By Deborah Reinhardt
I’m writing this report ahead of the Nov. 3 election. Although we don’t yet know the outcomes, I want to praise our members who have showed up, fought hard, and gave their all to educate the public on so many amendments and propositions. Our community is much stronger together; that was the original idea behind forming the LGBTQ+ Faith Alliance two years ago.
So, however this election shakes out, my prayer is we can move forward and work together to make the St. Louis region a more just and equitable place. As we prepare to look ahead into our third year, I’d like to pause for a quick recap of 2026. First, by the numbers.
• We held nine meetings attended by a total of 115 people.
• We held two events that raised $715 in funds to support our work.
• We added 11 congregations to our membership (as of October 2026). Our coalition continues to grow in number (91 members) and diversity.
• Our four guest speakers at our meetings this year were outstanding and offered valuable information to help our congregations do more for LGBTQ+ people in our area! We welcomed Beth Gombos (they/them), executive director, THISTL (Trans Housing Initiative St. Louis); Ben Greene, international trans educator and author; Abby Mueller, Metro Trans Umbrella Group (MTUG); and Rodney Wilson, founder of LGBTQ+ History Month. In May, we held a joint community meeting with PROMO Missouri and welcomed Katy Erker-Lynch (executive director) and Atem Richardson (St. Louis Equality Organizer).
We advocated for trans rights and reproductive freedom. We showed up in Jefferson City to let those in power know our votes matter. We knocked doors, made phone calls, wrote postcards and letters. When trans inmates in Missouri were denied their HRT (hormone replacement therapy), we pushed back against the Department of Corrections and started a pen pal initiative to provide some emotional support to incarcerated LGBTQ+ people. About a dozen people attended the training; we need more volunteers, however, because Missouri has approximately 40 trans inmates in state prisons.
The Faith Alliance showed up in the community through Pride events in June and September, as well as a new back-to-school event in August that supported LGBTQ+ youth. A plan for a convocation to benefit congregations outside St. Louis City and County had to pushed into 2027. We supported trans youth by making summer/Pride goody bags for the TransParent kids’ club and organized a drive for personal care items to benefit MTUG.
I want to give a tip of the hat to Sam Buegler, who was instrumental in updating and improving our communication systems. We now have an attractive website and professional email service, which gives us a public-facing presence and a way to more effectively communicate with our members.
Finally, a leadership plan that will take us into the future is taking shape. We implemented plans for an executive committee and four teams to share decisions and work that will keep our alliance strong.
You know, I often hear from people inside and outside this interfaith alliance that we’re doing good work. I’m especially encouraged by positive comments from within the local LGBTQ+ community. However, the LGBTQ+ Faith Alliance is only as strong as its membership; it must be active and creative, and we have a plan for 2027 while looking beyond. I have great faith in the work we will be able to do together.
So, friends, thank you for another productive and promising year. If you want to be part of the private Facebook group, email me (lgbtfaithalliance@aol.com) and we can make that happen. Watch for Faith Alliance communications during our brief hiatus and let’s be ready to boldly go into 2027 together.
Happy Holidays!