WeHo PRIDE: Sign Making Pizza Party 🎉

A Unitarian Universalist (UU) congregation can host an inclusive sign-making event by providing arts supplies, centering queer joy and history, and opening their doors to the broader neighborhood.

This practical, joyous gathering fosters community while preparing marchers for the local LGBTQ+ Pride parade.

Concrete Steps for Hosting the Event

Provide the Materials:

Set up communal tables stocked with poster board, vibrant markers, eco-friendly paints, glitter, scissors, and wooden dowels.

Center Queer Joy and Activism:

Offer examples of empowering slogans that align with both secular Pride themes and UU values, such as "Extravagant Welcome," "Love is Love," and "Stand on the Side of Love."

Foster Connection:

Provide plenty of food, refreshing drinks, and music to ensure the event feels like a festive "Pride Prep Party" rather than just a crafting session.

Partner with Local Groups:

Co-host or invite local LGBTQ+ youth or advocacy organizations to participate, ensuring the event directly serves and involves the marginalized communities you seek to support.

Make It Intergenerational:

Ensure there are kid-friendly crafts and activities so families and youth of all ages feel safe expressing themselves.

How to Prepare Your Group for the Parade

Designate Parading Signs:

Encourage participants to make both large, church-sponsored banners and individual signs that can be carried at the parade.

Incorporate Swag:

In addition to signs, prepare small items to distribute along the parade route, such as rainbow stickers, handheld fans for the summer heat, and water bottles or candy.

Highlight Your Identity:

Make sure the congregation's name and affirming values are visible on t-shirts, sashes, or a main marching banner.

Connecting to UU Values

As part of the UU ⁠LGBTQ+ Ministries commitment to radical inclusion and the inherent worth of every person, use this event to visibly demonstrate solidarity.

Many individuals carry deep religious trauma from past congregations; this event and subsequent march offer a healing, affirming message that they are celebrated exactly as they are.