Dear AdNet Employees, Clients, and Friends;
Happy Pride Month! This year with Room at the Table, I wanted June’s episode to discuss a topic in the LGBTQ+ community that often gets overlooked. There are many people in the LGBTQ+ community who grew up with a strong faith in God, but with that often comes a lot of internal struggles. I grew up in the Catholic church and was taught, like many others, that being gay was not accepted and anyone in the LGBTQ+ community will go to hell by “choosing this lifestyle”. There was a lot of fear woven into how religion was supposed to be followed and though I always wanted to be a dutiful daughter and never disappoint my family, I could not ignore what was real in my heart. Being gay was not a choice for me. My mother and I had many conversations over the years, and I did my best to impress upon her that being a good Christian is about being kind to others and doing good in the world. I never really subscribed to the judgements that anyone who is LGBTQ+ is “bad”. Some of the most loving people I met through my life, were elders in the community who I thought were so courageous and giving. How could anyone be cruel to someone like that? Sadly, it still happens. Which is why I am an activist for anyone who is underserved or left behind.
As many of you know, one of my brothers, was a Catholic priest before he passed away. He loved me and my wife unconditionally and called Susan his sister. There were no lines of exclusion in his being. He loved, he gave, he welcomed and supported all people. I loved him so much and our world needs more clergy like Fr. Tom.
In this month’s episode of Room at the Table, I chat with two very close friends of mine Kathy Corbett-Welch, an Episcopal priest, and Ken Kovacs, a minister in the Presbyterian Church about their experiences coming out, the challenges they faced, and how it has affected their roles as clergy. Please take a listen to our discussion on AdNet’s website or any platform you enjoy podcasts on, and as always please feel free to reach out to me to keep the conversation going.
May your summer be wonderful, and once again, Happy Pride Month!
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