Tyler A. Hughes.

"Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, and respect the dignity of every human being." That's the question the bishop asked me on my confirmation day. "I will with God's help," I answered. He asked me to rise, anointed my head with oil, and then confirmed me in the Episcopal Church. I was ready to meet my new Christian life head-on. But there was another part of my life I wasn't ready to meet at all.

I had accepted that I'm gay, but it would take another year before I came out to my priest. I walked into Father Peters office--full of religious icons, pictures of married couples, photos of the priest's wife and son--terrified. "Father Peter, I have something to tell you." He answered, 'What is it, my son? What troubles you?"

"I'm gay." He smiled, put his hand on my head, and said, "What you have done here today took great courage. God loves you, my son, as do I. We belong to a church that has long defended gay and lesbian people, many of whom are even priests of the church."

A few years later, newly graduated from high school, I moved to an even more gay-friendly Episcopal congregation. Life was going well, and I was ready to start dating. Dates went well too, until religion came up. "So what do you want to do when you graduate?" they'd ask. "I want to be an Episcopal priest." Silence usually followed. Some people would smile and say, 'That's nice." Others would provoke me into an antagonistic religious debate. I began to develop disdain for gay people's contempt of the church. How could my community hate what I believed in so much? I didn't understand how anyone could think that devoting my life to others and to God could be a bad thing. I understand that some churches are directly responsible for the pain of many gays and lesbians, but there are now churches and religious organizations that are open and affirming.

Luckily, I've since met many queer religious people. My partner attends church with me on a regular basis. I continue to be open about my Christianity, believing that the way to reconcile religion and LGBT people is to live my life as an openly gay Christian. It allows dialogue and, eventually, understanding. But I never would have guessed it would be easier to tell people I'm gay than to tell them I'm Christian.

--Hughes is 22 and lives in Seattle.