After about 6-8 weeks of sharing my personal truth with close friends and family, I publicly came out as bisexual on Monday, December 5, 2016. I must admit, I was fearful. I was concerned. I was scared. As a full-time minister for a denomination that was just three years shy of being fully supportive of LGBT rights in the United States, I was concerned about potential backlash from people who just weren’t there yet on this issue. Especially so since a large part of my ministerial focus is working with youth. I was concerned about stereotypes and stigmas and how parents, congregational leaders, fellow leaders in youth ministry, etc would respond. To put it in the context of our present-day culture, I was fearful about people’s possible perceived truths (aka alternative facts) with what it even means to be LGBT. I also knew that I couldn’t let the fear of the “what if” control me any longer. I knew that I needed to come out and that I needed to so publicly. Continue reading →