“He’s opened the door for a conversation on issues that were previously closed. So I think without question, Pope Francis will go down as being one of the most consequential and pivotal figures in a new chapter of the church’s engagement with LGBTQ persons.”

“I remember when he first said, ‘Who am I to judge?’ And as a gay man myself, I thought, wow. I never thought I would ever hear a pope say those words. I think the pope’s legacy is that he has changed the emphasis of the conversation. He’s created a situation where it would be very difficult for us to go back to what we were before.”