How one gay Catholic finds hope in building online community

As a gay Catholic, I’ve often paradoxically felt invisible and under a microscope. At once alone and forgotten by the church, yet under constant scrutiny for fear that any mannerism or turn of phrase would out me as being gay. In the eight years since I started coming out, this invisibility has only intensified, as most churches in my local community are fixated on the condemnation of LGBTQ people rather than any messages of compassion. But for me, this invisibility is no longer paired with that same fear of being “found out.” Instead, I now have a determination that the church knows that I, and others like me, are still here. Part of that determination comes from a global online community of LGBTQ Catholics I’ve helped to assemble.

Every week, I have the absolute privilege to message and meet other LGBTQ Catholics from around the globe. It never ceases to amaze me that across radically different cultures and countries, there is still a common queer experience within the church. We have the courage and hope to stay Catholic precisely because of these online interactions. These virtual friendships are no substitute for in-person community, but they are an indispensable lifeline that has helped me, and so many others, navigate our faith and sexuality when no one else in the church seems to listen.

Read the rest of the article on the Outreach website.