All my life I've been surrounded by Catholicism. Every Sunday, since I was born, we would go to church. It's something that's been ingrained in me from the beginning, and it's something that is very, very hard to balance with other parts of my identity.

I was taught that people "different" from me were going to be condemned. And when I found out I was one of those "different" people, that I refused to conform to the standards the church had set on me, it was a life-changing experience. I found out that I was becoming stagnant. I needed to experience the world if I wanted to be someone accepting of myself and others.

Even now, years after my revelation, I still hold on to a sliver of my religious identity. It's something that's difficult to let go of despite my conflicting thoughts with it. I use it to cope, and I admire people who are able to hold that delicate balance between religion and personal things. And to the people that doubt me, to the people that consider me lesser, I ask you this: are you worthy to enter the kingdom of heaven? Because I know I am.