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Hopeville Church, an open and affirming church in Waterbury, CT, just held a drag gospel service that featured a story time for young children.
Celebrating 35 years of being Open and Affirming, the church stands as number 57 on the official list—meaning it was on the “ground floor” of the LGBTQ+ movement within mainline Protestantism. Its own promotional materials feature a rainbow-colored Marxist fist.
The service included prayers, songs, and drag story time.
In one prayer, the deacon declared: “You gather queer children, trans children, nonbinary children, questioning children, fierce elders, chosen families, those who struggle, those who are trying, and those still fighting. Root us in affirmation that refuses to whisper what should be shouted. Let this worship be sanctuary and spark.”
A drag queen named “Art”—who also serves as a pastor in Massachusetts—read the children’s book ’Twas the Night Before Pride in a distinctly masculine voice to a congregation that included young children.
Later, after a quick costume change into his “coat of many colors,” Art delivered a sermon on clothing. He stated that queer people have long understood clothing is never “just clothing,” and he lamented traditional views about what is appropriate for children to wear. He reinterpreted Joseph’s multicolored robe as “more complex, more boundary-breaking, and far more queer than those who weaponize scripture often admit.” Joseph, he said, was “a beloved child who disrupts the gender categories.” Art suggested the garment represented “holy fabulousness” hidden in Genesis and claimed Joseph’s brothers were not merely envious but “transphobic” over his visible difference. He compared them to modern “curmudgeons” who “cannot fathom the idea of a rainbow flag at a church.”
He concluded by urging the church not to stay silent when “gender-affirming care” comes under attack, then led the congregation in a chant: “We are here, we are queer, we are beloved.”
When a church reframes the Bible’s clear teachings on creation order (male and female, Genesis 1:27), the body as God’s temple, and the goodness of His design into a celebration of confusion and pride, it no longer offers the transforming gospel of Jesus Christ. It offers affirmation without repentance, inclusion without holiness, and a rainbow flag in place of the cross.
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