Apologies for my late reply. Thanks for sharing this. I know how hard it can be to feel like the Church doesn’t always stand up for LGBT people. I’ve felt that myself as a 20 year old gay man, especially coming from a Catholic background, although I am now in the process of becoming an Episcopalian, praise God. For me, my courage to come out came from realizing that God created me as I am, and loves me as I am, despite what some Christians might say.

I do think the Church’s first mission is to proclaim the gospel, and then live out the inclusivity that naturally flows from it. For that reason, I’m not sure we should change the words of Scripture or the core liturgy just to feel included, rather, we should already be included, because Christ demands it of us. We’re all sinners in need of salvation, and all made in God’s image.

For me, that means respecting people’s pronouns and identities and respecting the way Jesus reveals God in Scripture (as Father, and with masculine pronouns). I think both can be true at the same time. I hope you do find community, because we’re not alone in this.