Welcome to LGBTQIA+ Pride Month. Pride Month is a celebration of life that is often announced in the declaration, “Love is Love.” Pride Month is a celebration of full self-acceptance that opposes the degrading attitudes of a society that is male-preferred and privileges heterosexuality as cultural normativity. It is a celebration that embraces all that it means to be human and alive. Pride Month celebrates coming out and calls out to the celebration of queerness.

The General Conference of the United Methodist Church (UMC), convened in 2024, voted overwhelmingly to affirm LGBTQIA+ persons called to ordain ministry. Furthermore, the UMC also chose to celebrate LGBTQIA+ marriages as holy. Since the UMC decision to honor the full humanity of all, it has not been unusual to meet someone from the Church to ask me if enrollment has increased at Iliff because of the changes in the Book of Discipline. I always smile and give the same answer. Our enrollment has not increased because we have been open, affirming, and welcoming for decades. Even during the time when the UMC was not open, affirming, and welcoming, we held our doors wide open to all persons interested in theological education. Iliff has been a safe space, a brave space, a space of belonging when other UMC theological schools were not as inviting as us. No, our enrollment has not increased with an influx of LGBTQIA+ students because we have always held the commitment that the UMC has just arrived at. The UMC has joined us in our confession and commitment! We were ahead of the Church, and we continue to be a leader within the UMC as we advocate freedom in all that we do as educators.

The Iliff School of Theology, as always, celebrates the LGBTQIA+ Love Feast, otherwise known as Pride Month! Not only are our students LGBTQIA+, members of our employed community are also LGBTQIA+, nonbinary, and allies. We live the justice we declare and celebrate the vision of the world we advocate. During Pride Month, we advocate for the freedom to be ourselves in wondrous colors and complexity!

Sincerely,

Rev. Dr. Lee Butler, Jr.

President and CEO of Iliff School of Theology