To all followers of Jesus,

I am writing this letter with a degree of uncertainty and anxiety. Most attempts I have made around these topics in the past have not been well received, often met with excuses, hostility, and worst of all, indifference. So for me, like many others, writing this is an act of belligerent hope. May it be received with open hearts and open minds.

One of the great risks of history is that we can look back on monumental turning points with a degree of clarity, as though such moments are unmistakable in their import. Yet all too often we fail to see when we are presently at just such moments. I believe that we are, as the Church, at such a historic moment right now, facing a crisis of faith much like the prophets and apostles before us.

I am speaking about the continued existence of the fear, ignorance, and hate that exists toward those whose sexuality and gender differ from the dominant expressions we assume to be “normal”. As a bisexual man, I am one of those people. Sadly, rather than engaging in the sacred task of confronting the injustice being done against these children of God, we are all too often complicit- either through active participation or passive apathy- compromising both the integrity of the love we claim and the witness we hope to have before a watching world.

Few of you will deny that those of us who are 2SLGBTQIA+ have faced great suffering, both throughout history and still today. That suffering has not been a result of something inherent to those expressions of who we are but has been the result of the persistent and unrelenting lies, discrimination, exclusion, and oppression that has, at times, gone so far as even seeking to eradicate us from existence. Such mistreatment and abuse stand in stark contrast to the love and embrace at the heart of the Christian faith.

From the very beginnings of our story as followers of Jesus, we have recognized and honoured the fundamental truth that every person is made in the image of God. Yet, while we are quick to celebrate those aspects of the divine image with which we personally relate, we all too quickly reject and denounce those that are different than ourselves as suspect or lesser than or sinful. This pattern has often repeated itself throughout our long history, diminishing women, people of colour, those with disabilities, and more. And while each of these examples still sadly finds expression in the Church today, most of us can acknowledge- or at least hope- that such prejudices come from a fading minority.

And yet, when it comes to our 2SLGBTQIA+ siblings, we continue to deny the divine image expressed in their very differences, a reflection of God’s infinitely diverse and beautiful nature. Don’t be fooled: Within that very denial is a denial of Christ himself, reducing him to the narrow image of the privileged few. Such a denial is a sin against others, against ourselves, and ultimately against God.

I will not take the time here to argue the well-worn list of passages used to attack and delegitimize 2SLGBTQIA+ people- not because such theological and exegetical explorations are unimportant but because that task has been (and continues to be) thoroughly done already. We come to a point where many of you are simply resisting God’s truth in the same way as generations previously used the Bible’s authority to justify discrimination and inequality against others. Arguing those details is not the task of this letter.

For you see, the greatest barriers that we face in this historic moment are not born of the unique identities and experiences of 2SLGBTQIA+ people, but rather stem from the systems of power that have ignorantly and arrogantly assumed to be “normal”. It is towards those systems of power, then, that we must direct the attention and energy of our resistance and repentance. We must embrace sincere and contrite penitence for making heterosexual and cisgender identities into false idols, seeking to forge and force God into that diminished image.

Let me say it again so that there is no mistake: Even for those who have chosen to fully accept and affirm their 2SLGBTQIA+ siblings in Christ, until we let go of our narrow and prideful belief in the supremacy of the “normal”, we will not only continue to perpetuate harm to the already vulnerable, but we will deny the Church the opportunity to encounter aspects of the Divine only found in those who “transgress” those false and narrow boundaries.

Without question, such a change does not happen easily and rarely does it happen quickly. The task ahead is going to be difficult and at times slow. However, we must also resist the impulse to view that often creeping rate of change as inevitable or worse, adopt it with intention. The gradual rate of change can be descriptive, but should not be prescriptive because every moment this change does not happen is a moment where the most vulnerable face continued alienation, suffering, and even death.

Just as throughout history, this moment- like every moment- could be the moment of great change. It is time that we had the courage and integrity to take action in the face of explicit and unacceptable harm. That we will face resistance is inevitable. However, that there is no easy path forward should not deter us, for it is through such a journey that we learn perseverance which builds character, and through character, we find hope- a hope born of the love of the Spirit who empowers us to achieve the seemingly impossible.

There are those among you who have the power to bring (or hold back) meaningful change far more than you realize. I am speaking to the silent allies- those who genuinely believe in the full embrace and affirmation of 2SLGBTQIA+ people yet remain silent and cautious. Various reasons are used to justify your silence- waiting for the right time; not wanting to cause division; being convinced it would make no difference; or being concerned about the methods of advocacy and activism involved. And each time, with a sympathy made insincere by inaction, you remind us to be patient, bidding us to be “warm and well fed”.

All too often, arguments for patience only serve to ease the discomfort of the privileged as they face the costly task of relinquishing power and facing accountability. With often patronizing ignorance, those in power tell the suffering to wait- that “change does not happen overnight”- forgetting that we have waited lifetimes-generations!- for this change, paying for it in blood and suffering. So while we acknowledge it may not be accomplished quickly or easily (realities we know far better than the privileged), we will no longer simply wait. Our patience will no longer be your pardon.

Who are you to decide when our suffering should be ended? Who are you to determine the means and moment of our liberation? Who are you to dictate the timing and nature of your own accountability? Above all, who are you to be arbitrators of ours or anyone’s worthiness? For as you call for patience, promising us some mythically inevitable change in some unnamed future, the world becomes increasingly hostile and dangerous for us. Never forget that silence and inaction can be as harmful as overt discrimination. It is most certainly felt as a far greater betrayal.

History has demonstrated quite explicitly that justice is not won through timid silence and complacent inaction. Instead, such a response inevitably empowers the oppressors and enables the systemic inequalities at the heart of our suffering. How can you look us in the eyes- those of us you call friends and family, those you love- and continue to let us suffer, often in the name of the God you claim to follow? In every major movement for justice throughout history, this truth has been repeated again and again: your silence is complicity.

And so it is time for those of you who have remained silent to speak up and to speak out. Let your actions demonstrate your commitment to tearing down the idols of supremacy and inequality in your hearts, our churches, and every institution. We are calling on you right now to stand shoulder to shoulder with us as we embody a better, more hopeful expression of love and faith- one in which the full beauty and diversity of God’s rainbow people can be celebrated. And know that in your repentant commitment to embrace the other, the world will bear witness- not to a triumphalistic religion, but to a pure and humble love that transforms.

To my strong and courageous siblings in the 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, I see you- our journey, our beauty, our suffering, and our resilience. I celebrate our strength and admire the dignity with which we have walked this path together. In the face of willful ignorance, hateful prejudice, and outright hostility, we remain an imperfect yet persistent torch of love and acceptance, illuminating our faith and world with the vibrant colours of God’s diverse creation.

In you, I see the presence of God — boundless love, infinite diversity, and radical embrace. You have long been patient, bearing the weight of prejudice with resilient grace. I stand with you, honour you, and pray that the promise of true belonging and unconditional acceptance becomes our lived reality.

Today, I call upon all my fellow followers of Jesus — those who have not yet found the courage to speak and act, those who are wrestling with their own fears and misunderstandings, and those who are ready to pay the price. It is time to lend your voices to this chorus that is calling for justice. It is time to put your shoulders to the arch of history and stand with us. For this is not merely a move to make right a social wrong or to adopt a new ideology; it is a divine invitation to become more fully human, more fully Christian, and more fully the Church we were created to be.

It’s time to break the silence and act with conviction. As we do, we will not only demonstrate the power of a faith that loves without condition, but will also showcase the beautiful, diverse, and divine tapestry that God has woven into humanity. This is not the prideful triumph of religion, but the victory of love — a love that celebrates, a love that embraces, a love that transforms.

And in this journey, remember, we are not alone. In walking this path, we walk the path of Jesus and his saints, empowered by the Spirit, beloved of God. So with courage and faith, let us move forward together. For in loving unity, we find our strength. In unconditional embrace, we mirror the divine.

Be strong. Be brave. For our liberation is not only near — it is already here within us. It is here in our enduring faith, in our undying hope, and in our everlasting love.

Jamie Arpin-Ricci (he/him)
The Rainbow Well

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