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GLIN at Pride 2019


GLIN members with smiles on their faces, waiting for the MardiGla march to start. Held above them is a banner saying "Glasgow LGBT Interfaith Network", the letters coloured in the inclusive pride flag colours and the trans flag colours. Underneath, there are six different signs, from left to right: "We are a gentle angry people", a sign with 15 different religious symbols, "No limit to Allah's love", "Jesus had 2 dads", (upside down) "Living and loving adventurously, Queer Quakers do it in silence", and finally (upside down) "I'm a little teapot, loud and proud" with a picture of a teapot with the text "faith brew".
GLIN members with smiles on their faces, waiting for the MardiGla march to start.

Over the summer, Glasgow LGBT+ Interfaith Network took part of two Glasgow Pride events.


Derek, an older man, standing in a yellow shirt which reads "Queer and Quaker". The letters are different pride flags. He's holding a sign reading "Living and loving adventurously, Queer Quakers do it in silence!!"
Derek at the end of MardiGla.

On the sunny and hot Saturday of 20th July, GLIN took part of the MardiGla march. GLIN was placed at the head of the religious LGBT+ groups marching, which we found fit our motto "Visibility, harmony, and acceptance" perfectly. Being the first faith group for the onlookers to see, GLIN was allowed to show that LGBT+ people of faith are willing to find comradeship among other LGBT+ people of faith, no matter our beliefs. And as the group divisions became blurry, as is the case of any Pride march, our interfaith message was brought to reality: the MCC members mixing with GLIN members, mixing with Catholic members, mixing with Quakers. A true interfaith event, happening organically and with all our joys.



GLIN members sitting and standing behind the stall at Free Pride. Above them hangs a banner saying "Glasgow LGBT Interfaith Network", the letters coloured in the inclusive pride flag colours and the trans flag colours. Underneath are six people, and in front of them are different faith symbols with pride flags drawn above them, brochures, and a placard of pictures and unintelligible text.
GLIN members sitting and standing behind the stall at Free Pride.

A board of past stories told to GLIN, with invitation for bypasses to tell theirs. On the board, which is dark blue, there are printed pictures of past GLIN events, and unintelligible text, dotting the edges. In the middle are several colourful post it notes with pictures, quotes, and stories of those who passed the GLIN stall.
A board of past stories told to GLIN, with invitation for bypasses to tell theirs.

During Free Pride, at the Centre for Contemporary Arts, GLIN had a stall next to the Metropolitan Community Church, in close proximity to the Quaker stall. At Free Pride, GLIN's aims were to raise awareness among the Glasgow LGBT+ community of our interfaith projects. Among different faith-based and non-faith-based organisations, GLIN got to meet a multitude of different individuals, from many different faith and non-faith backgrounds, from Glasgow or from far away. And as GLIN got to share our intentions and goals with the work we do to many persons who had no previous knowledge of us, in turn, GLIN got to hear many different stories from people who were unknown to us before.


Both the MardiGla march and the Free Pride stall were huge successes for GLIN, and we hope that our year until next pride season in Glasgow offers us the right experience to reach many more people in the future.

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