About ®

The Community

In the face of constant efforts to squeeze people who are different out of public space, it is critical to remain grounded in the deep faith that ALL people are worthy of God’s love.

What We Believe

Believe Out Loud is a digital community working to move all people toward an expansive, transformative understanding of divine love. We center and sanctify queer spirituality across our programs, from our online worship services led by LGBTQIA faith leaders to our grantmaking program supporting faith-driven LGBTQIA peacebuilders around the world. On our social media platforms, hundreds of thousands of queer people of faith and allies gather to experience affirmation of their divinity—and to heal from damaging societal messages that alienate the LGBTQIA community from spiritual resources. 
 
Believe Out Loud knows that faith and sexuality can coexist. 
 
Too often, the world tells us that queer and religious identity are incompatible. Yet queer communities report high levels of faith engagement. Our mission is to meet this need for spiritual content tailored to the LGBTQIA community—resources that go beyond tolerance and acceptance to use the LGBTQIA experience as a framework for understanding the divine. 
 
 

“Believe Out Loud is for all identities, sexualities, faiths and denominations.”

People come to our platforms from all racial, religious, cultural, sexual orientation, and gender expression backgrounds. We honor and showcase the perspectives of the diverse communities we serve. Believe Out Loud is a program of Cathedral of Hope United Church of Christ, a vibrant, inclusive & progressive member congregation, known historically and predominantly as the largest LGBTQ church in the world. 
 
Believe Out Loud is committed to engaging in partnerships across faith traditions and denominations. We are an intergenerational, multiracial, multi-faith, and sexual- and gender-identity-diverse team, committed to expanding the possibility of what a faith community can do in the world.

Our Story

  • 2007
    January

    Progressive Christians Uniting, in consultation with policy staff at the Haas., Jr. Fund launches the Religious Voices Project, an exploratory initiative to determine where mainline Protestant clergy stand on gay and lesbian equality and assess methods to move more clergy toward LGBTQIA acceptance.

  • 2007
    October

    Religious Voices Project determines that a campaign to encourage clergy support of LGBTQIA equality is feasible.

  • 2008
    March

    Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) begins The Mainline Protestant Clergy Voices Survey, the most comprehensive survey of mainline clergy ever conducted. A wide variety of issues are covered, including their position on LGBTQIA civil rights.

  • 2008
    December

    The Religious Voices Project becomes “Believe Out Loud.” Social marketing joins traditional offline messaging methods as part of the campaign’s core strategy.

  • 2009
    May

    Public Religion Research Institute releases study about Mainline Protestant Clergy Views on Theology and Gay and Lesbian Issues. Results confirm direction of Believe Out Loud and indicate growing base of support within church.

  • 2010
    February

    Believe Out Loud moves from Progressive Christians Uniting and comes under the auspices of Intersections International and The Collegiate Church of New York.

  • 2011
    May

    Believe Out Loud releases “Got Moms” viral video which stirs debate when Sojourners refuses an ad to promote the video due to the video’s message of welcome for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the Christian church.

  • 2011
    September

    Believe Out Loud shifts focus from exclusively reaching mainline Protestant clergy. Expands mission to reach Christians of all kinds, regardless of denomination, affiliation or role. Non-Christian allies join to signal support. Facebook community grows by 400+ people a day.

  • 2012
    November

    Tremendous growth occurs across the entire online platform. Believe Out Loud surpasses 100,000 fans on Facebook and reaches 2-4 million people per month through viral messaging. Believe Out Loud recognized as online leader in disseminating LGBTQIA-inclusive Christian voices.

  • 2017
    October

    Believe Out Loud takes first steps to expand its work internationally by establishing relationships with LGBT groups in the Caribbean and providing direct aid to LGBT people affected by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.

  • 2019
    June

    Believe Out Loud launches a new website, representing our evolving identity as an online community for LGBTQIA people of faith and allies.

  • 2020
    March

    Intersections and Believe Out Loud host their last in-person pre-pandemic event, an evening with Joy Ladin about her book "The Soul of the Stranger: Reading God and Torah from a Transgender Perspective."

  • 2020
    April

    Believe Out Loud presents its first digital worship service in celebration of Easter, featuring contributions from LGBTQIA clergy and artists.

  • 2020
    May

    Believe Out Loud curates a directory of affirming churches, mosques and synagogues offering online services. Currently, 100 online offerings are listed including nontraditional and international communities.

  • 2020
    June

    On Pride Sunday, Believe Out Loud hosted its first interfaith Pride service featuring contributions from our Muslim, Jewish and Christian partners around the world.

  • 2020
    June

    In celebration of Pride Month, Believe Out Loud officially launched a mobile app, enabling the global community to find LGBTQIA-affirming spiritual resources at the click of a button.

  • 2020
    September

    Intersections International hires Union Theological Seminary students, Kimberly Gordy and Sulkiro Song, to be interns with the Believe Out Loud program until their graduation in May 2021.

  • 2020
    December

    In partnership with Intersections International, Believe Out Loud produced “Be Light Together” an Advent devotional formatted for at home printing and shared internationally.

  • 2020
    December

    Featuring the Believe Out Loud and Union Seminary interns, staff and community members, Believe Out Loud livestreamed its first Christmas service.

  • 2021
    April

    Believe Out Loud hosts its second Easter service featuring contributions from LGBTQIA artists, clergy, the Believe Out Loud and Union Theological Seminary interns, staff, and community members.

  • 2021
    May

    Intersections International and Believe Out Loud, in partnership with the Evangelischer Kirchenkreis Berlin Stadmitte (KKBS), hosted an enlightening discussion on the role faith communities can play in breaking down the discriminatory beliefs and practices that hold us back as a global community.

  • 2021
    September

    Believe Out Loud is acquired by Cathedral of Hope United Church of Christ, known as the largest predominantly LGBTQIA congregation in the world.

  • 2021
    November

    Believe Out Loud organized an international coalition of 37 organizations and more than 190 individuals to endorse a multi-faith statement of solidarity with transgender children in Texas after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law Texas House Bill 25, prohibiting K-12 student-athletes from competing on school sports teams aligned with their gender identity.

  • 2021
    December

    In partnership with Cathedral of Hope, Believe Out Loud commemorates World AIDS Day with a service featuring readings from a diverse interfaith group of LGBTQIA faith leaders, artists and a message of remembrance, radiance and resilience.

Founding Partners

Making a Difference

Until we can always be our full selves in every community we exist in, Believe Out Loud creates a space where LGBT of faith can find each other and are offered affirmation and support. We are here for each other and that alone can change someone's life.

  • I am a queer Jew and it's so important that there are spaces for those of us who don't want to give up the cultural heritage and community of our religious backgrounds just because of another aspect of our identities.

    Rey Simon, Facebook follower.

  • I appreciate Believe Out Loud's stamina, their faith, their diversity of voices, their "out-loudness, their "upbeat-ness, and their constant devotion to God and to His people. We have few Christian groups fighting for us, as LGBTQ believers, and it's wonderful to see this one so strong! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

    Jerome Stueart, Facebook follower.