Transgender Day of Visibility Love Note Project

Each day I pray for a world where there is no hate and no othering of God’s children. Unfortunately, there are those in our world who cannot see beyond themselves – their own hate, their biased-based fears, their perceived infringements. And so my prayer will be repeated tomorrow.

While my prayers continue, today I want to offer an assurance. My trans friends…

I see you. I see your struggles and I see your courageous authenticity. I see someone whom I admire and celebrate.

While not all, there are many of us in the church that see you. We see you as you authentically are, we pledge ourselves to keep you safe and we value your place in our community because you make us more the church God wants us to be.

Above all, God sees you. God takes pride in all that is uniquely you. And God calls you beloved.

Please know that you are seen...you are valued…you are loved.

Gordon Rankin

Conference Minister

New Hampshire Conference

You are loved. You are loved just the way you are. God loves YOU. Jesus loves YOU. We love YOU. Never forget that. On this National Trans-Visibility Day, know you are not alone. You are our brothers and sisters, valued members of the Christian family and deserve our love, our support and our respect.

Psalm 139, 13-14 reminds us that God created you with intimate knowledge of who you are and you are wonderful in His eyes and ours.

We will not stand for hate in our society and we will support you and fight for you during these attacks. While we may live in troubling times, we know God will protect all of us. We may not understand His ways, but we must not forget he loves ALL of us – including you.

Ed Ballam

NHCUCC Board of Directors Member

This week as I was preparing for worship, I was overwhelmed with the beautiful line, “he came to himself”.  Not that he came to who the world saw him as, not that she came to accept what the world said she should be, not that they conformed to the world’s definition, but simply he came to himself/herself/themself.  And in that turning to and embracing that true, authentic self they knew themself to be, they received the full belovedness of God, for exactly who they were.

Beloved, please know that God sees you and loves you, I see you and love you and stand with you.  I will fight for you and will not let hate win.  You are strong, beautiful, amazing and, above all, loved.

Ever your friend,

Pastor Ruth Gallot

We are proud of your strength and your courage to be yourself; to be the person you are meant to be. We are standing with you.

Andy and Lindley

God made you. He made each of us different. He did not make anyone in order to watch them suffer. He put us here so He could be here Himself. Be brave. Seek out good people. Love will win. Hate will fail.

Bob Derby

To Our Beloved Transgender Siblings,

On this Trans Day of Visibility, please know you are seen, loved, and not alone. You are beautifully made in God's image, and nothing—nothing—can change your sacred worth. Your identity, your journey, and your truth are all reflections of divine creativity and courage. There are more of us standing beside you in love than those who stand against you in fear. Together, we will continue building a world where everyone can live safely, joyfully, and freely.

With deep love and unwavering solidarity,

Reverend Patty Marsden

Newmarket Community Church

Your light matters! You are loved.

Signed,

Venus Dempsey

Dear Child of God,

I know you're frightened. I know your world feels so unsettled. I cannot even imagine how heart sick you must be right now. I pray that you will also find a glimmer of hope in the love of strangers - people who don't know your name perhaps, but they believe that you are whole, you are loved, you are special and God loves you more than you can imagine. I pray for you every day.

You are not alone,

Pastor Deborah

East Derry

You are beloved children of God

We stand with supportive arms around you,

We stand against discriminatory laws, hate, and bigotry

We Hold you close in our hearts

We Offer you safe space and sanctuary

You are beloved members of our family.

Liz Greenberg

Member of the LGBTQIA+ family

Member of First Parish Congregational UCC Church

You are important. You are loved. And the world is a better place with you in it.

-Stefanie

We are one fabulous and glorious garment, each and every strand forever blessed and whole!

Together, we are stronger and brighter and always braver than we imagined we could be.

So—know, dear ones, that we are one in Love and blessing.  And nothing, nothing, NOTHING can take that from us, from you, from the world!

Pastor Dave Grishaw-Jones, for the Community Church of Durham (UCC)

Hello my Siblings,

My Name is Norbert and you don’t know me.

We never met but you are my true Sibling.

We are born by different mothers but initially we all came from the same creator. We have the same DNA. We are identical.

I feel your pain deeply in my heart that someone, by  some decreed try to take way your human identity.

But let me tell you: He can’t!

You are who you are!

 And that will not change, even when other people think differently.

I just want you to know that I love you as you are.

You are not alone, you have my support and I personally will stand up and fight for your God given right to be you.

I pray that we all will resist this evil and see it for what it is.

As the old prophets said:

There was ORDER, then came DISORDER but REORDER always follows …

And as Jesus has proven:

LOVE is greater than Death!

I am standing on your side in this fight.

Norbert W.

Dear One,

I want you to know that you are unique and beautiful in my eyes and, more importantly, in God's eyes.

I am part of a massive group of people who want you to know you are loved.

We want you to claim your identity with the knowledge that you are not alone.

We care and are raising our voices in support of you.

I especially want you to take good care of yourself.

Okay?

With love and care,

Nancy

Love is love. I'm a I'm a Cis gendered 70 year old man and can't imagine not having had 40 years loving my wife.  Everyone deserves love. YOU deserve love. You deserve a long and happy life. We support you. We care about you.  And we LOVE YOU.

With love

John Decker

I see you, I hear you. I am so excited you understand who you are. You are loved by many. Be strong, be true to yourself you are special just as you are.

-MB

Dear trans siblings,

I am sad and angry at how you are being threatened, persecuted, and harmed by current political initiatives and proposed pieces of legislation, both locally and nationally.  Unfortunately, the voices of hatred are loud, frightening, and toxic.

I want you to know that you are not alone and that you have many passionate and strong allies in this state and in this denomination.  We will continue to do all we can to advocate for, support, and protect your rights as human beings and American citizens.  We will make sure that our voices are clear and strong.

I believe that God loves universally and unconditionally.  And I am aware that Jesus was especially attuned to, accepting of, and committed to helping and advocating for vulnerable people who experienced rejection, disparagement, and discrimination.

So please know that you are beloved children of God.  You are loved by God and you are loved by us.

We are with you.

A concerned ally

To my Trans siblings-

I rejoice in your life and your light and I will stand against any impingement of your rights and your ability to be free and live lovingly with all that you love. The God of Love is for all of us and I for one want you to know that I stand with you.

I hope you have a meaningful and free-filled day today.

Warmly,

Michelle 

To my dear Transgender, Non-binary and gender expansive kin,

I am deeply saddened and disturbed by the genocidal attacks on you and the wider community by federal, state, and local governments.  I will continue to speak out against these hateful, cruel, mean-spirited, and unwarranted attacks.  Please know that you are not alone, that you are loved and valued, and that there are more of those who support you than those who don’t, even though their voices may seem louder at times.  You are welcome in our Open and Affirming communities of faith, and will be celebrated and welcomed with loving kindness, compassion and a witness to a beloved community that is grounded in inclusion, diversity, equity, justice and love.  I love you and we love you and are with you in every way.

Rev. Larry Brickner-Wood

I'm sorry this is such a hard time for you in our country's history. Be strong. Have faith. Take good care of yourself. Lean on others. You are loved. You are perfect.

To my trans sisters, brothers, siblings, and zazas,

You are nothing short of magic! When you live your life in truth, unmasked and fully you, you lead the way for all people to do the same. You shepherd humanity towards freedom and liberation, and I will never cease to fight for your rights! May you be recognized as the beautiful magic that you are.

With love,

Lo 

Dear Anne,

Here's a short, rather public love note for you, our trans-adult child.  Last Thursday morning your Mom and I stood in vigil with over a hundred folks at the NH statehouse--some were oldsters like us, some were entering middle age like you, and some were teens who reminded me of you when you first came out almost two and a half decades ago.  All of us were "loud and proud" activists that day, just as you have always been: We shouted, we roared and we laughed!

I love your quest for justice.  It spans genders, nationalities and variously-abled bodies.  You make us proud with the deep integrity and energy you bring to a cause, even when you're so tired and your voice gets raspy after a big demonstration.  Your commitments make us stronger.  Your standing up against oppression wherever it is found makes me marvel at your dedication.  I have become a better parent and a stronger man for knowing you and having you in my life.  Thank you for that.

While it was nearly twenty-five years ago, I happily recall your early teen days.  Those were not always easy times but they were really "good" times.  One year you sstood up for the LGBTQ+ kids around you in a pretty tough, snooty high school.  Another time you intervened for a classmate who was being harassed by a teacher.  You led a classroom walk-out and spoke truth to power.  One time you even kept silent in school for an entire day to "speak" volumes of truth for those kids too afraid to speak out at home and school.   I think your courage helped others find their own spirits and voices.  The young folks Mom and I saw last Thursday stood a bit on your shoulders, and there will be future kids who will consequently stand on theirs.  Thanks for passing on your strengths to others.

Please know our love for you and share it, just as you always do, with those who need some special care.

Love, Dad (Ed)

Thank you for being who you are. Thank you for the courage you show in demonstrating to us that every human being is a unique and valued individual. You are welcome here, you are loved, you are needed just as you are.

-John Rowe

You are amazing.  You've done some deep thinking to get to where you are today.  I admire you for it.  Be inspired by 1 Kings 19.  Just as God was not in the wind or the earthquake or the fire, God is not in the loud, hateful voices.  God is in the still, quiet voices supporting and encouraging you.  You are amazing, you belong, you are loved.

Chris.

To My Beloved Trans Siblings,

It is a very difficult time for you now.  I hear from family, friends and clients that they are very scared.

The fear is real. At the same time, I would like to know that you have an army of allies that are in your corner. Compassion is the foundational principle from which we allies are with you and speak up on your behalf. Because compassion is the foundation, we will not let hate win. Love always wins, even when it does not seem to be working. As a Christian, my compassion is rooted in the Great Commandment to love God, love neighbor and love self. Please let that love surround you as we navigate this dark time.

Peace and Hope,

Rev. Dr. David B. Reynolds

Beloved trans family members,

In this time of unrest and active hatred, know that God knows you and loves you for exactly who you are. And nothing can or will change that, ever! That is an eternal promise.

And you are also not alone in this world of challenges. There are many, many of us who love you and support you and will defend you. Do not let the loud voices of the haters make you forget that you have allies and support – in the community and in the United Church of Christ. Do not be afraid to reach out to us when you need help or encouragement.

You are seen, you are loved, you are precious.

Elaine, mother of a gay son and a trans niece

You are loved by those in this Christian community and God loves you too.

Peace,

Janet

Know that you are loved and a child of God.

I support you and stand with you.

You are not alone.

Joan Cote 

Love - Just when you thought no one was listening

Just when we thought all was going well in our communities, our world feels like it is crashing down all around us. 

You are not alone.

The turmoil we are all seeing and feeling makes us all bond together to fight for our rights as well as for others.

I'm a transgender person who has fought for our rights for over 20 years. It took our love for each other to win the rights we won over the past eight years.  Now others want to take those rights away. They just don't understand. The more they take our rights away, the more we will fight to get them back.

They can't take away the love we have for each other and the strength that love brings to fight the hatred expressed by them. Our love will help protect us during this time of sorrow and uncertainty.

Our love for each other and the love of God is on our side. What our Governing bodies don't understand is that even when we are put down, our love for each other continues to grow stronger.

I love you all and know that God loves you too.

Gerri Cannon

Dear Trans youth, please know that there are many of us who are supporting you both in spirit and through action. You are loved and you are cherished for just who you are. Be proud and be brave. There are far more of us who support you than are those who are misinformed and who choose hate over love. You have much to offer this world!

Sandy O.

You are a child of God and He loves you.  So do we!  Never apologize for who you are because you are perfect in His sight.  Stay strong and we will support you always.  Love will triumph over hate.  

You are an amazing and beautiful person and we love you just as you are!

We will continue to fight for you and your right to live as your true self without fear! 

Your sister in the LGBTQ+ family

Stacy R. 

Please know that you are loved just as you are – and nobody can take that away from you.

Joyce T

Celebrate you true self! Feel the love and celebration for you that millions of us feel as we give thanks that you are among us in our relationship with all of God's creation!

Sandra P.

Dear Friend,

Don’t let your light be dimmed by hatred.  You are perfect just the way you are.

Be you and live your life fully.

Love,

Sherri R

Barrington

Dear Beloved Youth,

As we honor Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31, I would like to send you my huge and unconditional support, as a precious child of God. I affirm you, no matter your level of disclosure, no matter your politic, no matter your belief system. You are beloved just as you are. I am outraged and deeply offended by those who scorn or attack you in this disturbing time of growing intolerance.

You are not alone; my friends and I will not stop fighting for your rights. We will not let hate win; we will stand up for you. There are so many people who support you and your rights as a precious human being. You are not forgotten; you are deeply valued and worthy of respect.

Sending you love and support today and always,

Ruth

Dear Trans Siblings,

I am part of a community that extends its arms of welcome to you, The New Hampshire Conference of the United Church of Christ.

More specifically,  I am a member of The First Congregational Church, UCC of Hopkinton, an Open and Affirming church of many years. It is a safe space open to you. Hate has no place here as God calls us to love ALL our siblings.

I personally stand with and beside you, give voice, body, mind and spirit to ensure your safety and well-being and am committed to the  struggle to fight for your recognition and freedom to be who you are. You are seen, you are heard, you are loved.

Stay strong and know you are never alone.

In Peace, Justice and Love,

Bill Beardslee

You are loved. You are important. You are seen. You are heard.

You are rightly true to who you are, an aspirational lesson for all. I am grateful you are here.

You are a child of God and a sibling of all.

-Maria

Be true to you and love who you love. You have more allies than you think and you are loved more than you know.  The world needs you just the way you are! Don't listen to the hate. You are loved! You are important! You are perfect!

Love, a teacher who cares!

Dear friend,

Wanted to let you know that no matter what you are not alone.  There are so many people praying for your journey, your safety and your future.  Dream big, pray big and watch what God will do for you.  He loves you unconditionally and so do we.

Sincerely,

Roberta Riviezzo

Dear friend,

In the eyes of God, you are seen, you are known and you are loved.

There are so many people who support you and will go to great lengths to protect your right to be your true self.

I am one of those people.

Suellen

To All People, 

I am proud to be a member of the Newmarket Community Church, which affirms the dignity and sanctity of every individual in their relationship to the Divine Creator. We reject any narrow prejudicial judgment regarding sexual orientation within the Sacred Journey of human experience. My own father was gay, and I love him all the more for the courage he embraced in his remarkable life.

David Ripley

To my Dearest Love,

Humanity.  We are all similar, while we are also different.  I love and respect you, as a part of the Trans community - as a subset of our humanity, that should be shared, no matter our differences.  I celebrate your courage.  It is a reminder to me that we all should be allowed to be who we are - no matter our various identities. Thank you so very much for being who you are.

With Love and Gratitude,

Peter Naitove

I am just letting you know, you are in my prayers, and you are not alone. Take care, Julie

To my oldest grandson,

 You were the first of our grandchildren.  As soon as we heard of your arrival your grandfather , Papa, started planning our cross-country flight to snuggle you.  We didn't see much of you when you were growing up...you lived so far away,  The occasional Christmas visit to New England was a delight, as was the chance to send you to summer camp in New Hampshire every year.

Papa didn't live to see you, your mom and your brother move back east after the divorce.  I, however, get to enjoy dinner once in a while and bake you cookies.  You struggled for a while after high school.  First with community college and then a series of different jobs.  Last year, however, you were selected for a job you love.  I pray everyday that you will be allowed to grow and flourish in that position.  I am so very proud of you.  I will continue to worry about you though, because that is what grandmothers do.   

Grammie Lucy

Hey!  Just wanted you to know we see you, and your unimaginable strength, and wish with all our hearts that you didn't have to be this strong. We love you and the way you make the world a better place just by being who you are. You are not alone - there is a whole army of Mama Bears right here, ready to fight alongside you, (and provide hugs whenever possible)!

Love,

Mama (and Papa) Bears Everywhere

To the trans people of the NH Conference of the UCC, especially those who are young, you are not alone. Beyond the fact that there are trans and ally leaders in our church, God's wings and great shadow covers you from all earthly principalities and powers. There is nothing here on earth or anywhere else that can separate you from the love of God in Jesus. Your pronouns matter, your experiences matter; laws, nor hate, nor lies will destroy your personhood or existence. We will keep pointing to the truth of the gospel - that those who are cast aside by society are most lifted up by Love in Christ. 

Transgender and nonbinary people are

beautiful and beloved

human expressions of God's endless creativity!

As an ordained Christian minister,

I affirm and support your right to

be yourself:

you are

beautiful and beloved,

cherished child of God!

Rev'd. Tanya Stormo Rasmussen

Kristiana,

You were such a good friend to Katie when you were in high school and I always enjoyed when you came to the house. Katie needed a good friend then and I am so grateful you were there for her. You have had a difficult, painful journey since then but you can be proud of the lovely person you show to the world. You have become the lovely woman you knew yourself to be. I was very happy at Katie's wedding. She too had had a painful journey but had become the woman she was meant to be and was deeply in love with her bride. My happiness was increased when I saw you there. I told you how happy I was to welcome you to the wedding and you stood up and hugged me. You thanked me for being accepting of you for the person you felt comfortable being. I will always have fond memories of that brief encounter that warmed my soul and I want you to know that you deserve nothing less than to be accepted for her you are. Who you are is a beautiful human being.

Love,

Kathy

You are loved.  You are special to me.  And most importantly God loves you.  God created you just the way you are.  I worked among the Lakota people for nine years.  They would say you are two sighted.  They make the two sighted people the holy ones because you have special gifts from God.  David Felton 

To our beloved trans youth,

You are not alone. Even when it feels like the world is shouting lies about who you are, please know there are people who see you clearly—and love you fiercely. You may not always see us, or know us by name, but we are all around you. We support your life, your heart's choices, your agency, your value.

You are not a problem to solve, a mistake to fix, or a trend to debate. You are a beautiful, intentional, and irreplaceable reflection of the Divine.

God delights in you. And so do we.

With love and in solidarity,

Holly Pettit

To all of my Transgender siblings:

You are loved. You are treasured. You and I are molded from the same spirit-filled human cloth. WE ARE ONE!

I have encountered hundreds of people in New Hampshire in recent weeks who, like I am, are heartsick -- and frankly a bit terrified -- that the majority of those serving in the NH Legislature have chosen to attack and denigrate and dehumanize YOU for no reason other than their own lack of humanity and capacity for understanding.

I confess that I cannot begin to fully comprehend the impact the current hateful political climate may have on your physical and emotional well-being and everyday existence. That said, my friends and family and close colleagues and I want to declare loud and clear: We want to stand with you!  We want to accompany you in spaces both hostile and loving! We want to have your back! 

I hope you will speak up and help guide the non-trans population of the NH United Church of Christ in knowing how best to be in accompaniment with you.

We are indeed in this together for as long as it takes to create and sustain the kin-dom of unconditional love on earth -- as it is meant to be.

With love and solidarity --

Pastor Gail Kinney

Invisibility sucks - hatred and bigotry harms - love heals.  I am choosing love for my trans family members and for all who are a target of oppression.

So much misunderstanding and misplaced negative energy is being thrust upon the trans community.  I pray that people listen, learn, and do way better by our loved ones.

My child recently called me in tears.  They have openly presented themselves as part of the LGBTQ community for years without a single incident.  They are afraid now.  Why?  Don't they have a right to exist peacefully?

The world has big problems to solve.  Really big.  The trans community is not one of them.  Bullies need to go play in those other sandboxes.

-Caroline

The ONA Concerns Mission Group of the New Hampshire Conference of the United Church of Christ works to share the message of the UCC that all individuals are beloved children of God regardless of sexual orientation or identity. A church that declares itself ONA has made a covenant to be open to all people and affirms their value. We stand with the transgender community as it comes under attack from forces that are attempting to negate their identity as unique individuals who have shown the courage to be true to their own sense of who they are. We value you and love you not despite who you are but because of who you are.

The ONA Concerns Mission Group

All of us here at the New Hampshire Conference want our beloved Trans community to know we stand in solidarity with you. You are our brothers, our sisters, our siblings. You are our partners, our spouses, our friends. You are our co-workers, our mentors, our students. You are our parents, our children, our family. You are our community and you are in our hearts. We will stand beside you as together we work to make this world a place of love, acceptance and pride for all God’s children. --Sara Marean, Associate Conference Minister