open letter to lgbtq christian youth

AN OPEN LETTER TO LGBTQ CHRISTIAN YOUTH

Dear young person,

Whether you’re 12, 15, 18, 21, or 25, and whether you’re just starting to understand your differences or have been grappling with them for a while, know that you’re not alone. Many lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people have been through similar struggles and understand what you’re experiencing. Even if it feels like you’re alone, you’re not. There is a community and people out there that truly understand and will support you.

Born in 1951, I definitely have some life experience under my belt. I grew up in a society that thought homosexuals were perverts, deviates, psychopaths, and child abusers. Mental health professionals believed they could cure our “illness”. Gay and lesbian people suffered cruel treatments such as electric shock treatments or years of psychotherapy. Police entered homes, without a warrant, and arrested people on the suspicion that they were homosexual. Hundreds of thousands of people were imprisoned or institutionalised. We now live in the 21st century. In civilised countries, these are now things of the past. Many of us wasted years of our lives unnecessarily, in constant internal torment because we believed the lies.

  • If someone tells you, “You are broken,” they are wrong.
  • If they tell you, “It’s unnatural,” they’re wrong.
  • If they say, “You’re deceived,” they are wrong.
  • If they claim, “God doesn’t love gay or trans people,” they are very, very wrong..
  • If they tell you, “You can never act on it,” don’t believe them. What they’re really saying is that you can never fall in love or have a committed relationship—but you can have both.
  • If they call you an “abomination,” ignore them. Anyone quoting the King James Bible is out of touch and part of a dying mindset.
  • If they say, “I love you, but…,” don’t believe them. God’s love is unconditional—it never comes with a “but.”
  • If they tell you, “You can change from gay to straight,” they are wrong. Don’t believe them. God cares about the life you live, not your orientation, just as He doesn’t care about the color of your hair, eyes, or whether you’re left or right-handed. The decades of failed attempts by organisations claiming “change is possible” prove it was a lie that devastated thousands of lives.
  • If they say you can’t be both Christian and gay, they are wrong. The gay Christian movement has been growing stronger since 1968, and entire denominations have embraced LGBTQ inclusion. You don’t have to abandon your faith to accept your identity as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender.

You may encounter church leaders, Christian family members, and friends who believe they’re doing the right thing by telling you things that aren’t true about you—but they are very, very wrong. They might quote Bible verses from Sodom and Gomorrah, Leviticus, Romans, or I Corinthians, but these verses aren’t about you. They address issues like rape, temple prostitution, and pagan practices in ancient times, not loving, consensual relationships. Their condemnation and rejection stem from a misunderstanding—not only of these passages but also of the modern scientific understanding of sexuality and gender identity.

Four things to help you on your journey.

  1. Educate yourself. Do your own research. Read as much as you can about sexual orientation or gender identity. Not on conservative Christian sites or books though. They only rehash dated information. Try HERE and HERE.
  2. Connect with other LGBTQ young people either online or other community groups. You’ll most likely have to do this out of the church environment.
  3. Know the difference between welcoming, accepting and affirming churches (CLICK HERE). For your own mental health, you may have to find a new church community that loves and affirms you for who you are.
  4. Find one or two people you can share openly with, who will support. Make sure they are safe and will never betray your confidence. Once again, these people might be outside your church community.

Don’t fear. Be strong.

Remember, you are loved, and you are not alone.

Sincerely

Anthony Venn-Brown OAM

Author of the bestseller “A Life of Unlearning – a preacher’s struggle with his homosexuality, church and faith”

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