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What does it look like when one diverse community gathers to support another diverse community? It might look like Lutherans for Love.
A network of nine ELCA congregations in the San Diego area, Lutherans for Love is a ministry of LGBTQIA+ people and allies. Its year-round programming makes a loud and enthusiastic point of having a presence at the San Diego Pride parade, manning a float every year.
The group’s role in the event is so recognized that they took home the honor of second place for “Best Faith-based Contingent” at the 2025 San Diego Pride Parade Awards.
Lutherans for Love’s recent Pride presence began as the area emerged from the stasis of the COVID-19 pandemic. One congregation, First Lutheran of San Diego, had long had a presence at the parade, but the reset of the pandemic led to the discovery that other area churches were also interested in participating.
“We all figured it’d be better, and have more of an impact, to have us march as one contingent, rather than separately,” said Mary Ann Horton, a member of First and one of the driving forces of Lutherans for Love.
“From there, it’s been an annual gathering,” said Gina Seashore, the group’s coordinator and a member of Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church in La Mesa. “We’ve gotten more churches, and now we have over 100 marchers every year. We had 125 people joining with us in 2025. And that’s from nine churches in our core group, not counting other people who’ve just joined us every now and then.”
In addition to its presence at the parade, members of the collective advocate at churches for the full participation of the LGBTQIA+ community and actively support ELCA congregations who are part of its ministry network.
Demonstrating God’s love
The outpouring of love both by and for Lutherans for Love has been noticed by plenty of people, including Gary Millbrook, a member of First and an out gay man.
“It’s a wonderful feeling to be part of the family,” Millbrook said. “I think that’s really key and central to my experience … feeling part of the family of God and not being tolerated but actually embraced.”
“There’s a reputation within the [LGBTQIA+] community that Christians are hateful people, condemning them to hell because they see protestors who say that all Christians hate them, screaming all kinds of vile stuff at them through bullhorns,” Horton said. “But we want to send the message that they are welcome here.”
Millbrook has felt that welcome in his home congregation and seen it in action with Lutherans for Love. “This is an opening of a new world, where someone’s orientation is not held against them, but they are just part of the family of God,” he said.
In addition to generating love toward the LGBTQIA+ community in churches, the group also hopes to inspire those outside of Lutheran circles.
“It’s a wonderful feeling to be part of the family.”
“We do inspire people who haven’t heard of Lutherans for Love or the fact that Lutherans are involved in this sort of ministry,” Seashore said. “Last year was amazing—I got lots of thank-yous along the parade route from people in the crowd.”
Seashore acknowledges that pulling off the float every year requires a lot of hard work and logistics. It’s no small feat to coordinate the various congregations and volunteers to decide on a float, build it, transport it and get everyone to and from the very crowded parade route. But all that sweat dissipates when the parade sets out.
“Once all the details are settled and the float starts going, it’s a feeling of joy,” Seashore said. “I almost have tears of joy [then]. And I don’t know if it’s because the details are finally over or it’s the parade itself, just seeing the smiles and the waves we get from people.”
Ultimately, Lutherans for Love puts in all that effort to support the LGBTQIA+ community because members are guided by their deep commitment to the good news of the gospel.
“We do this because we believe God’s love is for everyone,” Seashore said. “And we want the world to know it.”
