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This is a timeline of LGBT Mormon history in the 21st 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 (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.
Evergreen International, Inc. was a 501(c)(3) non-profit 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". It adhered to Christian and particularly LDS teaching and supported the doctrines of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The organization stated this task could be accomplished with the help of the Lord and, in some cases, psychological counseling. Evergreen was founded in 1989 as a grassroots organization by men who were seeking to deal with their homosexual feelings in ways congruent to the teachings of the LDS Church.
The rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in the U.S. state of Utah have significantly evolved in the 21st century. Protective laws have become increasingly enacted since 2014, despite the state's reputation as socially conservative and highly religious. Same-sex marriage has been legal since the state's ban was ruled unconstitutional by federal courts in 2014. In addition, statewide anti-discrimination laws now cover sexual orientation and gender identity in employment and housing, and the use of conversion therapy on minors is prohibited. In spite of this, there are still a few differences between the treatment of LGBT people and the rest of the population.
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 is healthy, necessary, and ordained of God.
All homosexual or same-sex sexual activity is forbidden 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 all sexual relations outside an opposite-sex marriage, but all, including those participating in same-sex activity and relationships, are allowed to attend weekly church worship services. However, in order to receive church ordinances such as baptism, and to enter church temples, adherents are required to abstain from same-sex relations or any sexual activity outside a legal marriage between one man and one woman. Additionally, in the church's plan of salvation noncelibate gay and lesbian individuals will not be allowed in the top tier of heaven to receive exaltation unless they repent, and a heterosexual marriage is a requirement for exaltation. The church's policies and treatment of LGBT people has long been a source of controversy both within and outside the church. They have also been a significant cause of disagreement and disaffection by members.
The Church Educational System (CES) Honor Code is a set of standards by which students and faculty attending a school owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are required to live. The most widely known university that is part of the Church Educational System (CES) that has adopted the honor code is Brigham Young University (BYU), located in Provo, Utah. The standards are largely derived from codes of conduct of the LDS Church, and were not put into written form until the 1940s. Since then, they have undergone several changes. The CES Honor Code also applies for students attending BYU's sister schools Brigham Young University–Idaho, Brigham Young University–Hawaii, and LDS Business College.
Equality Utah is an American non-profit 501(c)(3) organization which is Utah's largest LGBT rights group based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The organization is a member of the Equality Federation.
North Star is an organization for believing LGBT Latter-day Saints. Its stated mission is to "provide a place of community for Latter-day Saints who experience homosexual attraction or gender identity incongruence, as well as their family, friends, and ecclesiastical leaders." It supports the teaching of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including the law of chastity, which prohibits sexual relationships outside of a legal marriage between one man and one woman. 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."
"To Young Men Only" is a sermon delivered by Latter-day Saint apostle Boyd K. Packer on October 2, 1976, at the priesthood session of the 146th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The sermon is addressed to young men of the Aaronic priesthood and discusses issues of human sexuality, puberty, and morality. From 1980 to 2016, the sermon was published as a pamphlet by the LDS Church. It has been criticized in several publications for allegedly encouraging violence against homosexuals. In 2016, the church discontinued the pamphlet.
Mormons Building Bridges is a decentralized grassroots group composed primarily of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who seek to improve the attitudes between members of the LDS Church and the LGBT community.
USGA is an organization for LGBT 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 there 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. Historically, experiences for BYU students identifying as LGBTQIA+ have included being banned from enrolling due to their romantic attractions in the 60s, being required by school administration to undergo electroshock and vomit aversion therapies in the 1970s, having nearly 80% of BYU students refusing to live with an openly homosexual person in a poll in the 1990s, and a ban on coming out until 2007. Until 2021 there were not any LGBTQIA+ - specific resources on campus, though there is now the Office of Student Success and Inclusion. BYU students are at risk of discipline and expulsion by the Honor Code Office for expressions of same-sex romantic feelings that go against the school's code of conduct such as same-sex dating, hugging, and kissing, for gender non-conforming dress, and students and faculty are still banned from meeting together in a queer-straight alliance group on campus.
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 Latter-day Saints in a U.S. state and the suicide rates of that State, surmising the reason was due to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' 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. Other studies have shown that LGBTQ Mormons and former Mormons experience higher rates of certain mental health disorders that are positively correlated with suicidality than the general population. One Snowball sampling study of 1,612 LGBT Mormon and former Mormon respondents in 2015 found that involvement with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and being single and celibate or engaging in a mixed-orientation marriage are both associated with higher rates of depression and a lower quality of life for LGBT individuals. A nonprobability sampling technique observed clinically significant symptoms of complex post-traumatic stress disorder related to religious beliefs and experiences at high rates among affiliated and disaffiliated LGBTQ Mormons in the study. Many have stated the belief that LDS teachings have contributed to the suicides of LGBTQ members. For example, LDS historian Gregory Prince stated that by condemning homosexuality as "evil, self-inflicted, and impossible in postmortal existence" LDS church leaders have enabled harsh behavior by its members with the alarming number of LDS LGBT homeless and Utah's highest per capita teen suicide rate in the country manifesting the effects of this cruelty. A prominent openly gay member Mitch Mayne wrote in 2012 that his LDS mother told him it would have been better for her if he had been born dead than gay.
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.
On many occasions spanning over a century, leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have taught that adherents should not masturbate as part of obedience to the code of conduct known as the law of chastity. The LDS Church places great emphasis on the law of chastity. Commitment to live the law of chastity is required for baptism, and adherence is required to receive a temple recommend, and is part of the temple endowment ceremony covenants devout participants promise by oath to keep. While serving as church president, Spencer W. Kimball taught that the law of chastity includes "masturbation ... and every hidden and secret sin and all unholy and impure thoughts and practices." Before serving full-time missions, young adults are required to abandon the practice as it is believed to be a gateway sin that dulls sensitivity to the guidance of the Holy Ghost. The first recorded public mention of masturbation by a general church leader to a broad audience was in 1952 by apostle J. Reuben Clark, and recent notable mentions include ones in 2013, 2016, and a 2019 update to the Missionary Handbook.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has always taught gender roles as an important part of their theology, however, leaders have only recently begun directly addressing gender diversity and the experiences of transgender, non-binary, intersex, and other individuals whose gender identity and expression differ from the norm.
This is a timeline of LGBT Mormon history in 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. The LDS Church's statements and actions have overwhelmingly focused on male homosexuality and rarely mention lesbianism or bisexuality. These current teachings and policies leave homosexual members with the option of potentially harmful attempts to change their sexual orientation, entering a mixed-orientation opposite-sex marriage, or living a celibate lifestyle without any sexual expression.
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.
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: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)In the year 2000 LDS Family Services surveyed 381 clients desiring change from homosexual thoughts, feelings and behavior. 72% reported 'significant progress' in therapy.
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: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)By October 25, ERN had collected just $35,077, while the CPM [Coalition for the Protection of Marriage] had raised another $865,931.41, most of which had come from Nevada Mormons, which it used to saturate the media with its message and to raise billboards across the state
But it was the Mormon Church that fueled the Question 2 campaign. The most effective way the church accomplished this was through direct solicitation, on church letterhead, of its members. One such letter from the Reno Stake Presidency read, "Prayerfully consider supporting this cause in one or more of the following ways: Campaign Worker/Volunteer, Yard Sign, Walk Neighborhoods, Contribution ..." The church also told its members to pick up yard signs as they left services, signs stockpiled outside the church or in nearby parking lots.
In fact, the members of the board—who include James O. Mason, Joe J. Christensen, Ardeth Kapp, and other prominent Latter-day Saints ....
Through the Hidden Treasures Foundation [Richard D.] Hawks said the church is opening some of its own resources that 'have been developed over the years but never used.' That information includes volumes of material produced for LDS Social Services and stored in a large library that has heretofore been accessible only to professionals dealing with mental illness ... Those and other materials are now being assembled for distribution via a Web site set up by the foundation—www.mentalhealthlibrary.info.
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: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)Foundation for Attraction Research was founded by Dennis V. Dahle, JD; A. Dean Byrd, PhD, MBA, MPH; and Shirley E. Cox, DSW, LCSW in 2005 for the purpose of developing resources and conducting research supportive of traditional Judeo-Christian standards of morality. ... The members of the Foundation's board of directors, all of whom served as editors of Understanding Same-Sex Attraction, follow: A. Dean Byrd, PhD, MBA, MPH; Shirley E. Cox, DSW, LCSW; Dennis V. Dahle, JD; Doris R. Dant, MS, MA; William C. Duncan, JD; John P. Livingstone, EdD; M. Gawain Wells, PhD
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: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)Instead, the authors of this book assert the unpopular opinion, backed by scientific research, that same-sex attraction can be lessened or eradicated in those who desire change and are willing to try. Readers who empathize with the Church's position on homosexuality will likely find hope and useful ideas in this five-hundred-page compilation ... Here essayists recount how they emerged from homosexual lifestyles to find satisfaction in rejoining the Church mainstream, some even finding success in heterosexual marriages ... As some professional and state organizations frown on therapists who believe in reorientation therapy—seeking to ban their practice, in some cases—this book fills a void.
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: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)If same-sex marriage is legalized on the principle of personal choice, there is no principled basis to deny those who want to call incestuous relationships 'marriages,' or polygamous relationships marriages, or polyamorous unions 'marriages.' ... In Massachusetts since same-sex marriage has been legalized there already have been numerous controversies about ... parents' rights to protect their children from exposure to gay propaganda. ... Although Elie Wiesel was one of the Jews who refused to believe the warnings [about the Nazis], yet he remembered gratefully Moishe's attempt to warn the people. ... We too must speak up and get involved. ... Unless we persuade them now of the dangers of legalizing same-sex marriage, then they will naively adopt laws and policies that will cause tragic consequences.
While many Latter-day Saints, through individual effort, the exercise of faith, and reliance upon the enabling power of the Atonement, overcome same-gender attraction in mortality, others may not be free of this challenge in this life. ... As we follow Heavenly Father's plan, our bodies, feelings, and desires will be perfected in the next life so that every one of God's children may find joy in a family consisting of a husband, a wife, and children.
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: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)Another instance of Mormon missionaries as emblems of opposition to same-sex marriage is a controversial television ad produced during the Proposition 8 debates by the Courage Campaign, an organization lobbying against the proposed ban on same-sex marriage. The ad depicts two young men in white shirts and ties knocking on the door of a suburban lesbian couple. ... The missionaries then muscle their way into the couple's home, confiscate their wedding rings, and rip up their marriage license.
Scott Trotter, a spokesman with the LDS Church, responded to the advertisement: 'The Church has joined a broad-based coalition in defense of traditional marriage. While we feel this is important to all of society, we have always emphasized that respect be given to those who feel differently on this issue. It is unfortunate that some who oppose this proposition have not given the Church this same courtesy.'
Rick Jacobs, founder of the Courage Campaign, presents the almost 17,000 signatures he gathered requesting that the Mormon Church stop funding and advocating passage of Proposition 8.
The Mormon church (just like most churches) is a cesspool of filth. It is a breeding ground for oppression of all sorts and needs to be confronted, attacked, subverted and destroyed.
Controversial Sen. Chris Buttars was stripped of his Senate committee posts not because he went on an anti-gay tirade in an interview with a documentary filmmaker but because the West Jordan Republican broke a deal with Senate leaders not to talk about gay issues.
Smugly, while comparing gay people to 'radical Muslims' who engage in 'pig-sex,' Senator Buttars told me that day on camera that gay marriage would never come to Utah because of his power and influence. With the Book of Mormon sitting atop his desk, Buttars bragged about his consulting with other states seeking to use Utah as a model for blocking so-called 'protection for the gays.' Next, we interviewed Utah's Eagle Forum leader, Gayle Ruzicka who was credited for keeping Buttars in office, with a steady flow of cash from anti-gay supporters she organized and activated. Ruzicka was equally prideful and confident that Utah was the model for the nation in the fight to keep gays in their place and assured us gay marriage would never come to 'Utah's Zion.'
Cowan is showing his documentary, "8: The Mormon Proposition," about the LDS Church's role in banning gay marriage in California, at the Sundance Film Festival. In it, Buttars rips the gay community as "probably the greatest threat to America." ... Regardless of what anyone was wearing, Cowan noted, it doesn't change what Buttars said. (He also called gays "the meanest buggers" and gay families "combinations of abominations.")
Chris Buttars, a proudly homophobic Utah state senator, compared male coupling to bestiality. The movie shows the depth of religion-based loathing of homosexuality, like that of abortion, to be primal.
"Most of what Senator Buttars said, I agree with," Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, said in a weekly Red Meat Radio program he hosts on K-TALK. 'We as a Senate caucus had an agreement that because Sen. Buttars had become such a lightning rod on this issue, he would not be the spokesman on this issue, and basically he violated that agreement.' Buttars was under fire for statements he made to a documentary filmmaker in which he compared homosexuals to radical Muslims, called them the greatest internal threat to America and said they had no morals.
Elder Nelson said that any attempt to expand the definition of marriage outside the traditional family 'weakens the institution of marriage as God defined it.'
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.'