When the seven-member choir belts out “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine” everything feels safe at the Metropolitan Community Church of New York. The piano man’s feet and head are moving along with the chords and there is a full-toothed smile on his face.
Reverend Pat Bumgardner in her office at the Metropolitan Community Church of New York in Hell’s Kitchen. Photo: Camila Arostegui
It is Sunday at 11am in late October, and the Rev Pat Bumgardner, a 72 year-old queer woman born in Indiana’s farmland, is walking down the aisle to start the celebratory Mass. One of the many oases for the LGBTQ community in Hell’s Kitchen, MCC has been on W36th Street between 9th and 10th Avenues for 32 years. In the congregation, people with hands in the air, tears in their eyes and different backgrounds are feeling at home.
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Camila Arostegui is a journalist and social media video producer from Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is a current student in the Master in Engagement Journalism program at Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. She has worked covering international politics and gender stories. In 2020 she founded “Que Onda Hollywood,” a social media based outlet whose main goal is telling stories of success and challenges in the entertainment industry from the Latino and female perspectives. For the last 3 years, she has been focusing on storytelling by producing brand strategies for multimedia platforms at AMC Networks Latin America.