Troy Perry

“I always say that as a Christian I cannot find any passage in the Gospels in which Jesus condemned homosexuality.”

“When younger, I was thin as a rail. As I've grown older, I've put on weight. I have continued to love myself in all those roles. Part of my spirituality, I always tell people, is to accept yourself for who you are.”

“God did not create gays and lesbians so He could have something to hate!”

“The Bible was written in several languages, embraces many literary forms, and reflects cultures very different from our own. These are important considerations for properly understanding the Bible in its context.”

“The Lord is my Shepherd and he knows I'm gay.”

“We've had drive-by shootings. I've been spat on, slapped, shot at. One guy tried to stab me with a broken beer bottle. But the way we look at it, if people do the worst they can, we'll still wake up in glory.”

“If you had told me 28 years ago that the largest organization in the world touching the lives of gays and lesbians would be a church, I would not have believed you.”