The Wall of the Righteous

At the Holocaust Memorial in Paris, there is a wall dedicated to what the Jews call "the righteous among all nations" -- dedicated to non-Jews who with brave acts of courage reached out and helped saved Jewish persons during the Holocaust.

I'm not comparing my struggle to the Holocaust, or the Church to Nazi Germany, in ANY way. But, in the same way Jewish leaders decided to honor non-Jews who stood and helped I, too, wish to honor those non-gays in my life who are both courageous and unconditional in their love for me.

I recently "came out" on Facebook and I wanted to share just a small sampling of the many responses I got from friends:

i love you. always have, always will... i'm so happy that the rest of the world now gets to know truly wonderful you.

I'm proud of you, Mark. This is probably the bravest and toughest thing you'll ever do. Congratulations on releasing the real you and I wish every good thing for you upon your journey.

I figured with your love of n'sync and backstreet boys but it never changed my opinion of you... You were a great friend before and I still think of you as that same great friend. I still love you buddy.

Dont be afraid of being yourself, or trying to be someone you aren't. I think the majority of this world trys to be someone they arent. I think the world needs more people like you. Those who know who they are. They are Genuine. You are genuine mark.

I will never stop calling you a friend.

I hope you will be able to feel loved all throughout your life and not feel or be alone. And I hope nobody will make you feel feelings of inadequacy, because there is no reason for that.

i am glad that you are finally going to be who you are.

im sure alot of people accepted it before you did.

youve got to be one of the bravest people i know. so, thanks for being an example to the rest of us mark, in your attitude, your testimony, and in being honest in who you are, which for everyone is probably the hardest thing of all

It's about time someone stood up for who they are!

i'll split that row with you before you sit there alone.

I love you mark.

Way to be true to yo' self!

you are definitely not alone and I support you

i cried when i read your post, not because you are gay, but because of the suffering and pain you have felt and will feel.

You know I will always love you and care about you, and I support you if you are gay, straight, purple, yellow, etc!!

I just wanted to let you know that I admire your courage in "coming out of the closet"

You are a wonderful person and I admire that you "came out" I don't think anyone should ever have to hide who they are.

I always knew even though im homophobic. Anyways I still love my litle mark johnson.You a stud. All the support from me.

I have no idea how hard this must be for you, but stick with it.

I wanted to share some of the many comments I received. Most, if not all, were from 'faithful, active' members of the Church. I celebrate your love with gratitude.

My own Wall of Righteous:

• Adam Hamilton
• Aimee Elber
• Allen Brand
• Amanda Gudgel
• Andrew Craig
• Carrie McGrath
• Derek Child
• Elisabeth DeLeeuw
• Heidi Spere
• Jenny Aldrich
• Jon Caldwell
• Josh Wickern
• Justin Dobrolecki
• Kali Clark
• Kaylene Faucette
• Kristin Shill
• Kristin Wegener
• Lauren Hillard
• Lisa Campbell
• Mallory Davidson
• Marlayna Wiley
• Megan Belcher
• Meridith Baldwin
• Mia Montengro
• Michael Clements
• Mike Singleton
• Morgan Dipo
• Nick Bellamy
• Nicki Hugie
• Stephen Barr
• Steven Webster
• Suzanne Reeve