Varoot
My name is Varoot and I am a bisexual Christian from Thailand. I went to the U.S. for my master’s degree in 2010 and I joined a church that focused on student ministry.
They were great in helping me adjust to the new country and culture. A few years later, they invited me to join their leadership team.
In 2014, I decided to move back to Southeast Asia. The Church asked me to join their new church plant in Singapore, so I got a job there in early 2015. The supreme court’s ruling for marriage equality in the United States that year sparked a conversation about LGBTQ people and the Church. So, I decided to post my support on social media.
Pronouns: he/him
Photo of Varoot & partner
The pastors then asked me to clarify my stance and told me that it was contrary to the teachings of the Church. After discussion, we agreed that it would be best if I stepped down from leadership.
After that, I realized that the Church could no longer meet my spiritual need. I looked for another church and found Free Community Church in 2016 (@freecommunitychurch), the only LGBTQ-affirming Church in Singapore.
A year later, I met my partner. He was from the Philippines and working in Singapore. Since there is no legal support for same-sex couples in Southeast Asia, we decided to move to Canada.
While we were planning our move, my partner decided to quit his job in mid-2019, and I took on a project in Thailand. Since I can’t get him a spousal visa, he traveled between Thailand and the Philippines as the tourist visa would allow. More problems occurred when the pandemic came, and we were separated by travel restrictions for nine months. Eventually, we got reunited in Toronto, and now we’re attending an LGBTQ-affirming church that we now call home.
Photo of Varoot
