Since coming out publicly in 2014, Vicky Beeching has worked hard to create spaces for queer Christians online and in the church.Beeching, a Christian singer and activist based in London, says she often uses social media to reach out to young queer Christians. She views using platforms like Facebook and Twitter as part of her ministry.But in the course of her advocacy, she has often received hateful messages from anti-queer trolls. About 90 percent of the vitriol she gets online and offline comes from other self-identified Christians.It was all par for the course until this Wednesday, when she realized a meme featuring a photo of her had gone viral. After seeing that image, Beeching decided that she had to take a break from social media.The post that pushed her over the edge featured homophobic rhetoric and weaponized an often misunderstood verse from the Bible to question Beechings Christianity.She posted a screenshot of the meme on her Twitter feed on Wednesday.When anti-gay material with your face on it gets shared almost 20,000 times, you know society still has a long way to go towards equality. pic.twitter.com/DYzQMIcrsV Vicky Beeching (@vickybeeching) April 19, 2017 To date, the post has been shared close to 20,000 times' a number that caught Beeching off guard.Beeching said she also got a seven page handwritten letter telling her to repent from the sin of lesbianism.Also, I checked my Po Box & got a 7 page, handwritten letter telling me to "repent from the sin of lesbianism". pic.twitter.com/bRFPCr1k8Y Vicky Beeching (@vickybeeching) April 19, 2017 I mean, who has time to hand-write SEVEN pages'! They contain "prayers of repentance" for me to "pray daily" to "save myself from hell".Vicky Beeching (@vickybeeching) April 19, 2017 Beeching said that its saddened her that much of the criticism shes gotten has come from inside the church.The sad thing is that these Christians believe they are acting out of love - that they are defending what the Bible teaches. So they genuinely dont think theyre doing anything wrong. They dont see it as hatred or homophobia ' they see it as standing up for Gods truth, Beeching wrote in an email to The Huffington Post. And history shows that people can do terrible things when they feel like God is on their side and they have the moral upper hand.After clicking through a few of the Facebook profiles of people who shared the meme, Beeching decided it was time to practice self care and take a break from social media.Made the mistake of going on too many Facebook profiles who shared that 20,000 x meme. Wish I could un-read many things they said about me. Vicky Beeching (@vickybeeching) April 20, 2017 Curiosity killed the cat. Or at least killed my tolerance for homophobia & personal derogatory remarks about my life, sexuality & character. Vicky Beeching (@vickybeeching) April 20, 2017 I think a little break from social media will be the best thing for me. This vitriol's gone on since 2014 & occasionally it just gets to me. Vicky Beeching (@vickybeeching) April 20, 2017 Beeching told HuffPost that she is a big believer in the power of social media. Shes been active on both Twitter and Facebook for years, and has never stepped away before.She doesnt plan to stay away for too long, however ' one month, at the most.Theres a lot of people online who reach out to me for support - LGBT people who feel very isolated and need help - so I dont want to miss the chance to be able to help them. I dont want the trolls to feel like they have won, she said.Beeching added that shes received messages of kindness and support that have helped balance out the negativity. She hopes coming forward with her story can help the church see how damaging homophobia can be, both online and offline.My main concern are the young LGBT people who are told they cant be gay and Christian, Beeching wrote.Im resilient enough to cope with this kind of nastiness, but many of them arent. So for their sake, I hope the church hears a wake up call to act. -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
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