So I had fallen away from the church a fair bit at this point but I went to a Question and Answer evening. This is a strict Protestant Church in Ireland for context. At this event everyone would submit questions about life/church ideals and the minister/pastor/priest would try and answer.

One of the questions was why does the church have an unequal view of women. For more context my church doesn't allow women ministers elders (like a church committee) or for a woman to be the only one to pray in a room with men. Their role in our church is singing, attending the sermons and teaching Sunday school.

The minister spoke about how there is the book of Ruth in the bible but then went on to use the phrase women are "separate but equal," the phrase used when African Americans were given "equal" rights. The minister had a college education so I find it hard to believe he was ignorant of this fact.

From then on I realized I didn't want to have a part in a church that viewed me, a man, better than any of my three sisters or mother.