Pieces on Peace, July 2026 Edition
In June I had the chance to participate in the first ever LGBTQ+ Faith Leaders’ Summit in San José. It was an inspiring and meaningful morning for folks to gather, listen, and speak truthfully from experience about what it means to affirm the sacred dignity of all God’s children.
When I first heard of the event, I was excited to learn about local organizations that provide services and create safe spaces for the LGBTQ+ community. The event was remarkably collaborative – organized by the Silicon Valley Faith Leaders Collaborative; with representatives from the Office of LGBTQ Concerns and the Division of Equity and Social Justice, the Gender Health Clinic, the Q Corner, and the Qmunity Foundation; and with faith leaders from various traditions well represented as attendees and guest speakers. What I neglected to realize, likely due to my position as someone who identifies as a cisgender (meaning my gender identity matches the sex I was born as) straight woman, was how monumental it was to organize an event for faith leaders to get together with LGBTQ+ community and organizational leaders. Unfortunately, organized religion has long been a source of pain and harm for those who identify as LGBTQ+. Many speakers shared how religion deeply scarred them, some never able to discover redeeming value in organized religion. For others — with time, faithful searching, and exposure to affirming faith communities — they discovered a deeper faith that helped them reconnect to a higher power, to themselves, and to others.
An indigenous transgender pastor shared how their congregation went on a three-year journey to move from being “affirming” on paper to eventually reaching a point where they called this very pastor to lead their flock. I believe we have many churches in our Presbytery that want to be safe and affirming spaces, but are we sure that our buildings, worship services, and events actually feel welcoming to someone who might identify as gay, transgender, asexual, or nonbinary? We must look for invitations from the LGBTQ+ community, like this summit, to listen and learn from the richly diverse backgrounds and stories of LGBTQ+ individuals so we can more fully embody the affirming love that Christ calls us to share with all neighbors.
– Veronica Ota, Peacemaking & Justice Advocate