By Alberto Luperon | Law & Crime
Ed Smart, whose daughter Elizabeth Smart survived months as a kidnapping target, announced on Thursday that he is gay, leaving his wife, and also stepping away from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“I have recently acknowledged to myself and my family that I am gay,” the 64-year-old Smart wrote in a Facebook Messenger post addressed to friends and family. The letter was obtained by NBC News. “The decision to be honest and truthful about my orientation comes with its own set of challenges, but at the same time it is a huge relief.”
He said that he “mostly watched in silence” as LGBTQ people in and out of the Mormon Church faced discrimination, and also said, “not willing to accept the truth about my orientation has at times brought me to the point where I questioned whether life was still worth living.”
