Pride Month Reflections from LGBTQ+ Catholics, Part 1

Last week we posted an open call for submissions, asking LGBTQ+ Catholics around the world to offer their reflections on Pride Month as a Pilgrimage of Hope. After just a few days, we’ve already been deeply moved by the responses we’ve received. Today we’re sharing four of those stories.

These four Catholics come from Canada, Brazil, Czechia and the United States. Each of them attest to the power of their faith to animate their lives and vocations as members of the LGBTQ+ community and of the universal church.

Michel Quintas, Curitiba, Brazil

Michel Quintas (Courtesy of Michel Quintas)

“I am proud to be Catholic, as a Latin American theologian and a bisexual man,  especially because of the conviction that, as Pope Francis reminded us, there is  room for everyone in the Church. My faith and hope are based on the relationship I  have with God and that my LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters share with me. It is a  relationship that is wounded by society but healed by mercy, which makes us  aware that it is not our bodies that are bad, but the social structures that oppress them. Therefore, being a queer Catholic is a gift and a vocation, that is, a possibility  for transforming society and caring for the most vulnerable.”

Michel Quintas (he/him) is a bisexual, Latin American man and queer liberation theologian.

Stevie Schroeder, St. Anthony Catholic Parish, Portland, Oregon

Stevie Schroeder (Courtesy of Stevie Schroeder)

“Being a lesbian and a Catholic has always been a confusing mix. I was baptized and raised in the church, and like any lesbian, Catholic school only pushed me deeper into intimacy – with femininity, the bible and the questions I wasn’t supposed to ask. I left the church because I thought there was no space for someone like me. But returning, I realized God made me exactly as I am. Queerness connects me to the divine, to the natural world, to love that is soft and radical. We are made in God’s image, and that means that even in queerness, especially in queerness, there is holiness. Like Jesus, queer Catholics are called to advocate, to fight, to heal. God’s love shows up in your self-trust, your gentleness, your joy. It’s in loving loudly and without shame. And I really believe that’s sacred.

Stevie Schroeder (she/they) is a 20 year-old proud dog mom, activist, and a college student currently pursuing a degree at OSU for Secondary Education with an emphasis in Social Studies and a Psych minor.

Jeferson Batista, Rede Nacional de Grupos Católicos LGBT+, São Paulo, Brazil

Jeferson Batista and Luis Rabello (Courtesy of Jeferson Batista)

I am an LGBTQIA+, Black, Brazilian man, married to Luis Rabello and Catholic. I find in faith a space of struggle, rebuilding, and belonging. What makes me proud to be an LGBTQIA+ Catholic is knowing I’m not alone. I’m part of a national network of groups that, since 2007, has courageously affirmed: we are also Church. The National Network of LGBT Catholic Groups now gathers over 20 collectives across Brazil, working to ensure welcome, dignity, and visibility for LGBTQIA+ people in the Church. My queer Catholic hope is sustained by witnessing mothers, youth, clergy, and lay leaders unite spirituality and justice, resist fundamentalism, and create safe spaces of faith and care. Being part of this pilgrimage means believing the Gospel can bloom from the margins.

Jeferson Batista (he/him) is a journalist, anthropologist, and member of the National Network of LGBT+ Catholic Groups (Brazil). 

Vilem Zlamal, Archdiocese of Olomouc, Czechia

As I want to reflect on my “Pride Pilgrimage”, I cannot start with anything else but by highlighting the fact that June, which is considered to be the “Pride Month”, is also consecrated to the Sacred  Heart of Jesus. The reason for which I can be proud to be a gay Catholic is the unconditional, deep and intense love of Jesus (demonstrated by his Heart) which I feel. The simple fact that Jesus has chosen to let a gay man uncover the gift of faith speaks for itself. I discovered God in my teenage  years, and since then, I have felt that he guides me, despite my doubts, sins and lack of ability to see the blessings he has prepared for me. Truly, the journey of faith is a sort of pilgrimage where his love  accompanies me.

Vilem Zlamal (he/him) is a gay Catholic from the Archdiocese of Olomouc in Czechia.

About Submitting a Reflection

This Pride Month we invite all LGBTQ+ Catholics to boast in their hope of the glory of God, in their afflictions, their proven character, their hope, and their hearts overflowing with the love of God.

What we ask:

• A 100-150 word reflection on your Pride Pilgrimage: what makes your proud to be an LGBTQ+ Catholic?; What sustains your Queer Catholic hope?
• The term or terms that identify you in the Catholic LGBTQ+ community (e.g. lesbian, nonbinary, ally, etc.)
• A one-sentence biographical statement explaining your connection to LGBTQ+ Catholic experience.
• OPTIONAL: Your parish or faith community, with your city, state, country.
• OPTIONAL: A portrait photo.

How will we use these materials?:

• Selected submissions will be shared on our blog and social media platforms.

How do you submit?:

• Complete this form by Monday, June 23, 2025.

—Jeromiah Taylor, New Ways Ministry, June 13, 2025