Awaiting the hope of Sunday.
This has been a very difficult Holy Week for many of us across the United States as we wrestle with a deeply troubling political climate in the U.S. and in various parts of the world. These concerns are heightened by stress and heartbreak of the many wars, acts of genocide, and blocking of aid affecting our neighbors. The Supreme Court ruling on Chiles v Salazar, which challenged the Colorado law that banned conversion therapy for minors, makes the load even harder to carry.
On Trans Day of Visibility, the Supreme Court issued a decision that puts LGBTQ+ people at grave risk of emotional, spiritual, and psychological harm. This is so disheartening for us as we ponder how long until we see the justice and mercy of a coming Savior. As we approach the grave of Good Friday, we know that darkness is upon us but that the story does not end there. The Spirit is still speaking, whispering promises of a Sunday resurrection.
As we wait for Sunday, let us not forget to share our true selves. It is okay to rage at the injustice, to share your fears within community, or to grieve with fervor. We express all these sorrows even as we recognize the joy, life, hope, and love that we catch glimpses of within healthy community. As Mick Atencio writes, “These emotions can be held in tension with each other, and Holy Week is a very relevant example of this tension—I can watch new life grow out of death, and experience transformation amid what was meant to harm. And all moments of those experiences are very real.”
Here are some things we want to make sure you know today:
God sees you, and celebrates you.
LGBTQ+ people are holy and do not need to denounce their sacred identities or relationships to be God's beloved, to be called good and faithful.
Conversion therapy and other ex-gay measures are not consistent with God's love for all of Creation.
If you are looking for some resources this week to help remind you of these things, we encourage you to check out of the following links:
Poem: Holy Week Hopes
Blog: Simple Truths
Blog: With Unflinching Honesty
Here are some of the resources and actions you can take today to help LGBTQ+ people and allies everywhere share that conversion therapy is harmful and does not produce good fruit:
Read: The Good Fruit Project Guide, a guide that outlines the faith- and research-based evidence of the bad fruit of conversion therapy.
Download: The Good Fruit Discussion Guide to facilitate conversation on the fruits of conversion therapy and ex-gay narratives with community groups, faith leaders, family, and friends! Advocacy can be as simple as a question.
Share: If you are an LGBTQ+ Christian, we want to hear your story of self-acceptance as we build a collection of stories that shares the truth about the harms of conversion therapy and the full lives that LGBTQ+ Christians live.
Share, invite, and encourage parents and family members of LGBTQ+ individuals to come and learn about how to be a better ally for their LGBTQ loved ones at the 2026 Parent & Family Summit and our upcoming Parent & Family event, Beyond Harmony: Building Deep Belonging.
We hope that people of faith will feel called to commit to ending the practice of spiritual conversion therapy in their communities, and that you will commit to joining us in that endeavor today.
