First-person testimonies from LGBTQ+ Christians about coming out and navigating their family dynamics

What happens in a family when one member comes out? How does LGBTQ+ identity affect relationships with parents and grandparents, siblings and cousins? What does Christian love require and make possible for families moving forward together?

A social scientist and a pastor, both from Galileo Church on the outskirts of Fort Worth, Texas, asked their LGBTQ+ friends from church to help them understand how they navigate relationships with their affirming, non-affirming, and affirming-ish families of origin, even as they also find belonging in other families of choice. The resulting stories, crafted from interviews with fifteen queer Christians and family members, kept anonymous at their request, are as varied as the colors of the rainbow. Over the years, some grew closer to their families of origin; others grew more distant. Some were surprised by the hardness of heart they encountered; others were amazed by the breadth of their family’s love. Most all describe a trajectory, a journey, from the coming-out moment till now and beyond, as their families of origin, like all families, remain a work in progress.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Paula Stone Williams
Prologue
Introductions
     Tell Us the Shape of Your Shalom, Katie Hays
     We’re Listening, Susan A. Chiasson
The Stories
     All of Me, Jake
     In My Own Head, Cole
     A Lifelong Quest for Unconditional Love, Evelyn
     Don’t Ask. Don’t Tell, Marion
     Hiding for Too Long, Leanne
     Doing the Work, Ava
     Prepare Yourself, Kyra
     Permanent Distance, Not Going Back, Daniel and Kellie
     Sometimes It Gets Better, Sometimes It Gets Worse, Rory
     Smelling the Shit That Was Always There, Jackie
     The Mama Bear and the Interpreter, Karen and Kurt
     “Family Is Bullshit”, Noah
Reflections and Conclusions
     A Road Map with a Destination for Everyone, Susan A. Chiasson
     Possibility Is God’s Purview, Katie Hays