Religion has always been an essential part of the life of Alexya Salvador, 36, who was only able to identify as a woman after discovering the inclusive church where she is now the pastor. In a statement to UOL Estilo, she tells her story.
"When we went up the stairs of the church and came across a drag queen at the altar cheering the faithful, I was sure I had found my place. I looked at the gay couples holding hands and transvestites praying and smiled at Robeto, my boyfriend, bursting with joy, because I could finally live my faith.
I got toy cars from my parents, but at night I would sneak my sister's dolls to play house, dreaming of the day I would be a mother.
During adolescence, everything became more difficult, of course. While my schoolmates beat me and called me names, I hated everything the hormones were doing to my body. At the same time, I had a very strong relationship with religion, I felt a real calling within me.
So, at the end of high school, I made a decision that would combine my faith with an attempt to solve my problems: I entered the seminary and would become a priest. Needless to say, it didn't work out, NE? After four years of not being able to repress who I was, I told myself that I wouldn't be one of those priests who cause scandal for the church and I left the seminary."
I told half the story and came out as gay
As soon as I returned to my parents' house, I decided to stop hiding. I called my parents into the room, closed the door and started crying. Mom, Dad, I'm not like my cousins. My mother said she already knew and I breathed a sigh of relief. I was going to tell them that I'm a woman when my father said: If you're queer, I'll accept it. But dressing up as a woman, I'll kill. My courage ended there, at least coming out as gay was a start and I ended up only telling half the story.
I was 22 years old at the time and, although I still had to repress all my desire to be a woman in every way, I could now live the loving part of life. I had some relationships that didn't work out until I was 28, when I met Roberto.
Our story is like something out of a movie: we met for the first time at the Sé subway station, while we were changing. Our eyes met, he came to ask me the time, started a conversation and we fell in love. But I returned to the countryside and we dated long distance for five months, until in 2009 we decided to live together.
After almost two years together, we made the decision to get married. But since religion has always been important to me and I had been away since the seminary, I decided to look for a church that performed gay marriages. And that's how I discovered the Metropolitan Community Church, which embraces all the diversity of people that exist!
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