Having spent part of my childhood living in Gadsden, Alabama -- where we moved because my dad got a job pastoring a Baptist church there -- I hear you loud and clear. The judgmentalism and the bullying of the different were intense.

We moved to Iowa when I was a teen, and things were a bit better, but not way better. It's still the Bible belt, I guess, not that there's anything wrong with the Bible as literature, but conservative church people sure like to use it to bash us queer folk.

I'm glad you found a space to thrive, and I'm so glad you're sharing your story. I'll be waiting for the next installment!