One month, three festivals, and over twenty volunteers later, Pride Month is drawing to a close. And as we pack away our volunteer shirts, custom sunscreen and carabiners, and “I ❤️ nice Jewish queers” stickers, it feels like a good time to pause and reflect on what showing up really means. Over the past few weeks, the words I heard most simple: “Thank you for being here.” It came from people who stopped by our booth, airdropped me pictures from the parade, added our Jewish Nashville stickers to their water bottles with pride. Again and again, our Jewish and non-Jewish neighbors told us how much it meant to see us. These words are simple but mean so much to me. Because the past few years haven’t been easy for Nashville’s LGBTQ+ community. And they certainly haven’t been easy for Jewish LGBTQ+ communities around the world. My queer community and I have felt the pain of rising antisemitism, anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, and moments when it felt like our identities were too complicated to belong anywhere. And yet, when Pride rolls around, Jewish Nashville shows up. We come with rainbow flags and smiles, ready to meet our neighbors exactly as we are: proudly Jewish, proudly queer, and proudly part of Nashville’s community. And when we show up, Nashville notices. People see us, Jews in all our diversity, celebrating who we are and the love that Judaism stands for. They get to meet us, their neighbors, and see that Jewish Nashville is bigger, kinder, and more colorful than the stereotypes they might carry. And we, in turn, get to see our neighbors: their joy, their struggles, and their hope. That is why we keep showing up. Pride isn’t just about a single month of rainbow stickers or parades. It’s about reminding ourselves, and reminding Nashville, that we belong here. So, as Pride Month comes to an end, our work doesn’t stop. We will keep waving our flags, telling our stories, and showing up for each other. Thank you to our volunteers, neighbors, and anyone who stopped by our booth for reminding us why we keep coming back. If you’re interested in becoming involved with year round LGBTQ+ Jewish programming in Nashville, please contact emma@jewishnashville.org