Because the harmful rhetoric becomes louder every Pride Month, I think about the countless queer people who were told that if they just prayed harder, believed more deeply, surrendered more completely, or trusted God more fully, they could stop being queer. I think about the number of books that have been written. The conferences queer people have been forced to attend. The "ex-gay" ministries and conversion therapy programs that have been at the root of so much of the harm caused. For years, some of the loudest voices in Christianity have insisted that homosexuality was something from which a person needed to be rescued… suggesting that it was possible to somehow be “redeemed,” “delivered,” or “cured.” And it was a lie. It's still a lie. Sadly, the truth is that many people spent years trying. They prayed and fasted. Some even dated people they were never attracted to, or worse yet… married people they could never fully love. They learned how to pretend, how to hide. And they did it to survive. Yet none of the hiding of who they truly are brought about healing or transformation. If anything, it forced countless people to suffer in closets they had once escaped. In 2013, Exodus International, the largest ex-gay ministry in the world, closed its doors and publicly apologized for the damage it had caused over the years. Its president acknowledged what countless queer people had been saying all along… sexual orientation is not something that can simply be changed through prayer, faith, or abuse. (I'll share the link to the apology in the comments) Despite this, even today, there are people telling queer youth that they need to become someone else before they can be loved by God. And that’s bullshit. Here’s what you really need to hear: You do not need to be “redeemed” from being queer. You do not need to be “cured.” You do not need to be “fixed.” You do not need to become someone else. The very first chapter of the Bible tells us that God looked out over all that had been created and proclaimed that it was good. Very good, in fact. And if God has declared creation good, who are we to declare otherwise? If you are reading this and have been carrying the weight of shame because someone told you that God is incapable of loving you as you are, listen carefully… You are not a mistake. You are not broken. You have in no way failed because you are queer. You don’t have to wait until you change before you can be loved… You are loved now. And no ministry, church, preacher, politician, or internet influencer gets to take that truth away from you. And yes… there are countless survivors of conversion therapy and those considered former participants in ex-gay ministries. Not one of them is “ex-gay.” You do not need to be “ex” anything in order to be worthy of God’s love.