Durham bell ringer connects LGBTQ+ community and church through viral Pride song

DURHAM, NC – A Durham woman connects the LGBTQ community and the church through music.

Katelyn MacDonald is a volunteer bell ringer at Duke Memorial United Methodist Church who went viral with a song she played on June 1, the first day of Pride Month.

You may have seen the TikTok of Chappell Roan’s “Hot To Go” played over church bells. Someone who heard the ringing posted the video for millions to listen in, including Chappell Roan himself.

“It seemed like a fitting choice because Chappell Roan is an openly queer artist,” MacDonald said. “Seeing (Roan’s comment) felt a little surreal. Like this person I was just playing with had seen this video of me playing.”

Since then, the bells have become a part of her ministry. She has made more videos with different songs. Each time, the audience sings along and some have even joined her at Duke Memorial UMC.

“I’ve seen so many DMs from people who have struggled with religious trauma or been excluded from church because of their identity. That’s something I personally really hate to hear, but I know it happens, and as a queer person myself, I want people to know that there are safe spaces in church,” MacDonald said.

MacDonald came out as transgender in 2021 after completing his theology studies at Duke University.

“My faith is perhaps the most important part of my coming out. I think for trans people in particular, the narratives in the media by and large focus on medical, physical and social transitions,” MacDonald said. “When I look at this trans identity not as something sinful or bad, but instead as this image of God that has been implanted in me by a Creator who reflects that identity himself, it becomes a much more beautiful moment.”

Now she plays for others who have never heard themselves in the hymns.

“This doesn’t feel like a story about me. We’re in a church, so I feel like it’s a story about what God is doing in the world,” MacDonald said. “If even one or two or three people see this video and say I’m loved, I may have been created this way by God, then I’ll be perfectly satisfied.”

Chappell Roan’s team also gave MacDonald tickets to the singer’s show in Raleigh earlier this month. She said several people recognized her and said hello at the show.

She continues to post videos of herself playing the bells of Duke Memorial UMC.

The current page does not support this embedded media. To view this story with fully functional media, please visit this page on our full site.