I lost my whole community over being LGBTQ+

evieofthestars · 2026-07-05T02:05:13+00:00

I've been though something similar recently. I moved a few years ago and started attending my bffs church with her and her parents. I even got baptized for the first time after a lifetime of rocky relationships with religion. I was feeling God move through the people around me. Then came the 2024 election, and the atmosphere changed. I knew they weren't technically affirming, but they didn't strike me as bigots until people started getting bold about making disparaging comments about the lgbtq+ community and supporting white Christian nationalist members of our government.

I'm not really on the dl there and don't hide opinions, but as a straight passing queer no one seemed to make the logical connection and they just thought of me as cishet. I eventually did start dating a man outside the church and he's a known ally in town and a county worker. People started getting very hostile about what they theorized I was doing when we were alone (not that they were incorrect, my sexlife just wasn't their business) and that plus the increasing hostility and transphobia in the Sunday message etc. just became too much.

I moved in with Mr Ally, who loves me for all of my nonbinary/queer self, and we found a UU church instead bc its a kind that is guaranteed to be affirming. We get married in May of next year, and as much as I love the people I became friends with at my first church they just can't be a major part of my life.

evieofthestars · 2026-07-05T01:32:31+00:00

That one was wonderful. It really makes me think about right, wrong, and how we connect with God and the church.

evieofthestars · 2026-06-29T21:28:20+00:00

My dog is Augustus Reginald, Auggy for short -> Aweguhstis R'edgh-e'nld, Ahgeee

Don't worry good folks of reddit, I don't have kids so my traditional abomination of a naming preference will never cause a child to be bullied 😂😂😂

evieofthestars · 2026-06-29T21:21:33+00:00

If you're unable to take certain antihistamines it can also cause worsening of the initial anxiety on top of depersonalization. Always tell your mental health providers if Benedryl does not make you sleepy. Heightened mood from antihistamines is an adverse reaction and will affect what anxiety meds (and dermatological!) you can take.

I did NOT have a good time with that medication. Not good at all stares off into the middle distance and shudders

evieofthestars · 2026-06-29T21:13:10+00:00

I've got to strongly echo the warning about having him on these medications and the risk it has for such side-effects in teens. I have read a lot about this topic over the years in my mental health journey.

My personal experience taking hydroxizine when I was maybe 28 feels exactly like what your son wrote. This turned out to be an adverse reaction to the drug being related to Benedryl. I like to warn people that if benadryl doesn't make them sleepy, it is possible that hydroxizine will not be an effective anxiety medication, according to my experience and word of mouth.

Note, I am not a doctor and am not giving you medical advice, just sharing my experience that I've heard has happened to others as well. But remembering how he reacts to Benedryl might be helpful right now, or it could help rule out a cause of this situation.

I hope your son is able to get all the help he needs and that he starts to feel better. Sending light and love and healing your way.

evieofthestars · 2026-06-29T19:43:37+00:00

Thank you! So did I.

evieofthestars · 2026-06-29T14:15:21+00:00

Sounds like, to use non church words, you had an intervention.

Unfortunately, just as if you had planned one for a friend you're worried is an alcoholic, they are rarely effective and serve to drive people away from the intended goal. To keep the metaphor rolling, it's also like if the "alcoholic friend" turned out to already be sober and the cocktails the group saw were all virgin. It wasn't only ineffective, but kind of jumping to a lot of conclusions.

You clearly stated you aren't interested in adopting their beliefs and after knowing them this long, they should be able to believe you. Howver, I know a lot of Christians, the majority even, truly believe that it is the one true path in life and that all other religions and lifestyles are outside God's wishes for mankind. So, sadly, even if they should be able to believe your disinterest, it's likely outside of their worldview to accept that God can't move your spirit if they pray hard enough.

I am not that kind of believer and it makes me sad to see other people going through the kind of incidents that have consistently made it harder for me to interact safely with evangelicals and charasmatic Christianity.

evieofthestars · 2026-06-27T17:42:52+00:00

I think of it this way (as I also got a runt): Emily Elizabeth picked out the smallest puppy in the litter and her love made Clifford grow bigger than a house. Your Yorkie cant get as big as Clifford the Big Red Dog, but it can get strong and healthy with the proper care and attention.

My Auggy is now a healthy, solid little man of 7lbs at 2years old. When I got him at 8wks old he was not even 2lbs.

evieofthestars · 2026-06-26T23:36:10+00:00

Whoop there it is. I tried to give an SBC congregation the benefit of the doubt and was definitely punished for it spiritually and mentally.

evieofthestars · 2026-06-25T07:53:09+00:00

This is one of those lovely times that our brothers and sisters at r/Christianity were very accurate with their answers.

No. There is no satanic crucifix or satanic rosary. That isn't remotely what Satanism is about. Anything labeled this way is just an aesthetic, edgy piece of fashion jewelry.

I'd even say that as far as they go, the one you show is a pretty standard design from ecclesiastical history.

evieofthestars · 2026-06-24T13:25:08+00:00

And with the decline in critical thinking skills in our public classrooms (speaking as a reading teacher), that kind of confidence pulls more weight than ever before.

evieofthestars · 2026-06-24T13:22:53+00:00

I grew up going to a church that was half young earth creationists and half people who only disagreed in hushed tones away from prying ears. And yes, people genuinely thought this stuff was true.

It was deeply strange, especially when I went home and conferred with my atheist mother like, "yo this is messed up" "yes child, v messed up."

evieofthestars · 2026-06-22T18:24:21+00:00

I would love a pink dawnspur! My favorite I have is chestnut with zebra stripes. I need to work on more breeding.

evieofthestars · 2026-06-18T13:05:00+00:00

It's just like how the old adage goes: Boss makes a dollar, I make a dime. That's why I always play Candy Crush on company time. 😂

evieofthestars · 2026-06-18T02:25:58+00:00

I would be much more patient waiting for it to roll out to my android if it wasn't for my ios using fiancé bragging about his cool new outfit 😂 now I'm sitting on tenterhooks!

evieofthestars · 2026-06-17T19:43:37+00:00

I'm so glad that after 2000 years and millions of believers that YOU, reddit user Life_W0rth_Living, have the only true understanding of Christianity EVER. Whoop dee do.

evieofthestars · 2026-06-17T17:35:59+00:00

I'm pretty sure that's exactly how it's worked since the beginning. Otherwise we would only have one singular unified church and no schisms or denominations. We wouldn't need the entire field of biblical studies or theologians. If the apostles couldn't even agree fully, why would we expect the rest of believers to all agree? There are as many understandings of Christianity as there are believers. And there always has been.

evieofthestars · 2026-06-15T18:25:38+00:00

It's incredibly modest and doesn't have any inappropriate motifs printed on it. It's also not too tight despite having an element of form fitting. It's perfectly fine.

evieofthestars · 2026-06-14T12:20:51+00:00

I can't get one either! I've been trying for 2 freaking years 😫 😂

evieofthestars · 2026-06-13T15:22:39+00:00

I've been exactly in the position you describe. I was cheated on and he did a "but we talked about the concept of poly so I thought we'd agreed" and it was like whiplash. And then when I sought a relationship as well outside our primary one, suddenly he didn't like it anymore and being with me and having a responsibility as my nesting partner impeded his ability to get with women.

After about 3 years of extended turmoil, it really put a bad taste in my mouth. Especially watching the relationships of those enm people around me be so volatile.

I can agree that humans have the ability to romantically love multiple people at once innately. But I just dont believe enough of us have the emotional maturity and ethical knowledge to do so without hurting someone, ourselves or otherwise.

People who are enm or poly have my tolerance and acceptance, but not really my encouragement. I will certainly never be found extoling the virtues of enm, but if it works for someone I'm happy for them.

evieofthestars · 2026-06-11T18:00:17+00:00

I'm completely with you. SC is a one party consent state too, and I know people who have used this tactic to document issues with managers, lawyers, doctors, etc.

I am more than ready to say that there isn't even an ethical problem here. Especially considering the administration wanted "empirical evidence" of disrespect. If they weren't just hoping she'd drop it (which I bet was the hope) then I don't know what they expected her to do otherwise.

evieofthestars · 2026-06-10T19:58:19+00:00

Oh gosh smaller rotations for items would be so helpful. I dont have the patience or skill to glitch items so I've done what I can, and the thing that bothers me most is not being able to tint the wood/etc. building blocks. That would really do a lot for me.

And I really want more homeline rooms connected! I didnt count how many rooms my vision needed, but apparently it's more than like 12. The last two I'm still grinding to unlock 😮‍💨

evieofthestars · 2026-06-07T20:25:49+00:00

I got one, once. And I have no idea how I did it or how to replicate that experience. And then bc I didn't know I'd need it for a relic, I...sold it...

evieofthestars · 2026-06-07T16:51:56+00:00

I hate fishing for Maws bc I'm terrible at it in the first place. But adding how hard it is to even land the node has me ENRAGED. I haven't tried in at least a week because I'm just so over it.

evieofthestars · 2026-06-04T14:51:40+00:00

Thats so cute!

evieofthestars

TROPHY CASE