Queer Christian - Blog Posts

Every action we take is fundamental to a better world that is kinder. I also recognize he had his mistakes and issues but he learned and he strove to do better. And for a Pope, that’s monumental. Rest in peace Pope Francis 🕊️

Pope Francis has died.

I know to a lot of people on the left and in the LGBTQ+ community, he wasn’t exactly seen as a holy herald of progressive values. That said I think he was more helpful to our community than we have ever really given credit.

The Catholic Church is hugely entrenched in the past. They may not ever accept gay marriage within our lifetime. But if you compare Pope Francis to any other Pope that came before him, he did more to progress the Catholic Church than anyone else ever has. He constantly spoke out saying that the church needed to accept LGBTQ+ members. He has denounced laws that criminalise homosexuality. He supported same sex civil unions—which I was literally taught was evil and dangerous when I was in Catholic high school. Transgender people can be baptized and same sex couples can be blessed because of him.

He was never enough, of course. He has affirmed the teaching that gay marriage is not spiritually possible and prior to becoming pope he opposed the legalization of same sex marriage. He has said gay children should seek psychiatric care. He has also been even less accepting of transgender people than same sex couples.

But at the same time he was the most empathetic Pope to have existed in the past several hundred years. I have left the church because I no longer believe in God, but I do recognize that the Catholic Church has power over huge swaths of the world. My mother still believes in her Catholic faith and has always stood by this idea: it’s impossible to move a behemoth organisation like the Church overnight. She stays in the community because she wants it to become better. She pushes, in her own small way, a little bit every day towards what she thinks is right. In this conversation, that is the acceptance of LGBTQ+ youths. Pope Francis was helpful in moving the Church away from a stance of hate. Now I hope that whoever the cardinals choose next for pope is someone who joins her in pushing that ball forward.

I love being a trans Christian.

I've never subscribed to the idea that transitioning is a sin. I don't believe that I can be convinced that queerness is a sin. But transitioning makes even less sense to me. One of the things I will often hear is that "God calls us to change, to become a new creation, to be different than others." Yeah no shit that's why I'm transitioning. I firmly believe that God has called me to transition so that my testimony is even stronger than if I hadn't. The typical bashing verses, Lev. 18:22, 20:13, etc., have absolutely no bearing on transitioning, and again, I am not convinced that they are even talking about homosexuality. I do not believe that God cares when we take hormones, I do not believe God cares when we undergo surgery.

I love talking about this topic, as most of my friends aren't Christians, and my few Christian friends are made uncomfortable by this topic (lame).

i think mainstream christianity/religion is SO stifling, which is not a novel thought, but i’m saying it with exasperation.

like let’s talk about the inherent gift and spirituality of nature. let’s humanize Jesus, not just someone to be worshipped, but a son and an advocate of the oppressed. let’s talk about the careful craft that God put into each unique queer experience (because we’re ALL ‘queer’ in our own way, fight me on this). let’s actually talk about the history of religion, even the bad parts. let’s acknowledge the innate horror of Jesus’ story and sacrifice.

like the current mainstream interpretation of christianity is so limited and not reaching its full potential. religion can be so beautiful, and i truly want it to be a peace offering and not a weapon in close-minded or bigoted hands.