Finding Our Common Ground: The Call for Unity in the LGBTQIA+ Community

As someone who identifies within the LGBTQIA+ spectrum, I often find myself pondering a crucial question: Where is our community? We frequently talk about the queer community at large, yet it seems we have fractured into groups—silos, even—defined by bodies, ages, gender identities, and orientations.

It’s disheartening to see a troubling trend among some factions, particularly as we witness a rising chorus of LGB voices who want to cut out the TQIA. What is that about? It feels like we’re losing sight of our shared vision for freedom, equality, and self-determination.

It feels like MAGA politics infiltrating our spaces, drawing in individuals from within our community who seem to be voting against their own best interests. These members—voting for the axe that is intended to cut down the very rights and freedoms we’ve fought so hard to achieve—seem to have forgotten that our differences, while important, should never lead to division.

We each hold unique perspectives and experiences, and it’s essential to celebrate that diversity. However, if we can’t set aside these differences, we can’t stand together in the face of the oppression, hatred, and fear that often characterize our world. We need to ask ourselves: are we willing to let our identities—our complexities—divide us, or can we recognize that at the core, we are all fighting for the same thing?

Let's reach out beyond our comfort zones. Instead of shouting into our silos, let’s embrace discussions that might be uncomfortable, but are necessary. Let’s amplify the voices of trans individuals, queer people of color, and others who often feel sidelined. We all should feel welcomed and honored in this big, beautiful tapestry of identities.

Embracing unity does not mean erasing our identities; it means fortifying them. It means standing together against the common enemies of hatred and ignorance. Only together can we create a world where the rainbow flag truly flies above all of us, inclusive and proud.

I urge you, my friends, to reflect on how we can reinvigorate our connections. Let’s not be the trees voting for the axe. Let’s instead be a forest that stands strong together, protective of every individual leaf. The freedom we seek demands that we start seeing the bigger picture, remembering that while our identities shape us, it’s our humanity that binds us together.

In unity, there is strength. In solidarity, there is hope.

Let’s be that beacon of light in an often dark world. Come join the conversation.

Together, as one community, let’s also be ready to fight the good fight—not just for the rights of some, but for the rights of all.

Who’s in?

Let’s find our common ground and build a future worth fighting for.

Much love,
The Bishop