The Rev. Russ Boyd and Ridglea Christian Church congregants have been searching for ways to demonstrate allyship to Fort Worth’s LGBTQ+ community.
The church made a task force that led the congregation through a three-year process of assessing our inclusiveness, identifying areas for growth and providing educational opportunities focused on LGBTQ+ inclusion. In 2022, church members voted to publicly identify as an open and affirming church and joined Disciples AllianceQ, the denomination’s LGBTQ+ advocacy organization.
Now, for the first time, Ridglea Christian Church congregants will join a number of Tarrant County churches and religious institutions listed as ally sponsors for Fort Worth’s Trinity Pride Fest. While the festival is a time of celebration, it is also a way for some churches and religious groups to demonstrate allyship toward the LGBTQ+ community, Boyd said.
Boyd says he understands if someone of the LGBTQ+ community had an experience that led them to deciding “to never set foot in a church again.” For those who are looking to still be a part of a faith community, being a part of Trinity Pride is a way to let people know there are churches that are affirming, he added.
“To me, what’s amazing is that in spite of how people have been treated, they still feel a draw to be part of church, and still want that in their life,” Boyd said. “And so from our perspective, we want to be clear who we are.”
Religious divides over LGBTQ+ issues
Broadway Baptist Church was formed in 1882 as part of the Southern Baptist Convention, but was disfellowshipped in 2009 for its inclusion of LGBTQ+ members and allowing women to serve in leadership roles within the church.
Participating in Trinity Pride is a way to demonstrate solidarity with the Fort Worth LGBTQ+ community, said Ryon Price, senior pastor at Broadway Baptist Church.
“There’s so many harmful messages out there being sent to LGBTQ persons and at the heart of so much of that negative messaging is sadly, sadly religious,” Price said. “The church has done so much harm and has inflicted so much pain and trauma.”
Broadway Baptist Church banners hang alongside the church spire June 25, 2025, in Fort Worth. (Mary Abby Goss | Fort Worth Report)
While the festival typically features a market of local vendors and performances from musical artists and drag queens, booths at the churches are there to show support either by passing out flags or fans, said the Rev. Elizabeth Pass, senior minister of The Welcome Table Christian Church.
“This isn’t a booth that’s saying, ‘Hey, come in here and you need spirituality,’” Pass said. “It’s more just about being present and that we’re there to learn at the same time to serve, and not necessarily there to get anybody into our doors.”
The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth split in 2008, which was part of a widening national schism among Episcopalians with opposing viewpoints on blessing same-sex unions and ordaining women and gay priests. At Trinity Pride, ally sponsors representing the Episcopal Diocese of Texas North Region will offer a way for people to exercise their faith through a Pride Eucharist, said the Rev. Brian Richard Seage, assisting bishop for the diocese.
“It’s just a great opportunity for people to come and worship together and to receive sacraments,” Seage said. “That ends up being a really good opportunity for the Episcopal Church to share an openness and make sure that the table is God’s table and all are welcome.”
What is Trinity Pride?
Founded in 2019, Trinity Pride is an annual festival held in June to celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride in Fort Worth’s Near Southside neighborhood. The event for all ages is targeted at members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community.
Trinity Pride Fest runs from 6-10 p.m. June 28 in South Main Village, for more details go here.
While eight out of the nine ally sponsors for the 2025 festival represent churches or religious institutions, faith-based groups have been a part of Trinity Pride since the beginning, board President Roger Calderon said.
“These are organizations and congregations and churches who are out there in their communities making it known that their faith loves everyone equally and involves everyone, and I think that’s great, and I think that is what faith should be,” Calderon said. “As someone who has always kind of questioned that aspect of our community, it’s just really great being able to see churches like our sponsors really kind of step up and embrace everyone.”
Galileo Church, a Disciples of Christ congregation in southeast Fort Worth, builds into its budget each year to support Pride events, the Rev. Dr. Katie Hays said. The congregation has been supporting Trinity Pride since its inception, she said.
“When Galileo first started, we would very often be the only church represented at any Pride event. But then we started noticing we’re far from the only ones,” Hays said. “We’re really happy to welcome all those folks in that space and to not, not be such an anomaly.”
As the number of attacks on the LGBTQ+ community reported both locally and across the nation increases, it’s important to provide a supportive presence, said the Rev. Dr. Stephen Cady, president of Brite Divinity School.
While some LGBTQ+ students have expressed to Cady that they feel comfortable at Brite, he said, they feel anxious about potentially being targeted while on their way to school.
“That’s a very real concern and a very real fear and a sense of being targeted. So it’s really important at this moment, as it’s important at every moment, to stand up for those minority populations, and in this case, for Trinity Pride to be a vocal advocate and an ally in the best way that we can be as an institution,” Cady said.
About 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. have suffered from religious trauma at some point in their life, according to a 2023 study by the Socio-Historical Examination of Religion and Ministry Journal. LGBTQ+ individuals experience some of the worst lasting trauma, according to the study.
Other times, having a booth at Trinity Pride is a space to help make reparations with those who have had a negative experience with a church because of their identity, said the Rev. Dr. Callender, pastor of St. Stephen Presbyterian Church.
“I always begin by saying, ‘I’m sorry,’” Callender said. “‘How can we be here for you in a new way?’ It’s a personal one-on-one invitation to talk, to be listened to, to find a safe space.”
One of the things that Celebration Community Church interim pastor David Grebel is looking forward to is the march that will open Trinity Pride.
While Celebration Community Church is listed as an ally sponsor for Trinity Pride on its website, the term ally may not apply to the congregation since it has been vetted into the LGBTQ+ community through its entire existence, Grebel said.
The nondenominational congregation in Fort Worth’s historic Near Southside began in 1993, focusing as a place of worship for LGBTQ+ individuals, according to its website.
For over 30 years the congregation has been a place for worship and support groups. Now, to see other churches join Celebration Community Church in event’s like Trinity Pride sends a powerful message, Grebel said.
“Being in that march with so many other faith communities who have gathered together in support of the LGBTQ community, and there’s real power in the feet and in the statement of those bodies,” Grebel said. “It says to Celebration, we are not alone … and that’s a powerful message.”
Marissa Greene is a Report for America corps member, covering faith for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at marissa.greene@fortworthreport.org.
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