Crystal D. Cheatham (she/her) holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University Los Angeles. Her work lives at the intersection of faith, sexuality, and identity, with a focus on the lived experience of LGBTQ people navigating religion, belonging, and self-understanding.
She is drawn to the spaces where belief systems are questioned, where inherited narratives are examined, and where people begin the process of unlearning and rebuilding. Much of her work engages progressive Christian communities, especially those moving through deconstruction and reconstruction, and the tension between what was taught and what is now being claimed as truth.
Her writing and creative projects include The Deconstructionists Playbook and Queer Hands of God, as well as collaborative storytelling through the podcast Lord Have Mercy and On God’s Campus: Voices from the Queer Underground, created in partnership with REAP and Soulforce. Across formats, her focus remains consistent: making space for voices that have often been excluded, and holding complexity without forcing simplification.
Her work has been featured in Essence Woke 100, Teen Vogue, PBS, and other cultural platforms.
Crystal moves through the world with unapologetic presence, grounded and direct, with a sharp sense of humor and an unwillingness to dilute truth for comfort. She is known for speaking plainly, holding strong boundaries, and naming what others often avoid.
Her presence reflects a commitment to clarity, in belief, in identity, and in how people choose to live. She encourages others to trust their own perception, to stop shrinking in order to be accepted, and to move with a sense of self that does not require permission.