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On Wednesday of this last week, rallies and marches were organized across Canada to protest the incorporation of SOGI (sexual orientation and gender identity) curriculum in schools as well as the freedom of a student to be referred to by the preferred pronouns without their parents consent.  

While I'd like to believe that  most parents would support their child's explorations of identiy, I have heard too many stories of the opposite - where a child has not only been ostracized but also subject to physical violence when they attempted to have an honest conversation with their parents and seek their support. That is why I decided to attend the counterprotest at the Vancouver Art Gallery to witness to Jesus’ love of queer people in a visible way.  

As I stood together with an Anglican colleague with our signs, "Jesus Loves Trans Kids" and "SOGI education brings youth suicide rates down," I lost count of how many people came up to us to say "thank-you for being here." I only wish more pastors would have been there to be signs of Jesus' unconditional love and acceptance to trans and gender non-conforming youth.