@Captain24 😍 omg congrats! What a huge step! Yeah always more gravitas when we say it aloud hey!
You are very welcome, so glad to be part of your journey hun. And I'm so here for wherever it leads to next! And like yeah, it can be really hard to come to terms with being not just different, but part of a community that has to deal with oppression. Just like the stigma surrounding mental ill-health, or folks living with disability or chronic illness, can be a bit of a gut-punch to realise things like, 'oh... there are people out there who seem okay with hating me just because I exist. Great....'
The flipside of this is that there's a whole community of folks who share these experiences and can help us to feel accepted and even celebrated for who we are. And within the religious community too! I just found this queer Cahtolic group called Acceptance Melbourne - you're up in NSW if I recall correctly? So might not be your community per se, but they do have some resources and links on their website, and maybe they'd know of similar groups in your region if you decided to reach out to them.
I also think, well at least, in my experience, spiritual practice may be a good way to connect with others and support the community, but it is also a very personal relationship too. I think if hate groups can cherry-pick bible verses to spread their hate, then we're allowed to cherry-pick the parts that resonate with us. Your relationship with God and with your spiritual self is yours alone, and not even the Catholic Church can take that away from you. But I do hope that you feel supported during confession if you decide to go 💜