Dear United Methodist Church: I and the rest of the United Methodist LGBT+ community have had enough. We have stuck by you with each and every dehumanizing decision you have made against us with the hopes that there would be change. This last incident involving bishop Karen Oliveto, has angered all of us. We have had enough. We have realized that it is time for us to rise above your hate.

For those unfamiliar with the United Methodist Church, there are 5 districts. A district is are groups of churches in a geographical area formed together to create a district (www.umc.org). Karen Oliveto is openly lesbian and was elected nearly a year ago as bishop of the Western district. She is married to a United Methodist deaconess who is actively serving. The people of the Western district knew this and still elected her. For us in the LGBT+ community and those who support us, saw this as a marker of hope.

The feeling of hope lasted for a long time. We rejoiced as this showed us that there would be acceptance at last. This was the first time we felt acceptance and it was great. It was great until the council issued their statement on the matter. They said that while she was in good standing that she would be under close watch by the judicial council because she is a lesbian. This took our hopes and shattered them. This caused that new found hope to fade.

We thought this was the last, that maybe they would leave her alone but, no one of the other districts could not handel the fact that she is a lesbian. On April 24, 2017 all United Methodists received an email saying that one of the other districts (I will keep the aforementioned district anonymous as to not cause them trouble) wrote the council and requested judicial review of Mrs. Oliveto. The email stated that the council would meet from April 25-28th. I stared at my computer in disbelief. I could not help screaming.

I do not know what made me angrier--the fact that they tried to keep this a secret until the last moment or the fact that another district had the balls to do this. It is obvious that the Western district knew what they were getting into when they elected her, they would not have elected her if they had a problem. They only thing I could think in my mind is f*** that district. They need to stay the f*** out of other districts business. So what she is a lesbian, that is not hurting you in any way.

The said that Mrs. Oliveto would remain bishop until the judicial process is over. This decision angered me and all others pioneering for change. This has driven some of us to the point of giving up on the church. I have a message we all need to hear. It is not time for us to give up. It is time for us to come together, more than ever and fight. It is time for us to fight harder than ever before to change the book of diciplin. Please join me in the fight for equality in the United Methodist Church.