Granderson: Faith -- It's Not Just for Straight People Anymore

I've gone a lot of places since that day nearly 20 years ago. This week, I found myself on the South Lawn of the White House to join the thousands in welcoming Pope Francis to the United States. I'm not Catholic -- despite the best efforts of those around me in the stands that morning -- but I am a believer. To some this admission makes me naive, to others a kindred spirit, and for those who do not think you can be openly gay and a Christian, I am lost.

The latter was true once ... but now I'm found.

I'll explain. One of the most difficult aspects for an LGBT person coming out of the closet is feeling the need to leave the church and their faith behind. One of the most liberating moments is the day they realize they don't have to. That God is too big for small minds. That the Lord our God is with us wherever we go. So yeah, when I turned my back on God I was lost.

When I learned he never turned his back on me, I was found. And it seems as if I am not alone. According to a Pew study in 2013, 42 percent of LGBT Americans identified as Christian, and today it's up to 48 percent (of that number 17 percent are Catholic in case his Holiness was wondering).