A Love Letter to my Sisters and Brothers

If you are LGBTQ, or someone who is in any other way affected/hurt by the hateful policy from the leadership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this love letter is for you.

To my dear sisters and brothers,
I love you.
I. Love. You.
I LOVE you.
I love YOU.
I LOVE YOU.
I love you, I see you, I support you, and I stand with you. You matter to me, and to my family, and to many of my friends. You have infinite value and worth. You are the only one of you there is. You are a unique and beautiful creation, crafted with the utmost love and care by the God of this world, this universe, this galaxy, of all that exists, has ever existed, and will ever exist anywhere. You are amazing and wonderful.

I am so sorry for the pain that has been given you by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I know there's been plenty of it, and the latest wrong that has been done to you is a doozy. I won't try to explain it, or justify it, or make it sound pretty, or rationalize why it's really actually a good thing. You have plenty of that coming from the Church itself, from certain blogs that are popular among certain more orthodox segments of the membership, and from far too many other members directly. I won't try to make it more palatable, because I don't think I'm capable of the mental gymnastics, self-delusion, and level of burying-my-head-in-the-sand that is required to believe that bovine excrement covered in vomit is an acceptable dish to serve at dinner.

What I will do is promise you this. I will support you. I will stand with you. I mourn with you. When you rejoice, I will rejoice with you. Whether you need me to stand in front of, beside, or behind you, I will stand wherever you need me to. I will defend you and your rights. I will defend your worth. I will defend beyond eternity the fact that you are a child of God, created in God's image, deserving to be treated like a human being, deserving to be treated equal to the Prophet. I will speak up about how wrong this is. I will remind those who would seek to drive you away and denigrate your worth that Jesus says they're wrong. I will remind YOU that I love you and that God loves you and that other people love you. I will not back down from my defense of you, my sisters and brothers. I will walk with you, wherever that path takes you. I will encourage you to remain true to yourself and to do what is best for YOU, not for anyone else, because you don't we the world or the Church or me or anyone anything. And if you don't want or need me or my support, that's 100% okay. But if you need me, I am here, and I am here for you.

I love you. I want you as my family, because family is what we are. I see you. I value you. I cherish your presence in this world. You matter to me, always and forever. I support you. And i know that I keep saying I love you, and it might sound repetitive, but I don't think I can say it enough.

You have my love. You have me. You have my support. You are not alone. Jesus said to love my neighbor, so that is what I am doing, and YOU are my neighbor. I love you.

With all my love,
Esther

Image says: "If you're struggling after learning about the new LDS Church policy on children of LGBTQ couples and you need to talk to someone, please reach out.

Suicide Prevention Lifeline: (800) 273-8255

Trevor Project: (866) 488-7836

Trans Lifeline: (877) 565-8860

Also, you can message me anytime.

YOU ARE LOVED.
YOU ARE WANTED."

Graphics courtesy of Jerilyn Hassell Pool.