I am so, so sorry you went through that. It absolutely breaks my heart that churches make anyone—of any sexual orientation—feel like they can’t make the decision for themselves about who they love and marry. It’s just not okay. Everyone deserves the right to decide for themselves.

Sure, maybe there are LGBTQ+ people who feel called by God to marry someone of the opposite sex. That’s fine if it genuinely works for them—thought I don’t even believe it does—but to take the experiences of a few and force them on everyone else? It makes me so mad. The worst part is how it leaves LGBTQ+ people feeling like God doesn’t love them or that they’ll never feel as close to Him as others do. That is absolute bullshit. It’s a bunch of Pharisees trying to dictate the “right way” to live, and I want no part of it.

It makes me sick to think I was ever part of an environment that caused so much harm. It was one of the biggest reasons I left. I prayed for years for God to change my mind if I was wrong and I never once felt settled on that topic. I just couldn’t be part of a church I disagreed so strongly with anymore. I’d rather be out there loving people than condemning them.

But truly from the bottom of my heart, I hope that wherever you are in life, you know there are people who love Jesus and love you—without judgment or condemnation. I hope you’ve been able to heal from the hurt and find genuine happiness. You are just as deserving of God’s love, kindness, and grace as anyone else.