 2016.

Ten years after the Pulse tragedy, May we recognize that the immeasurable absence of those 49 lives remains poignant for families, friends, loved ones, and within the fabric of our community.

And may we honor those we lost not only with remembrance, but with our commitment to creating a world where every person can live openly, love freely, and be remembered with dignity.

May we honor the extraordinary compassion that emerged in response to tragedy while never losing sight of a painful truth: such tragedy should never have been necessary to teach us the value of one another’s lives.

To those who have spent the past decade providing support, advocacy, education, healing, and hope—thank you.

Thank you to the activists who continue pushing for equality.

Thank you to the mental health professionals, caregivers, community organizers, and nonprofit leaders who have helped people navigate grief and trauma.

Thank you to generations of resilient LGBTQ+ people who have built families, communities, traditions, art, businesses, places of worship, support networks, and movements for change. They have found ways to create joy, belonging, and hope even in the face of rejection, discrimination, and loss. The world is richer because of their contributions.

Thank you to those who continue to give in any way they can, whether through blood donation – as was a huge community response after the Pulse tragedy – food and supplies to The Center’s Pride Pantry, financial resources to those who still provide assistance and support to survivors and families, and many other ways i see individual heroes giving back every day.

Thank you to the Religious, Secular, and Spiritual community leaders who have cared for those they serve in times of grief, provided welcoming community, and fostered compassionate action.

Thank you to the families, friends, and allies who continue to show up heart first.

Thank you to those who ensure that the stories of those lost are not forgotten.

It matters: Your love. Your Kindness. Your Compassion.

We remember people by speaking their names, telling their stories, and carrying forward the values they lived and the difference they made.

We remember people by building communities where others can live more safely, more authentically, and more fully.

We remember by celebrating the amazing light they brought to this world.

Let us affirm clearly and without hesitation: Every person deserves to be known and remembered as they would want to be. Every family deserves compassion. Every life deserves dignity.

We recognize: Whether someone’s family is biological, chosen, blended, traditional, or something beautifully unique to their own journey, the people who love them deserve to have that love recognized and respected.

We honor: The diverse and complex lived experiences of those whose identities intersect across communities, cultures, histories, and worldviews.

May we continue creating beauty, even when it is temporary; speaking truth, even when it is challenged; and showing up for one another, again and again.

May we continue creating spaces where people are free and safe to be themselves.

May we continue honoring the lives of those who came before us.

May we continue supporting those who grieve.

May we continue choosing compassion over indifference, understanding over fear, and community over division.

This Pride Month, may we stand shoulder-to-shoulder in strength, support, and celebration.

May we be reminded this Pride Month that authenticity is a gift, belonging is a human need, and love remains one of the most powerful forces for healing and change.

Happy Pride Month.

I celebrate and remember with you.

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