Beyond is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting LGBTQ+ people through their coming out process. We understand how difficult it can be to come out, especially if you come from a conservative faith community. Here at Beyond, we’re dedicated to helping those who are wrestling in isolation because of the conflict they feel between their faith and their sexual orientation or gender identity.

If that is you, we want to walk alongside you with encouragement and compassion. We are passionate about dissolving shame, fostering self-acceptance, and generating messages of hope for LGBTQ+ people of faith.

Wherever you are in your journey, we want to support you by providing coaching to help you reconcile your faith with your sexuality or gender identity, instilling value and worth in you to recognize the unique beauty you bring to the world, equipping you with education and tools to serve as guideposts along your coming out journey, and connecting you to the resources that will help you thrive.

While we work from a position of progressive Christianity, we are passionate about helping people from all faith backgrounds. 

We invite you to join us on the journey as we renew our faith, restore our hope, and reclaim our love. Together we can move Beyond where we’ve been into a life fully alive in Christ!

*For support for parents of LGBTQ+ children, please visit our sister site that we partner with, FreedHearts.

*If you are a loved one of an LGBTQ+ person, there are many resources to help you along in your path towards acceptance as well. We encourage you to take advantage of them so that you can be fully inclusive and become your LGBTQ+ person’s strongest ally. Please check out our Resources tab for helpful ways to get plugged in and contact us with any specific questions or needs you may have.

Testimonials:

“Amber Cantorna has been a safe haven and saving grace throughout my process of self-acceptance, doubt, questioning, and keeping my faith in tact. Her story has been such an inspiration and I am so grateful to have discovered her work with Beyond. She is so passionate about her mission and that shows through all that she does. Through this journey Amber has been a source of encouragement and support and I sincerely hope that others who are questioning whether they can live a genuine, whole, authentic life as both gay and Christian will find Beyond as helpful as I have.” -Morgan, Age 29

“As a young adult who identifies as gay, and who was raised in the
conservative Christian church, I’ve gained so much insight and peace
through finding Beyond and Amber Cantorna. Many have tried to convince me that I have to choose between God and accepting myself as a gay woman. Amber has been a fervent voice in my life pleading against this, insisting that my love for God, self, and others can coexist. Thank you, Amber, for speaking boldly and bravely sharing your story in Refocusing My Family. Your honesty and sincerity have helped propel me forward in this healing journey.”
-Hannah, Age 23

“When I first discovered Amber Cantorna’s ministry, I was recovering from emergency surgery and was in a place where both my body and my heart were hurting. It had only been a few months since I started processing and dealing with some very old wounds from my past. As I read Amber’s story via her blog on the Beyond website, her story was so similar to mine that I was captivated by it. I just knew that I had discovered Beyond for a reason. Suddenly, I didn’t feel alone in the war between my faith and my sexuality. I was able to find so much peace knowing that there were other people like me who were dealing with the same issues and feelings.
  People like Amber have inspired and breathed life into me giving me the courage to keep walking. Transitioning from a highly conservative evangelical background to coming out publicly as both gay and transgender is not easy. But Beyond has helped me see that I can move beyond what was into what is and what will be.
  While dialoguing with Amber over the past several months, she’s always seen the person that I am beyond the labels that society gives me. It’s really changed the way that I think about myself and the way that I think about other people. Seeing the way that Beyond gives back to the LGBTQ community and hearing Amber’s story has helped me to realize my own purpose beyond my pain and the beauty that lies beyond the mess. Because of Amber’s vulnerability, I’ve learned that every blemish, every flaw, every scar, and every open wound is nothing to be ashamed of or to be mourned. Rather, each of these things grant us the opportunity to access another person’s broken heart and give us the opportunity to restore faith, hope, and love in someone else’s life.”
-Jordan, Age 30

“Since finding Beyond, Amber Cantorna has walked with me as I struggle to process different aspects of life including coming out/sexuality, working through loss of various types of relationships, and questions regarding faith and the church. Having been raised myself in a similar legalistic Christian background, Amber’s openness with sharing her own experiences and willingness to provide an honest yet understanding perspective is something that I deeply value and appreciate. Our connection through her mentoring role continues to impact my life as I navigate the world as a young LGBTQ woman of faith.”
-Brittany, Age 22