My younger brother is openly gay

My younger brother is openly gay. Several years ago, in 2013, as teens my brother and I were in a foreign country with our mother on Christmas Eve. When asked if he’d attend church he initially said “no”. Later that day we walked by a church displaying a rainbow flag. He said, “I’ll go to *that* church.” Our mother asked why and he answered, “I don’t want to walk into a church where I don’t know if they’ll accept me for me. I don’t want to risk hearing hate. But there I know I'll be okay.” We were away for six months and that church became our church home while we were there, all because of a simple flag.

Signed, Mallory

(Shared with permission. Photo credit: A rainbow flag in the window of Comox United Church, Comox, BC. Photographed by Iridesce.)

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