And other institutions that tell Jesus isn’t cool with LGBT folks.

Hey there my friend. How are you?

So I went to Mid America too. When it was much smaller (less than 250 students) and they kicked out my room-mates for being gay.

It was the 80s my friends, this is what we looked like! Like, kinda best case scenario. I mean check this out:

I can’t explain the hair. Conditioner had been invented, I guess I just hadn’t heard of it yet?

Anyway, that look on my face on my MACU student ID? That was trying to fit in. And not be gay, I suppose, although I didn’t know that was what I wasn’t trying to be at the time.

Anyway this is a long winded introduction to really just say: God doesn’t hate you because you’re gay or bisexual or trans. Seriously. Yes, I know about the Bible passages but what they don’t tell you in your Survey of New Testament at MACU is that many respected Bible scholars don’t believe any of seven Bible passages that are used to condemn LGBT folks reference modern same sex love at all. Check out the some links at the MCC if you want to read more about this–I’m not affiliated with them in any way, it’s just a great example of an often evangelical perspective that doesn’t condemn folks for being who they are. You can find churches that don’t condemn folks for being LGBT, even in Oklahoma City, or wherever you’re from, search “open and affirming” + your geographical area. There’s an article about an open and affirming event here. It looks like the closest open and affirming church to campus is here.

It was a very long journey to self acceptance for me, but I can tell you the moment I decided I wasn’t inherently bad for whom I loved. I was volunteering at a free clinic in Philly and the friend who started the clinic–and has run it for 30 years– was talking about why she came out. “I knew I couldn’t love folks the way I was supposed to love folks as long as I was trampling such a big part of myself.” To me, that’s it, that’s the reason to stop insisting on trying to change something about myself that doesn’t need to be changed. In the New Testament, Paul talks about being separate from the world in order to call the world into a better place and for me, that’s what we as queer people are called to do. I’m never going to fit in with mainstream, “gender-appropriate” society. And I’m fine with that. My gender identity and my sexual orientation are gifts.

I loved my time at MBC (now MACU) and made many wonderful friends there, but I spent years recovering from the anti LGBT spiritual violence perpetrated by people who loved me and couldn’t accept me because they’d been told my very existence was a sin. I hope that you’re able to reach out to find support. I don’t know if MACU is able to embrace their LGBT students now more than they were in 80s. I do know they have asked for special exemption from the federal government so that they could still get federal funds even though they actively discriminate against LGBT students. There’s a group working to provide support for students in such circumstances. Please know that you are NOT ALONE and that there are many MACU alumni who have found their spiritual way in the world, are still able to be of service and are loved, loving, and happy.