SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Pride Festival kicked off this weekend, with love and acceptance being the center of what Utah Pride says they represent.
“Sometimes in my world I feel very lonely, and it's been really cool to show up and see, oh, there's actually a big community out here,” said Livia who was attending the festival. "I go anywhere else, and I'll get a lot of looks, and here I can just walk around and not have someone I don't know question my existence,” added Luna Campbell.
However, it’s no secret that religion is a strong part of the state’s identity, which makes some feel like true acceptance is hard to come by.
“I did grow up in a Mormon household. I know what it is like personally to receive conflicting information about who I am,” said Esera with Utah Pride.
“I've had three death threats this week on posts that had 200 views each, and it's like you put hashtag Christian, you put hashtag Utah, that will happen,” Campbell said.
Many were shocked this week when Governor Cox issued a surprise declaration, that felt like a snub to their community.
Cox declared this June as Fidelity Month, pointing to a recent opinion poll showing that Americans' support for traditional values has declined, and wants Utahns to prioritize things like faith, family, and country.
“Fidelity Month, I want to say, is not at odds with Pride month. They are all about celebrating community and celebrating togetherness,” said Jackson Carter with Utah Pride, "the idea that we would need to rebrand it and change the name seems a little silly to me.”
This is when the Presbytery of Utah joined the conversation, releasing a statement in support of the LGBTQ community.
“Our denomination embraces them,” said Rev. Dr. Mirjam Haas-Melchior, "churches should have open and safe spaces for communities, especially who are feeling hurt and who do not feel safe, because as Presbyterians we believe in a God that is inclusive and loves all people.”
Reverend Mirjam believes pride and fidelity should go hand in hand, depending on the definition.
“If this is an inclusive understanding that is affirmative of everybody who's faithful into the entity they believe in, faithful to and loyal to their friends and families, then yes,” she said, "but if this is an exclusive term that is narrowed down, that family is only the nuclear between man and woman, and they only should have children, then I would say it should not go hand in hand.”
Those FOX 13 News spoke to at the pride festival are encouraged that some religious leaders are getting involved in the conversation.
“Religion is queer. Queer people are everywhere. Queer people intersect every single identity you can imagine, so when people are saying that queerness is at odds with faith, it's like those two things exist together all the time,” Carter said.
“I love, love, love that churches are doing that. I don't think that pride and church should be separated. Why is it one or the other? It doesn't have to be. You can do both,” Livia said.
Presbytery of Utah’s full statement:
“Not Opposed but United: A Statement on Pride and Fidelity”
The Presbytery of Utah, as part of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), affirms with joy and conviction that June is Pride Month. We hold that Pride Month does not contradict or stand in opposition to fidelity; rather, it expresses it. Fidelity, rightly understood, is a steadfast faithfulness rooted not in fear or exclusion, but in the boundless love of God revealed in Jesus Christ—and in that love, Pride and Fidelity walk hand in hand.
In a time when public words and policies are dividing or diminishing, we renew our commitment to a vision of fidelity grounded in Scripture and shaped by the Reformed tradition: a fidelity that is covenantal, inclusive, and life-giving. God’s very own nature is fidelity.
“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God, who maintains
covenant loyalty with those who love him” (Deuteronomy 7:9).
We affirm that fidelity is a universal virtue shared across identities, orientations, and traditions. It is not owned by any political or religious group, nor diminished by diversity. It is lived daily by LGBTQ+ individuals, people of color, people of faith, and all who contribute with integrity to the well-being of our communities. Fidelity is also communal. The Church is called to embody mutual care, accountability, and hospitality.
The Church is a covenant community shaped by the Holy Spirit. Our fidelity is expressed not through uniformity but through unity in diversity, where differing voices are honored and held together in love.
Thus, fidelity for us is not withdrawal from the world, but deeper engagement with it—seeking justice, practicing compassion, and walking humbly with God
(Micah 6:8).
In response to public discourse that may seek to define fidelity narrowly or in ways that exclude, we affirm the steadfast commitment of LGBTQ+ Utahns,
whose fidelity to authenticity, family, and community strengthens the social fabric of our state and nation.
During Pride Month and throughout the year, we celebrate the fidelity expressed through love, justice, and inclusion. Diversity does not weaken fidelity. It deepens it and reveals its fullest expression, reminding us that commitment is strongest when it embraces the breadth of human experience.
We call upon leaders and community members across Utah to uphold these values with clarity, compassion, and unity. Fidelity grows when we honor one another, and our communities flourish when every person is welcomed in truth and dignity.
“Let all that you do be done in love” (1 Corinthians 16:14).
