Prayer for Peace

I write today with a heavy heart. News of the bombing in Iran sends shockwaves through all of us who believe in the sacredness of every human life. Whether it’s Tehran or Los Angeles, we must say it loud and clear: violence is not justice.

Every missile dropped, every civilian harmed, every fear ignited—these are not the tools of liberation. These are the echoes of empire, the language of domination. And we, the gender diverse, the outcast, the visionaries of a world yet to come, we must stand against it.

To bomb is to say human lives are disposable. To justify war is to forget that every soul carries the divine image. As people of faith, as queer folk who know what it means to be scapegoated and targeted, we refuse to accept the lie that war makes peace.

No matter the nation, no matter the cause—violence will never bring the world we long for. As a former Air Force historian I witnessed that violence only creates more violence.

We cry out in mourning with the people of Iran, with all victims of war, and we cry out with a holy rage: enough.

Let us be builders of justice that does not spill blood. Let us speak peace in the language of protest, compassion, and radical solidarity.

We are not free until all are free.

We are not safe until bombs stop falling.

We are not silent.