I'm queer, and I'm a Christian.

I know these two statements may seem contradictory, but these are both identities I hold close to my heart.

People preach the dated dogma of the bible but forget the one timeless message it gives. God loves us all. The biggest lesson taught in The Bible is that we should love just as God does, unconditionally and without hesitation. We are all perfect in His eyes despite our differences.

While we are not all the same, we have one thing in common. We are human; we are made by God himself, and we are worthy of His love. As a queer Christian, it is important to remember this. It is also important to remember that many of the commandments and rules that are given by the bible are outdated and no longer applicable. Nobody will tell you you're a bad Christian for wearing clothing woven from more than one type of cloth, yet the bible condemns it.

So why do some Christians pick and choose which verses to obey and which to ignore? Maybe because they are afraid of what is different and unknown. Homosexuality is mentioned six times in the bible, while the word love appears over 300 times, yet some still choose to preach hate.

I believe that God makes people different to teach a lesson of tolerance to His people so that they will learn to love and accept everyone just as He does.

I was fortunate enough to have some amazing queer Christian mentors in my adolescence who made me feel safe in my Christian community and showed me that we have nothing to fear but the ignorance of others, for no matter what some may say, God loves us unconditionally and accepts us for who we are. He made us in his image and for that we are perfect.

I do not ask why God made me queer, instead, I thank Him for it. It has made me a stronger, more tolerant, and more accepting person.

If I had to leave you with only one message from the bible, it would be 1 John 4:16 which reads "So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him." To me, this means that in order to understand God and live the life he meant for us, we must love as he does, unconditionally. Only in loving the way God does can we truly understand His love. To be a good Christian, we must simply love one another, regardless race, class, gender, orientation, or any other identity one may hold.

So love one another as God loves you, for only then you will begin to understand Him and His love.