Why you might notice more religious groups at Pride celebrations this year
At the Pride Fest in Santa Monica, Calif., six houses of worship –- five churches and a synagogue — had booths lined up all in a row.
The Episcopalians offered table bowling. The Lutherans offered temporary rainbow tattoos. A nondenominational church let anyone feeling lucky spin a wheel for prizes — ranging from coffee mugs featuring the Lamb of God holding a rainbow flag to a T-shirt emblazoned with Jesus wearing a rainbow crown of thorns.
The swag at Beth Chayim Chadashim's booth was pink plastic pens and stickers that read "Happy Pride!" above a rainbow Star of David.
Rabbi Jillian Cameron handed out those stickers and answered questions about service times and whether interfaith couples are welcome.
"I think it's really important," she said, "for us to be just as visible so that people know out in the world that loud voices saying horrible thing to our community are not the only religious voices out there."
Because those
