LDS Church Shuns Kids of Same-sex Parents

Yesterday, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints drew a line in the sand for children of same-sex couples denying them membership and inclusion in their church. They went on to specify that in order for these children to become members, they would have to disavow their family and get permission from the LDS Church's leadership after they are 18 years old.

Of course the LDS Church, as any religious institution, has the protected right to choose whom to include and exclude.

This isn't about that.

It's not even about the children themselves, who are probably safer, actually, for being excluded from an institution that so vehemently disregards their humanity and value.

For me, this is about the pain and grief of the LDS families caught in a seismic moral tug-of-war between a world that's moving swiftly in one direction while their church moves stalwartly in the opposite. Many LGBTQ people have lived this very experience, and it's agonizing and frightening.

To those suffering, let us all offer our undying and unconditional love and support.

As Equality Utah Executive Director, Troy Williams said in a statement last night, "In America all churches have the religious liberty to welcome or exclude whomever they desire. But we know that children of same-sex parents are treasures of infinite worth. In our universe, all God's children have a place in the choir."

As do their parents. And those who love them.