Or I will no longer be human.

Eleven students at Gordon College in Massachusetts poured their everything into the newly created student magazine, If I Told You, for a candid glimpse at what it is like to be queer at Gordon. These stories reflect the reality of what it means to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender: that everyone is at a different stage. Some of these students are barely able to love themselves, others are ready to challenge the world to love them fully. There is heartbreak, despair, regret, pride, love, adoration, and faith.

As I read through these stories, one line continues to haunt me.

I won’t find that love in my family, my friends, my school, my church, or some random guy.
That love comes from God and is the only thing I have left to hold on to. Don’t try to take it away from me. You can take away my self-esteem and my dignity; you can kick me out of church and deny me rights; you can physically beat me or call me names; you can laugh at me and you can pity me; but you can never, never take away my God.
Or I will no longer be human.

God bless the GLBT students of Gordon College. May they know in their heart that God loves them and affirms them without reservation.