| LGBT Mormon topics |
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 Latter Day Saint movementportal |
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 (LDS Church).
The law of chastity is a moral code defined by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. According to the church, chastity means that "sexual relations are proper only between a man and a woman who are legally and lawfully wedded as husband and wife." Therefore, abstinence from sexual relations outside of marriage, and complete fidelity to one's spouse during marriage, are required. As part of the law of chastity, the church teaches its members to abstain from adultery and fornication.
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.
Sexuality has a prominent role within the theology of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which teaches that gender is defined in the premortal existence, and that part of the purpose of mortal life is for men and women to be sealed together, forming bonds that allow them to progress eternally together in the afterlife. It also teaches that sexual relations within the framework of opposite-sex marriage are healthy, necessary, and ordained of God.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints adheres to the Law of Chastity meaning all homosexual sexual activity is condemned by the church. The church teaches that God does not approve of same-sex marriage but affirms the dignity, divine potential, and right to kind treatment of all people. Members engaged in premarital sexual activity or same-sex marriage cannot participate in some religious ceremonies. 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. There are many devout gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender members including those who do and do not follow the Law of Chastity.
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 oft cited reason for these higher risks is minority stress stemming from societal anti-LGBT biases and stigma, rejection, and internalized homophobia. A 2016 empirical study found a correlation between the percentage of members of Mormonism's largest denomination, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in a U.S. state and the suicide rates of that state, stating the reason was due to the church's stance on same-sex sexual relations. However, the study could not examine what percentages of the deaths were LGBT persons or the percentage that were Latter-day Saints. A 2002 research report found a negative correlation in suicide between LDS Church youth members and nonmember youth in Utah, finding higher levels of religiosity appear to be inversely associated with suicide, though the study does not take into account sexual orientation or gender identity and expression.
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. However, it wasn't until the late 1950s that top LDS leaders began regularly discussing LGBT people in public addresses. Since the 1970s a greater number of LGBT individuals with Mormon connections have received media coverage.
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 norm.
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.
This is a timeline of LGBT Mormon history in the 2020s, 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.
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 1950s, 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 1960s, 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 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.
Below is a timeline of major events, media, and people at the intersection of LGBT topics and BYU. 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.
During the one-hour meeting, thirteen gay and straight Mormons came to the microphone. ... Gay Mormons recalled years of prayer and fasting, attempted heterosexual marriages promising to 'cure' them, and Church-prescribed aversion therapy. Gay and straight Mormons spoke of how their families and neighborhoods had been divided by the Yes on 8 campaign. ... According to attendee Carol Lynn Pearson, a Mormon author and longtime advocate of LGBT concerns, Elder Jensen said, 'To the full extent of my capacity, I say that I am sorry... I know that many very good people have been deeply hurt, and I know that the Lord expects better of us.'
The Church's official position on homosexuality is actually pretty open when compared to many "bible-belt" Christian denominations. The Church believes that being LGBT, Gay, or "Same-Gender Attracted" is completely, 100%, okay. However, because we have the ability to choose our actions, having sex with a member of the same gender is a sin. This stance puts Gay Mormons like myself in a precarious position to either: 1, attempt a marriage with a member of the opposite gender 2, live a celibate life or 3, face Church disciplinary action. Sadly, there are not many definitive answers to questions about Homosexuality in the Church, instead many are met with the answer of "We don't know". ... Unofficially I serve as a spokesperson for other LGBT Mormons. I work consistently answering questions about the Church's stance on homosexuality all the time.The profile was mentioned in this 2015 article.
In a revolutionary new launch of Mormon.org 4.0, 2,000 Mormons have completed profiles, 13,000 more are in process, explaining why they live their faith and they are a Mormon. ... [T]he Church continues to ask its members on LDS.org to consider sharing their faith on Mormon.org. ... The profiles are reviewed, but not edited or modified. They are left in the original form as they were submitted.
In 2010, Mormon.org was redesigned in conjunction with the launch of the I'm a Mormon campaign, to make individual Church members the focal point of the site. Rather than being solely a resource to help nonmembers receive official Church information about Mormon beliefs and practices, the site now introduces visitors to thousands of individual Mormons who share how their faith impacts their lives and what they believe. Mormon.org encourages members of the Church to 'let [their] voices be heard' by creating a Mormon.org profile.
He expected he would have to make minor changes—not rewrite the book. ... 'I was basically threatened with removal from the university if I went forward and took a public stance in favor of gay marriage,' [Brad] Levin, 33, told Fusion, citing conversations he said he had with senior school officials. 'I was told that I had to change the contents of my book to be on the right side of the church.' After calculating how far back in life such an expulsion would set him, Levin relented, changing key parts of his book. Years earlier, he remembered, his brother was expelled from the school after leaving the Mormon faith, and it cost him severely.Republished at Splinter News.
[Brad] Levin began to doubt as he wrote a book about church doctrine and homosexuality. When it became clear to him that the church's top officials, whose words guided his life for so long, were wrong on the science of sexual orientation, 'something snapped' inside him. And the research and critical thinking skills the university taught him? They were getting him in trouble. His academic conclusions did not adhere to church doctrine. He felt like roommates could turn him in at any moment. He ultimately published his book without the most provocative conclusions because of the difficulty of transferring graduate school work.
The event, which attracted more than 300 participants of varying faiths, was sponsored by Mormon Stories and the Open Stories Foundation, organizations with no official affiliation with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints ....
In 2012, two regional Circling the Wagons conferences were held in Washington D.C. and San Francisco. The objectives of these conferences, like the inaugural conference in November of 2011, were to align with the Circling the Wagons Statement of Purpose and to address the conference themes Building Bridges of Understanding and Joined in Fellowship. Both of these conferences featured Mitch Mayne and Carol Lynn Pearson.
[L]ead author Michael Ferguson, Ph.D. ... carried out the study as a bioengineering graduate student at the University of Utah.
Mr. Kloosterman, who was a bishop from 2007 to 2012, attracted headlines and scrutiny for an emotional talk he gave at a conference in Salt Lake City in 2011 apologizing to gays rejected by their Mormon families. He also lobbied for same-sex marriage in his state. But there were no consequences until March of this year, when, at a meeting, his bishop cited a Twitter post by Mr. Kloosterman congratulating the first gay couple to be married in Utah. 'Jesus would never do that,' the bishop said, according to Mr. Kloosterman. He said his bishop informed him that an Area Seventy church leader had weighed in on his case (Mr. Kloosterman declined to name him), and that leaders had been monitoring his Internet activity and knew he supported groups that disagree with church teaching. The bishop revoked Mr. Kloosterman's temple recommend ....
One group that wasn't in the Days of '47 parade was Mormons Building Bridges. ... They've applied to march in the Days of '47 parade for five years but have so far been denied.
Curtis Penfold got kicked out of his apartment, fired from his job, and left Brigham Young University all in the same week. ... "I felt so hated by this community I used to love," Penfold said. Penfold originally went to BYU to be around fellow Mormons. But over the course of the two-and-a-half years he spent there, he started to find the lack of LGBT rights in the church distasteful and was unable to reconcile the idea of a loving God with the evil he saw in the world.
The study found that: Between 51 percent and 69 percent of mixed-orientation Mormon marriages end in divorce, well above the roughly 25 percent of LDS couples who split up.
The major findings from the study are that non-biologically based views regarding the etiology of SSA [same-sex attraction], remaining active in the LDS church, remaining single, and engaging in mixed-orientation marriages were all associated with higher reported levels of internalized homophobia, sexual identity distress, and depression, and lower levels of self-esteem and quality of life. ... This study does affirm and extend the existing literature by suggesting that psychosocially based beliefs about SSA etiology active participation in non-LGBT-affirming churches, being single and celibate, and mixed-orientation marriage—all of which are common beliefs and/or practices within modern, active LDS culture—are associated with poorer psychosocial health, well-being, and quality of life for LGBT Mormons. Conversely, biological beliefs about SSA etiology, complete disaffiliation from the LDS church, legal same-sex marriage, and sexual activity are all associated with higher levels of psychosocial health, well-being, and quality of life for LGBT Mormons.
The threat of excommunication did not come as a surprise to Mr. Dehlin .... In recent years, he has become an increasingly vocal critic of the church's prohibition on gay relationships and its opposition to same-sex marriage. He has conducted research on how church teachings have affected gay Mormons, and given a TED talk on being an ally to gay people.
John P. Dehlin ... announced on Tuesday that a 15-member church disciplinary council had unanimously decided to excommunicate him for apostasy. ... Mr. Dehlin said the reason the church expelled him now, after years of monitoring his 'Mormon Stories' podcast and Facebook page, was his outspoken advocacy for same-sex marriage and the ordination of women as priests.
This prophetic process was followed in 2012 with the change in minimum age for missionaries and again with the recent additions to the Church's handbook, consequent to the legalization of same-sex marriage in some countries.Note: This paragraph was later removed from this manual as seen by comparing the current and archived URL links.
Price, Utah YSA Stake: (Feb. 26, 2012) ... Counselors — ... Scott Nixon Johansen, 61, judge for the State of Utah; wife, Laurel Sitterud Johansen.
This event was originally planned to use a [BYU-Idaho] campus classroom ....
I worry that we live in such an atmosphere of avoiding offense that we sometimes altogether avoid teaching correct principles. ... We avoid declaring that our Heavenly Father defines marriage as being between a man and woman because we don't want to offend those who experience same-sex attraction. And we may find it uncomfortable to discuss gender issues or healthy sexuality. ... If we don't teach our children and youth true doctrine—and teach it clearly—the world will teach them Satan's lies.
The changes in the church's rhetoric are small but profound. 'Many people pray for years and do all they can to be obedient in an effort to reduce same-sex attraction, yet find they are still attracted to the same sex,' the website reads. 'A change in attraction should not be expected or demanded as an outcome by parents or leaders.' This statement is a reference to conversion therapy, the widely condemned practice of seeking to 'change' the sexuality or gender identity of LGBT youth.
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%
One thing that distresses me is to see people classify themselves, often as early as age 12, as being lesbian, bisexual, or homosexual. That is a self-defeating characterization because it changes the way people relate to you, it inhibits your growth, and it stands in contrast to saying to a circle of people that love you and will understand, 'I am troubled by same-gender attraction.' ... Don't label yourself. ... I have letters in my file from people who classified themselves once as homosexual, and after a lot of life experiences they ceased to have those feelings, they repented of some transgressions along the way, married, and had children.
'That We May Be One' will available at Deseret Book and other LDS bookstores on Sept. 25. Deseret Book is a sister company to the Deseret News, and both owned by the LDS Church.
Oaks: So loving one another despite the differences ... That that comes first especially in this subject where bullying and physical brutality have played a part—I hope never with latter-day saints. Verbal abuse, we hear a lot of reports of that and we just encourage that we struggle with this very real problem in an atmosphere of love.
'We know that there are challenges with the commandments of God—challenges to be worthy to enter His holy presence ... there is a place for everyone who wishes, regardless of their challenges, to be with us in the Church.' President Oaks adds, '... as leaders of His Church, we have the responsibility to teach love and also to teach the commandments of God and the high destination that He has prescribed for His children.'
Two documentaries set at the intersection of the gay community and Utah's Mormon-dominated culture will get big launches at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.
The documentary asserts that due to Utah's heavily religious culture, the Beehive State was slow to accept the reality of this national problem at home. According to the film, stigmas attached to AIDS victims and uncertainty and fear surrounding the nature of the illness left physicians unwilling to treat patients.
In Salt Lake City, Utah, the religious monoculture severely complicated the AIDS crisis, where patients received no support from—or were cast into exile by—the political, religious, and medical communities. Further, Mormon culture encouraged gay men to marry women and have a family to cure themselves of their "affliction," counsel which led to secret affairs and accidental marital transmissions of HIV. In the entire state and intermountain region there was only one doctor to serve all HIV/AIDS patients. This is the story of her fight to save the lives of a maligned population everyone else seemed willing to just let die.
The fear of contracting AIDS—at the time a savage and inevitable death sentence—was eclipsed for Mormons by the fear of being outed as homosexual in a context where the Church condemned homosexuality to the point of mothers disowning their children, and AIDS as God's vengeance on sinners.
Other voices include Kim Smith, a Mormon mother who lives with HIV .... The film explores the reaction to the AIDS crisis from Catholic nuns who worked as nurses at Holy Cross, as well as the institutional response by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
In Utah, the presence of HIV/AIDS deepened the fear and anxiety amongst residents, particularly those devoted to the Mormon faith. 'The religious monoculture severely complicated the AIDS crisis, where patients received no support from—or were cast into exile by—the political, religious, and medical communities,' states Quiet Heroes' website film synopsis. 'Further, Mormon culture encouraged gay men to marry women and have a family to cure themselves of their 'affliction,' counsel which led to secret affairs and accidental marital transmissions of HIV.'
Josh Weed came out to his LDS bishop for the first time when he was 16-years-old during the mid-1990s. He recalls his feelings being quickly dismissed as 'confusion' or 'admiration for other men.' From there he said he went to Family Services where he began undergoing reparative therapy. ... Today, [LDS] Family Services says it offers the following: 'We assist individuals and families as they respond to same-sex attraction. Our therapists do not provide what is commonly referred to as 'reparative therapy' or 'sexual orientation change efforts'.'
Addison Jenkins, who spoke at the first LGBT campus forum last year, said the school took a step forward Thursday by hosting the panel, the Salt Lake Tribune reported .
On Thursday afternoon, BYU hosted a school-sanctioned panel discussion, with more than 600 people spilling out into aisles and overflow rooms, featuring four gay and transgender students who were willing to frankly talk about their experiences.
'I was raised LDS right up the road from [Utah Eagle Forum director] Gayle Ruzicka,' he said. 'I left home at 15 and I also went on an LDS mission.'
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