Humanists Show LGBTQ Pride
Throughout June, several chapters and affiliates of the American Humanist Association are participating in LGBTQ Pride Month by marching in parades, participating in local Pride festivals, or hosting spaces to talk about the atheist LGBTQ experience.
Tabling is a great opportunity to let locals know that not only does your group exist but it’s an active, community-supporting organization. Several local humanist groups showed their support for the LGBTQ community by having a booth at their local Pride festival. For example, the Humanists of Linn County made their first appearance at the Cedar Rapids PrideFest on June 4.
For the third year in a row, the Secular Hub, in collaboration with the Humanists of Colorado and the Freedom From Religion Foundation Metro Denver Chapter, hosted a booth at the Denver PrideFest this past weekend. These three groups even moved their usual joint Summer Solstice Picnic to the following weekend because they all agreed that supporting the LGBTQ community is more important than celebrating a minor astronomical event in a timely manner. At Denver PrideFest, members crowded into the booth to both answer questions about the various groups and welcome people to their secular community. The Secular Hub also made a big announcement at PrideFest: the start of their new monthly Secular LGBTI Group!
Last Saturday, the Humanists of Idaho tabled at their local Pride Festival for the sixth year in a row. Last year, the Pride Festival in Boise brought in 20,000 people, and this year’s turnout was no disappointment!
The Omaha Humanists will be participating in the Heartland Pride event of Greater Omaha and Council Bluffs. They will have a booth at the Pride Festival at Stinson Park in Omaha on June 25.
The Omaha Humanists at Heartland Pride in 2015.
Marching in local Pride parades was another way many local humanist groups participated in Pride this year. Sunday Assembly Los Angeles celebrated by registering for a marching contingent with the LA Pride Parade on June 12. They wore their Sunday Assembly t-shirts and wove their banner high. They also hosted a booth at the LA Pride Festival.
The CNY Humanists, Northwest Arkansas Humanist Association, and the Jefferson Humanists from Colorado marched in their respective Pride parades on Saturday.
The Humanists of Houston (HOH) hosted a panel discussion for their June monthly gathering, focusing on the “LGBT Atheist Experience.” The panel discussion featured prominent LGBT atheist activists who shared their unique personal experiences as gay, bisexual, and transgender atheists. Immediately after their gathering, members of the Humanists of Houston conducted their first full build-out of their HOH Pride Float in preparation for the Houston Pride festival and parade next week!
The Humanists of Houston’s float in the Houston Pride Parade 2015.
How is your local humanist group celebrating Pride? We would love to hear your stories and share your pictures! Send them to AHA Grassroots Coordinator Rachael Berman at rberman@americanhumanist.org.