Pride & Prejudice
I came out five years ago today. In many ways, the world feels more dangerous for people like me now than it was five years ago. Bathroom bills, “don’t say gay'' hysterics, pundits calling for the eradication of transgenderism from public life, politicians making hay by scapegoating LGBTQ+ people at every opportunity, queer adults being called “groomers” and “pedophiles” for simply living their lives in public, or for no reason at all. Incidentally, you should check in with your gay, bi, and (especially) trans friends; they’re very likely exhausted. I know I am. I left vocational ministry because I knew it would be neither safe nor possible for an out queer man like myself to make a living in that world, especially in Springfield, Oregon. Not because I ever lost my drive or doubted my calling, but because I knew that my brothers and sisters in faith would never allow for the possibility. That I would be seen as dangerous, even predatory, for simply wanting to work with kids, d...