Black LGBTQ+ Christians navigate faith and identity

For many Black LGBTQ+ individuals, their religious walk is often interrupted at the onset of adulthood. McKenzie Shorter, a 24-year-old Christian woman, recalls an experience familiar to many LGBTQ+ young adults. Raised in a Christian household, Shorter became disengaged from church when she moved away for college and began to navigate her identity.

“I started to pull away from traditional church, and I think me being gay definitely had something to do with that,” said Shorter. “I wanted more answers and to feel more accepted”. 

From 2007 to 2024, the share of religious adults who said homosexuality should be accepted by society increased from 46% to 59%, according to the Pew Research Center. 

But acceptance is only half the battle. Many LGBTQ+ congregants still struggle to feel that their houses of worship are truly championing them. 

Shorter describes it as being “halfway accepted”. Some churches might be open to LGBTQ+ congregants, but still believe that homosexuality is doctrinally wrong. 

“I don’t think you can fully accept somebody but actively try to change them or wish that part of them would change,” said Shorter.

For many LGBTQ+ people of faith, the question is no longer whether churches will open their doors, but whether they will make room for them to belong fully. Advocates say true inclusion requires more than acceptance. It requires changes in leadership, advocacy, and theology. 

Deeper than acceptance, deeper than an invitation

Don Abram is the founder of Toward Pride, a nonprofit organization that helps institutions advocate for the well-being of Black LGBTQ+ communities.

Toward Pride has developed a framework for the path of inclusion. The framework describes a progression from antagonism or avoidance of LGBTQ+ issues to acceptance, affirmation, and ultimately, advocacy.

“We call the accepting church the don’t ask, don’t tell church,” Abram said. “The idea is that we want you to come as you are, but after you’ve been with us a while, we don’t want you to stay as you are.”

Abram notes that these types of spaces can be the most insidious because while the pastor may not be openly antagonistic or homophobic, the limits of inclusion become clear elsewhere. 

“Upon further inspection, you’ll discover that you actually cannot get married in your church, your kids cannot get baptized, and you cannot be elevated in positions of authority or power,” said Abram. 

Craig Ford Jr., a theologian and professor at Emory University, calls this dynamic the “logic of invitation”. An invitation allows an individual to enter a space, but the host still expects them to follow all the house rules. 

“As a colleague of mine put it, churches want the gays, but they don’t want them to touch any of the furniture.”

In contrast, Ford explains that a “true welcome” requires a power shift in which the guest is invited to help shape the community and share ownership of its future.

“The United Church of Christ has pride flags all year long, and they ordain people who are LGBTQ+. That’s a powerful witness to what inclusion looks like.” 

But the shift in power doesn’t stop there. Abram says that the real goal is for churches to become public advocates for LGBTQ+ rights. An advocating church leverages its political and social power to effect change in the lives of LGBTQ+ people. 

“Based on what we heard from Black LGBTQ+ folks, it’s fine for you to preach in the pulpit on Sunday morning, affirming my humanity, but if you’re not out at City Hall, or at the state legislature, or at Congress, then you’re not really doing the work.”

Prioritizing sacred lives over sacred texts

For many churches, the path from acceptance to advocacy is shaped by how they interpret scripture.

For example, while the late Pope Francis adopted a more welcoming tone toward the LGBTQ+ community, saying “Homosexuality is not a crime,” he still upheld traditional Catholic doctrine that interpreted homosexual acts as sinful. 

Ford argues that sacred texts should be interpreted with special attention to their consequences. Just as the church eventually retired its biblical defense of slavery to follow a “deeper insight” from the Spirit, modern theology is called to retire ideals that dehumanize LGBTQ+ people.

Abram says that the most profound theological hindrance is the “refusal to see the other as a sacred text”. To deny queer and transgender people their humanity, Abram argues, is also to deny their inherent divinity. It’s also a missed opportunity to learn from them as “living epistles”. 

Shorter said she finds spiritual grounding in God’s Wisdom. 

“God doesn’t make mistakes. I’m created in God’s image. I know who I am, and I feel firm in it.”  

For potential LGBTQ+ congregants seeking a church home, advocates encourage people to connect with the divine in creative ways. 

“You can connect with the divine at church, or the stairmaster, or sitting by a lake,” said Abram.  

Over time, Shorter has maintained a connection to religious communities through virtual church services and practicing Bhakti yoga. 

Ford says the metric for finding a church home should be peace. 

“Go where you feel peace. Wherever peace is, God is leading us there.” 

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