"Affirming Every Part of Me" with Anna Ray

Coming Out Christian | Season 3, Episode 8 Guest: Anna RayWhat does it look like to grow up Queer, Biracial, and Christian — and actually feel seen by your church?Anna Ray (she/her) is a dynamic leader and community connector whose career has spanned insurance underwriting, executive and nonprofit administration, event management, and catering. Originally from the suburbs of Minneapolis, Anna earned her BA in Business from Howard University and fell in love with Washington, DC, in the process. Today she serves as a Cannabis Licensing Program Specialist with the District of Columbia and a League Cycling Instructor with the League of American Bicyclists, and shares her life with her husband Dane and their children.In this episode, hosts Siobhan Boyd-Nelson and the Rev. Dr. Ben Huelskamp sit down with Anna to explore what it meant to grow up biracial in the suburban Midwest and then arrive at Howard University and Washington, DC, and how both shaped her sense of self. Anna shares about finding faith communities that affirmed not only her Queer identity but also her role as a mother and her children's identities. It's a refreshingly hopeful conversation about what the church can be when it gets things right.Warm, grounded, and genuinely encouraging — this one will leave you hopeful.📲 Follow Anna: @meettherays🎙️ Follow the podcast: @comingoutchristian_podcast🌈 Follow LOVEboldly: @loveboldly