Our Daughter Martha: A Family Struggles with Coming Out

Author Marcy Henrikson lived a ""normal"" life. She worked as a teacher and was active in her Presbyterian church. She played tennis and bridge and belonged to the right social organizations. However, when her daughter Martha comes out as a lesbian to the family, Marcy's life changes. Initially, she hides the truth from others. But when a casual acquaintance asks Marcy about her daughter, and she answers as if she has none, Marcy realizes she too must come out as a mother of a lesbian. As Marcy begins to understand that her church's teachings are at the bottom of her fears for Martha, she struggles to find God's will in the crucible of her faith. Through this process, the author moves from acceptance to activism for lesbian and gay rights within the church and society. Marcy Clements Henrikson is a retired high school English and reading teacher, and is a ruling elder, deacon, and former moderator of the Synod of the Lincoln Trails of the Presbyterian Church (USA).