By Emric and Melanie Delton (written shortly after the September 2014 Affirmation Conference in SLC) Emric: I did not know what it meant to be an LGBT person in an LDS environment. I did not know the anguish and struggle…
Category: Activism
Lessons Learned: Going Back To Church After Transition
The last two Sundays were the first time I had been to church in 5-6 months, mostly because I feared going. The last time I had gone, I was wearing a suit and tie. Last week, I showed up to…
A Prayer for the Recent Gathering of the Eagle Forum in Utah!
By Jim Birrell Dear God, as the Eagle Forum gathers today, to incite one another from fear and to both sharpen and target their talons for (and at) their enemies—which they will assert are your enemies, too—help them, oh God,…
Letting
Recently, I reconnected with an old friend from the ward I grew up in. He was a year ahead of me in the youth program. We are both gay. We began our conversation via Facebook messaging. But I sensed a…
Coming Out as Families in Utah
Alongside dropping temperatures across much of the country, on Monday morning we also felt the U.S. Supreme Court’s stay of same-sex marriages in Utah blow a chill across the jubilation of the last two and a half weeks. While supporters…
Your cause is just, but I can do nothing for you
There is a particular story in our early church history that isn’t very well-known, but has greatly occupied my thoughts as of late. I see many correlations in this story between the early Saints and the current LDS LGBT community. …
Timeline of Mormon Thinking About Homosexuality
By Seth Anderson (also published in RationalFaiths.com) Mormonism’s understanding of homosexuality shifts over time from quiet disapproval to intense institutionalized homophobia by the mid-20th century. The common theme that runs throughout Mormonism’s treatment of homosexuality is what I call “other…
Religious Freedom Not at Stake
By Sam Wolfe (also published at Affirmation.org) This week could see the resolution of decades of battles over marriage equality in Hawaii. The legislative votes appear sufficient for passage of the Hawaii Marriage Equality Act, and the governor is poised…
Some Easy Ways Anybody Can Contribute to Helping LGBT Mormons
By Sherri Park Many think we are utterly powerless to change the situation of LGBT people in the church. I don’t think so. Here is what my husband and I are doing to change this situation: 1. We support the…
Homeless Youth in Utah
By Marian Edmonds (originally published at rationalfaiths.com) I am often asked if there is any way to help homeless youth. “Yes, please,” I usually say, “they need clean socks, new underwear. When it is cold, they need handwarmers. They also need…