A native of Fort Wayne, Ind., Stringfellow started as a pastor at a conservative Baptist church. But he struggled adhering to the church's teachings, ultimately realizing his true self.
"I got to a place where I began to accept myself as a gay man," Stringfellow said. "Initially, I was very depressed about that and ended up going through conversion therapy, which did not work and did more damage than good."
After learning to embrace his sexual orientation, Stringfellow thought he made a mistake by becoming a minister. That is, until he was inspired by like-minded individuals he met at the conference.
"I recognized that I was who I was," Stringfellow said. "God had made me this way."
So Stringfellow returned to Indiana, quit his job, sold his house and moved to California to be ordained as an openly gay minister.
"That's really where my activism began," he said. "Particularly, living in Oakland, it's hard to not become an activist because there is always an issue or a cause to be involved with."
While on the West Coast, Stringfellow began working with the Los Angeles-based California Faith for Equality as the director of its African-American faith community outreach, helping pastors provide support for gay and lesbian members in their congregations.
After several years in California, Stringfellow moved back to the Midwest. Citing personal reasons, he settled in Detroit, where he discovered an opportunity that offered him the opportunity to "tap into his experiences."
"When I moved here, MCC Detroit was looking for a new senior pastor," Stringfellow said. "I applied and then I got it. I've been here ever since."
MCC Detroit is part of the Metropolitan Community Churches, a denomination founded in Los Angeles in 1968. Overall, MCC includes over 200 congregations around the world.
"To have a space where you can go and where people understand your faith really helps that recovery from spiritual violence," Stringfellow said. "It also helps establish a new family structure."
