Michael Soto is a transgender man and lives in Phoenix, Arizona, where he is a proud dog dad and caregiver for his mom — his living example of unconditional love. He was born and raised in the Church in Mesa, Arizona, where his family and the Church set an example of being a man of value, character, and integrity. Michael stepped away as a pre-teen, came out at 19, and transitioned in his early twenties — finally allowing him to see and pursue a life full of joy and purpose. He returned to the Church at 29 and is no longer active after the 2022 handbook changes. After a youth full of questions, a persistent and consistent understanding of himself as a boy, and the struggle of growing up in a world not built to see transgender people, Michael received personal revelation that he is a child of God and that his queer transgender identity is one of life’s greatest blessings. He is President & CEO of Equality Arizona and has worked closely with Church leaders in Arizona and Salt Lake City on his hometown’s nondiscrimination ordinance and the federal Respect for Marriage Act.