Ways You Can Show Up for Pride in 2023

Learn how you can make the most out of this year's Pride Month

March 29, 2024

Pride feels different this year. Nearly 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been proposed or passed in the United States. As queer and trans Jews, our lives, communities, and families are being attacked. Our humanity is being debated in the public sphere, our care is being taken away, and some of us are questioning if we can even continue to live in our communities.

And yet, Pride is a time to celebrate our resistance and resilience. We stand on the shoulders of our queer and trans Jewish ancestors who survived so that we could thrive. And one of the ways to not give in to harmful rhetoric is to show those who don’t believe we should exist that we are here, we aren’t going anywhere, and that our communities are beautiful, joyous, generative spaces of love and belonging.

The news is overwhelming and unending. But we know the truth: queer people have always been here and will always be here. We are your friends, family, and neighbors. We need your support.

Join us. Here are some actions you can take to support us this Pride month:

  • Support your religious community to participate in a Pride event, or find one near you to participate in!
      • Faith for Pride is an annual, month-long effort to push back against anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, fight anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, and support grassroots organizations that work with LGBTQ+ communities. We hope you will join us and include the fight for LGBTQ+ rights in your religious services and programs. Congregations and organizations are now able to register your events to be posted on our website!
  • Host your own Pride gathering 
      • Hold your own space to honor the legacy of Pride and celebrate in community. Create traditions together! This can look like a Pride shabbat which you can plan with One Table! Other ideas include a Pride havdalah, craft and movie nights, or visiting local LGBTQ+ historic sites. 
  • Donate material or emotional resources
      • Sometimes the most impactful way to show up for someone is by asking for what they need and giving directly. Mutual aid and community care has been crucial to the survival of LGBTQ+ community. If you have LGBTQ+ folks in your community who have relationships with, ask  how you can best support them in this moment. You can also consider donating time or resources to a local LGBTQ+ organization in your area. 
  • Learn the history and honor the legacy of Pride
      • Before there were parades there were protests and riots. They came in response to arrests of LGBTQ+ people and police raids of LGBTQ+ spaces. The most famous that led to Pride as we know it today were the Stonewall riots, but before that were the Compton Cafeteria riots in San Francisco, Cooper Donut riots in Los Angeles, Dewey’s sit-ins in Philadelphia, and several others. Pride still functions as a critique of unjust systems so while celebrating how far LGBTQ+ have come, make sure to take some time to learn about the roots of the movement as well as the people who got us where we are.
  • Support Keshet’s Pride Matching Challenge! Join Keshet to build a world in which all LGBTQ+ Jews and our families can live with full equality, justice, and dignity. New and increased annual giving can be fully matched up to $100,000!