to be gay in this christian nation
(Content Warning: religious homophobia, depictions of blood)
i hate having to justify my existence
to a god i don't even believe in.
i'm told to stand before a court
of angels with their many piercing eyes
and great big wings. when the judges see my rainbow
blood, they call me one of their sinners.
they promise me eternal salvation
because, they say, i chose
to put the rainbow there.
i can choose to take it out.
the angels don't realize
i've never had blood
as red as theirs.
they praise me for my celibacy.
my body is a temple, and sex
is the true sin.
they think i'm keeping my body pure
for a husband. little do they know
i have no interest in the union of two
bodies, save the touch
of a woman’s lips on my own.
i am a fair maiden
in sex alone.
their words fall on deaf ears.
my rainbow blood boils
because i never put the angels on trial:
they called me sinner first.
Noah T. Kent (they/them) is a jack of many writing trades, and hopes to be a master of at least some someday. For the kind of atheist who doesn’t believe in any specific religion but vibes with those who do, a brief stint into Protestantism in middle school and a well-timed obsession with a certain monster hunting show in high school has made them weirdly obsessed with Christian imagery. When not pushing the boundaries of gender expression and queer identity, you can find them writing with friends or working on their latest novel they hope to publish.