By Dr. Laura McGuire
In nearly every faith tradition, the central characters in the stories that seek to inspire us are asked to rally against the darkness that threatens to consume their light.
From the prophets in the Torah, to the saints of the early church, to the heroes of the Upanishads, faith is held within the hands of those facing impossible odds. It is exactly in those moments of all-consuming fear and doubt that the light of being true to oneself is allowed to shine so brightly and remind us of the source from which we all come.
This year, many of us feel the burn of prejudice that weighs down our chests as we fight to continue to exist. Legislators and individuals all across the country have rallied together to try and make our existence illegal and thus, they hope, nonexistent. Their forces are strong, the odds appearing ever more not in our favor.
To find hope in the throes of this danger is to grasp onto stillness during the onslaught of the chaos crashing all around us. Be still and know. There are moments when we can feel the helm of hope, and other times all we can do is surrender to the exhaustion.
And yet, as a queer of faith and the product of generations of Jewish people who fought to continue to exist and queer brethren who paved the way for me to live openly, I cannot help but continue to pray for one more moment of courage—one more moment of strength in the battle I need to fight.
This Pride, I ask our ancestors to gather around all of us. To whisper their words of wisdom, based on their lived experiences of facing such violence before us, into our hearts and minds. May these truths allow us to thrive and continue breathing and strategizing.
Allow us to believe that, even when the world seemingly ends, tomorrow still dawns. I believe, with all that I am, that the voices of our ancestors are echoing all around us, and the fact that they cheer me on and ask me to keep the faith allows me to face down seemingly insurmountable dangers.
Give me eyes, Hashem, to see your image projected in deep holiness through my and my siblings’ queerness and transness. Kindle in our hearts the knowledge that being our true selves, no matter what cruelty the world enacts, is to live up to the belief that we truly are all sparks of your divine light.
Help us to continue to reach out and support one another, building bridges of resistance to a darkness that consumes. Together we can create our queer Eden. A place where we are enveloped in acceptance, nourished by soil that celebrates who we were born to be, and warmed by the light of love without condition or hesitation. May we keep this vision stirring within our hearts until the day that we birth its reality. Amen.
