07/27/2026
I’ve been thinking a lot about what happened during Bloomington Pride.
When we planned that day, our goal wasn’t to change anyone. It wasn’t to tell people how to live. It wasn’t to attack anyone’s faith.
Our goal was simple.
To create a place where people who have spent their lives feeling judged, rejected, or alone could experience love, acceptance, and community.
That’s why we put out the positivity board.
The saddest part wasn’t that hateful comments appeared. The most disappointing part was that someone looked at a board meant for encouragement and decided that was the place to spread judgment.
But here’s the beautiful thing.
I’m putting the board back out.
This time, I want to invite all of you to participate.
If you see a hateful or insensitive comment, erase it. Replace it with something kind. Replace it with hope. Replace it with love. We can erase hate and replace it with love and kindness. We need to continue to do that, together.
Let’s make kindness louder than hate.
Because everyone is welcome here.
Hate and ignorance are not.
Love conquers all, no matter what group we’re talking about.
I’ve heard people say they’re worried about “indoctrination” whenever there’s an LGBTQ+ event.
That word gets used a lot.
Every generation passes on its values, beliefs, and traditions. Christianity itself spread over centuries through families, churches, missionaries, governments, and, at various points in history, political power and coercion alongside voluntary conversion. That history is complex.
So I don’t believe that seeing LGBTQ+ people exist openly, celebrate who they are, or ask to be treated with dignity is indoctrination.
It’s visibility.
It’s humanity.
No one is forcing anyone to abandon their beliefs simply because someone else exists.
What concerns me is when faith becomes a reason to shame, dehumanize, or attack another person.
Jesus consistently spent time with the people society rejected. He taught us to love our neighbors as ourselves. He said, “Judge not, that you be not judged.” He said the world would know His followers by their love.
Those teachings challenge every one of us.
One group is simply asking to live authentically without fear, harassment, or hatred.
Too often, the response is insults, condemnation, or attempts to reduce people to a label instead of recognizing their humanity.
That’s not love.
That’s harm.
Every accusation is a confession.
If the mere existence of someone different from you feels like a threat, maybe it’s worth asking why.
I refuse to let hate be welcome here.
Everything I do—whether it’s through this shop, my community projects, or my medical practice—comes from one place.
Love.
And leading through example.
People need love?
We give it.
People need hope?
We have a positivity board, a wish box, and incredible employees who take the time to listen, validate people, and remind them they matter.
I built angel wings because I wanted people to have a place to take a picture that symbolizes freedom from judgment.
I grow plants and save seeds because I believe fresh food should help feed families, not just decorate gardens.
I raise awareness for mental health because too many people are silently fighting battles that no one sees.
And I didn’t stop there.
I created a medical practice because I watched too many people fall through the cracks of our healthcare system.
People without insurance.
People whose insurance still made healthcare unaffordable.
People who waited months for appointments.
People who felt dismissed.
People who just wanted someone to listen.
I wanted to build something different.
A place where affordability matters.
Where access matters.
Where compassion matters.
Where people are treated like human beings instead of billing codes.
Where we don’t begin by asking whether someone deserves care.
We begin by asking how we can help.
We provide modern, evidence-based medicine.
We offer holistic and complementary options when appropriate because healthcare isn’t one-size-fits-all.
We support women’s health.
We support mental health.
We provide gender-affirming care.
We care for people who have spent their lives feeling overlooked, judged, or forgotten.
Not because everyone has the same beliefs.
But because everyone has the same human dignity.
Everything I build has one purpose.
To meet needs that too often go unmet.
To create experiences where people feel safe.
To remind people they belong.
To prove that compassion is stronger than judgment.
You don’t have to agree with every decision someone makes to recognize their humanity.
You don’t have to vote like me.
You don’t have to worship like me.
You don’t have to love like me.
But if you’re going to be part of what we’re building here, then you do have to understand this:
Everyone is welcome here.
Hate and ignorance are not.
I won’t make room for cruelty in a place built on compassion.
I won’t make room for bullying in a place built on belonging.
I won’t make room for fear in a place built on hope.
Because love is not passive.
Love feeds people.
Love heals people.
Love listens.
Love protects.
Love stands beside people when the world tells them they don’t belong.
That is the example I’m choosing to set.
Not because it’s easy.
Because it’s right.
So if you come by the shop and see the positivity board, join us.
If you see hate, erase it.
Replace it with hope.
Replace it with encouragement.
Replace it with kindness.
Help us prove that love speaks louder than hate ever could.
Because as long as this shop exists, there will always be a place where people are seen, valued, and reminded that they matter.
Love conquers all.
