peter
“I prayed every day when I was little… All my prayers got answered, I could write a book about them. Hundreds of them. Except one. Why did you not change me? I’m not sure if he will ever let me know… My family are very religious. Their dream for me was to become a pastor like my aunt and uncle. I love my family and they are very important to me, so not being able to come out has become a huge weight on my shoulders. I will have to convince them that gay people are still loved by God, and that’s probably the hardest part because I haven’t even fully convinced myself yet. I may not be a pastor but I feel that God helps many people through me and though my art. Last year, my aunty got cancer and the treatment was very, very expensive. They could barely afford the first few treatments and at the time, I didn’t have any money to help them. I prayed to God every day to help me get the money needed by November. In October I had this big show. It was one of the most successful shows in my life. I was able to send her all the money they needed for the whole treatment. I truly believe that that money was not earned by me. That money was sent by God. So even though I’m gay, I think I am loved by God… It’s so weird to talk about religion. It’s the total opposite of China. Where I am from, you are celebrated for your religion and you are considered a sinner if you are gay. In Dublin, feel I am fully accepted for being gay and I could even get married; but when I talk about religion on social media I can see my followers drop. So here I am. Religious and gay. It’s a weird place to be!”