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Hi, my name is Mary. I'm a member of the parish and part of the lay leadership here at the
Church of St. Mary the ***. We're an Episcopal church in Times Square in New York, and we're
supportive and affirming of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender folks.
I'm also the reference librarian at the General Theological Seminary, which is a community
that affirms LGBT people also. We teach folks who want to be priests and lay leaders, and
a number of our alums, current students, staff, and professors are LGBT, so by that, you can
tell that we practice what we preach. I live in New York now, but I'm originally from an
area that historically has not been welcoming of diversity and has been influenced politically
by religious fundamentalists.
I've seen many of my friends suffer because they think that they can't be gay and still
be Christian. They're told that they'll go to hell if they admit who they are, and that
the Church won't love them.
I'm here to tell you that we're not all like that. I hope that you'll know that St. Mary's
is not the only place that believes God loves all of us, regardless of who we are. You can
find a community like this yourself.
Please believe that there are many, many Christians in this world who are praying for you, who
are supportive of your struggle and who want you to be comfortable in who you are. I know
this because I am a Christian like that. If you can't find a supportive faith community
in the area where you live, go online. See if you can find a group, or a pastor, that
can be with you in spirit. Ask your local librarian for resources!
Keep the faith, let the struggle make you stronger and know that folks like me and my
brothers and sisters in Christ, here and around the world, are praying for you to be successful
in your faith journey, wherever it leads. Thanks for listening!