Drag by candlelight: Pride celebration at Atlanta church overcomes power outage

The lights went out at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church Sunday night, just minutes before the Drag Me to Church event, featuring performances by nine local drag queens and co-hosted by the Atlanta Pride Committee.

“I’m glad the lights are out because sometimes when the lights are out is the best time that we can see everything clear,” performer Ruby Red said to the congregation.

Performers and attendees sprang into action immediately.

Christmas candelabras lined the sanctuary aisle, a Bluetooth speaker was propped next to the pulpit and performers handed out ice water and paper fans.

St. Luke’s Pastor Matt O’Rear said the worship service was born out of a “deep reverence” for the 1969 Stonewall Riots, considered a key moment in the modern gay rights movement.

Credit: Michael Blackshire

Credit: Michael Blackshire

Despite the unexpected power outage, O’Rear said he considers the event a success. Over 200 people packed the small sanctuary, filling the pews and standing alongside the perimeter of the room.

“The community showed up and showed out,” O’Rear said. “There are faces that might have not been in a church in a long time and we were able to show God’s inclusive love.”

This year’s Atlanta celebrations during National Pride Month come on the heels of national and local legislation that have targeted members of the LGBTQ community.

The Georgia Legislature this year passed a new law that limits transgender minors’ access to gender-affirming care. Gov. Brian Kemp signed it into law in March.

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On a national level, states like Florida and Tennessee have passed laws restricting drag performances. Ruby Red said she has friends there who are afraid of losing their livelihood as drag performers.

Ruby Red said St. Luke’s celebration of drag demonstrates the “love and acceptance” she believes religious spaces should embody.

Credit: Michael Blackshire

“There’s a lot of the community that over the years have felt slighted by religion,” Ruby Red said. “This is a way that they can come and worship and still be gay in a safe spot, surrounded by safe people and not worry about whatever their past scars are.”

O’Rear said he felt it important that the drag performances were incorporated into an “actual worship service.” His sermon addressed the history of LGBTQ resistance and the night’s performances.

“This pastor can only say one sacred thing: It’s about damn time that we embrace our shared humanity and recognize that love knows no bounds,” O’Rear said. He received a resounding “Amen” in response.

Sunday’s celebration also comes in the wake of fracturing within the United Methodist Church over the issue of the ordination of LGBTQ people. Some congregations in the North and South Georgia conferences recently chose to disaffiliate from the UMC over the issue of ordaining non-celibate gay clergy and performing gay marriages.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church, of which St. Luke’s is a member, adopted the statement “Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust” in 2009. O’Rear said it “was a long road” to the passage, which permitted the ordination of openly gay people.

Credit: Michael Blackshire

This year is the first time St. Luke’s has partnered with Atlanta Pride to put on the event. Churches in Minnesota, North Carolina and South Carolina have held similar services under the name “Drag Me to Church,” although O’Rear said he only became aware of them after St. Luke’s created their event.

Katelyn DeRuyter, who has been a church member since age 3, grew emotional before the event when speaking about St. Luke’s acceptance of the LGBTQ community.

“We’re at a time right now where the church needs to be a place that accepts and love,” DeRuyter said. “That is particularly important these days when there’s a lot of voices of hate.”

APC’s new executive director Chris McCain sat in the second row of pews during the service. McCain said witnessing the performances within a church space was “really inspiring.”

“It’s just a really beautiful celebration of diversity and inclusion in a space that’s for many people not always a welcoming space,” McCain said. “It’s a testament to the particular commitments and the values of this particular faith community to reach out and to welcome in the LGBTQ community for this event.”