CHURCH LADIES AND GENTS FOR GAY RIGHTS

Church Ladies and Gents for Gay Rights is open to people of faith who want to demonstrate that our beliefs prompt us to support equal rights for all.

Coordinated by members of First Congregational Church of Sonoma UCC, we use humor and love to display our support for the basic dignity and rights of our LGBTQI brothers and sisters by marching in the San Francisco Pride Parade each year under the banner “Church Ladies & Gents for Gay Rights.”

Starting in 2018, we also joined with First Congregational Church Santa Rosa UCC and Community Church of Sebastopol UCC to participate in the Sonoma County Pride celebration on the first Saturday in June. That’s in addition to marching with the United in Spirit contingent at SF Pride on the last Sunday in June.

The Gents wear hats and buttoned shirts, with the occasional bowtie or set of suspenders. The Church Ladies “drill team” camps it up with big hats, dresses, little white gloves, pearls, handbags, and sensible shoes. The Ladies wave their hankies and blow kisses at the crowd while performing (extremely) simple choreographed moves. It’s all in fun, but our message is serious: God Loves Everyone.

When and where we meet:
We meet on an as needed basis. Typically we will hold one to three planning sessions before the parades, to coordinate transportation, costumes and all other aspects of participating in two Pride Parade celebrations. NOTE: Due to COVID-19, we will not be participating in this year's parade.