The first sentence of “The Books of Bokonon” – the fictional foundational text of Bokononism, the religion Kurt Vonnegut invented for his 1963 novel Cat’s Cradle – reads as follows: “All of the true things I am about to tell you are shameless lies.”

The data from our Lesbian Stereotypes Survey shows LGBTQ women and non-binary people have fled Christianity in droves — we actually have more Pagans than Catholics.

“Here was a community where race apparently didn’t matter, because we were all humans, made in the image of God. Where a pacifist, sensitive, caring Jesus was the primary male role model. I finally felt at home. I was promised complete acceptance and understanding, and all I had to give was… well, everything.”

I can’t make every passage better. There are some passages that are still, even after months of study, hard to accept. But I try to remind myself that it’s okay to be critical of what’s written and that questions can help my faith grow.

Ever since I went to a Halloween party at my friend’s church youth group in 6th grade, I’ve been almost inseparable from my Christian identity. But on November 4th, 2012, my heart was all the way down in my toes as I got ready to go to church for the first time as a transgender lesbian.