Born in the rural south in the late 1950’s, Midge Noble was raised in a household with strict parents and fundamentalist religious beliefs. Attending parties or ballgames was not allowed. Her paternal grandfather, Paw Paw, a fire and brimstone Advent Christian preacher, believed the Bible was the literal word of God and condemned homosexuals to hell. As a teen, Noble felt a calling for missionary work but grew up with a conflicted view of God and the Church. She always felt that somehow she was different, but couldn’t quite put her finger on why. In this frank and heartfelt memoir, Noble recounts her childhood years and her struggles as a young adult with her faith and true identity. Doubting herself and her choices, her inner turmoil manifested itself as bulimia and anorexia, and denial and harsh judgment of her feelings. She didn’t come out to herself as gay until she was thirty years old. Noble’s poignant journey to reclaim her Christian faith shows that a relationship with the God of your understanding is possible, no matter what you’ve been taught to the contrary. Honesty and learning to trust your inner guidance are critical for healthy emotional and social development. For anyone questioning how they can reconcile their faith and their sexual identity, Noble’s inspiring book is a light to shine the way.
Even today in 2023, coming out as queer is difficult. Doing so within the context of any religion remains more difficult still. Gay with God saves lives and empowers LGBTQ folx seeking a deeper connection within circles of faith. As a long-time friend of Midge, I watched her enter St. Mary’s UFMCC as a scared, scarred lesbian seeking strength to continue and hope of salvation. Her journey to healing began that day, and she has grown stronger and stronger through the years. Today, the passion of her faith drives her to lead other hurting people of faith through the briers and barriers hateful religions and religious individuals and institutions erect. Her poignant memoir provides evidence that being queer with God provides persons of faith a foundation for life, a lighted path to travel, and the knowledge that they can remain faithful to themselves and to their God.
—Kathy Kirkpatrick, Principal (Ret.), Chair Democratic Party Guilford County, Midge’s Friend