Sid High is a trans Christian in Iowa and a youth ambassador for Beloved Arise.

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Why This Trans Christian Teen Worships from Home

by Sid High 04-26-2023
“Trying to strip people's rights is the opposite of love, and the opposite of what Jesus would do.”
A family photo of trans Christian Sid High's family sitting on a couch in their living room as they look off to the side. Sid's dad sits on the left; Sid's mom sits in the center with his younger sister in her lap; Sid sits on the right.

Sid High, right, and family attend online church from home in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. After multiple pastors told Sid, a transgender Christian man, that he was going to hell, the family began worshiping at home. / Rachel Mummey / Getty Images

Sid High is a trans Christian in Iowa and a youth ambassador for Beloved Arise. He spoke with Sojourners’ Mitchell Atencio.

I REALLY SUPPRESSED my trans identity before I came out. For me, that wasn’t accepting myself as my true self. There’s something to be said for being who you are without having to hide who you are for the approval of others. I feel more at peace with myself because God is pleased with me for being who I am and living in my authentic self. God wanted me to be who I am and to be able to show other people that they can be who they are too.

RELATED: Catholic Nuns: Church Isn't Whole Without Trans Siblings

I started the first Pride event [in Marion, Iowa] when I was 15. That’s when I started getting interested in helping the community more. People often see the queer community as sinners. Even if people do believe it’s a sin, the right thing to do is not to judge and to continue to love — because that’s what Jesus did. God is Love, and [God] made us to love, regardless of who we love.

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