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Out of the Quiet: Coming Out as an Affirming Queer Christian
“Sometimes, when you don’t see yourself in the world, you start to think that you don’t exist.” -DeRay Mckesson
I was watching my ten-year-old son play soccer when the call came.
It was from a friend and fellow missionary with Christian missions organization I had served with for more than half my life and where my friend served in regional leadership. Having spent a couple of years as his assistant after asking him to mentor me, I was pleased to see his name on the caller ID. Now living in Winnipeg with my wife, where we started a new operating location for the ministry over a decade earlier, we didn’t get to chat as often as I would have liked, so I answered with a smile in my voice. However, after some short pleasantries, it became clear that he was not calling for social reasons.
“We’ve received some concerned messages from senior leaders in the mission. It seems some people have been contacting them expressing some serious concerns about you. Specifically about the recent news coverage you were featured in.”
I wasn’t surprised, as the story in question was bound to draw attention. With a headline like “Called a heretic, God-loving bisexual pastor makes space for LGBTQ believers” it was…