Catholic Grandmother Wants People to Make Noise for LGBTQ+ Equality

In Germany, LGBTQ+ Pride celebrations are often called “Christopher Street Day,” a time of parades, celebrations, and festivals. A number of large cities host these celebrations in July, and recently Bondings 2.0 reported that  German Catholic youth organizations stronlyg supported the Christopher Stree Day in Cologne.

Regina Nagel

Regina Nagel, a German Catholic religious educator, business psychologist, author, and member of “Omas gegen Rechts Deutschland eV” (“Grandmas Against Right-Wing Germany”) recently wrote about her experiences at a Christopher Street Day (CSD) celebration in the German city of Heilbronn. In a post on Katholisch.de, Nagel wrote that some in the crowd surrounding her complained that the event participants were making too much noise. Though she admits that she herself does not like noise, she reprimanded the compaliners by saying: “They have to be loud because their rights are under threat!” She further explained:

“The general tenor of the CSD speeches was: ‘We are here for everyone who doesn’t dare to be here.’ In Heilbronn, there were a few hundred people, and the next day in Cologne, over a million activists and spectators. It’s so important to take to the streets for those who don’t dare!”

Nagel continued her grandmotherly advice:

“My Pride insight: There’s some noise I like. There’s some noise that’s urgently needed, and there’s a diverse array of ways to show presence and take a stand for human rights. This applies even to the quieter ones and, most importantly, to those who feel committed to the gospel! Anyone who consciously and deliberately refuses to resist this becomes an accomplice to intolerable facets of injustice that marginalizes, threatens, terrifies, or even destroys people.”

I appreciated her courage and wisdom, especially because here in the U.S. it seems that every day, more and more rights of LGBTQ+ people are being denied.  As a Catholic, I couldn’t help but make the connection also with LGBTQ+ ministry.  I thought of all those amazing pastoral ministers who welcome LGBTQ+ people into their parishes, providing a space for those who normally wouldn’t dare to walk into a Catholic parish, out of fear of being hurt or out of anger at already having been hurt.  I thought of all those steadfast LGBTQ+ Catholics who have claimed their rightful places in their Catholic communities, serving as a witness and example that it is possible to dare to be public.

Nagel’s challenge reminded me that everyone can make some kind of noise, whether it is the quieter type or louder type.  Everyone can do something in our civil society and our church to support all people who are being marginalized by leaders and others.  I thought of Pope Francis’ 2013 message to young people at World Youth Day, encouraging them to become active in their local communities by telling them to go home and “make a mess.”  In our current climate, we should all follow Pope Francis’ advice and not be afraid to make a mess.  We should all also use our words and voices to make some noise in our society and our church, always doing so in the Christian style of mixing fearlessness with gentleness.

—Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry, July 24, 2025