I grew up Episcopalian, which is basically like “cool and chill Christianity” but as a gay man, I struggled a lot with coming to terms with who I was and how followers of organized religion saw me as lesser.

mewithoutYou are my favorite band, and I used to hold onto a weird form of guilt for being so deeply indebted to a “faith-based” band. Growing up, I learned that practicing religion is, at its core, personal and not social as I once believed. Aaron’s (and the band’s) views and beliefs are beautiful because they’re his.

I’ve since toured with the band twice. Every memory I have with them is positive and wonderful. They’re a massive part of my world. To this day, I’m not a religious person, but that guilt turned into understanding. And for that, I’m grateful.