Kellie
My name is Kellie, and I am a queer person who is working through my faith. Growing up, I attended a Southern Baptist Church that preached homosexuality as a sin.
This belief was ingrained into me as a child, but while I knew that something about me was different, I didn’t start realizing that I was gay around the age of 12.
It wasn’t until I reached the age of 17 that I decided to come out. During this time, I was excited to no longer be keeping this secret from my family and friends, but that did not make it easy. Some of my Christian friends would feel the need to tell me that God did not accept me and that I needed to repent.
Pronouns: she/they
Photo of Kellie
Two years later, I began college, and I thought that this might be a time in my life where I could grow closer to God and walk away from the LGBTQ+ community. I heard many stories about people who had received healing from their gay feelings, and I believed that this could be my story too. I threw myself into Christianity. I tried everything I could to change who I was, but I was sadder than ever. I knew that I could not get rid of my gayness, however, I saw no way that I could be gay and Christian. I thought I had to choose.
After realizing that I could not be straight, I took a break from religious activities until I came across a Lutheran campus ministry (@wu_welcm) that was not only accepting of the LGBTQ+ community but supportive.
Since then, I have been working through my old beliefs and rebuilding my faith in a loving and healthy environment with other Queer people. It feels great to share a community of faith with other Queer people.
Photo of Kellie & their cat
