Happy memories of my first encounter with the rainbow flag came back early this month when Believe Out Loud announced its “ Give a Flag, Get a Flag” campaign. It used to be that there were only a handful of openly gay or lesbian Christian clergy nationwide, and we pretty much all knew each other. Same-sex couples can even go to Prom together in some high schools. We have a new phrase, “marriage equality,” and pollsters ask what people think of it. The LGBTQ community has come a long way in the 30 years since I first saw the rainbow flag. We sang hymns of joy and sorrow, including favorites that proclaimed, “Surely the presence of God is in this place” and “It is well with my soul!” We carried the rainbow flag in marches for LGBTQ pride and freedom. Of course hanging rainbow flags in churches is only an outward sign of a deeper commitment that must be expressed in action.Īs the Bible says, “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2:17)īeneath the rainbow flags we LGBTQ Christians and allies at MCC-SF blessed same-sex relationships, prayed for the sick and buried the many who died of AIDS. It expresses God’s love for LGBTQ people and counteracts the condemnation we have received in the name of religion. Just seeing a rainbow flag in a worship setting can have a healing effect on sexual minorities. My experience shows that churches can play an important role in helping LGBTQ people integrate their sexuality and spirituality. Over the years its popularity has spread, and now the rainbow flag is recognized worldwide as a symbol of the LGBT community. It was designed by Gilbert Baker and debuted at San Francisco’s Gay Freedom Day Parade in June 1978. The rainbow flag celebrates the diversity and values of the LGBTQ community. The church affirmed me as a lesbian of faith and empowered me to hear and follow a call to ordained ministry. Knowing that God loved me had given me the courage to come out as a lesbian. We were amazed and delighted when they informed us, “Those are the flags of the lesbian and gay community.” It was a true moment of “pride” in the best sense. We had no idea what they meant at all-not a clue! We told them how much we liked the rainbow flags. The flags and the fellowship are what I remember best about the worship service, although I’m sure that guest preacher Nancy Wilson must have delivered a powerful sermon.Īfter the closing hymn, my partner Audrey Lockwood and I chatted with a friendly gay male couple in the pew ahead of us.
#Gay flag meaning free#
God’s presence was palpable.Īt last I was free to be fully myself, both lesbian and Christian. Immediately I was put at ease by the warmth of the congregation and the beauty of the rainbow flags hanging behind the altar and around the sanctuary. I wasn’t used to being open about my sexual orientation, so I felt nervous when I opened the door to the so-called “gay church.” I didn’t know what to expect, but I sensed there was no going back. (The term “LGBT” had not yet been coined, and “queer” was still an unredeemed insult.)
The AIDS crisis was just getting started.Īll I knew was that MCC was a church by and for the lesbian and gay community. On our first Sunday in town, we decided to go to Metropolitan Community Church of San Francisco. I had just come out of the closet as a lesbian and moved to San Francisco with my life partner. It was 1985, back when same-sex marriage was so taboo that pollsters didn’t even ask about it. I first saw the rainbow flag of LGBTQ Pride in a church.