My friend of over 3 decades, Alex Perilli joins me for this deeply connected conversation today. As some of you know about me, I grew up in a Pentecostal church in Adelaide. It’s a place that I hold very dear to me. It’s a place that helped mould me into the human I am today. The environment set me up with strong values and morals and a connection with God that I cherish and call upon daily. For me, it was a wonderfully positive experience where I made life long friends and even met my future husband!

It is in this church that I met Alex. A life of the party, talented and all round awesome guy. He is magnetic, kind, thoughtful and fun. We were instant friends (albeit – we were 5!), and have remained close since then. Unbeknownst to myself and our close knit community of friends, Alex was in a battle we never saw – a struggle with his sexuality.

His journey to get to this place of honesty was big, complicated and difficult. He is one of the best people I know, and him coming to share his story was one of the most emotional days I have had in the history of Tea with Jules.

Just a side note – we talk about some heavy stuff in this chat, mostly about faith and sexuality – it might trigger someone listening or watching on, but stick with us. I truly believe that this will bring comfort and strength to anyone who might be experiencing something similar to Alex. If you are triggered and feel like you might need someone to talk to please do not hesitate to reach out for help. I’ll add some links in the show notes. You are never alone.

If you are struggling and want to reach out, here are some helpful sites.

https://au.reachout.com/

https://headtohealth.gov.au/supportin...

https://www.ruok.org.au/

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/

https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/austr...