I had made a promise in 2020 to listen to the voices of minorities, but in just a matter of days, I was feeling the pains of empathy intoxication.

Our conversation Friday turned emotional when we began discussing the oppression of LGBTQ youth and how judgement and condemnation, particularly from the faith community, impacts their perceptions of self-worth. This is a difficult emotionally-charged conversation but it’s not a two-sided conversation.

On January 21 2017, when the world watched women passionately march for their beliefs, I sat at home feeling rejected, irrelevant and shamed. I watched the news and witnessed social media explode with photos of women being powerful, making themselves heard. And yet there I sat feeling powerless and unheard because I realized…

There was an armed guard, a needle exchange van in the parking lot, men congregating outside, and naloxone nasal spray in the office down the hall. Not my typical Friday night scene.

So bottom line: people were hurt. And that's what inspired this letter. To acknowledge something I think a lot of Christians don't think through. Our moral positions may hurt others.

I've always been more of a truth-follower. Black and white. Living this way has put me at odds with our culture, which is much more focused on one aspect of grace: acceptance. 'Let's all be open minded'.