Purity Culture Dropout Queer Support Groups
Pssst- You are queer enough for this group.
I wasn’t raised in purity culture, but it’s my mission to help people those of you who were to find comfort, ease, and joy in your sexuality- that includes in your LGBTQ+ identity.
If you were raised in a non-affirming religious environment, your experience of your sexual orientation and gender identity has likely been complicated by that. You might feel grief about not having a clear understanding of your identity earlier, or regret about the choices you were not able to make. You might feel like a late bloomer compared to your peers, or feel some trepidation about even claiming a queer identity. You might struggle with how to build community, how much of yourself to share with family, or how to come out at all.
You might even be wondering how to live openly and authentically when the current political climate and policies directed at LGBTQ+ lives are fueled by the same religious faith you’re no longer part of.
These groups are tailored specifically to your experience.
The Purity Culture Dropout™ Queer Support Groups are heading into their 7th year (honestly unbelievable) and have now supported hundreds of people in building resilience, community, and a more clear, confident understanding of themselves.
One of the best ways to move forward in your understanding of yourself is to find others who share your experience. When you join a Purity Culture Dropout™ Queer Support Group, you’ll meet virtually with other LGBTQ+ folks who were raised in purity culture. Throughout the course of eight weeks, we’ll have moderated discussions on a variety of topics related to identity, sexuality, gender, relationships, life after purity culture, and more!
As your facilitator, I’m a member of the community and have also worked with LGBTQ+ youth and adults in my professional life for over two decades. I will provide different learning topics each week, and facilitate meaningful discussions on each topic.
I designed the Purity Culture Dropout™ Queer Support Groups with these specific objectives:
To help participants gain a sense of clarity and comfort with their sexual identity
To help participants gently work through religious sexual shame
To provide relevant sexuality education to participants
To provide participants with sense of community and belonging and cultivate a positive attitude toward being LGBTQ+
These are some of the people who join the PCD™ Queer Support Groups…
We have members who:
Are parents
Are single
Are divorced
Are partnered in a relationship that looks straight to others
Are just dipping their toes into queer dating for the first time
Have never dated or had a sexual experience
Are aged twenty to sixty-five (if you’re older than that, you’re also welcome- get in here!)
Are newly out
Aren’t out at all
Have just left the church
Left their church and deconstructed years ago
Are still Christian
Are decidedly NOT Christian
Represent every letter of the LGBTQ+ acronym
Have no idea what letter of the acronym they might be!
Are asexual! (or might be? We’ll talk about it!)
Are neurodivergent (you’re very welcome here)!
Are shy about joining
Are chatty and ready to go
Feel like imposters and aren’t sure if they should have joined!
You get where I’m going with this, right? You belong here.
As your facilitator, I promise to provide you with a welcoming environment, education, support, warmth, and pep talks about what a badass you are.
We’ll support each other through difficult family relationships, breakups, divorces, job stuff, coming out, general life anxiety, politics, grief, and loss.
We’ll also have so much fun! We’ll laugh, and we’ll celebrate queer joy together. We’ll offer each other encouragement for our personal wins, every day victories, and the special experience of being a queer person in this world.
I’ve been running the Purity Culture Dropout™ Queer Support Groups since 2020. In that time I’ve seen friendships and chosen family form. Members get together and hang out in real life, even ones who live far from each other. Many of us (me included) get on reunion video calls to catch up and stay in each other’s lives. The relationships formed in these groups are truly special.
If you’re seeking community who understands you, this is where you’ll find it.
As a bonus, being an alumni of these groups means that I’ll offer you occasional discounts to my other classes, programs, and educational material. When we work together in this capacity, I am always happy to offer you further support.
These groups are one of my favorite ways to work with people, and my most sought out program. They are opening now for a January 2026 start and will not run again until January 2027.
2026 members, I can’t wait to meet you! ❤️
“There’s something markedly exceptional about Erica. She believes us. Even though she didn’t grow up like we did, she believes us. She believes our stories, our traumas, our struggles. And she likes us. She genuinely likes us. For those of us who grew up in high control religion and purity culture, I think we are familiar with our stories being doubted, questioned, or corrected. The deep insecurities we have carried since childhood, that we simply are not accepted or liked for who we are because of the questions we ask, the hesitancies we’ve felt, the doubts we’ve expressed, the struggles we cannot seem to overcome, or our sexual curiosities? Erica meets them all, meet us all, right where we are. She does so with unfettered welcome and kindness and gentleness. We’re not a project or an agenda or a cause to save. We’re people with a lot of fuckin’ baggage, and she offers a safe, steady place to bring it to the table. Our vulnerabilities and fears and desires are held carefully. I simply cannot say enough about how good she is.” - L
Here’s how the groups work:
Groups run for 8 weeks total and will be held for 1.5 hours weekly via Zoom call.
The groups will start week beginning January 5th, 2026.
Total cost for the 8 week support group is $450 and can be made in 3 payments. (This breaks down to less than $40/hour)
Each group will be capped at 9 people. Space is limited.
You are queer enough for this group.
“The biggest transformation I witnessed in myself and the rest of the group came when we started noticing how much we apologized after sharing our stories. We were afraid to say the wrong thing, talk too much, and take up too much space. After all, we were raised to be the good, quiet ones who serve others and not ourselves. Creating space for people to open up about religious trauma and sexuality in a meaningful way is no easy task, but Erica did it every week. Together we addressed the shame that in the past had kept us hiding parts of ourselves that desperately wanted to come out. What a joy it was to find connection in a group like this--to show up as my whole fucking self and be accepted. I've been in therapy for years trying to reconnect with my sexuality and talking about that with others solidified the progress I've made.” - T
Groups/Dates Available
There are FOUR different groups to choose from. All times are listed in ET.
Each group is capped at 9 participants. Each session will run for approx 75 - 90 minutes.
All groups will run for 8 consecutive weeks.
Cost: $450
Payment Plan is available ($150 per month for 3 months)
Group 1 - Tuesdays at 7pm ET
Starts Tues, Jan 6th
(for 8 consecutive weeks)
Group 2 - Thursdays at 9pm ET
Starts Thurs, Jan 8th
(for 8 consecutive weeks)
Group 3 - Sundays at 11am ET
Starts Sun, Jan 11th
(for 8 consecutive weeks)
Group 4 - Mondays at 8pm ET
Starts Mon, Jan 12th
(for 8 consecutive weeks)
The biggest transformation I witnessed in myself and the rest of the group came when we started noticing how much we apologized after sharing our stories. We were afraid to say the wrong thing, talk too much, and take up too much space. After all, we were raised to be the good, quiet ones who serve others and not ourselves. Over time we caught ourselves saying sorry and even joked about it. Creating space for people to open up about religious trauma and sexuality in a meaningful way is no easy task but Erica did it every week. Together we addressed the shame that in the past had kept us hiding parts of ourselves that desperately wanted to come out. What a joy it was to find connection in a group like this--to show up as my whole fucking self and be accepted. I've been in therapy for years trying to reconnect with my sexuality and talking about that with others solidified the progress I've made.
T, Saskatchewan