One of the themes that has surfaced repeatedly throughout this Pride series is belonging. Not visibility. Not welcome. Belonging. The difference matters because it is possible to be welcomed into a space while still feeling that parts of yourself have been left outside the door.

I have often thought about what that might feel like for queer immigrants. Imagine arriving in a new country and searching for community. The people who share your language, culture, faith, and history may not feel safe places to be fully yourself as a 2SLGBTQIA+ person. Yet the communities that affirm your sexuality or gender identity may not always understand the family, cultural, or religious worlds that shaped you. The choice can feel impossible: bring your whole self and risk rejection, or belong partially in two different places.

That is one reason I think Pride matters. At its best, Pride is more than visibility. It is a declaration that nobody should have to fragment themselves in order to belong. Yet that vision challenges all of us. It challenges cultural communities to make room for queer people without demanding silence. It challenges 2SLGBTQIA+ communities to honour the cultural, linguistic, and spiritual identities people carry with them. It challenges churches to move beyond welcome and toward genuine belonging.

The longer I do this work, the more convinced I become that belonging is one of the hardest things to build. It requires more than an open door. It requires making room for the full complexity of another person’s life. During Pride Month, I find myself wondering how many people are still searching for a community where all of who they are can arrive together.