It’s been a while since I’ve written due to being physically and emotionally exhausted. I started counseling, so…yay 🙂 But, moving on to why I’m writing…

I love the work Eliel Cruz is doing in the LGBT community to make sure that people of faith are included in conversations about queer folks, as well as doing work within different faiths to make straight and/or cisgender people aware that there are LGBT people within their churches and places of worship who are just as committed to their faith. I will mostly be speaking from my experience as a Christian who has grown up under the Baptist denomination.

For me, #FaithfullyLGBT means that I shouldn’t have to choose between my faith and my sexual orientation or vice versa. I am both gay AND Christian. One does not diminish the other and both are a part of who I am as a human being. As a matter of fact, I think being gay AND Christian enhances my faith. Because I try to follow Christ’s example of loving everyone regardless of status, race, orientation, or gender, I am more aware of other groups of people around me who aren’t being treated like human beings with dignity and respect. And, as someone who is gay, I have experienced firsthand the discrimination within the church that comes with being different or “other.”

#FaithfullyLGBT is important as a social media movement because so many LGBTQI people not only deal with discrimination from others who are not queer but also discrimination within their faith communities. I am not currently out at my church or to my family because of the fear that people have when it comes to being queer. It doesn’t feel safe to be myself. Yet, I do not fully fit into the LGBT community due to Christians being a primary group that spews out homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia.

Therefore, it is important to educate those outside the LGBT community in the church, that we are people who are deserving of respect, love, representation, and dignity as human beings. Please help support this campaign by donating to and promoting #FaithfullyLGBT.