Please rise, as you are able, in body or in spirit for our queer ancestors:
Marsha, Stormé, Sylvia, our forebears whose names have been lost to time, and the elders who still walk among us.
They, who taught us to stand up, stand with, stand for, stand against, and stand together.
They, who kindled the fires of revelation at Greenwich Village in summertime.
May we always remember the places where they fought, where they stood, and how their paths continue to make inroads for us now: to love, to heal, to demand our rights, and to answer only to our holiest names.
Blessed are our ancestors,
The forefolx whose spirits and life-blood we hold within ourselves like sparks of the divine.
Those who created cornerstone towers from glass and broken brick,
Whose steps of defiance created paths where none existed, lightening our burden.
Let us celebrate our hard won victories, and remember that the work continues with us.
Note: This prayer/blessing was written in 2020 for the 50th anniversary of Christopher Street Liberation Day, what we now collectively call Pride.
