Every June, my church dedicates one Sunday as “Pride Sunday.” Until I attended one, I never realized how important such a celebration would be to me. After spending so long being afraid of judgment, I had finally found a church where I could be myself and not just be tolerated, but welcomed and accepted.

I started off making these “God Calls Me Good” pins for myself and a few friends, and then thought: surely there must be others who would also benefit from such a reminder. I made over 500 of these pins with a variety of pride flags on them, and we distributed them at church and at our city’s pride festival. Seeing the way people’s faces lit up when they found their pin was truly a beautiful experience.