A photo and message posted by a gay priest for Pride month has gone viral.
Reverend Daniel Brereton is a priest in the Anglican Church of Canada. He’s a rector of the parish of St. John the Baptist (Dixie) in Mississauga, Ontario. It lies west of Toronto. He’s been ordained for 26 years and with St John’s for the past 11 of those. He’s been married to his husband for the past ten years.
He has long advocated for Christians to embrace LGBTQ+ people.
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A photo he posted last weekend, to mark the start of Pride Month, touched upon how one Christian went from condemning gay people to accepting Brereton’s point of view.
“This statue was sent me a few years ago by a man in Texas who used to argue with me on Twitter about LGBT+,” began Brereton. The priest included a photo of a statue of Jesus. The figure holds a lamb. Another stands at its feet. Coincidentally, rainbow light from a nearby glass crucifix rests upon Jesus’ sleeve.
— RevDaniel (@RevDaniel) June 1, 2024This statue was sent me a few years ago by a man in Texas who used to argue with me on Twitter about LGBT+
Then his son come out.
His son left home, unable to live with the hom*ophobia. His married daughter also ceased speaking with him over his rejection of her brother. 1/4 pic.twitter.com/kSzj7DCwZM
hom*ophobic father discovers his son is gay
“Then his son come out,” continued Brereton. “His son left home, unable to live with the hom*ophobia. His married daughter also ceased speaking with him over his rejection of her brother.
“Our conversations suddenly took a different turn. How might one reconcile their faith and the Bible with an affirming stance? How do you begin reconciling with someone you have hurt deeply? What do you say to your hom*ophobic pastor? How do I find a new church?” the priest continued.
“About a year after he first reached out to ask for help, this statue arrived at my church with a note saying ‘The two lambs are my children. I have my son and daughter back. Most importantly I know I finally am listening to the Shepherd’s voice.’
“So Christians can keep screaming at me about sin and judgment and repentance,” said Brereton. “I know the voice of my Shepherd and I will continue to make space in his fold for all his sheep. Being gay isn’t a sin. Consensual sex in the same context of love that straight people enjoy is not a sin. The Bible doesn’t say so.
“All the verses you are going to quote in response don’t say what you desperately want them to say. Plenty of stuff on judgment though,” concluded Brereton.
“Forget the old laws”
The original tweet has had over 90k likes. It’s also prompted hundreds of comments and thousands of retweets.
Many were thankful for the message.
— Dumber than a Bowl full of Mice #Fella 🇺🇸🇺🇦 (@BowlOfMice) June 1, 2024They all point to the laws of Leviticus to justify their hom*ophobia.
Yet Jesus explicitly commanded to "forget the old laws, they no longer apply"
I am legit weeping in my coffee. That is beautiful. I have, in the past, taken in friends rejected by their religious parents. I am so glad to hear of reconciliation.
— Cheryl Mc (@1cheryljimmy) June 1, 2024
Beautiful. If religion makes you hate, you’re doing it wrong or it’s the wrong religion.
— Laura Wallingford (@rulymob) June 1, 2024
However, unsurprisingly, some expressed disapproval and, well, judgment.
Queerty reached out to Brereton. He’s built up a following of over 120k on X and this is not the first time one of his tweets has hit a chord.
“There is both a positive and negative aspect to this [large platform]” he said. “On the positive side, it allows me to engage with a large number of people, sharing a welcoming and inclusive vision of the Gospel and the Church that so many have never experienced.
“It allows me to use my platform to promote other progressive Christians, LGBTQ accounts and the voices of other marginalized communities…but it also means I attract a lot more criticism and attacks from more right-wing Christians, especially those who are hom*ophobic and against any affirmation of LGBTQ people within the church.
“Nothing I’ve shared has earned me more vitriol — even from some gay men — than my public support of trans people. I know a number of trans people, including trans Christians. My own goddaughter was trans and despite the incredible amount of love and support in her life, died by suicide two years ago because of the hate she saw for trans people in the world at large. I feel I owe it to her to continue to be a public voice for trans equality.”
“I’m not there to battle with trolls”
Brereton says he has noticed an increase in negativity on X since Elon Musk took it over. However, he will continue to use the platform and spread his message of love and acceptance.
“I want to represent Jesus’ way of compassion and grace and I see my primary responsibility being towards those who are hurting, afraid or isolated. I’m not there to battle with trolls so I ignore, mute or block the majority of those who simply post abusive and hateful comments.
“However, I do see value in occasionally responding– directly, or by quoting them – not because I think I’ll change their minds (the father in Texas is a very rare example of that), but because I want others to see that we don’t need to be afraid of these online bullies. I often use humor to mock them because it is a way of standing up to them without adopting the same violent language and posture.”
Brereton says he wants people to see that they “don’t have to choose between faith and any other aspect of our identity. I want those who have been abused and silenced, especially by Christians, to see that following Jesus does not have to mean being hom*ophobic or transphobic; in fact, being so is the complete opposite of following Jesus.”
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