Include LGBTQ community

I don’t feel included in the Catholic Church. My departure into the sea of recovering Catholics occurred in the 1990s, the approximate date of the papal encyclical declaring that homosexuality was a personality disorder. This was devastating to most LGBTQ Catholics. We knew that our orientation was part of the essence of who we were, a God-given trait. We assumed nothing would budge the Church from this stance in our lifetimes.

Twenty years later, a ray of hope emerged. Pope Francis declared “who am I to judge?” when asked about gays within the clergy. What Pope Francis has done is give permission to the individual to follow his or her heart in making personal moral decisions.

I applaud the Fortunate Families Lexington ministry. Silence does not advance or initiate change. Only commitment, openness and love of our fellow human beings do.