Pride and Joy

I’ve never been the carnival type, or the sort who enjoys very large crowds. I would sooner be having a cup of tea and chatting to folks in a quiet corner! However, there is one occasion in the year when my natural inclinations are helpfully challenged as the Pride parade sweeps through the city and joy spills into Radcliffe Square with colour, noise and party-vibes.

For the quieter or more conservative among us, such excitement can feel a little overwhelming, and I am asked each year ‘is it all really necessary?’. It is true that huge strides forward have been made in equality for those who are LGBTQIA+ since the Stonewall riots in 1969, but national and international rhetoric and policy continue to marginalise queer people and even to put their lives at risk.

Celebrating Pride is not to be confused with condoning an unhealthy, sinful pride-of-self which is grandiose and tries to put ourselves above God and others. Celebrating healthy pride is actually a form of humility. It is about knowing our place as equals and coming to believe in all humans equal worth; having a realistic, balanced sense of self and refusing to be diminished by believing we are any less than beloved children of God made in God’s image just like everyone else. As Queer Christian Marriage authors and advocates, David and Constantino Khalaf, remind us: ‘Pride for the LGBTQ community is not the opposite of humility. It is the opposite of shame.’

We are not called to a life of shame about who we are or having to hide who we love. As Christians we believe that all are called to abundant, overflowing, joyful life in all its fullness. And a society and church that can recognise and rejoice in that is, most certainly, something to be proud of.