Ben Derk: Learning to Breathe Again

Coming out as gay threatened all that Ben (pronouns: they/them/theirs) knew and valued.  In fact, the stress and emotional turmoil of trying to keep a secret and live a lie was causing Ben to physically and mentally fall apart. Something had to give. So Ben faced their fears and came out as queer.  Despite facing pain, rejection, and exclusion, one thing that Ben never lost was their trust in God, and eventually learned how to breathe again. (Recorded Spring of '19)