New Memoir Describes One Mother’s Journey Toward Her LGBTQ Children and Away from a High-Demand Religion

PROVO, Utah, Aug. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — In Letting Go: How a Family Crisis Brought Clarity and Authenticity, author Lisa Hoelzer chronicles a tumultuous year in her family’s life when her teenagers’ needs were in direct conflict with the teachings and beliefs of her lifelong religion.

The doctrines of her church declare that there is only one right way for people to be, one narrow path of righteousness. However, between her children’s LGBTQ identities and their struggles with depression and anxiety, Hoelzer knew she needed to expand her perspective.

“Parents are increasingly feeling compelled to choose between their religion and their LGBTQ children,” Hoelzer says. “This was certainly my situation. I wrote this memoir to help others navigate that decision in ways that are authentic to them.”

Hoelzer and her husband raised their four children within the confines of a strict, high-demand religion that dictated almost every aspect of their lives, from how they dressed to what they ate to how they used their time. They believed that following these teachings would bring happiness now and togetherness in the hereafter.

As their children grew older, however, Hoelzer’s church-guided vision of how things should be started to change. In their teenaged years, her children questioned church teachings, especially anti-LGBTQ doctrines. Even worse, the mental health of two of them was deteriorating. At the same time, Hoelzer’s small misgivings about the church grew into large objections.

In the fall of 2020, a transformational crisis caused Hoelzer to reexamine her personal and religious priorities. In Letting Go, she learns to loosen her grip on her long-ingrained picture of the future and instead embrace and allow what was present and real. Her book explains how she did this, offering practical steps other families can use when facing what appears to be a dilemma without a solution. And she does so in a positive, hopeful way that showcases the triumphs of a mother’s love.

Join Hoelzer on a journey where she looks deeper into her church, discovers her children’s true identities, and reaches a decision that changes her whole world.

Letting Go: How a Family Crisis Brought Clarity and Authenticity (in paperback $11.99, 268 pages, ISBN: 979-8-9888225-0-9) will be available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other major retailers on October 16, 2023.

About the Author

Lisa Hoelzer took being a stay-at-home mom to her four children very seriously. Her studies and efforts to improve led her to create her own paradigm for parenting, which you can find at www.betterwayparenting.net. An avid learner with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and a master’s in social work, Lisa writes about mind management on Medium. She lives with her family in Provo, Utah.

Note to editors: Author and book cover photos and other media materials are available HERE.

For questions or to request a review copy, contact:

Lisa Hoelzer, author
[email protected]
801-347-1122
https://lisahoelzer.mailerpage.io
Instagram: @lisahoelzer_author

SOURCE Lisa Hoelzer