Mahmoud Darwish, tr. by A.M. El Messeri, from The Palestinian Wedding: A Bilingual Anthology of Contemporary Palestinian Resistance Poetry; "A Lover from Palestine"

You can be Jewish and atheist because Judaism is not built around a test of belief.

In Christianity, belonging rests on faith in Jesus as the Son of God and savior. In Islam, it rests on accepting the shahada, that there is no God but God and Muhammad is his prophet. In both, belief is the entry point. Without it, you are outside the religion.

A Methodist minister I know once told me this is why he liked my pointed questions about Christian theology. His congregants might have the same questions, but they keep them to themselves. They're afraid that asking these would expose their embarassingly imperfect faith.

Judaism is different. It doesn't require perfect faith, and it doesn't punish tough questions.

Jewish identity is more than a crucible of belief and more than a religion. It's a people, a culture, a language, and a history. You can belong by birth or by conversion...and neither path demands constant proof that you believe the right way.

Jewish thought does not measure you by what you think or feel in private. It measures you by what you do and say.

For most of Jewish history, what mattered was how you lived among other Jews. Observing holidays, keeping the laws that marked Jewish life, joining in communal obligations, and showing up when you were needed mattered far more than private theology. Private theology is...well...private. It's between you and the divine. It's not for others to judge.

Many Jews keep kosher, light Shabbat candles, or fast on Yom Kippur without believing in God. These acts aren't empty without belief because the point has always been more than belief. These rituals are a link to the centuries behind us and to the people beside us.

Debate, doubt, and disagreement are not signs of weakness in Jewish life. They are part of how it has survived.

A Jew without belief still carries the history, the obligations, and the burdens of the Jewish people. The atheist Jew is part of the same story, whether they pray every day or not at all.

For some folks, it’s a month of feeling fully celebrated and seen. For some others, Pride can be a bit more complicated. Maybe you’re feeling at ease with your identity and supported by others around you but you’re still bracing for the family group chat, the friend reunion, or the “sooo are you dating anyone?” questions. Or you’re questioning. Or supporting a friend.

Here are seven of our favorite articles to help you navigate all the complexities, with zero pressure to “do Pride” in any one way. From setting boundaries at home and building chosen family, to handling complicated relationships with relatives and building spaces where you can show up as yourself, we’ve got the lowdown on these topics and so much more in these seven pieces:

Chosen Families, Chosen Care: How My Queer Community Raised Me

Being Closeted & Joyful in a Black Household

Friends or Lovers? The Complexities of Queer Love

Q is for Questioning

Some basic gay-tiquette (Advice Column)

I still love my mom even though she's homophobic. Does this make me a bad queer person? (Advice Column)

Scarleteen Confidential: Parenting Gender Non-Conforming Youth