Ms.

Beloved child of God,

I am writing from Durham, North Carolina, where my faith community is considering issues of being embodied creatures, including the loving desires we have for others. We were invited to write to you as part of our reflection.

I know that as a whole the faith community, perhaps especially the Church, has not loved LGBTQ+ people as they are called to do. As a Christian, I am deeply sorry for this distortion of our faith and how it has hurt you and those you love.

Please hear this: You are loved. You are loved, first, by the God who creates, redeems, and sustains and who delights in all God's creatures; and by Christians who, like me, want to embrace the wildness of human desire in all its diversity and truth. You are loved because you show us what love is.

Love,

Farley Lord