The Press Release for "This is My Story":

The history of the Christian community includes a fear of the "other" (including homosexuals and gays, persons with mental and/or physical illnesses, persons who are disabled, women called to preach and/or women called to leadership positions, transsexual and transgender people, ethnic minorities, etc.) that has barred many from meaningful involvement. It is one of many factors that have helped create an atmosphere in which physical bullying in the streets and "spiritual bullying" from the pulpit is tacitly condoned. Arguments supporting this subjugation have included everything from "Women should keep silent in the church," to "God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve." The resulting degradation has been felt most recently in the well publicized suicides among LGBTQ youth. Nevertheless, many "outsiders" claim a powerful relationship with and intimate knowledge of Christ that both empowers their lives and sustains their tenacious hold to the Christian faith. The mission of this contest is to create a positive and empowering platform of self-expression for these individuals.