Religion has been a very tricky subject for LGBTQ people. It's not because there are no LGBTQ people who identify with a particular religion. It's simply because religion has so often been used to throw us under the bus. It's been used to silence us and take away our rights. And it's very powerful. Even though there's supposed to be a separation of church and state, the religious beliefs of those in power were the reason same-sex marriage was illegal for so long.

The religious extremists are also the ones with the loudest voices. They lead us and everyone else to believe they make up the majority of the religious population. When in reality, that might not be the case. People connect to religion for all sorts of reasons. Another important thing to note is that people pick and choose what they want to follow in their religion. A person could identify as a Christian, or even a Muslim, and attend their gay son's wedding with pride.

I'm not a religious person myself. I was raised a Catholic, but I don't consider myself to be one. I used to think that one's religion was the same as one's nationality. I thought saying I was Catholic was the same as saying I was Italian. However, things changed once I was old enough to understand that religion was what one believed. I understood that one had the power to choose their beliefs. It was then I knew religion wasn't for me.

I'm not one who can pick and choose from a particular religion while claiming to be part of the entire belief system. If I'm in, I have to be in all the way. There is no other option for me. I'm also not interested in labeling myself according to what I believe. I feel the same way about politics. I'm not a Democrat or a Republican. I'm an Independent. I'm an individual with my own set of beliefs. That might not be for everybody, but that's what works for me.

While I have my own views on religion, I think the LGBTQ community, in general, has been conditioned to think that religion might not be for them. When LGBTQ people are faced with these extremists, it's a very common response to insult religion as a whole. Some within the community might feel like the rest of the LGBTQ population would turn on them or see them as self-hating. I'm sure there are those that practice religion in secret. Some might be afraid to go down the path. And there are some that may not even consider it an option.

However, I think that could all change with Pete Buttigieg. The current mayor of South Bend, Indiana has been all over the media lately. He's announced that he is running for President of the United States in 2020. If elected, Buttigieg would be the first openly gay President. His husband, Chasten, would be the country's First Gentleman. When I think back to high school, it wasn't legal for me to get married or serve openly in the military. Having an openly gay president wasn't even a possibility in my mind.

But I think Buttigieg could bring forth a lot of change in the LGBTQ community when it comes to religion. He identifies as a Christian and discusses his faith a lot. He mentions the Bible and his church in interviews. He even came up against Mike Pence, who is still silent on his current feelings toward conversion therapy. Buttigieg's message appears to be that homophobic and transphobic religious extremists don't speak for an entire religious community or the religion itself.

I also think he could reach a lot of conservative Americans out there. I think a lot of Republicans have reached a point where LGBTQ people aren't the most important thing to them. I think a lot of others have come around on LGBTQ issues and have grown immensely. And there are others who were never anti-LGBTQ, to begin with. Plus, I think the ones who are still bigoted towards the LGBTQ community are in a small minority. How often do you hear about bakers who don't want to bake wedding cakes for gay weddings? I'm not saying they don't exist, but I don't think they're enough to destroy a candidate like Pete Buttigieg.

I actually think the Democratic Party would be smart to pay attention to Buttigieg. Since he's the mayor of a town in the Midwest, he has the opportunity to reach those who voted for Trump in 2016. Those people felt left out during the Obama administration and were angry about the economic situation. They wanted a candidate to prioritize them and at this point, I don't think most of them care if that candidate is gay or not.

Which brings me back to my initial point regarding religion. Since Buttigieg is so openly Christian, I think his Presidency could change the cultural discussion and perception of religion as it relates to LGBTQ people. Those within the community who were afraid to be open about their religious beliefs may feel more comfortable doing so. Those who were afraid to go down that path may be brave enough to give it a shot. Those who never considered it an option might find some comfort they wouldn't have come across previously.

But more importantly, it would cause the religious extremists to have less power. They might still be just as loud, but their ability to control public discourse would be on a much lower level. Things like conversion therapy would probably start to disappear from churches one by one. This would be the biggest victory since conversion therapy is part of religious practices and religion is protected by the First Amendment. This means that even though more states are banning conversion therapy, they could still get away with practicing it. In order for that to change, it has to come from a change in hearts and minds.

It's still unclear as to whether or not Pete Buttigieg will be a good Presidential candidate. Many of his policies are still a mystery. Having an openly gay President would be nice, but it shouldn't be the reason one vote for someone. We'll have to wait and see how the next year shapes up for all the candidates. If he hits all the right marks and turns out to be a stellar candidate, Buttigieg could do a lot of good for religion and the LGBTQ community. That's a hopeful future I would like to see.