The Daily Unholy
From Stonewall to the Streets
via NPR
Pride as a Call to Prophetic Action
Welcome, beloved community, to June 11, 2025.
We gather today in the heart of Pride Month, carrying the sacred tension of joy and grief, celebration and confrontation. Across this nation—and now, unmistakably, in the streets of Los Angeles—we are witnessing a fresh wave of resistance rising alongside a renewed show of state force.
Protesters demanding justice for queer and trans youth, for houseless communities, for all those abandoned by systems of power, are now met with military presence. The message from above may be one of intimidation, but the cry from below is clear: We will not be erased.
Pride has never been merely a party. It has always been protest. It is a spiritual witness, a sacred proclamation that queer and trans lives—especially Black, Brown, disabled, and poor—are holy, whole, and worthy of protection.
We lift up the legacy of Stonewall’s brave resisters, ballroom’s radiant visionaries, and every unnamed saint who danced, marched, and mourned us closer to liberation. We honor them in rejoicing, yes—but we also honor them by telling the truth.
And the truth is, we are in perilous times. Policy violence targets LGBTQIA+ youth. Rhetoric that once whispered now bellows from pulpits and podiums. And now, the streets of Los Angeles remind us: the state would rather mobilize soldiers than offer sanctuary.
Still, we stand firm in the Divine truth: each person bears sacred worth. No exceptions. No disclaimers. And each voice—especially those long silenced—deserves to be heard, held, and honored.
This newsletter is not just a record. It is a call to prayer, protest, and prophetic presence. Let our love move beyond comfort into courageous action. Let our compassion march as boldly as those in the streets.
Together, may we build a world where justice is not policed but practiced, where every identity can shine, and where every child can thrive.
In sacred solidarity,
Rev. Jason Carson Wilson
Policy Watch: LGBTQIA+ Lifeline Services on the Chopping Block
On June 9, the Trump administration released its Fiscal Year 2026 budget proposal for the Department of Health and Human Services—and with it, a quiet but devastating blow to LGBTQIA+ youth in crisis.
The proposed budget seeks to eliminate the dedicated LGBTQIA+ subnetwork within the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. This specialized service—accessed by pressing 3 or replying “PRIDE”—has provided affirming, life-saving support to young queer and trans individuals since its launch in September 2022. If the proposal moves forward, that service will be defunded on Oct. 1, 2025.
While the broader 988 system remains funded, the targeted removal of this subnetwork sends a chilling message: that some lives are deemed less worthy of specialized care.
According to The Trevor Project and supporting Democratic senators, over 1.2 million crisis contacts have been made through this LGBTQIA+ line in less than three years. Each represents a soul reaching for hope, safety, and survival.
Administration officials have defended the move with inflammatory rhetoric, framing these services as promoting “radical gender ideology” and “grooming.” These harmful narratives echo the kind of dehumanization that too often precedes violence—both political and personal.
As people of faith and conscience, we cannot meet this moment with silence. Our call is clear: protect the vulnerable, speak truth to power, and affirm that LGBTQIA+ lives are sacred and worthy of care.
Stay tuned for advocacy actions and coalition responses in the weeks ahead. Together, let us ensure that no young person in crisis is left unheard, unseen, or unsupported.
📊 Context & Significance
Disproportionate risk: LGBTQIA+ youth are more than 4× more likely to contemplate suicide than their peers, with estimates showing around 1 in 5 LGBTQIA+ and over 1 in 3 transgender youth reporting a suicide attempt.
Wider budget cuts adding up: This action is part of a sweeping $2.67 billion reduction in LGBTQ+ supports across federal agencies, including funding for HIV/AIDS programs, health disparities research, and HUD initiatives.
Political pressure: Coxed by critiques from mental health and advocacy organizations and celebrity-led campaigns, including a joint open letter from over 100 entertainers (Pedro Pascal, Daniel Radcliffe, Ariana Grande, etc.), Democrats like Senators Tammy Baldwin and Merkley have pressured HHS Secretary RFK Jr. to resist defunding.
Executive context: The move aligns with a government trajectory including executive orders restricting transgender inclusion—blocking gender identity options on IDs, limiting facility access, halting health care funding for trans youth, and removing DEI initiatives.
⏰ Immediate Risks
Lives at stake: Ending LGBTQIA+-specific crisis lines could disrupt effective, trusted supports just as Pride Month peaks and anti-LGBTQ+ laws escalate.
Long-term HV impacts: Ripple effects may hit youth mental health, reduce early intervention, and compound trauma, especially in regions lacking affirming care or full civil rights protections.
Symbolic marginalization: Paired with refusal to acknowledge Pride Month, these cuts send a message of ideological erasure and state-sanctioned exclusion, undermining communal belonging.
Religious Liberty or a License to Exclude?
🏛️ Georgia’s RFRA-Style Bill
On April 2, 2025, Georgia’s Republican-majority House passed a Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA)- style bill by 96–70 vote, clearing the way for Governor Kemp’s signature.
The bill, modeled after the federal RFRA, aims to limit government infringement on religious exercise—even when it conflicts with secular law. Despite lobbying from Democratic legislators, no anti-discrimination safeguards were included.
✖️ Concerns Raised
Targeted discrimination: Opponents fear the law could shield businesses and service providers (landlords, adoption agencies, medical facilities, etc.) from anti-discrimination laws, especially as Georgia lacks a statewide LGBTQ+ civil-rights law.
Religious cover for bias: Jewish Representative Esther Panitch warned that antisemitic actions could also be excused under a “sincere religious belief” claim.
Repeating past mistakes: Georgia’s 2016 RFRA attempt—vetoed under corporate and civil-rights pressure—foreshadows the current controversy. Without amendments, it may facilitate religious exemptions as licenses to exclude.
⚖️ Proponents’ Argument
Sponsors claim the bill protects citizens and organizations from undue government interference in faith expression. State Rep. Tyler Paul Smith (R-18) said it applies to “government, not private discrimination.”
Supporters cite borrowed language from federal RFRA frameworks, stressing alignment with Judeo-Christian convictions widely shared among lawmakers.
🗣️ Our Analysis
This legislative moment reflects the broader national showdown: balancing religious liberty and civil rights. On one side, inclusive religious expression—models of faith seeking justice, unity, and equity.
On the other hand, restrictive religious liberty is used as a sword to diminish protections for LGBTQ+, Jewish, Muslim, and other historically marginalized people.
From a gospel perspective rooted in Jesus’ welcome and radical reversal of exclusion, every ethical benefit and protection extension should prioritize the marginalized.
Laws dressed in religious freedom must not serve as pretexts for sanctioned discrimination. Our theological tradition values conscience, but we contend that conscience must never trample sister or brother or excuse harm.
Reimagining Pentecost for Justice
🔥 “Becoming Fire: A New Progressive Pentecost”
Pathëos contributor “livingaholyadventure” argues that the contemporary church—and especially progressive faith communities—are called to live out Pentecostian fire that disrupts colonial spiritual norms and tribal identities, forms bridges across difference, and fuels prophetic action embedded in social witness.
🌍 Intersectional Ecotheology
Grace Ji‑Sun Kim's upcoming book, Earthbound: God at the Intersection of Climate and Justice (2025), gathers threads of ecological restoration and social justice, asserting that faith communities must confront environmental degradation and systemic oppression together, not as separate campaigns.
🌬🏳️🌈 Theological Logic
Pentecost as rupture: Luke’s Spirit event broke down linguistic, ethnic, and cultural walls—signifying that God’s presence creates community out of difference.
Spirit-led solidarity: When queer, trans, ecological justice, and liberation struggles too often remain siloed, the Spirit compels us to unify our moral vision and action.
Fire as fuel: Our prophetic vocation isn’t optional; it is the lifeline that ignites worship into justice, offering personal transformation and societal hope—a holy disorder against systems of harm.
Call to Action: Together, We Respond
Federal – Equality Act
📞 Contact your representatives and senators to co-sponsor and pass H.R. 15/S.B.–Merkley/Takano, which would enshrine employment, housing, public accommodations, transit, federal credit, and more protections.
Federal – 988 Funding
💌 Email Secretary HHS and leadership in Congress, urging retention of LGBTQ+‐specific 988 services. Cite the mental health data, bipartisan support, and lives on the line.
State – Georgia RFRA
🗳 Write to Governor Kemp urging him to veto the RFRA‐style bill, referencing its exclusionary risk and potential damage to Georgia’s interfaith and economic standing.
Local – Build Affirming Support
🌿 Partner with or donate to affirming crisis providers (Trevor Project, Trans Lifeline, local LGBTQIA+ mental‐health clinics). Let communities know they’re seen.
Community – Spiritual Solidarity
🔥 Host progressive Pentecost gatherings—read Scripture, speak truth, pray for Spirit‐driven unity and courage across difference. Invite cross‐movement clergy and lay leaders to share stories, commitments, and strategies.
Benediction
Spirit of Justice and Love, kindle within us the courage to resist erasure, the wisdom to speak truth, and the compassion to protect each soul made boldly in your image. Uphold us as we advocate with lawmakers, stand with our siblings, and bring spiritual fire into fractured systems. May we be your hands and voices in this moment, carrying forth a new Pentecost that breaks walls, uplifts the vulnerable, and testifies to your inextinguishable love. Amen.