How you deal with unsupportive people
Recently, I had a conversation with someone I’ve known for a while, and somehow the topic shifted to religion. They told me they believe being queer is wrong based on their religious beliefs. I’m not extremely religious myself — I’d describe myself as more spiritual — but I grew up in a very Christian and traditional environment where many people were closed-minded and hyper-fixated on homosexuality as being “unacceptable.”
From a young age, I noticed what felt like a major inconsistency within Christianity: people will shame someone for being attracted to who they’re attracted to, yet overlook other so-called “sins.” A pastor can cheat on his wife and still be respected. There are countless stories of men in the church behaving inappropriately toward women, religious leaders sexually harassing women while married, and many of these actions are excused or ignored entirely. Meanwhile, queer people are often singled out and judged more harshly.
So it made me think: how do you approach conversations with people who don’t accept you being gay or queer because of their beliefs? And when people in your life reveal themselves to be homophobic, how do you handle those situations?