I think that LGBTQ Chrisians speaking out is crucial, Sam. As I note in this piece, there’s only so much I can say as a non-Christian. So when people like Emily Swan, Clay Rivers, Valentine Wiggin, Esther Spurrill-Jones, and others here on Medium tell their stories, they’re doing something very important.

So many LGBTQ people resolve conflict with religion by dropping religion from their lives entirely. Whenever I post a story critical of a particular religious doctrine or institution, I can count on the fact that my Facebook and Twitter will overflow with comments from LGBT people condemning religion in general.

That’s an understandable response, of course, but we need more LGBT Christians speaking up too, saying things like, “No, I’m a Christian, and it’s not OK that you weaponize your faith against me and the people I love. Your faith does not and must not excuse homophobia.”

Maybe one day we’ll reach a place where that response is common. At the moment, I think that the reality is very different. As I wrote lately in a different piece, the more religious an American LGBTQ teen is, the more likely they will be to attempt suicide. Unless and until that reality begins to turn around, I think that the mass of wounded ex-Christian LGBTQ folks will significantly outnumber Christian LGBTQ people.

Jim