Ariana
My childhood revolved around Christ. Whether it was vacation Bible school during the summer, Mass on the weekends, or prayers over dinner, Christ was foremost.
In high school, I dressed up as Jesus for Superhero Day. I quoted scripture like it was my favorite movie. And, I also came out as gay. I was lucky to have attended an affirming church until college, so the messaging that being gay was a sin didn’t land until I went to a very conservative, very Catholic university. I went back into the closet and fell into a depression. My identity is truly wrapped in being a child of Christ and also in being a part of the LGBT+ community. But, my school and peers told me that I was bad, I was wrong, and that God wouldn’t accept or love me for being… me.
Pronouns: they/them
Photo of Ariana
My depression led to anxiety, and anxiety led me to seek answers. During my junior year in college, I dove into research around what the Church actually teaches about the LGBT+ community, and I discovered the one thing that has kept me strong all these years since: my faith with Christ is mine alone, and he loves me dearly. Soon after this discovery, I worried that others were going through what I did, alone, and saw no hope for a loving God. I wanted to be a mentor for them, so I published my research, started a podcast, and have worked in the Archdiocese of Baltimore to let LGBT+ Catholics in my area know that there is a way to be Catholic and queer. There is a way to love Jesus and to love whomever you want to love. There is a way to be you.
My faith and my identity have brought so much good into my life: adventure, growth, love. I am now engaged to a woman who lets me practice my faith without fear. I have friends who want me to grow into the person God created me to be.
Photo of Ariana
