Journey Story
Sitting on the front steps of Wheaton College’s Edman Chapel in the middle of winter amid a hundred fellow students calling attention to there being “more than a single story” was one of the most life-changing experiences I have ever had. I was holding a sign that read “I am a feminist, a LGBTQ ally,…
Read More
I write this blog with some hesitation because it feels as if I am straddling some sort of battle line and I risk upsetting my comrades on both sides. That being said, let me tell you my story. I was born in Cleveland, Ohio to parents who were both wonderfully Catholic and wonderfully Ohioan. Both…
Read More
As I reflect on the last six months, I can only say it was the grace of God that has kept me and kept my mind. It was only God’s love that kept my wife and I covered. After disclosing my sexual orientation to the church where I was the senior pastor and sharing that I had…
Read More
I grew up in the church and prayed the sinner’s prayer at least a dozen times between age six and sixth grade. As someone who grew up in the church, I’m sure I’m not alone in wondering how much my life has been shaped by my parents’ religion. With a different upbringing, I might have…
Read More
This Valentine’s Day, I pledge to love my queer identity. I pledge to honor the truth I hid for ten years—the door that remained unopened, the secret I was too afraid to face. Today, I pledge to love the part of myself I was told to hate. I pledge to remember the relationships I never had,…
Read More
My brother has been with his girlfriend for 6 months, and she’s spending Christmas with my family this year. My first thought was, Whoa. What the hell?! It’s not that I don’t like her. I do! But as someone who lived in the closet of a secret relationship for years, I cannot relate to the…
Read More
When I decided at the beginning of the year to finally return to the Catholic Church, I had no idea what a momentous year it would be—not only for myself but for all Catholics. I had been working for Believe Out Loud for a year and realized it was not only important for me to…
Read More
This month I released a video of a spoken word poem entitled “Where Were You?” that I wrote and published this past April. I wrote the piece after sitting through a homophobic conference presented by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. I wanted to ask those who talk about LGBT folk where they were during different time…
Read More
Interns like John are invaluable to our work at Believe Out Loud. Donate today to continue our Internship Program. Hello, Believe Out Loud readers! My name is John, and I was the graphic design intern for Believe Out Loud this past summer. In May, I obtained my BFA from Frostburg State University, and I’ve spent my time since my…
Read More
We each have our own “nativity story.” Mine is that it was a difficult birth, a prolonged labor, my mother turned blue, my father told the doctor she needed oxygen, I was born feet first, my legs were crooked and doctors wanted to put braces on them, but my mother resisted, choosing another therapy: massaging…
Read More