Young boy’s heartbreaking letter asks Santa to speak to God and find out ‘if he loves me for being gay’
Will sent the letter to Santa Claus (MARTTI KAINULAINEN/AFP via Getty Images)
A heartbreaking letter from a boy asking Santa if he supports the LGBT+ community is drawing responses online.
The United States Postal Service’ Operation Santa, which coordinates responses to letters addressed to Father Christmas, shared a heartbreaking message from a boy named Will.
His letter reads: “Dear Santa, do you support the LGBTQ community and if you can speak to God, can you tell him I love him, and if he loves me for being gay? Thank you. Love, Will.”
‘Heartbreaking’ letter to attracts a huge response
The letter struck a chord after being shared on Twitter, where it has attracted thousands of responses from LGBT+ people.
This letter to Santa broke my heart. pic.twitter.com/NWbum1rvaX
— Nancy Cruz 🇲🇽 (@Nancy_Cruises) November 22, 2020
A response read: “That is the most heart breaking thing. And the worst part is that if this kid is asking this, then there is a huge chance they might not be receiving the love they need.”
Another Twitter user added: “It absolutely kills me that our society, at any time at all, and especially still present day, could engrain this awful thought in anyone’s mind.”
Others recalled growing up with the same questions about whether they would be accepted because of their sexuality, and battling with homophobia.
Another response reads: “WHO IS TELLING THESE QUEER CHILDREN THAT SANTA DOESN’T LOVE THEM, I NEED NAMES”.
One proud mum wrote: “It is literally of of my top priorities to make sure that my kids know no matter who they are or who they love I will never deny them and neither will the God that I believe in”.
Santa gets thousands of letters each year (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Santa would be fine with it – his most dedicated helpers are a gay couple
Of course, not all letters to Santa end up with the USPS – with a New York gay couple famously taking up the call after being flooded with letters addressed to Santa.
Jim Glaub and Dylan Parker started receiving the letters back in 2010 after they moved into an apartment on 22nd Street, Manhattan. Nobody knows how the flat on 22nd street came to be labelled as Santa’s home, but the pair have spent nearly a decade coordinating responses, matching letters with people willing to help out and write replies.
2020 marks ten years of the project, while a feature film based on the couple previously reported to be in the works.
Glaub said in a Facebook post: “This year marks TEN YEARS of connecting families in need with real-life elves! We are tirelessly testing our digital workshop and will be launching the week of Thanksgiving with a brand new matching system. Thanks for your patience as we wrestle the fickle winter beast of technology.”
