Personal: An Open Letter To Both Sides

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

I really hope you haven’t hated someone like me, but I imagine you probably have.
I’m talking about those indifferent religious type of people. The ones who will scream at and berate you and your friends while touting their Jesus sign in your face on a busy street corner or at your pride marches. I was literally that person not too long ago, and I want to apologise on behalf of any of us who ever hurt you, alienated you and antagonised you. 
After coming out as a gay Christian, my present self disapprovingly shakes my head at my ignorant former self. I now know the pain and sadness that we have may inflicted upon you. I know the agony of being made to feel repulsive, humiliated and of less value than others when one draws a line between themselves and you.
Again, I say to you, I’m sorry.

The pyrotechnics and the golden glitter settle as I run off stage after a milestone dancing opportunity at an LGBT festival in Thailand over the 2018 new year. What a surprise to be receiving a New Year message and congratulations from an old time Christian friend after photos of my performance surfaced online.
Though first feeling thankful, I suddenly caught myself with painful memories of lost friendships welling up inside of me. Then I couldn’t help but start crying backstage with the thought of what my former Christians friends may think and say about me now.
Jono Kwan WP
Today, I am one of the people my former self would have loathed. I am a gay poster boy, go-go dancer, model, and help run Asia-Pacific LGBT employee resource group for the transnational corporation I work for.
Just a few years back, I was an evangelical youth leader at church and university, band and choir boy, studied Christian theology, and only exclusively resided in the oh-so picturesque tiers of Christian society.

For many years, a war raged in my mind as I contemplated whether or not to come out to my Christian friends. When I decided to take the plunge, the inner turmoil that plagued my mind spilled out into my real life. Soon I started to understand how my LGBT friends on the other side of the march.
At the time, many of my Christians friends thought it was a decision I suddenly made, which spoke volumes about their misunderstanding of sexual disposition. Amidst the fallout, I couldn’t help but lament over the fact that perhaps the love we shared was never real but only ever played out between our Sunday facades.
All I ever wanted was to reveal an inherent part of myself I could not change, and have people still treat and love me the same.
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Some immediately removed me from their lives while a smaller subset made feel completely unworthy of their company and unwelcome to continue partaking in the only life I had ever known.
Growing up in the church, we called ourselves “brothers and sisters” and would always strongly caution each other about the risks of stepping out into “the world” and losing our way.
They say a pastor’s child either ends up either also being a pastor or in prison. I did not go to that extreme, but in similar vein, perhaps, I am now the sad story they tell, and I am the objectionable individual they use as an example to warn each other …
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Alone after the backlash, I looked at my life and thought, “maybe they will give me a shot.” From then on I have been so thankful for how the LGBT community has embraced me.
But as relationships deepened, I braced myself for the same response of disdain when planning to come out to my gay friends about my Christianity. With a quiet rage, I thought they would most certainly think it was uncool and even unacceptable that someone in their inner circle comes from a group that they are so used to being harassed and demonised by.
Was I destined to walk the narrow walk of being caught between the crossfire of two groups that have chronically antagonised each other?
When I finally came out about my Christianity, although some called me an “idiot” and “a product of my conservative upbringing”, the closing sentiment of this conversation with my gay friends usually went something like this – “I guess you can believe what you believe …” I was thankful for their response, but also genuinely surprised – aren’t we so used to Christians and the LGBT community hating each other?
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Today, with the internet as the main medium of communication, we enter the lives of people online indifferently and lines are drawn. Resentment is amplified online, and then we put down our keyboards in exchange for signs and violence during civil clashes that are spurred on in the media.
Fighting this manner creates a tribalism that only spurs an unsympathetic ‘us and them’ mentality where each side’s sole mission is simply to win the argument. Hate gives birth to more hate, and so goes the death spiral of civil human abhorrence.
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But when my friends and I debated over our conflicting viewpoints on religion, with them mainly being agnostic or atheist, we did not have this need to win the argument with each other. Rather, it felt more like we were advising each other on what we really feel is the best way to walk this life (and the life beyond if you choose to believe in that).
It was then that I realised that we simply just wanted each other to be happy – and in that moment I saw that the most vital missing ingredient in the Christian-LGBT debate is just the most basic humanity between us as people.
So my ultimate hope is that Christians and the LGBT community can build bridges with one another first and have that supersede the complexity of their differing views. Many may call it a hopeless hope but I have experienced this in my own life. So even if we begin just in our own lives then by not repaying hate with hate, but with love…
Jono Kwan gun

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11 comments

  1. Thank you for sharing

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  2. Inspiring. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Glad you liked it. Thank you for the support

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  3. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, experience and what's your view on both being a conservative Christian and coming out as who you really are. I admire and honor your decision. Hope to see you someday ��

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    1. Hope to see you one day too :) thanks so much for reading and let me know if there's anything more you want me to share.

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  4. Thanks for sharing!!!

    We cannot stop our other Christian friends from voicing out their beliefs and hating gay people. They are brought up that way.

    Let's just hope that God touches their hearts to be more open minded and not judge people simply because of their sexual preference.

    At the same time we, who understand LGBT can always promote love and friendship to the world. :) Thus, we become the BETTER people in this society.

    At the end of the day & our lives, it is those who spread more love that God will favour. ;)

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    1. I agree with you! Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts.

      Ultimately for me, it's about reminding people that we are all not so different. When people are in tribes, there is no love. But if someone who's our friend is on what we might think as the other side, then we will see them as a human and companion and share our views in love and kindness instead of wanting to win an argument~

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  5. Hey brother, just stumbled across your blog and this post. Thanks for sharing your story. I can relate! And I just wanted you to know that there is a community of LGBTQ Christians out there, perhaps much larger than you may realize. I hope you find them where you are: people who understand your religious background and are striving in the same direction but who also understand what it's like to have been kicked out, vilified, or abandoned by those they trusted. People who want to build bridges but know what it's like to have to burn them.

    (We have a group on FB for LGBTQ Asian American Christians. Although you're not American, you are more than welcome to break bread with us.)

    Peace~

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  6. Thank you you are such an inspirational for me and Thankyou for sharing what's your view being a conservative Christian and coming out as who you really are. Hope to see you someday in Indonesia or another ❤️❤️

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  7. Great testimony! As I came from the same background as you and did similar things I can totally relate! But contrary to you I was hiding my sexuality from my Christian friends for 39 years. Now I am outside the church and free as a bird. I agree with your sentiments about loving each other but I don’t feel the need for a relationship with god any more. Strange that after 40 years as a follower and strong believer in Christ I can live without him now. I have many friends gay and str8 who think the way I do. I’m glad you want to be both gay and Christian. I’m glad you want to build bridges between LGTB and the church. I just feel more peace the way I am. And the freedom is bliss!

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