Honest To God

VICKY BEECHING SPEAKS CANDIDLY ABOUT KEEPING THE FAITH

PHOTO NICHOLAS DAWKES, CREATIVE COMMONS

“Now that you’ve come out as gay, when are you going to ditch the God-stuff?!” Over the past two years, I’ve been asked this question more times than Ruby Rose has had tattoos. It’s become a conversational staple.

This was one aspect of coming out that I hadn’t anticipated. My gay orientation was unacceptable to most of my Christian community; I’d expected that. But suddenly, as I began stepping into LGBT spaces, I realised my Christian faith was now unacceptable to some.

This perspective makes total sense. After all, religion has done a huge amount of damage over the centuries. Many LGBT people, myself included, carry scars from negative faith-based attitudes. I’m the first to admit that religion needs to repent; we can’t just sweep the harm under the carpet.

But pressure to choose between two aspects of my identity gave me a strange feeling of déjà vu: Previously, my orientation had been kept in the closet. Now I was being encouraged to closet my faith.

It’s taken me until my 30s to figure out who I am and to feel at home with that. Having come this far, I’m not allowing any closets in my life – other than the one that holds my stereotypically large collection of checked shirts and leather brogues.

So, letting go of either my orientation or my faith is not an option. Both are crucial parts of who I am. For me, living an authentic life means embracing the two – even if some see them as an unusual pairing.