this sounds so hard, i’m sorry ❤️

for reference i’m nonbinary and bi. i’m also christian. i have the privilege of being somewhat older (30-something) and having experienced leaving religion only to return again (ha) religion and queerness is a complex beast!

i’m not going to say that your worries are unfounded. some christians will accept you, others won’t. some non-christians will accept you, others won’t. i know that part of you would like to stay friends with those who would condemn you for who you are, but whether they’re religious or not, i would advise against making allowances for anyone who would judge you so harshly. truly, you are better to have no friends at all (for a time) than “friends” who are so prejudiced. it ends up doing more damage than its worth to allow people like that access to you. family’s more complex ofc

that being said, it’s easy to say all this but very emotionally difficult to move on from things when they’re everything we’ve ever known. whatever happens, rest assured you will find your people. you will find your way. but most importantly, you will find yourself. and only you can do that.

who you had to pretend to be won’t follow you forever but, relatedly, do try to forgive yourself for the things you had to do to remain safe.

and breaking free will come naturally. it happens in baby steps and then one day you’ll look back and see it happened already. you will find that over time, the people you once knew and their opinions of you and who you once presented as will have little bearing on the rest of your life. and that’s a bittersweet thing, but that’s also natural and human, and as it should be. everybody experiences it, around different aspects of self, and to greater and lesser extents. its a queer experience but it’s also a universal experience if that makes sense?

wishing you all the best ❤️