How 2SLGBT people are reclaiming their faith and redefining their relationship with spirituality

The week Mitchell Anderson publicly came out as gay, he also attended a Sunday service in his hometown for the first time. 

Anderson was nervous heading to church, since personal news (and gossip) travels fast in small towns like Meadow Lake, Sask. But when he arrived at the United Church, a community member literally embraced him with open arms. 

"You know, Mitchell, it's so nice to see you here today," he remembers her saying, "I just want you to know you're welcome here." 

 Anderson still holds onto that experience nearly 15 years later, now as lead minister at St. Paul's United Church in Saskatoon.

"A warm hug and welcome and smiling face is to me exactly what the church should always be for everyone, no matter who we are … in the full richness of our identity," said Anderson.

His understanding of scripture is of a God who is on the side of the oppressed; that God has the intention to reconcile and renew all, and that Jesus draws himself to all people. 

"That 'all' to me doesn't have an asterisk. That 'all' doesn't have a 'but.' That 'all' means all, so when scripture says 'all,' that means 'all,' and that includes queer, trans and two-spirit people," said Anderson. 

But a warm, inclusive welcome is often the opposite of what religious institutions extend to 2SLGBT people. 

"At St. Paul's, we have members who either are themselves LGBT or have family members or close loved ones who have been pushed out of or hurt by less accepting communities of faith," said Anderson.

Despite widespread harms against 2SLGBT people by many religions, some people from the community are pursuing faith on their own terms, reconciling with it and redefining what it means to be spiritual. They're pushing back against traumatizing, exclusionary practices to create safer communities for people within faith. 

Lisa, who only identifies by their first name, spent the first decades of their life trying to "pray the gay" away. They loved God, but their faith made them develop a deep self-hatred. They repeatedly thought, "Something's wrong with me."

Early on in their life, Lisa's family attended the Worldwide Church of God. Lisa called this institution controlling, racist, abusive and homophobic. They said leaders cited the Old Testament and remembers teachings about stoning gay people to death. This complicated the crushes they began having on girls. 

Their family moved to an evangelical church when they were about 16. Lisa said it felt more inviting, with a focus on values like forgiveness and "love thy neighbour."

As it turns out, that sentiment didn't extend to all.