EVANSTON, IL — On Sunday, June 8, nearly two dozen faith and community organizations – as well as queer and ally community members – joined together to celebrate the second annual Interfaith Family Pride Festival.
The event, which took place in Raymond Park near downtown Evanston, was coordinated by Evanston’s Interfaith Clergy and Leaders (EICL) and brought together a diverse coalition of about 15 LGBTQ+ affirming faith communities, including the First Congregational Church of Evanston, the Evanston Friends Meeting, the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation of Evanston, and the First United Methodist Church.
The Reverend Jason Coulter, pastor of the First Congregational Church of Evanston, dreamed up the idea for this event last year, when he recognized an opportunity for faith communities to support LGBTQ+ congregants and neighbors during Pride Month and to offer a counternarrative to what he described as the “false dichotomy of faith communities over here in one world and the queer community in another.”
Coulter pointed to the prevailing tradition of interfaith cooperation and action in Evanston, guided by EICL, where his Pride Festival pitch was welcomed with enthusiasm. The group of interfaith leaders, comprised of many queer clergy itself, has leaned in for tough conversations and coordinated civic action on issues of racial equity, housing equality, gun violence, and violence in Israel-Gaza.
“Part of the reason why we’re able to collaborate together on this festival is because we have had hard conversations within our interfaith spaces” he shared.
The event featured performances from Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus, Artemis Singers (Chicago’s Feminist, Lesbian Chorus), and Merriam Levkowitz (“America’s Favorite Drag Bubbie”). In opening remarks, queer clergy of the Evanston faith communities spoke to the longstanding challenges the LGBTQ+ community has faced – exacerbated by this deeply divisive political moment – and the power of celebration as a form of resistance.
“We come together to celebrate the many ways that there are to be a family, to honor the beautiful ways this community connects across difference,” they stated, “and to rejoice in the truth that we are stronger, more loving, and more free when we overcome the unfounded fears that threaten to divide us.”
Expressing joy in the face of hardship – and an appreciation for community events and spaces to acknowledge both – was echoed by organizers and attendees alike.
“They’re pretty excited to be here, right kiddo?” an attendee named Lucy shared, gesturing toward their young child, Milo, who smiled, returning to their parents after running around the green space and exploring the vendor tables, playground, and kid-friendly stations handing out bubbles, stickers, rainbow gear, and balloon art. “We just got out of school, the summer has kicked off, and we were just here yesterday for a peace rally, so now we’re back for a pride rally.”
When asked how they would describe the festival, parents Lucy and John shared that they found it to be a “very sweet, family-friendly, loving community event.”
They mentioned that though they weren’t very involved in the faith communities that organized the festival, they appreciated the close-knit nature of the Evanston community at large and the opportunity to join neighbors of different backgrounds. “All of the congregations do their best to provide activities for children,” John noted.
Another group of parents who brought their children to the event remarked that the festival seemed characteristic of the surrounding community. “It feels very homegrown – very Evanston!” they said.
Rabbi Rachel Weiss of Evanston’s Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation (JRC) addressed the important balance of celebrating and educating in interfaith spaces. “We are doing this today, and tomorrow night (June 9), we’re screening ‘No Other Land’, which is about, you know, the West Bank. So, we do the full spectrum of things that are really hard and painful to talk about, and things that are celebratory and joyful.”
As a member of EICL, Rabbi Weiss also acknowledged the hesitance the queer community might have to engage in religious spaces and shared the hope that someday all people might feel welcome at an event like this.
“The religious community in general has done a lot of harm to the LGBTQ community […] We can make right by being celebratory and inclusive. As a lesbian rabbi, to know that my tradition fully supports who I am, and I can lead my congregation in fully supporting people of all gender identities and sexual orientations on the whole spectrum — that’s what this is all about.”
An Evanston community member, attendee, and parent named Sophie shared that her son, whom she brought to the event to play and connect with classmates, has recently taken an interest in the Jewish traditions she grew up with but has distanced herself from in adulthood.
“I know of JRC, because they are, like, one of the only Jewish congregations that I really align with,” she said. “So, I’ve been thinking about talking to them and seeing what it would be like if he went to Hebrew school, because it’s so important to feel belonging wherever you can.”
After last year’s event drew nearly 500 attendees, and this year’s equally successful festival incorporated even more performers, activities, and treats, Pastor Coulter looks ahead with optimism.
“It is our hope that this is going to become part of the Evanston cultural landscape, that we can imagine a future where there’s a 17th annual Interfaith Pride Fest or a 32nd Annual Interfaith Pride Fest, because the need to proclaim pride and LGBTQ+ inclusion, as our politics tells us — that is a struggle that is ongoing.”
