Ed Smart, the father of kidnapping survivor and activistElizabeth Smart, reportedly came out as gay and announced he is divorcing his wife, Lois, in a since-deleted letter shared to Facebook.
“I have recently acknowledged to myself and my family that I am gay,” he wrote, according to the outlet.
“The decision to be honest and truthful about my orientation comes with its own set of challenges, but at the same time it is a huge relief,” he continued, according toThe Deseret News. “Living with the pain and guilt I have for so many years, not willing to accept the truth about my orientation has at times brought me to the point where I questioned whether life was still worth living.”
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Ed, who is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, reportedly wrote in the letter that he has “come to a change in my beliefs,” though his faith remains “strong, and unwavering.”
“As an openly gay man, the church is not a place where I find solace any longer,” he wrote. “It is not my responsibility to tell the church, its members or its leadership what to believe about the rightness or wrongness of being LGBTQ.”
According toThe Salt Lake Tribune, court records show that Ed’s wife Lois — with whom he shares six kids — filed for divorce on July 5.
“Lois has been a loyal wife, and extraordinary mother, who has had to endure an impossible part of this journey,” Ed wrote in his Facebook post, according toThe Deseret News.“I deeply regret the excruciating pain this has caused her. Hurting her was never my intent. While our marriage will end, my love for Lois and everyone in my family is eternal.”
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In a statement toThe Salt Lake Tribunemade through a family spokesperson, Elizabeth, 31, said that she supported her parents.
Elizabeth was just 14 years old when she wastaken from her Salt Lake City bedroomin 2002 and held for nine months, before being rescued.
She and her parents now work as child safety activists,speaking out about her experienceson behalf of others, and using her harrowing time spent in captivity to advocate for good through theElizabeth Smart Foundation.
source: people.com
