The following was written by Skyler Sorensen for the Deseret News. To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
I love watching how much purpose our toddler daughter finds in her playtime. She picks up a ball, places it in a container, carries the container across the room, takes the ball out, and then decides it’s time to see if she herself can fit into the container. There is no immediately recognizable purpose behind what she’s doing, but the determination in her face alone could convince you she’s doing something vitally important.
Her smiles make it clear that she’s finding meaning and fulfillment in her actions. Additionally, we know from all available research that these seemingly menial tasks are not only important, but they’re also integral to her physiological and mental development. Remove the understanding of childhood development, and an outsider peering into her life might have reason to jeer at any insistence that what she is doing is vital to her well-being and joy.
I sometimes experience this sort of outsider observance from members of the LGBTQ community and its allies. People with little understanding of my mixed-orientation marriage make assumptions about what they’re seeing when they look at my life. Whether they see me as religiously brainwashed, self-deceptive, dishonest about my sexuality, or even cruel, they place a wedge between me and them, even though I’m technically a part of their community. They see my choice to marry a woman as strange; however, beneath the surface is a life full of purpose and direction — full of choices and actions that are actually vital for my development, growth and happiness.
While I’m technically represented by the “G” in the “LGBTQ,” increasingly I couldn’t feel further removed from the political movement tied to the acronym. Though for some the LGBTQ acronym represents a benevolent explanation for certain sexual orientations or gender identities, for others the acronym has become an ideologically progressive movement aimed at reimagining beneficial family norms, sexual morals and social politics.
Increasingly within the LGBTQ community there is an automatic assumption that same-sex attracted people like me should always pursue same-sex relationships and sexual expression, and that those with gender incongruence should always pursue gender transition. Some even believe religion serves as a repressive mold instead of a foundation for spiritual success, stability and well-being.
So, as members of that community seek to distance themselves from me, I have to say that I’ll always continue to offer respect while acknowledging a misalignment of goals between me and the community that has historically sought to represent the interests of people who share my sexual orientation.
To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
