A Time to Gather: ONA Support Virtual Space
By Derek Terry | February 11, 2026
Supporting LGBTQ+ Communities Under Pressure
Yesterday, the Pride flag was removed from the Stonewall National Monument in New York City.
Let that sink in.
At the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ+ liberation movement. At the site where queer and trans people resisted state violence in 1969. At sacred ground in our collective story.
The Pride flag was taken down. This is not about fabric. It is about erasure. It is about power. It is about who gets to be visible in public space and who is told to disappear.
Stonewall is not simply a monument. It is a declaration that LGBTQ+ people have always been here, have always resisted, and have always deserved dignity. Removing the Pride flag from that space sends a message that our history, our families, and our lives are negotiable.
We reject that message.
And yet, for many of us, this moment feels heavier than a single decision. It feels like part of a larger escalation of attacks on visibility, policy shifts that place real bodies at risk, immigration raids that intensify fear in mixed-status families, rhetoric that treats LGBTQ+ people as expendable.
Stonewall feels like a line crossed.
The Open and Affirming movement exists for moments like this. We were never meant to be just a status or a certification. We are called to visible affirmation, public courage, and embodied solidarity.
But we cannot organize well if we are isolated. We cannot respond faithfully if we are scattered.
So we are creating space to gather.
A Time to Gather: ONA Support Space is a virtual support and strategy space for Open and Affirming churches in this moment. This is not a formal webinar. It is not a lecture. It is a facilitated space for care, clarity, and collective discernment.
We will center LGBTQ+ voices and lived experience. Allies and accomplices are welcome to participate in a spirit of listening, learning, and solidarity.
We will check in on how our congregations and LGBTQ+ people are experiencing this moment. We will share practical ways to support LGBTQ+ people and their families. We will discern faithful next steps together.
Stonewall reminds us that resistance is part of our story!
Faith demands that we show up. Love requires that we organize.
Join us:
February 19
7:00–8:30 PM ET
Click Here to Register!
The Pride flag may have been taken down yesterday.
But our commitment to dignity, justice, and belonging will not be.
With resolve and hope,
Rev. Derek Terry, Acting Executive Director
Open and Affirming Coalition
