LGBT Mormon topics |
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Although the historical record is often scarce, evidence points to LGBT individuals having existed in the Mormon community since its beginnings, and estimates of the number of LGBT former and current Mormons range from 4 to 10% of the total membership of the LDS Church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). However, it wasn't until the late 1950s that top LDS leaders began regularly discussing LGBT people in public addresses. [4] Since the 1970s a greater number of LGBT individuals with Mormon connections have received media coverage.
Although there are no official numbers for how many members of the LDS Church identify as gay or lesbian, there have been several estimates. Large surveys of over 7,000 students at the church's largest school Brigham Young University (BYU) in 2020 and 2017 found that over 13% had marked their sexual orientation as something other than "strictly heterosexual", while the other survey showed that .2% had reported their gender identity as transgender or something other than cisgender male or female. [5] [6] Over 98% of BYU students are church members. [7] In 2003, BYU's newspaper cited two LDS therapists who stated that the supermajority-Mormon BYU student body is "somewhere around 4 to 5 percent" homosexual. [8] Family Services estimated that there are, on average, four or five members per church ward attracted to the same sex. [9] An external study, conducted in 1972, found that between 10 and 13 percent of college-aged Mormon men reported past same-sex sexual behavior, which was similar to the percentage of non-Mormon men who similarly reported. The study did not tabulate the number of homosexual individuals who had never had a same-sex sexual experience. [10] In 1979 BYU's newspaper published a series of articles on homosexuality in which Maxine Murdock of the BYU Counseling Center and Ford McBride, a former psychology student who conducted BYU electroshock aversion experiments on gay BYU students, [11] estimated that 4% of BYU students (or around 1,200 students at the time) were attracted to the same sex. [12] [13]
Gary Watts, former president of Family Fellowship, estimates that only 10 percent of homosexual Mormons remain in the church. [14] Others dispute that estimate, saying numbers in support groups for active Latter-day Saints and for self-identified gay Mormons are comparable.[ citation needed ] A number of LDS people who experience attractions to their same sex shared experiences in the 1997 book A Place in the Kingdom: Spiritual Insights from Latter-day Saints about Same-Sex Attraction. [15] Others have shared their stories through the now defunct Ensign and Evergreen. [20]
Others individuals at the LGBT-Mormon intersection include Lino Brocka, Cam Clarke, Reed Cowan, C. Jay Cox, Nate Dushku, Angela Ellsworth, Steven Fales, Antonio A. Feliz, Michael Glatze, John C. Hamer, Todd Herzog, Roy Jeffs, Manny MUA, Sue-Ann Post, W. H. Pugmire, John W. Bryant, Patriarch Joseph Fielding Smith, and evidence exists that this list may include historical figures like May Anderson, Louie B. Felt, Evan Stephens, David Hyrum Smith, and John C. Bennett.
LGBT Mormon characters and themes have been featured in many films, plays, and pieces of literature, with some examples listed below.
The church neither encourages nor discourages support groups for those with same gender attractions. However, it does discourage members from participating in groups that foster homosexual conduct. [167] Even though no support organization is officially sponsored by the church, several organizations have begun who have adopted theories and philosophies they believe are in line with church policy. Several church members have also joined ex-gay organizations. Some church members who identify as LGBT have also joined other support groups that seek changes in church doctrine, and greater church tolerance and awareness regarding LGBT issues. Several support groups are listed below:
Many homosexual Mormon support organizations sprung up and fell as social media technology changed. One published book's collection of resources for homosexual Mormons in the late 90s listed several email groups and online communities including Evergreen, Disciples2, LDS SSAers, [190] and Q-Saints [191] with most organization only leaving archived digital footprints. [192] [193]
Affirmation: LGBTQ Mormons, Families, & Friends is an international organization for individuals who identify as gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual, queer, intersex, or same-sex attracted, and their family members, friends, and church leaders who are members or former members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Evergreen International, Inc. was a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization located in Salt Lake City, Utah whose stated mission was to assist "people who want to diminish same-sex attractions and overcome homosexual behavior". Evergreen supported the doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Founded in 1989, Evergreen closed in 2014.
Teachings on Sexuality in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is deeply rooted in its doctrine. In its standards for sexual behavior called the law of chastity, top LDS leaders bar all premarital sex, all homosexual sexual activity, the viewing of pornography, masturbation, overtly sexual kissing, sexual dancing, and sexual touch outside of a heterosexual marriage. LDS Leaders teach that gender is defined in premortal life, and that part of the purpose of mortal life is for men and women to be sealed together in heterosexual marriages, progress eternally after death as gods together, and produce spiritual children in the afterlife. The church states that sexual relations within the framework of monogamous opposite-sex marriage are healthy, necessary, and approved by God. The LDS denomination of Mormonism places great emphasis on the sexual behavior of Mormon adherents, as a commitment to follow the law of chastity is required for baptism, adherence is required to receive a temple recommend, and is part of the temple endowment ceremony covenants devout participants promise by oath to keep.
All homosexual sexual activity is condemned as sinful by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in its law of chastity, and the church teaches that God does not approve of same-sex marriage. Adherents who participate in same-sex sexual behavior may face church discipline. Members of the church who experience homosexual attractions, including those who self-identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual remain in good standing in the church if they abstain from same-sex marriage and any homosexual sexual activity or sexual relationships outside an opposite-sex marriage. However, all people, including those in same-sex relationships and marriages, are permitted to attend the weekly Sunday meetings.
North Star Saints is an organization for LGBT people in the Latter-day Saint community. North Star is described as a faith-affirming resource for Latter-day Saint people addressing sexual orientation and gender identity who desire to live in line with teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. North Star supports the teaching of the Church of Jesus Christ, including the law of chastity and teachings on homosexuality, which prohibits sexual relationships outside of a legal marriage between one man and one woman, as well as teachings on gender identity and expression. The organization takes "no official position on the origin or mutability of homosexual attractions or gender identity incongruence", and does not "endorse political causes or join political coalitions, including those officially sanctioned by the [LDS] Church."
USGA is an organization for LGBTQ Brigham Young University students and their allies. It began meeting on BYU campus in 2010 to discuss issues relating to homosexuality and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. However, by December 2012, USGA began meeting off campus at the Provo City Library and is still banned from meeting on campus as of 2018. BYU campus currently offers no official LGBT-specific resources as of 2016. The group maintains political neutrality and upholds BYU's Honor Code. It also asks all participants to be respectful of BYU and the LDS Church. The group received national attention when it released its 2012 "It Gets Better" video. The group also released a suicide prevention message in 2013. A sister organization USGA Rexburg serves the LGBT Brigham Young University–Idaho student community in Rexburg, Idaho.
Students identifying as LGBTQIA+ have a long, documented history at Brigham Young University (BYU), and have experienced a range of treatment by other students and school administrators over the decades. Large surveys of over 7,000 BYU students in 2020 and 2017 found that over 13% had marked their sexual orientation as something other than "strictly heterosexual", while the other survey showed that .2% had reported their gender identity as transgender or something other than cisgender male or female. BYU is the largest religious university in North America and is the flagship institution of the educational system of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints —Mormonism's largest denomination.
In society at large, LGBT individuals, especially youth, are at a higher risk of depression, anxiety, and suicide. Though causes of mental health risk are complex, one often cited reason for these higher risks is minority stress stemming from societal anti-LGBT biases and stigma, rejection, and internalized homophobia.
Transgender people and other gender minorities currently face membership restrictions in access to priesthood and temple rites in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints —Mormonism's largest denomination. Church leaders have taught gender roles as an important part of their doctrine since its founding. Only recently have they begun directly addressing gender diversity and the experiences of transgender, non-binary, intersex, and other gender minorities whose gender identity and expression differ from the cisgender majority.
This is a timeline of LGBT Mormon history in the first half of the 20th century, part of a series of timelines consisting of events, publications, and speeches about LGBTQ+ individuals, topics around sexual orientation and gender minorities, and the community of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Although the historical record is often scarce, evidence points to queer individuals having existed in the Mormon community since its beginnings. However, top LDS leaders only started regularly addressing queer topics in public in the late 1950s. Since 1970, the LDS Church has had at least one official publication or speech from a high-ranking leader referencing LGBT topics every year, and a greater number of LGBT Mormon and former Mormon individuals have received media coverage.
Because of its ban against same-sex sexual activity and same-sex marriage the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a long history of teaching that its adherents who are attracted to the same sex can and should attempt to alter their feelings through righteous striving and sexual orientation change efforts. Reparative therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual's sexual orientation from homosexual or bisexual to heterosexual, or their gender identity from transgender to cisgender using psychological, physical, or spiritual interventions. There is no reliable evidence that such practices can alter sexual orientation or gender identity, and many medical institutions warn that conversion therapy is ineffective and potentially harmful.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been involved with many pieces of legislation relating to LGBT people and their rights. These include playing an important role in defeating same-sex marriage legalization in Hawaii, Alaska, Nebraska, Nevada, California, and Utah. The topic of same-sex marriage has been one of the church's foremost public concerns since 1993. Leaders have stated that it will become involved in political matters if it perceives that there is a moral issue at stake and wields considerable influence on a national level. Over a dozen members of the US congress had membership in the church in the early 2000s. About 80% of Utah state lawmakers identied as Mormon at that time as well. The church's political involvement around LGBT rights has long been a source of controversy both within and outside the church. It's also been a significant cause of disagreement and disaffection by members.
This is a timeline of LGBT Mormon history in the 1970s, part of a series of timelines consisting of events, publications, and speeches about LGBTQ+ individuals, topics around sexual orientation and gender minorities, and the community of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Although the historical record is often scarce, evidence points to queer individuals having existed in the Mormon community since its beginnings. However, top LDS leaders only started regularly addressing queer topics in public in the late 1950s. Since 1970, the LDS Church has had at least one official publication or speech from a high-ranking leader referencing LGBT topics every year, and a greater number of LGBT Mormon and former Mormon individuals have received media coverage.
This is a timeline of LGBT Mormon history in the 1980s, part of a series of timelines consisting of events, publications, and speeches about LGBTQ+ individuals, topics around sexual orientation and gender minorities, and the community of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Although the historical record is often scarce, evidence points to queer individuals having existed in the Mormon community since its beginnings. However, top LDS leaders only started regularly addressing queer topics in public in the late 1950s. Since 1970, the LDS Church has had at least one official publication or speech from a high-ranking leader referencing LGBT topics every year, and a greater number of LGBT Mormon and former Mormon individuals have received media coverage.
This is a timeline of LGBT Mormon history in the 1990s, part of a series of timelines consisting of events, publications, and speeches about LGBTQ+ individuals, topics around sexual orientation and gender minorities, and the community of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Although the historical record is often scarce, evidence points to queer individuals having existed in the Mormon community since its beginnings. However, top LDS leaders only started regularly addressing queer topics in public in the late 1950s. Since 1970, the LDS Church has had at least one official publication or speech from a high-ranking leader referencing LGBT topics every year, and a greater number of LGBT Mormon and former Mormon individuals have received media coverage.
This is a timeline of LGBT Mormon history in the first decade of the 2000s, part of a series of timelines consisting of events, publications, and speeches about LGBTQ+ individuals, topics around sexual orientation and gender minorities, and the community of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
This is a timeline of LGBT Mormon history in the 2010s, part of a series of timelines consisting of events, publications, and speeches about LGBTQ+ individuals, topics around sexual orientation and gender minorities, and the community of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Below is a timeline of major events, media, and people at the intersection of LGBT topics and Brigham Young University (BYU). BYU is the largest university of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Before 1959 there was little explicit mention of homosexuality by BYU administration.
Homosexuality has been publicly discussed by top leaders in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints —Mormonism's largest denomination—since the late 1800s. The frequency of teachings on same-sex sexual activity increased starting in the late 1950s. Most discussion focuses on male homosexuality and rarely mentions lesbianism or bisexuality. Below is a timeline of notable speeches, publications, and policies in the LDS church on the topic of homosexuality.
Connell O'Donovan is an American historian, biographer, and professional genealogist. He was born in Utah, but spent much of his adult life in Santa Cruz, California. He has written on LGBT Utah history, and Black Mormon history.
The online survey was conducted in spring 2017. Email invitations were sent to 29,471 BYU students; 13,784 (48%) started the survey and 12,602 completed the survey, for a response rate of 43%. Demographic data revealed the survey participants to be very similar to the broader BYU population in terms of gender, ethnicity, year in school, and other measures. Key demographics include the following: ... Gender: 52% male, 48% female, and 0.2% transgender or other
[Jeff] Robinson, a marriage and family counselor in Orem whose caseload is approximately 90 percent homosexual men ... said there are approximately 2 to 3 percent homosexual men worldwide. Mike Buxton, a counselor at BYU who deals with many of the people on campus with this tendency, said this statistic pertains to homosexual women and the number for men dealing with homosexuality is 4 to 5 percent worldwide. Both agree the number of BYU students dealing with homosexuality is somewhere around 4 to 5 percent.
In 'Homosexuality: Cause for Concern?' DU [Daily Universe], 10 April 1979, Maxine Murdock of the [BYU] Counseling Center conservatively estimated that 4 percent of the student body (approximately 1,200) is homosexual.See footnote 71.
According to local psychologists who are working on homosexuality research, anywhere from 1 to 4 percent of the BYU male population have homosexual tendencies. Dr. Ford McBride, a psychologist at Timpanogos Community Mental Health Center, and Dr. Maxine Murdock, licensed psychologist at the BYU Counseling Center who works with homosexual students, estimate the figure at 4 percent. McBride said his estimate is based on extrapolation of the old Kinsey report.
I first heard this one out in New York when a friend told me Aguilera's parents met at BYU and her father was a member out on Staten Island. I did a little research on some of her Web sites (which proved to be pretty embarrassing in the newsroom) and found out her parents' names were Fausto and Shelly. I called up the BYU Alumni Association and found out that a Fausto Aguilera and his wife Shelly were at BYU in 1979. The best address I could find for Fausto was Staten Island which, coincidentally, is where Christina was born in 1980 (according to Rolling Stone, her parents later split up when she was seven). ... "Larry" got me the number of Christina's old home teacher, Tom Duty, back when she was nine and living in Pennsylvania.
Two women are way sexier than two men in bed. We have a better feel for our bodies. I love experimenting with my sexuality. ... If that means girls then so be it. It would be wrong to hide this side of my personality. ...I don't get to kiss all the girls and the boys, but my husband knows that I get into girls. I think it's fun to be open and play. ... I definitely love women. I think they're more attractive to the naked eye.
In 1979 KRCL's first GLBT program was an hour-long show called "Gayjavu." The program evolved over the next few years into "Concerning Gays and Lesbians" which was one of the nation's longest, (if indeed not the longest) continuous local gay and lesbian radio program in the nation.
Utah was especially unique in that the newly organized KRCL FM 91 had a local gay program from the beginning called Gayjavu which would become Concerning Gays and Lesbians for the next 20 years. Stephen Holbrook, a gay man who founded KRCL, was dedicated to Utah's gay minority having a voice.
While not identified publicly as gay, Stephen Holbrook as a gay man was committed to the gay community having a voice over the KRCL airwaves. For over 26 years KRCL has provided the [LGBT] communities of Utah with local informational programming.
Snow: You know, I was raised LDS myself so I kind of know that culture. Most of my family's LDS. A lot of my friends are LDS. ... I didn't, like, have a lot of support to transition when I was younger, so I ended up doing it kind of more, like, a more - like, over the last few years. ... Yeah. When I was, like (unintelligible) I didn't have support from my mother to transition and, you know, so I put that off for a long time.
Misty K. Snow is the first transgender nominee from a major party to run for a U.S. Senate seat and she is among the first transgender people to run for Congress.
Misty Snow, Democrat; 301,860 votes; 27.1%
Your parents are conservative Mormons. What do they think of your rocker life? 'When I told them I wasn't going to college or on a Mormon mission, that I don't believe in God and I was pursuing music, they were like, 'You've gotta move out.' They cooled off, and when we made our first Panic! at the Disco album, I got a care package from my family with this beautiful letter: 'No matter what, we will always love you.'
Urie was raised a Mormon. Unlike [Brandon] Flowers, Urie left the faith as soon as he felt able. 'I still use a lot of good values from growing up in the Church, and there was a sense of community. But you were also being heavily judged by people that wanted to look down on you for not being as great as they are.'
You've opened up about experimenting with your sexuality. Why did you want to speak publicly about sexual fluidity? 'It doesn't freak me out. Why does it matter who I'm f—ing? I've gotten so many amazing letters and tweets from fans saying, 'I didn't have the courage to tell my parents, but I had you to fall back on.' I want to create a support system.'
He talked about his marriage and some bi leanings in an interview with Zach Sang & The Gang, and we're pretty sure the revelations will make some gay male fans quite happy.
Mr. Quinn's personal life contributed to his estrangement from the church. The father of four was divorced in 1985 and came out as a homosexual in 1996 when he published a book about same-sex friendships and romances in 19th-century Mormonism. The church condemns homosexual behavior. Mr. Quinn says he still believes in the 'fundamentals' of Mormonism but doesn't practice the faith.
The film skewers the ridiculousness of teen girls wanting a GBF (Gay Best Friend) like an accessory or trend, but it also skewers ethnicity, religion, clique culture. I wanted the scenes where the closeted Mormon Topher seduces Tanner and Brent to be sexy and provocative; I've never thought it was fair that it's fine to have a romantic or sexual male-female kiss but when it comes to two boys kissing, it's so chaste and unsexual.
'The Falls' is the story of Chris Merrill and RJ Smith, two Mormon missionaries that fall in love on their mission.
'The Falls: Covenant of Grace' wraps up the Portland-filmed trilogy about two young Mormon men in love.
The destinies of Mormons and gays were becoming intertwined in the national discourse, providing creative fodder for theatrical productions including the 2011 Tony Award winner 'The Book of Mormon' in which Elder McKinnley, echoing the teachings of Boyd K. Packer, would encourage other gay Mormons to 'Turn it off' like a light switch.