Pink Mom

I am going to Phoenix 2013, in the heat of mid-summer.

You heard me right. I am a middle aged woman voluntarily going to Phoenix, Arizona in the Middle of Summer. I’m going to be so hot I will be turning pink.But that’s exactly why I am going: I’m going to Phoenix to be Pink.

I am a student at a Mennonite seminary, but I’m not going so I can have theological debates about homosexuality. I oppose church policies that disenfranchise many, including LGBT people and their families.

But I am not going to Phoenix to accuse and alienate those who disagree with me.
No. I am going to Phoenix for one reason: to open my arms. I am going so I can be a Pink Mom.

For what I have discovered is that, unbelievably to me, there are still LGBT young people especially, who have never had a mom, or an aunt, or a dad, or a uncle hug them and say “I love you. You are known and loved by God. Every part of you is precious, exactly as you are.”

There are also young LGBT people who have never heard someone say, “You are so needed in our church. We need your gifts and your talents; how are things going for you? You are known and loved by God and you belong to us. You belong.”

Don’t get me wrong. Please, don’t. Many moms and dads, families and churches love LGBT young people. We all believe in embracing each other as Christ embraces us. But there are often parts left unloved, unaccepted and shamed.

That is why I’m trying to keep it simple. That’s pretty much it. I’m going to Phoenix because I feel called to be there.

So, if you see a middle aged woman crammed into a pink t-shirt don’t be alarmed. I’m not going to Phoenix to be a fashion statement: I’m going to be a Pink Mom. I hope other Moms will join me. You can find me in the Hospitality Room at the Renaissance Hotel. They’re all our kids after all, and they need us.

-Audrey Roth-Kraybill