Willow, a young trans woman who grew up in NYC, found her way to Kaleidoscope’s “Queerness is…” art pop-up in Washington Square Park after a long, exhausting day of posting flyers for a musical she had written to process the trauma of losing her home in the 9/11 attacks. Drawn in by the welcoming atmosphere, she took a break to paint on our community banner and shared about how creating the show had helped her heal.

Despite my nerves about how a faith-based outreach might land with someone who’d clearly lived through deep pain, Willow surprised me by saying, “You guys really threw me off… in a good way.” She lingered after we wrapped up, and as she left, she handed me one of her flyers – offering more opportunity to be known by us.

– Meg Baatz, Co-Founder & COO

This June, we hosted our first ever trans-specific outreach, which included three first-time volunteers with Kaleidoscope– and their presence made a powerful impact. All these volunteers were from local churches, cis/het, and new to LGBTQIA+ ministry. It was an honor to prep volunteers on our goals for the evening. Trans people felt tangible expressions of the Gospel and found encouragement in not being alone.

In our closing reflections, one of our new volunteers shared:

I forgot everything you said, and so when one person came up and asked what we were doing, I just said, ‘All I have to share is that Jesus loves you.’ Was that okay?”

Moments like these remind us that the work of love and justice is always growing. It’s a joy to see more people step into this space with open hearts, ready to walk alongside our Trans siblings in bold, tangible ways. It was a great reminder that anyone can do this work.

We’re grateful for their willingness to serve, learn, and reflect the inclusive love of Christ.

– Logan Morrison, Community Outreach Coordinator & Trans Ministry Specialist

“[As Pride attendees walked by, one young woman] came in for a dad hug, saying, “Yes please! My dad doesn’t even talk to me anymore.”

I responded:
‘Then hear this:
I love you.
God loves you.
I am proud of you.
And God is proud of you.’

At these words, she burst into tears and wept in my arms.”

– Craig, a Christian father of a Trans child and volunteer at Free Mom & Dad Hugs

“For the past couple years, we’ve featured a ‘Queer Prayer Station’ at our Pride Festival booths.

These are opportunities for passersby to write a prayer or a well wish on a Post-It note and stick it to our board, and we also offer to pray for them personally. I’ve had the pleasure of working this part of our booth, but this year we saw a lot of our volunteers step up and serve enthusiastically as well! I’m so encouraged to see queer people willingly receive AND give prayer.

With the next generation becoming increasingly interested in spirituality, I pray that God would show up powerfully in our lives.”

– Ray Low, Pastor & Director of Spiritual Care