Coming of Age: Queer Youth of Faith Find Themselves in the Intersections of Identity

Finding community in the queer community can be a difficult thing if you don’t live in a place with lots of queer organizations, meet-ups or groups. It can also be a challenge if you identify outside of what might be typically seen as the “norm” when it comes to queer spirituality.

For example, if you identify as a person of faith, along with a queer identity, you might feel like you’re all alone in your beliefs — an outsider to both the religious community and the LGBTQ+ community. That’s where Beloved Arise, the first-ever national organization dedicated to empowering youth to embrace both their faith and their queer identity, comes into play!

Beloved Arise is a multi-faith community that celebrates and embraces queer youth and young adults from all faith traditions.

“We uplift and empower LGBTQ+ young people in all spiritual beliefs, identities, expressions and aspirations,” its website says.

Sabrina, a Beloved Arise Youth Ambassador who identifies as both queer and Jewish, says, “Having a community of faith is very important to me because, outside of the fact of whether or not I’m accepted as a queer person, connecting with others who share the same faith and practices brings more meaningfulness and positivity to my faith.”

This intersection is incredibly important to queer people of faith. They should not have to forfeit a part of themselves to be accepted for being exactly who they are: both queer and faithful. This can be a challenge on both ends: queer spaces don’t always support religious practices, and religious spaces often don’t support queerness.

“Throughout much of the time following my discovery of my queerness, I felt like there were [two] different versions of me: me at synagogue and religious spaces and me in queer spaces — a common experience of queer people of faith,” Sabrina shares. “I knew I was whole, and that my identities were not separate from one another … but there was this dissonance I felt, like I was a spy in each space, and they couldn’t learn my other identity. Having spaces dedicated to queer people of faith gives us the opportunity to be our whole selves without the dissonance of leaving parts of ourselves at the door. It gives us grace and relief from feeling safe to express who we are without fear.”

Beloved Arise steps in to be the middle ground and provide that intersectional community for queer people of faith, exactly like Sabrina says.

Sid High, a trans man of faith, says, “Faith and queerness are not opposites, they are both journeys of truth, courage and love. It’s okay to feel scared, especially if you’ve been hurt before. But there are communities out there that will celebrate all of you, your spirit, your identity, your heart.”

In its simplest form, Beloved Arise provides what every single person, especially young queer folks, seeks: a community. A place to belong. A family. By connecting faithful queer youth with peers and mentors, Beloved Arise helps everyone in the community feel less alone.

“Through this work [as an ambassador], I get to be a voice to amplify, validate and celebrate the experiences of queer youth of faith,” Sabrina says.

High agrees, saying that his work as a youth ambassador for Beloved Arise has “… showed me that I’m able to help others like me have a safe space to call home within their faith, and it means the world to me.”

Essentially, just like any community or safe space, Beloved Arise gives queer youth of faith a place to exist wholly and fully as themselves. It’s just as High says, “[as] queer people of faith we deserve a space where we can be fully authentic loved, seen and safe without having to choose between who we are and what we hold true in our hearts spiritually.”

If there’s one thing Pride is all about, it’s loving and accepting yourself exactly as you are. Beloved Arise not only accepts you at every intersection where you find yourself, but it also celebrates your identity. There are few things as truly beautiful as finding a place where you can celebrate yourself completely, and Beloved Arise is proud to be one of those pockets of safety.

Learn more about Beloved Arise on their website, belovedarise.org, or check out their Instagram @beloved_arise!