At Nashville LGBT Prayer Service, A Muslim Activist Apologizes For Being ‘Late To The Game’

A prayer service has long been part of the festivities of Nashville Pride, an annual LGBT celebration.

But this year’s service was unusual — one of its featured speakers was Muslim.

The organizers of Nashville Pride’s Spirituality Night had planned for months to include a Muslim speaker. Last weekend’s shooting in Orlando was not a factor.

Still Paul Galloway, executive director of the American Muslim Advisory Council, apologized that it’s taken that tragedy to show him and so many other Muslims why it’s important to reach out to gays and lesbians.

“I’m late to the game,” Galloway told the crowd of about 250 people gathered in Vanderbilt University’s Benton Chapel. “I talk a good talk about standing up for religious liberty, making sure religion isn’t being used for bigotry. But our community hasn’t been strong in saying violence against the LGBTQIA community cannot be tolerated.”

It was the first time a Nashville Muslim leader has spoken at the prayer service — though Hindus, Buddhists and people of many other faiths have taken part.

Greg Bullard, a Nashville pastor who started the services nearly two decades ago, says they’re intended to bring together religious organizations — including those that might not ordinarily be involved in an LGBT program.

“I think that it does start building bridges” between the LGBT and Muslim communities,” Bullard said. “I think what it will do is, it will build and it will educate.”

The thinking is that strong faith — of any variety — can eventually unite people, even when they seem far apart.