Tuesday the United Methodist Church, my church, voted to make it official policy to treat LGBTQ+ individuals as second-class citizens with only limited participation within the church. Basically the message they sent was that they will tolerate LGBTQ+ individuals in order to show them the errors of their ways.
I, like many in my denomination, am outraged and heartbroken at this decision. And I am also worried about the toll this will take in terms of mental health and even in terms of lives lost for those LGBTQ+ individuals who feel judged and condemned and excluded by this decision. As a cis-het person, I cannot pretend to know what it’s like, but I do know it was already hard enough to be LGBTQ+ without this added discrimination.
I want the LGBTQ+ individuals in Kansas and Missouri where I am licensed to practice to know that I am their ally. Yes, I am a Christian and I do not believe that LGBTQ+ is a wrong. How can love be wrong? So if you need a therapist who is safe, whether or not you want to talk about God in your sessions, I invite you to get in touch with me.
If your need to talk is urgent and/or life-threatening, please know that there are people ready to listen and help right now:
- Natl Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK
- Crisis Text Line: Text “home” to 741741
- Trevor Lifeline: 1-866-488-7386 or text START to 678678
- TransLifeline: 877-565-8860
You can reach me by phone or text at (816) 226-4678. You can also message me in a secure, HIPAA-compliant way through the client portal or you may email me at alicia.polk@vitaliscounseling.com.
