By Gretta Whalen (this will be cross-posted today to her blog sayitwithasmirk.blogspot.com) This is a private message I sent to a friend’s friend on Facebook at his request. The thread was pretty Mormon-y, and so is my response. The context: you…
Category: Allies
My Little Brother’s Mission
By Sam Clayton (originally posted to his blog http://carnivalsofaffection.wordpress.com/) My little brother Emmett was recently denied his wish to serve a 2-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormon Church), because he revealed that he could…
Pain and Healing Form a Woman’s Perspective
Gretta Whalen is a graduate student, writing tutor, and Young Women advisor in Los Angeles. When she finishes her thesis on Religion, Boredom, and Modernity, she hopes to watch a lot more television. Full disclosure: I am a Sunday School…
Brother Kloosterman Goes To Springfield
On Wednesday February 6th, I had the honor of being asked by Equality Illinois to attend a press conference and stand with clergy and faith leaders who support marriage equality in Illinois. Although I am no longer a…
Lessons from MLK for the Mormon LGBT Advocate – Part 2: Realizing Success
This is the second half of a meditation on Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter From the Birmingham Jail” with an eye toward lessons that are relevant for Mormons engaged in supporting LGBT causes. In Part 1 of this discussion, we…
Lessons from MLK for the Mormon LGBT Advocate – Part 1: Cleansing the Inner Vessel
In his second inaugural address two weeks ago, President Obama alluded to the Declaration of Independence and connected several major civil rights struggles in American history. He said, “We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths –…
Why me? Why now?
I get lots of questions along the lines of, “What made you – a heterosexual, LDS-since-forever, woman/wife/mother – become an activist for LGBT rights/same-sex marriage?” The short answer is: I could not live with myself if I weren’t doing this,…
The Catalyst
I am the father of a young gay son. I am also a lifelong member of the LDS Church, a temple recommend holder and the Elder’s Quorum President in my ward. Having been thrown into the teeth of one of…
Homosexuality, Mormonism, and Me
Micah Nickolaisen is a photographer and active, faithful Latter-Day Saint living in Chandler, Arizona. You can read more of his thoughts and story at FaithfulHeretic.com. Micah also manages and hosts the new Open Stories Foundation podcast A Thoughtful Faith I’m…
Epiphany
“I must admit that I have gone through those moments when I was greatly disappointed with the church and what it has done in this period of social change.” —Martin Luther King, Jr., “Social Justice and the Emerging New Age…