Growing up in the  Seventh-day Adventist Church, I actively sought out every activity I could that allowed me to engage with scripture — not because my parents highly encouraged it but because I truly enjoyed the experience. I’ve only ever attended religious educational institutions and the spiritual environments allowed me to mature in my relationship in Christ. The Christian community has always affirmed me in my spiritual journey. In short, my identity in Christ has always been important to me. It still is.

Shortly after coming out as bisexual, my identity in Christ was no longer affirmed; it became questioned, scrutinized, and criticized. The reactions were as if I had changed. But I never really changed. I was just finally showing another part of me, a part that had been hidden and was finally released. And coming out truly is one of the most freeing processes. To unveil a part of yourself you had hidden away for such a long time is like standing in the sun for the very first time.

I never knew there was anything “wrong” with me until I was told something was wrong. [tweetable] I never “struggled” with my sexuality — I struggled with my church’s response to my sexuality.[/tweetable] After coming out, my relationship with Christ didn’t change, at least not due to my sexuality, but my relationship with the church did. But after being pushed into the margins, I missed the community I once had in the Church and I decided to actively work on creating spiritual spaces so that people like me can flourish and be affirmed.

[tweetable]There’s a misconception that you can’t be an LGBT Christian, that somehow one identity negates the other.[/tweetable] It’s perpetuated by both non-religious and religious people as a means of keeping the divide in place between the LGBT community and the Christian community. Both groups seem unable to recognize the wide spectrum LGBT individuals have on religious beliefs. From affirming to non-affirming, those who actively seek out intimate same sex relationships and those whose vocation is celibacy —  LGBT people are religious individuals too.

To call myself a “Christian” is accurate. But leaving it there would be hiding an integral piece of myself that shapes many aspects of my life. Calling myself a Bisexual Christian affirms my identities, exhibits their peaceful cohabitation within me, and allows me to shine visibility to a group that the church continually tries to push back into the closet.

I call myself a Bisexual Christian to break down stereotypes. I identify as a Bisexual Christian so that when people meet me, their preconceived ideas of what an LGBT person is can be challenged. I do it so the single narrative the church espouses can be with complemented with diverse stories.

My sexuality has also shaped the way I see scripture. Having been alienated from the church, my sexuality has allowed me to read scripture in a different light than those who haven’t been marginalized. It allows me to see scripture as not a book of rules but a book of liberation from those shackled in sin and patriarchal structures that favor the privileged. Truly, [tweetable]the estrangement I have faced by the church only strengthened my relationship in Christ.[/tweetable]

Being shunned from a spiritual community has reminded me the importance of fellowship and communion. Too many take the church’s acceptance for granted. When you grow up a part of a religious community, it hurts not being welcomed back to those familiar pews.

My experience as a Bisexual Christian differs greatly than that of a straight Christian. The critics who say, “Why can’t you just call yourself a Christian?” don’t realize that they are silencing my story. It is a way for people to ignore the religious homophobia in our churches, excuse their straight privilege, and invalidate my sexuality as many Christians have tried all my life.

Education is key to dispelling ignorance and right now there is a basic level of ignorance in the church regarding the LGBT community. Being open and honest about my sexual identity allows me to do some educating, even if just by my presence in spiritual space. Yes, I am a Christian, but I’m a Bisexual Christian and [tweetable]my identity in Christ is only amplified by my queer identity.[/tweetable]