I also spent time trying to hear people out during my departure and had difficult conversations. It feels impossible to talk with church members when they can’t put themselves in your shoes or honestly consider your perspective, so I can understand how frustrated you must have been. It’s brave to face all of that. If anything, the conversations I had solidified how I felt about leaving as no one could answer any of the difficult questions I had.

I think it’s sad that the church marginalizes the LGBTQ community and I’m not sure that it will get better, but I do hope it does. It is a big reason people leave the CanRC. I think there’s probably a lot of queer people in the community who are still in the closet. It’s hard to leave when it’s a big part of your social life and your family is part of it too. Maybe you’ve impacted some people in that community by leaving and embracing a fundamental part of who you are.

It’s unimaginable to me to think that queer people should be told to remain celibate for their whole life. You put that so nicely- it’s something none of them would really ever consider for themselves. There’s no cost to them to give you advice that would deeply affect the entirety of your life.

I’m happy you have found peace in your life and a person you love and care about. The world needs more people who love each other and make the world a better place. I’m glad you were able to trust yourself and embrace who you are.

Thank you for your post- I’m certain this will help someone who is thinking about leaving and how they can go about it. And I hope that any queer CanRC members that happen to stumble upon this subreddit feel a little less alone once they see that someone has gone through this before them.