Mama Dragons was born out of heartbreak.

The organization, which I lead, began as a small group of mothers — many of us within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — who were told, in ways both explicit and implied, that we had to choose between our LGBTQ+ children and our church. Today, Mama Dragons has grown into a national organization supporting more than 25,000 families — mothers who have walked that same path from fear and confusion to deep understanding, fierce love and affirmation of their children.

The church’s recent clarification regarding transgender members makes those lines even more explicit.

By restricting participation in sacred rituals and ordinances, limiting access to gendered spaces and requiring transgender members to adhere to the sex assigned at birth in order to fully participate in church life, the policy places transgender individuals, and their families, in an impossible position. It creates a system where belonging is conditional, where authenticity comes at the cost of full participation, and where families are once again asked to navigate a painful divide between faith and love.

It also ignores a reality that many parents know deeply: Children often begin to understand their gender at a young age. Within Latter-day Saint doctrine, young children are considered sinless before God, without need for repentance or baptism. And yet, these same children are being told, as they grow, that who they know themselves to be is incompatible with full belonging in their faith community and, by extension, civic life.

That contradiction is not just theological but also deeply personal for families trying to hold both their faith and their children with integrity.

We know what happens when these kinds of lines are drawn.

According to The Trevor Project, 39% of LGBTQ+ young people seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, including nearly half of transgender and nonbinary youth. These outcomes are not because of who these young people are, they are the result of environments where they feel rejected, excluded or unseen. When families and communities send messages, intentionally or not, that a child must change or hide who they are to belong, the harm is real and measurable.

And we have lived this.

We have seen families divided. We have seen parents struggle under the weight of conflicting messages. We have seen children internalize the belief that they are less worthy of love, participation and spiritual connection. Policies like this do not exist in isolation. They ripple outward, disrupting families, weakening communities and placing vulnerable youth at greater risk.

But we at Mama Dragons have also seen something else.

We have seen what happens when parents choose their children — when they choose curiosity over fear, compassion over judgment and love over exclusion. We have seen families stay together. We have seen young people thrive. We have seen lives saved.

As I have said before: These are the same children you bless, the same children you baptize with hope for their future, and they are the same children you may one day bury with unimaginable sorrow. They have not changed. They are who they have always been.

At Mama Dragons, we believe that no parents should ever be asked to choose between their child and their faith. And no child should ever be told that their belonging is conditional.

We call on all communities of faith to recognize the profound impact of these policies, not just on doctrine but also on real families, real children and real lives.

Because when we draw lines that exclude, we fracture what matters most. And when we lead with love, we have the power to heal it.

Liz Welch (she/her/hers) is the executive director of Mama Dragons, a group of mothers of LGBTQ+ children from all walks of life, faith traditions, political perspectives and lived experiences. Through community support, trusted education and opportunities for empowerment, Mama Dragons equips families to create affirming homes where LGBTQ+ youth are safe, seen and able to thrive.

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