Queer faith leaders discussed LGBTQ+ identity and religion in a virtual panel co-hosted by Northwestern’s Rainbow Alliance and University Christian Ministry on Thursday.
The conversation was moderated by UCM Campus Minister Rev. Julie Windsor Mitchell and featured Rabbi Rachel Weiss from the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation in Evanston, NU’s Associate Director for Religious Life and Chapel Music Eric Budzynski and Juan Pablo Herrera of the Cosmopolitan United Church in Melrose Park. The panel discussed their journeys with their faith and queer identities and answered questions submitted by the audience before and during the event.
For Herrera and Budzynski, who were both raised in religious Christian households, embracing their queerness was a necessary split from the religious paths they were raised on.