As the 2024 U.S. elections loom closer, a unique initiative has surfaced from the Pacific School of Religion (PSR) in Berkeley, California. Their five-part series, Queering the 2024 Vote, aims to inspire and mobilize LGBTQ+ voters, with an approach grounded in both faith and activism. This initiative feels especially poignant in today’s political climate, where queer rights are increasingly under scrutiny, and faith communities often wrestle with their stance on LGBTQ+ inclusion.
The workshops, led by LGBTQ+ religious leaders and advocates, cover a variety of topics essential to the queer community’s political engagement. From Vote with Love!—an exploration of voting as an act of compassion led by Rev. Michael Neuroth—to Elections Are A Queer Thing with Rev. Jakob Hero-Shaw, the series isn’t just about encouraging civic participation. It’s about empowering queer individuals to see their vote as a tool of justice, hope, and, crucially, visibility in a system that often sidelines them1.
Why It Matters
For many LGBTQ+ people, voting can feel like an exercise in futility, especially in states with strong anti-LGBTQ+ legislation or where political representation is sparse. This series challenges that defeatist attitude, urging queer individuals to reclaim their agency. The workshops offer spiritual grounding and practical tools for political engagement, recognizing the intersectionality of faith, queerness, and advocacy.
Queering the Vote isn’t just about showing up at the polls; it’s about reclaiming our power—politically, spiritually, and personally—in a system that too often sidelines queer voices.
Moreover, Queering the Vote is not just a political movement; it’s a spiritual one. Many LGBTQ+ individuals have experienced exclusion from religious communities, yet here is a space where faith and queerness aren’t just coexisting but thriving together. Rev. Neuroth and Rev. Hero-Shaw’s workshops highlight how religious activism can be a form of queer resistance, flipping the script on traditional narratives that have historically sidelined queer believers2.
Cultural Impact and Beyond
The fusion of activism and faith in this series could be seen as a growing trend in queer advocacy spaces, where spirituality is reclaimed as a site of resistance rather than oppression. With campaigns like Love is Louder, the series also taps into ongoing efforts within progressive faith communities to elevate LGBTQ+ rights as a moral imperative.
In the lead-up to the 2024 elections, this initiative is an invaluable reminder of how intersectionality informs activism. For many queer voters, their identities are not just political but deeply personal and often spiritual, making this series a prompt intervention in the broader fight for justice3.
In a year when voting has never felt more critical for marginalized communities, Queering the Vote empowers LGBTQ+ individuals to wield their ballots as tools for transformative change. This isn’t just about casting votes—it’s about reclaiming a voice that has too often been drowned out in the clamor of political discourse. For those who have felt left behind by both politics and religion, this could be the clarion call they’ve been waiting for.
- https://religionnews.com/2024/09/06/pacific-school-of-religion-psr-presents-queering-the-2024-vote/ ↩︎
- https://www.outsports.com/2024/9/4/24101043/brenda-osnaya-para-triathlon-paralympics-paris-jessie-gonzalez-marriage-proposal-team-lgbtq/ ↩︎
- https://www.whro.org/health/2024-09-05/lgbt-life-center-opens-new-hampton-location-to-increase-access-to-health-care-lgbt-friendly-community-space ↩︎