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A gay Anglican priest has penned a perfect, mic-drop response to a woman who criticized him after he shared a photo of him, his partner and their dog.
The woman accused Reverend Daniel, known as @RevDaniel on X, aka Twitter, of "shoving" his sexuality "in our faces" for posting the photo, which showed him and his partner hugging their dog.
She claimed that "no one cares that you're gay," which seems disingenuous given that a photo of the couple and their dog apparently sparked an uproar, but insisted Reverend Daniel shouldn't be surprised that he gets "push back" from the Christian community.
Of course, gay men are often known for our pithy replies and witty take downs—even those of us who've chosen a life of religious service. But rather than go that route, Reverend Daniel decided to take the high road and make this a teachable moment.
His response has people all over social media applauding. He began by perusing the woman's social media profiles and modeling kinds ways to respond.
The Reverend wrote:
"I notice you mention your husband and three wonderful children in your bio. I also notice plenty of photos of your family on your feed."
"'I’m happy for your successful marriage and that you have a lovely family.'"
"See how easy that was?"
He then explained how the woman's social media posts are "shoving things in our faces" just as much as the Reverend's own was, because it depicts her evangelical Christian worldviews and telegraphs her adherence to those orthodoxies.
"You send just as many signals as I do," he went on to say, noting that the message of her social media posts is basically, "I'm the right kind of Christian," and summing up his own message as, "This is who I am. It doesn't have to be who you are, but if it is, you count too."
He then put his response in a Biblical context for the woman, to explain why him posting his husband and dog is just as valid and "necessary" as her own posts.
People on X, aka Twitter, praised the reverend for getting right to the heart of the matter without giving the woman a taste of her own medicine—surely no easy feat.
@RevDaniel A superb and on-point response! Thank you for clearly and dispassionately expressing precisely what needed to be said. The level of negativity implied in the question was rather high, though veiled \u2026 you were constructive. I pray I learn from your example.— (@)
In this day and age, when Twitter drama and call-out culture have essentially become spectator sports, it's good to be reminded that there are ways to respond to people like this that are no less incisive, even as they are undeservedly kind.