If you had told Scott and Hanne a year ago that they would be part of the Embracing the Journey leadership team facilitating a Parent Care Group, they would have never believed it! The journey with their now 26-year-old non-binary transgender child, Scottie, has brought them to a place that now brings joy and blessing.
As Scott and Hanne say, “The journey has certainly not been without pain and loss.” Their son Scottie (David at the time) came out to them as same-sex attracted while preparing for missions eight years ago in college.
Scottie went to Northern Africa as a missionary committed to staying celibate unless the Lord somehow changed his desire from men to women. When Scottie realized God was not changing him, he wrestled with God about whether he could be a gay Christian man and possibly be in a same-sex relationship. He felt affirmed by God and, as a result, was asked to leave the mission.
The Larson’s response from the beginning had been “We will always love you, and we will always support you,” while internally, they were filled with fear. Hanne says, “Our fear leaked onto Scottie during that time and caused a lot of pain in our relationship.”
After Scottie’s return from Africa, he moved in with his sister Sarah in Chicago. Sarah is one year older and was an amazing support to Scottie. He enjoyed worshipping at Sarah’s church until he was informed he could not be in any leadership capacity. So much hurt and rejection caused Scottie to walk away from Christianity.
Scott and Hanne point out that “It has been a journey for us to acknowledge how our fears from when Scottie was very young contributed to much of his pain.”
We are so grateful for Embracing the Journey and how having the support of other parents has brought us to a place of healing, deepened our relationship with Scottie, and changed us in the process.
Today, the Larson’s also volunteer with a group of LGBT asylum seekers. These individuals come from around the world, where they are persecuted because of their sexuality or gender identity. They regularly host events for 30 LGBT asylum seekers and facilitate a bi-weekly trauma group. Scott and Hanne say, “We now get to be a place of mutual healing for each other. We are amazed at the creativity of God!”
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