May 29

May 29 June 2025 Update: Embody love, protect one another, build communities

Pride Month is a powerful reminder of the beauty, resilience, and sacred worth of LGBTQ+ people. It’s a time for joy, for celebration, and for remembering that our lives and loves are nothing less than holy.

In a world that too often tries to dim that light, Pride shines all the brighter. It calls us to live our Unitarian Universalist values out loud—to embody love, to protect one another, and to build communities where everyone is free to thrive.

This month, Side With Love is sharing resources to help you celebrate and sustain that spirit—not just for Pride, but for the many ways we show up for justice and joy. From worship to public witness, spiritual care to bold action, we hope these offerings help you and your congregation feel more connected, grounded, and inspired.

May this be a season of deepening faith, fierce love, and renewed courage. We are in this together, and our collective light is unstoppable.

With love and gratitude,
The Side With Love Team

The Gathering– June

Monday, June 9, 2025 at 8pm–9:15pm ET | 5pm - 6:15pm PT

Image description: A black background with white and yellow handwritten and typed text. At the bottom is a head-and-shoulders photo of Shana Aisenberg and the SACReD logo. The Gathering. Music: Shana Aisenberg. Speaker: SACReD. Monday, June 9. 8 ET, 7 CT, 6 MT, 5 PT on Zoom. “Gathering” is underlined in yellow, with yellow hand-drawn rays above it.

Join The Gathering, Side With Love’s monthly event to strengthen your spirit, make sense of the threats to democracy, and take meaningful action alongside others!

In this month when we celebrate GLBTQIA pride and brace ourselves for Supreme Court decisions, we gather with music from UU trans/non-binary musician, writer, and activist Shana Aisenberg. Side with Love’s Nicole Pressley will invite us into learning about how we build the power to intervene through campaigns (including an update on the Avelo “Abduction Airlines” campaign we talked about in May).

Rev. Kentina Washington-Leapheart from SACReD (Spiritual Alliance of Communities for Reproductive Dignity) will overview the challenging landscape of reproductive justice and abortion access and ways that folks on the ground are making pathways for bodily autonomy to flourish despite the obstacles. Come find inspiration, forge connections, and take action together!

Access & Accessibility:

Live Zoom event (no participant mics or breakout rooms)
CART captioning provided
Optional Zoom chat available
Recording (without chat) + slides + links shared afterward at sidewithlove.org/the-gathering

Monday, June 9, 2025 at 8pm–9:15pm ET | 5pm - 6:15pm PT Register Now

Image description: A dark blue background with “NO KINGS” in a step-and-repeat pattern and a graffiti crown with a red “X” through it. No Kings. Nationwide Day of Defiance. June 14, 2025.

No Kings: A Nationwide Day of Action for Democracy
Saturday, June 14, 2025 | Flag Day

This Flag Day, authoritarianism wants a parade. We want a democracy.

On June 14, communities across the country will gather for a powerful day of action to reject authoritarianism and affirm our deepest values: equity, dignity, and real democracy for all. With over 600 events already planned in every state, the No Kings mobilization is a chance to show that power doesn’t come from thrones or crowns—it comes from the people, organized in love.

As Unitarian Universalists, we know that defending democracy is a moral act. Whether you show up in person or amplify online, your voice matters.

Find an event and learn more at nokings.org
Let your congregation know: Our faith accepts no kings.

Let’s show the country—and the world—that we are a people of principle, ready to rise for freedom, fairness, and a future rooted in justice.

Find or Host a Local Event

Image description: Red background with a dark blue horizontal stripe above a white text bubble. Action of Immediate Witness Feedback Sessions. Join the UUA's Commission on Social Witness to learn more about each AIW, offer feedback, & connect with others interested in the issue! June 2 at 4pm PT / 7pm ET: We Declare and Reaffirm: All People Have Inherent Worth and Inalienable Rights. June 3 at 4pm PT / 7pm ET: Faithful Defiance of Authoritarianism: Reaffirming Our Covenants for Democracy and Freedom. June 4 at 4pm PT / 7pm ET: Bringing a Feminist and Womanist Lens to Resistance and Activism. June 5 at 4:30pm PT / 7:30pm ET: Funding Global LGBTIQ Freedom Amid Crisis: A Call for Immediate Action and Solidarity. June 8 at 4pm PT / 7pm ET: Voter Justice and Racial Equity for the Citizens of the Nation’s Capital. All Sessions will take place on Zoom. Register at uua.org/socialwitness.

Offer your feedback on the 2025 Proposed Actions of Immediate Witness!

An Action of Immediate Witness (AIW) is a statement about a significant action, event, or development in the world that necessitates immediate engagement and action among UU member congregations and groups. This year, the Commission on Social Witness received five proposed AIWs and will be holding feedback sessions for each one during the first week of June. Delegates and congregations and invited to join these sessions to learn about the proposed AIWs and provide feedback to the proposers. Learn more about the process, read the proposed AIWs, and register to join the feedback sessions at uua.org/socialwitness.

Image description: Preparing for Pride in yellow text on a black background decorated with colorful flowers and radiating circles. Next to the text is a photo strip with two images from Disabled And Here. Three Black and disabled folx (a non-binary person holding a cane, a non-binary person sitting in a power wheelchair, and a femme sitting in a chair) casually smile at the camera while a rainbow pride flag drapes on the wall behind them. A masked non-binary Latinx person waves a bubble wand in front of a wood panel wall. They look joyfully at the surrounding bubbles above them and wear a patterned shirt reading, “Trans joy is holy.” A teal cane leans against them, though only the top of it is in frame.

Is your congregation or community celebrating Pride this year?

Solidarity is the moral and strategic mandate of our time, and we must rise to challenge attacks on identity and these divide-and-conquer tactics that rely on the belief that one group’s safety comes at the expense of another group’s safety.

View our recommended resources