How Far Are You Willing to Love?: Including isn’t Agreeing | Ben Schilaty | TEDxBYU

What do we do when a loved makes a choice that we disagree with? Ben Schilaty addresses this question by sharing personal experiences of how he was included by family who were uneasy with the choices he was making as a gay man, and LGBTQ friends who didn’t understand why he was choosing to be a Latter-day Saint. Including people in our lives doesn’t mean that we agree with all of their choices, but that we want to be with them on their journey. Cheering on the lives of our friends and loved ones can save lives and brings more joy into our own lives. Dr. Ben Schilaty works as an Honor Code administrator and adjunct professor at BYU in Provo, Utah. He holds three degrees from BYU: a bachelor’s degree in Latin American studies, a master’s in Hispanic linguistics, and a master’s in social work; he also earned a PhD in second language acquisition and teaching from the University of Arizona. Schilaty learned Spanish and Portuguese during his mission in Chihuahua, Mexico, and when he lived in Bolivia, Peru, and Portugal. He put his language abilities to good use by teaching Spanish for a decade at middle-school, high school, and college levels. Schilaty is the author of A Walk in My Shoes: Questions I’m Often Asked as a Gay Latter-day Saint and cohosts the podcast Questions from the Closet with his friend Charlie Bird. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx