Religious queer people are wonderful! You are holy and loved, your identity does not make you sinful. The universe, god, the spirit of life, and any beautiful name you so choose— they made you perfect and sacred as you are.
Oh no! They stopped the eeby deeby! 😮
i totally get that a lot of queer people feel burned by organized religion, and if you need to shut that door in your life and brick it up in order to achieve mental and emotional peace, i 100% understand
but the notion that queerness and religion can't coexist is very much the result of a certain strain of conservative Christianity seizing control of the narrative, and that really is a shame.
i can only speak for my own background, but Unitarian Universalist ministers first started conducting same-sex marriage ceremonies in 1957. (homosexuality was still listed as a mental illness in the DSM at the time.) we've been ordaining ministers who are out as gay, lesbian, or bisexual since the 1970s. the first openly trans UU minister was ordained in 1988.
growing up, i received in-depth, sex-positive, queer-positive sex education in sunday school, starting in seventh grade. some sort of equivalent program has been in place in the UU church since 1971.
to your average Unitarian Universalist, affirming the inherent worth and dignity of people of all genders and orientations (including yourself) is a holy act, and it has been for some time.
if you are queer and don't want any part of organized religion, that is entirely okay. but i just want to say, because i don't think this message is out there enough: you do not have to choose between your queerness, and religion or spirituality. you can have both.
(other, not-UU religions who accept queer people, feel free to jump in here! i want to keep this open to everyone but don't want to put words in anyone else's mouth!)
“Why do ads think I might be gay?….” (Looks around at the company I keep and issues I believe in) “oh right”
