When their priest said during a sermon the Catholic Church is under attack from LGBTQ+ forces, transgender attendee Avery Arden felt the need to speak out.

Arden, a Georgia resident, was visiting family in Ohio in May and attending Mass at Saint Raphael Roman Catholic Church in Bay Village, a Cleveland suburb. Arden had been active in the church as a child, and it was like a homecoming for them, Cleveland newspaper The Plain Dealerreports.

During the service, the Rev. Timothy Gareau referred to the controversy involving the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a satirical group whose members dress as very alternative nuns and raise money for charity. The Dodgers invited the L.A. chapter of the Sisters to the team's Pride Night, then revoked the invitation, then reinstated it after receiving criticism from LGBTQ+ groups and others. The Sisters will receive the Dodgers' Community Hero Award.

...Some congregants applauded Gareau, and then Arden approached the altar. They said the priest’s remarks were hurtful and noted that “queer and trans people also carry the Holy Spirit.” Three parishioners then escorted Arden from the church.