Order of The Rainbow Tent

02/27/2026

To our beloved transgender siblings within the Order of the Rainbow Tent and beyond:

The transgender community is under attack — not in whispers, but in legislation. When states like Kansas pass laws forcing identification documents to reflect s*x assigned at birth, when the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission permits workplace bathroom discrimination, and when members of the United States Congress introduce bills to cut funding from schools that affirm transgender and q***r identities, the message is unmistakable: exclusion is being written into policy.

These measures do not protect children.
They do not safeguard privacy.
They do not ensure fairness.

They restrict healthcare.
They limit education.
They jeopardize employment.
They undermine basic human dignity.

We must be clear: policies rooted in fear do not create safety — they create harm. And harm dressed in legal language is still harm.

The Order of the Rainbow Tent stands in sacred solidarity with our transgender members. Your existence is not a debate. Your identity is not an ideology. Your life is not a political bargaining chip.

Resistance is not only protest — it is presence.

It is showing up.
It is telling the truth.
It is voting.
It is protecting one another.
It is building communities where dignity is non-negotiable.

Awareness is not passive. It is an active commitment to challenge misinformation, to defend accurate language, and to demand equal protection under the law — not someday, but now.

We call upon lawmakers to reject discrimination masquerading as policy and to affirm the constitutional promise of equal protection for all people.

And to our trans siblings:
You are sacred.
You are powerful.
You are not alone.

The rainbow does not fragment under pressure — it refracts into brilliance.

***rLiberation

02/17/2026

I (Order Head Rev. Bryan Ellicott-Cook- (He/ They) asked one of our members the Notorious Rt Rev. Eboni Nash (She/Her) eto talk about Black History & Q***r Identity for Black History because of her own identities and perspectives.

I am honored to sit with the words and wisdom of Rev. Eboni Nash in this powerful piece for Black History Month.

Her reflection reminds us that Black history is not only something we remember—it’s something we live, carry, and build every day. Rooted in faith, truth, and an unflinching commitment to justice, this article is a timely reminder of the strength, brilliance, and moral clarity that Black leaders continue to offer our communities.

Grateful for voices like Rev. Nash’s that help us reflect, reckon, and recommit—this month and always. 🖤✊🏾

02/17/2026

12/16/2025

From Lord Phoenix Coffin - Williams -

Uganda is one of the most homophobic places on Earth, with life imprisonment for being gay and religious leaders wielding more power than elected officials. Q***rness is framed as Western, foreign, and fundamentally un-African.

That version of history skips an inconvenient chapter.

The last independent ruler of Buganda, King Mwanga II, was openly bis*xual in the late 19th century. He had male and female lovers, allowed same-s*x relationships at court, and took the throne at just 18 years old. Unlike his father, Mwanga understood that missionaries were not just spreading religion. They were laying the groundwork for colonial control.

His resistance was messy and often brutal. Mwanga ordered the ex*****on of Christian converts he believed were acting as informants for European powers. Missionaries turned those deaths into a powerful narrative, creating the Uganda Martyrs and casting Mwanga as a depraved tyrant. That story helped Britain justify absorbing Buganda and dismantling its independence.

Here’s the bitter irony. The religious extremism now used to justify anti-gay laws in Uganda did not exist before colonial rule. It was imported, institutionalized, and weaponized, first to break a kingdom and later to control a nation.

Mwanga was not a flawless hero, and he shouldn’t be treated as one. He was young, paranoid, and violent, and he paid for his resistance with exile, torture, forced conversion, and death by starvation in his 30s. But he is also undeniable evidence that q***rness existed in Africa long before Europeans arrived claiming moral authority.

History didn’t erase him. It reshaped him to serve power. Mwanga died in 1903; religion still controls the government today.

If you want to understand how Uganda got here, you have to hold all of that at once.

12/08/2025

On the eve of Human Rights Day, December 9th, the Order of the Rainbow Tent lifts up the sacred truth that human rights are not optional—they are inherent, spiritual, and worth defending.

We honor the magic of dignity, the power of liberation, and the ongoing struggle for safety, sovereignty, and justice for all people—especially our most marginalized siblings. Our rituals, our resistance, and our care for one another are all part of this holy work.

May we continue to protect bodies, honor identities, challenge injustice, and build worlds rooted in love, equity, and belonging.

Human rights are sacred.
Justice is a spell we cast together.

12/01/2025

12/01/2025

🌹 World AIDS Day 2025 🌹
Theme: Overcoming Disruption, Transforming the AIDS Response

Today, the Order of the Rainbow Tent pauses in remembrance, solidarity, and unwavering commitment. We honor the lives lost to HIV/AIDS, celebrate the resilience of survivors, and stand with all those continuing the fight for health equity, dignity, and justice.

For our q***r, trans, and Two-Spirit communities, HIV/AIDS has been both a wound and a rallying cry. Even in the face of stigma, loss, and relentless barriers, our communities have always met disruption with transformation — through care networks, mutual aid, harm reduction, activism, ritual, and love.

On this World AIDS Day, we:
✨ Remember our ancestors and loved ones who walk with us in spirit.
✨ Uplift those living with HIV with compassion and respect — there is no shame in survival.
✨ Renew our commitment to ending stigma and ensuring access to prevention, treatment, and support for all.
✨ Honor the healers, activists, organizers, and everyday community members who carry this work forward.

May we continue to protect each other.
May we transform in the face of disruption.
May we move toward a future where the AIDS response is rooted in justice, care, and liberation for all.

In remembrance. In resilience. In community.
In remembrance. In resilience. In the community.

11/20/2025

Transgender Day of Remembrance

Today, we pause as the Order of the Rainbow Tent to honor the memory of our trans and gender-nonconforming siblings whose lives were stolen by anti-trans violence. This day is a sacred act of remembrance—a moment to speak their names, hold space for their stories, and recommit ourselves to creating a world where every trans person can live openly, safely, and joyfully.

As a q***r-centered community, we recognize that remembrance is not only mourning but also responsibility. We carry forward the light of those who can no longer be here, tending the flame of justice, compassion, and collective protection. Their lives matter. Their futures should have been possible. Their spirits continue to guide us.

May we use today to deepen our solidarity, strengthen our mutual care, and honor the resilience and beauty of trans people everywhere. And may we, together, build a world where remembrance is no longer needed because all of us are allowed to live.

In memory. In power. In the community.

11/14/2025

✨ Transgender Awareness Week ✨🏳️‍⚧️

The Order of the Rainbow Tent honors and uplifts our transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive siblings this week and every week. This is a time to celebrate lived truth, affirm sacred journeys, and center the voices and experiences of those who continue to shine brightly in a world that doesn’t always make space for them.

Within our Tent, we recognize that gender is a beautifully diverse expression of spirit. Each path, each transformation, and each becoming is worthy of respect, protection, and love. We stand in solidarity with all who are navigating their journeys—seen and unseen—holding space for healing, community, and empowerment.

May this week remind us to listen deeply, learn openly, and uplift one another with compassion.

🌈✨ In unity, we honor the full spectrum of who we are.

11/08/2025

11/03/2025

🌈✨ Transgender Awareness Month ✨🌈
November is Transgender Awareness Month, a time for reflection, education, and action.

At The Order of the Rainbow Tent, we honor our transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive siblings who bring truth, courage, and sacred authenticity to our shared spiritual and community spaces. This month calls us to deepen our understanding, uplift trans voices, and affirm that every person—created in divine light—is deserving of respect, safety, and love.

Let us use this time to listen, learn, and stand visibly with our trans community members, especially those facing harm, discrimination, or erasure. In our prayers, rituals, and everyday words, may we reaffirm that trans rights are human rights and that trans lives are holy.

🕯️💜 Blessed be the names, the journeys, and the resilience of our trans family—past, present, and future.

10/29/2025

Hail The Traveler 🕯️

RIP Lia Smith