At the 14th annual Freedom March in Portland, stories of radical transformation echoed across the city as men and women testified how Jesus freed them from LGBTQ identities and restored their lives through His grace. Among them was Michael Myrand, whose journey began in heartbreak, his father’s suicide at age 13, school bullying, and years of rejection. Searching for love, Michael turned to gay relationships and drug use, but they only deepened his emptiness.
Everything changed when a coworker invited him to church in Atlanta. There, Michael encountered the love of Jesus and surrendered his brokenness. “Jesus said, ‘This isn’t the life I have for you,’” he recalled. After reading 1 Corinthians 6, he realized the seriousness of his sin and chose Christ over same-sex desires. Today, he walks in freedom.
Others, like Patrick Silvis and Elizabeth Woning, shared similar testimonies of repentance and restoration. Each emphasized that real freedom comes not through affirming broken identities, but through a relationship with Jesus Christ.
