I think this is the chapter that gets publishers on edge.
I have had such a steel focus for the audience to whom I was speaking in the other chapters in the book. This chapter vexes me. It is my dearest hope that we will recognize the groups of Latter-day Saints that feel as though they sit on the fringe of the gospel and bring them into the center in fellowship with those of us that have more traditional trials. I write this chapter for them and for us.
CHAPTER
6: GROUP 3 - Waiting for Further Light
and Knowledge
“They say a person
needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love,
something to do, and something to hope for.”
Tom
Bodett
There is a film I love called The
Imitation Game. It’s about Alan Turing, the man that invented a computer
during World War II, consequently cracking the enigma code and saving 14
million lives. At the end of the film, I was sobbing because of the way this war
hero had been treated in 1945. He had so obviously helped the allies win the
war.
At the end of the film, the epilogue
explains that this brilliant scientist had eventually taken his own life;
undoubtedly, it was implied, because in Britain at the time homosexuality was
against the law and he had been convicted of gross indecency for it and
sentenced to prison. However, he opted for chemical castration rather than imprisonment
so that he could continue his work. While suffering this indignity, he could
not think, could not focus on his cutting-edge computer science work and
consequently died just a year into his “sentence” – at his own hand.
On our way out of the movie I
overheard a woman say to her husband, “it was such a good movie, except why did
they have to put in all that [stuff] about him being gay?” I nearly turned to
chew on her - but - I didn’t. I wondered
why the postlude at the end of the movie didn’t make her cry too.
I obviously belong to a religion
that struggles with these heightened “modern sensibilities” (a phrase I have
been using lately.) As of January 2020, there are between 71-74 countries in
the world in which homosexuality is still against their laws. 12 of those will
still punish you to your death if you are caught in a homosexual relationship.
Years ago, I was asked by one of my
beloved children (a student) one day “Do you hate me because I’m gay? To which
I responded, “Do you hate me because I’m Mormon?” He helped me understand that
he would always be gay, and I helped him understand that I would always be a
Latter-day Saint. We both decided we loved each other and maintain a priceless
relationship to this day.
I want to write about my perception
of the LGBTQ+ community and how they absolutely fit into God’s kingdom. Ok? Can
you mainstreamers keep reading even if you believe this precious group of our
brothers and sisters is just choosing sin? I hope you can. And if you are part
of the LGBTQ+ community, can you keep reading with faith that there is a place
for you in God’s kingdom and that you are a beloved child of heavenly parents
that need you to make and keep covenants to return to Them? I believe it. I
know it will be a journey that only you and your Heavenly Parents can go
through together. We’ll talk about the sanctity and privacy of that journey
later…
But...let’s begin.
One of the hardest things about
being single in the LDS church is that we are asked to be celibate until we're
married.
That's right. Celibate. I said. Not
Celebrate. Contrary to what some people think about us we celebrate everything.
Ha! This is c.e.l.i.b.a.t.e. until we are married legally.
Usually, the word celibate is
connected to Catholic priests and nuns and followed by "those poor men and
women...what a sacrifice they make, their whole lives." And there is some
kind of revered holiness surrounding that decision that we feel for them. Some
kind of pedestal. Right?
Except when I think of Catholic nuns
I think of the Nunsense series of musicals by Dan Goggin and I instantly crave
donning my habit to "sing out Louise!" I've got the best memories of
playing Sister Robert Anne in Utah county theatres. Has it been four or five
times? I've forgotten. That horribly hot costume with 5 layers of black and
white. The penguin jokes. The tap shoes, the Bingo games with the audience and
the CTR ring prizes (Catholics Totally Rule). Obviously, I
chose the musical theatre path and not a convent.
But from age 18 to age 41 it felt
like it nonetheless.
I digress.
Let me quote this before I go on,
this is something I truly believe:
“It
is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to
remember that the dullest most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be
a creature which, if you say it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship,
or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a
nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree helping each other to one or the
other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming
possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that
we should conduct all of our dealings with one another, all friendships, all
loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never
talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations - These are
mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals
whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit - immortal horrors or
everlasting splendors.”[1]
So many of my spiritual brothers and
sisters are struggling to live in the Church of Jesus Christ as single celibate
Latter-day Saints. My single friends that are holding to the iron rod of the
gospel come in several categories and there aren’t just the four we are talking
about here in this book. All of them are potential Gods and Goddesses.
See, I can name two dozen female
friends over 30, and a hundred more over 20, off the top of my head that are
living celibate lives as they believe to be commanded by God to do so. I have a few celibate male friends that are open gay Saints “fighting the fight” as we straight
Saints like to say (white-knuckling the iron rod with an eye single to the
glory of God.) Heaven bless them. I pray for them every day because I remember
how hard it was for me all those years. I used to be SOOOO BUGGED that we
seemed to have more empathy for them than we do for the single sisters in our
church that are celibate as well and have been for decades and decades. I just couldn’t figure out why we felt so
badly for those LGBTQ+ and kept telling the single ladies “in due time…in due
time.” Don't worry - keep reading. I'm not an idiot.
I used to say “I’m celibate too!
I’ve been celibate for 40 years and I’m probably going to be celibate for 40
more because God has asked us to be!!” Have you ever said that? Yeah, I used to
say that and only that. Shame on me.
It used to seem like that was the answer. Don’t stop reading now…my enlightenment is
coming up.
In my mind, whether or not the LDS
church would allow gay Latter-day Saints in its doors has never been an issue
for me. Half the men that sang at my mission farewell were gay returned missionaries.
The intensity of same-sex attraction is not a
measure of your faithfulness. Let me say that again: The intensity of same-sex
attraction is not a measure of your faithfulness. I know a few openly
gay men that still go to church, still pay their tithing, still pray for the
answers like we all do. But so many of them are no longer on a covenant path
and have fallen away because it is so difficult for so many reasons. Before my
personal enlightenment, the issue was only
about celibacy...
And waiting for further light and
knowledge from the Lord. Right? In my simple mind I would say “Hey, we’re all
asked to be celibate if we aren’t married. Deal with it! But it’s not that
simple. Here’s what all the hullabaloo is about:
My straight friends search with hope
which increases faith and my gay friends just…w.a.i.t. for further light and
knowledge.
The single Latter-day Saint uses the
hope they have to be sealed in the temple and have children one day. But the single, gay, Latter-day
Saint must wait for… for Christ to come? The gay Latter-day Saint certainly
doesn’t wait for his/her homosexual feelings to go away as some LDS people
still think is possible. IT’S NOT POSSIBLE. In a heartbreaking talk with one
of my students, he told me he can’t remember a time in his life when he didn’t
look at boys differently from girls. He remembers drawing pictures of his
wedding in Fourth Grade with him and another boy from his class standing in
front of the Salt Lake Temple, hand in hand. He also remembers the very minute
he was told that wasn’t going to happen for him. I wished I could wrap my arms
around him ten times as he brought me into his humble heart to feel the ache he
was enduring.
I’ve waited patiently and prayed for
further light and knowledge for this boy since, and ALL the kids that have
trusted me with these kinds of conversations I call “dress rehearsals” for the
moment they will come out to their real parents. I’ve seen this particular boy
struggle with patience, give up, come back to the gospel only to leave again in
even deeper hurt. I’ve heard his sweet testimony of the restored church right,
right before they say “My love of God and His gospel prevents me from loving
myself.”
Wait...did you hear that? Read it
again. I’ll wait.
“My love of God and His gospel,
prevents me from loving myself.”
Can you see why there are tears of a
different kind, patience to a different extent, sorrow on a different level,
and the need for faith of a different magnitude? Can you see why the numbers of
faithful single gay Saints in the church are so small? Can you see why they cry
out in pain?
Can you see why they need our love
and support more than ever and not our shunning and banishment? They
aren’t building faith on the same level as the rest of us. We are
asking them to be a.l.o.n.e. for the rest of their lives in order to
demonstrate their obedience. I laud them for their strength of heart and
conviction. I see it every day. Though I have been friends and have taught
dozens of amazing people that struggle with their decision to come out, I still
have no idea the depth of that loneliness.
I too am waiting for further light and knowledge on their behalf. It is
a struggle for me. It is a weapon that Satan uses on me. I have a hard time
keeping my armor on when my sweet kids, my students that are so confused, reach
out to me for understanding.
As a faithful Latter-day Saint who
lives and works in a world populated heavily with homosexual men, I have been
asked to write about this more than once. I have always said, passively, “it’s
none of my business.” How could I do it without offending my beloved gay
friends or broaching my own testimony of the living prophets who have said that
homosexuality is a trial and a temptation that must be endured and not acted
upon?
What would Jesus do?
Because that’s what I should do.
In one of Thomas S. Monson’s April
Conference talks entitled “Love - The
Essence of the Gospel,” he says:
My beloved brothers and sisters,
when our Savior ministered among men, He was asked by the inquiring lawyer,
“Master, which is the great commandment in the law?” Matthew records that Jesus
responded:
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the
first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love
thy neighbor as thyself.”
Mark concludes the account with the
Savior’s statement: “There is none other commandment greater than these.”
We
cannot truly love God if we do not love our fellow travelers on this mortal
journey. Likewise, we cannot fully love our fellowmen if we do not
love God, the Father of us all.
The Apostle John tells us, “This commandment have we from him, That he who
loveth God love his brother also.” We are all spirit children of our Heavenly
Father and, as such, are brothers and sisters. As we keep this truth in mind,
loving all of God’s children will become easier.
I would hope that we would strive
always to be considerate and to be sensitive to the thoughts and feelings and
circumstances of those around us. Let us not demean or belittle. Rather, let us
be compassionate and encouraging. We must be careful that we do not destroy
another person’s confidence through careless words or actions.
Forgiveness should go hand in hand
with love. In our families, as well as with our friends, there can be hurt
feelings and disagreements. Again, it doesn’t really matter how small the issue
was. It cannot and should not be left to canker, to fester, and ultimately to
destroy. Blame keeps wounds open. Only forgiveness heals."[2]
My brothers and sisters that feel
isolated from the church you love…I’m sorry that is your experience and you
have obviously been treated badly by people that call themselves Latter-day
Saints. They are ignorant, ill-advised and the doors of their heart are tightly
shut. They act in a way not organically born of the gospel principles because
they obviously don’t embrace the gospel principles. They aren’t listening to
President Monson. I don’t know where they get their information. A similar case
in point, my mother-in-law is from Australia and she converted when she was 19.
She married an LDS boy and his very LDS mother told her that she (my
mother-in-law) would never have the opportunity to reach the highest degree of
heaven because that was only reserved for those that grew up in Utah.
WHAAAT?!?! I nearly died when I first heard that. In my naiveté, I guess I
thought everyone in the church was on the same page. We strive for that of
course. I hope someone is teaching her the truth right now, God rest her soul.
I have a student RIGHT NOW that was
put into the foster care system because he came out to his LDS parents as a
homosexual. This is the story as I heard it from the parents. I also know of a
person that won’t take the sacrament from a certain young priesthood holder.
You know when your children need you most? WHEN THEY FEEL THE MOST UNLOVED. We,
as parents, are not to be the source of our children’s self-loathing. That stuff isn’t right.
It's just not right.
But let’s flip that coin.
I hear and read social media posts
all the time from bitter former members of the church that are absolutely vitriolic
about the LDS Church’s stance on…whatever it is…the family
proclamation, baptizing the children of gay parents, women holding the
Priesthood, etc… Both camps that are waving the flags of these issues must
remember LOVE. Love is the very essence of Godliness.
Please know that we aren’t all like
that. Please know that we don’t all live in that little bubble. Also know, from
my point of view, you won’t convince the LDS church to change its policies with
your badgering or your civil disobedience and negative posts on social media.
The people reading your posts already love you. We just wonder why you would
offend us, when we are trying so hard to love you? (I speak only to a few of
you – just as there are a few ridiculous Latter-day Saints out there too.) I
get really tired of the posts that begin “Mormon church..blah, blah, blah…
hates the gays….hates women…blah, blah, blah…No one is going to get anywhere screaming
hate in any direction.
Can’t we all just be like Jesus? And
if you aren’t a Christian anymore, you can still be like Jesus. Ha! He is such
a good guy. Ethics exist even if they aren’t religiously based. Right? That’s
what the LGBTQ+ community is always telling me.
STILL - the evidence is so clear,
so...evident! For those of us that live in a bubble and think the abuse and
bullying doesn’t exist anymore, please read this quote from Brother Mitch Mayne:
“My world was full of people who
weren’t shy about telling me how to live my life — and on any given day, I
couldn’t be Mormon enough for my Latter-day Saint family and friends, and I
couldn’t be gay enough for my LGBT community. I felt like a man with a foot in
two worlds, but I didn’t fully belong in either. No matter which one I chose, I
still lost part of myself.
But today that’s different. Today,
when someone tells me, “You can’t be both gay and Mormon,” I gently reply,
“Watch me. I do it every day.”
And I am not alone.
Today, there are thousands — perhaps
tens of thousands — of LGBT Mormons like me throughout the world, and we claim
both our religious roots and our orientation without apology. We don’t view
ourselves as “broken and suffering,” the way many inside Mormonism see us.
Instead, we have come to realize that the only thing “broken” about us is the
way we were taught to understand ourselves in relation to God and our fellow
humans; and any “suffering” we have experienced has come largely at the hands
of our brothers and sisters inside the Mormon church…”[3]
Now I realize that the next evidence
is three years old, but the study group is large and, I think, very important!
Back in 2016, the Journal of GLBT Family Studies published a survey of 587
Latter-day Saints that identified as a member of this community. “The purpose
of the study was to evaluate patterns of family support and rejection in a
large sample and links between psychosocial health and family acceptance.” [4] The
question that fascinated me was how
their families reacted to them when they came out as same-sex oriented. They
found that they could divide all 587 answers into 5 dominant reaction
categories. 1) Hostility and violence, 2) Conscience -stricken, 3) Avoidance,
4) Conditional Positivity and 5) Positive Affirmation. Of the 587 answers, I am
just going to give a sampling of the group.
In the group that reacted with
hostility the answers include:
●
Severe rejection, hostility and name
calling by parents
●
Violent acts
●
“You will be the reason we are not
an eternal family”
●
“They gave me one hour to pack my
things and leave.”
In the group that was “conscience
-stricken” the answers include:
●
Strong feelings of guilt. Parents
asked “what did we do wrong?”
●
“My mom was embarrassed by me.”
●
“My mom blamed herself.”
In the group of “avoidance,” (the largest group) the answers include:
●
Strong belief in change.
●
Significant embracing of myths
●
Placed blame outside of the child
●
Parents distanced themselves from
the child
In the group of “conditional positivity” the answers include:
●
Encouraging and researching “cures”
●
Conditional support as long as the
child never acts on a relationship
●
“Reassured me that they still love
me but they can’t support me if I ever act on my orientation.”
And finally, in the group of
“positive affirmation” the answers include:
●
Siblings were more likely to have
positive affirmation than parents
●
“My family was thrilled and thought
that I would be happier…”
●
My parents were extremely supportive
and told me that they would always love me and stand behind me regardless of
how I choose to approach my homosexuality.”
Of the reaction categories, I was
glad to see that extreme hostility was not common, but it was there. Shame and
ignorance seemed to share the spotlight. It was a fascinating study of people
trying so hard to move with the times as the light on our LGBTQ brothers and
sisters gets brighter. We must increase the positive light. We must live the first great commandment to
love our neighbor.
What Jesus would do…are you with
me?!
1.
Let’s stop judging each other. Your relationship with your Heavenly Parents is
private and no one is allowed in but you - why should it be different for
anyone?
We all have but one “judge in
Israel.” If we open our hearts to someone different than ourselves, we will
begin to feel the kind of Christ-like love the Savior has for us. He doesn’t
choose who to love. We must strive to remember the mote in our own eyes.
We are in no position to say who has
God-like potential and who doesn’t. We all do. By shutting off our superiority
complex we can be a force for good. We do the opposite and all we’re doing is
shattering the first and second great commandments.
2.
Be sincerely understanding and connected to every child of God no matter their
sexuality. Avoid avoidance!
Well - I hate to be the bearer of
honesty, but I will tell you this loud and clear: thanks to the hard work of
their loving brothers and sisters that have gone before them, the new
generation of our gay brothers and sisters, even the kids that I teach every
day, are not afraid of who they are. They have decided that it is much easier
to go through school by living their authentic selves. I used to pray and pray
and worry and pray for my students that were still “in the closet” that they
would stay there until after they graduated from high school just for their
safety’s sake. I was wrong. They are strong and modern. They are O.U.T. and
they need us to sincerely understand and connect to them without bias or
prejudice in any way. THEY NEED OUR LOVE. Their sexuality does not define them
any more than mine defines me. Social rejection is one of the worst things we
can be part of - I will talk about that later. DO NOT REJECT THEM.
I read an article on social media
about a member of a congregation that would not take the sacrament from a
teenage boy that professed to be gay. Wow. If I was that boy, I would run so
far and so fast. The fact that he is in church at all should be what we are
celebrating.
I watched a video on LDS.org called
Tonya's Story. Let me tell you - I learned so much from Tonya! One thing stood
out to me as a light in my darkness. She said "He (her gay son) will work
out the details of his mission here on earth with his Heavenly Father and we’re
here (she and her husband) to just support and love him day by day.” Did we
hear that?! Same-sex attraction, as a proportion of any person’s mission here
on earth, is only between THAT person and GOD. Thank you, Tonya.[5] ONLY
BETWEEN THAT PERSON AND GOD.
3.
Do not despair! Be patient. We will understand all of this in God’s time. This is for everyone! Remember: God will not be pushed from
behind! Time is a human convention, not a godly one. The longer we are patient
the more our understanding will increase. Take a deep breath and leave this
hard stuff to God. Quit worrying about it out loud (I’m talking to you, Lady at
the Theatre) and use your energy to serve, love and learn.
Despair is real. I’ve seen both
parents and their gay children living through it at the same time. Remember
that ever blessing made possible through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the
Plan of Happiness is accessible to everyone. Despair leads to impatience. Trust
the Lord. Don’t blame God for anything you don’t understand in this life. Let’s
be patient together in love! It might sound so trite - but it’s everything!
I’ve no doubt that one day the windows of heaven will open and we will all know
the great and glorious plan of God in its entirety. I CAN’T WAIT! Oh, wait…. yes I can. I will.
4.
In the meanwhile, let’s stop trying to change to each other!
This is a little tricky because in
the LDS church we teach each other. We don’t have a paid clergy with advanced
degrees in Theology teaching us every Sunday.
As a result of this, I have heard
all of the following things more than once:
a. “This could be fixed if they just
married a woman (or man if they are a Lesbian), they would eventually learn to
love her/him.”
Inside Jan’s mind: And eventually, they will destroy their spouses (and children’s) life. Yep. I’ve seen that
storyline so many times that it hurts just thinking about it. Great if they
choose that path on their own, but that is not an agenda we should be pushing.
All humans deserve intimate love.
b. “Isn’t there some kind of therapy
that will take the gay away?”
Sigh. I’ve heard the horror stories
up close. I have cried in rage at the funeral of a student that simply decided
he wasn’t going to go through the treatments anymore. There are still 70+
countries in which homosexuality is still illegal, and I’m betting they have
tried every degrading, inhumane therapy there is to “solve” the problem and
guess what? When we try to “fix” anyone we are telling them that they aren’t
good enough for us, or for God.
c. “They don’t know what they’re
missing!”
GAH! They would probably say the same thing to us.
d. “If they pray hard and long
enough, their temptations will go away.”
See #B above. Sexuality itself isn’t
a temptation. It’s part of your hormonal makeup. What I have learned from my
students is that they didn’t learn it, pursue it or contract it. It was always
there. Case in point – I once had a student that was cast as a leading man in a
musical I was directing. He was distraught and pulled me into my office to ask
me if I could re-block the stage kiss somehow. He was having such anxiety about
kissing a woman. He asked me, “What if I asked you to kiss a woman on stage?” I
couldn’t deny I would be fraught with anxiety as well. But his plight made it
real for me. I answered him with a question in return “why did you audition if
you knew what was ahead?” He said he hoped he could talk me out of it when it
was too late to re-cast it. Stupid kid. We both learned a lot that day.
5. Love unconditionally as Jesus would. What are
we afraid of? We all know better!
From John the Beloved:
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth
out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in
love. We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he
is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he
love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from
him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.[6]
According to the Utah State Suicide
Prevention Plan for 2017-2021, “Gay and transgender teens who were highly
rejected by their parents and caregivers were more than eight times more likely
to attempt suicide compared with gay and transgender teens who were only
rejected a little by their parents and caregivers.”[7] Eight
times!
6. This is for everybody! Be sure to charge your spiritual battery by spending
quality time in sacred places. No one cares more than your Father in Heaven.
I am willing to bet my life that
Heavenly Father will soon bring his beloved LGBTQ children a multitude of
answers and exquisite blessings as a reward for their patience.
For my LGBTQ brothers and sister out
there that might be reading: I survived my celibacy because I knew my
relationship with God was more important. I knew I had made promises to Him and
I wanted to honor those covenants. Could I do that my whole life? Let’s pretend
I didn’t marry the world’s greatest man. I’m very competitive with myself. I
would want to meet that challenge considering the things I have been promised
that lie ahead of me if I can endure to the end. I love a big trophy, after
all. But...MY WHOLE LIFE? I can’t even
answer that honestly because now I am married. All I can do is layout unconditional love for you, my friends and
students, that must navigate life, love and church using that special compass.
Mine is a very small perspective, and again, I'm no expert. Because of the
nature of my art and my job, I have had an overwhelming opportunity to get to
know and love the LGBTQ community. I pray every day that we as a nation and a
religion will honor your challenge with love and understanding.
EVERYBODY - Until we are given
further light and knowledge, we must give everything and everyone the patience
that God gives us.
Recipe
for Chapter 6 -
Emergency! You need something sweet,
but not too...and you have all that left-over buttercream from the recipe in
chapter 4... but you don’t want to drag out ingredients. If I drag out all the
ingredients then I will not stop at just a single serving. I don’t need to add
that self-destructive feeling to my day either.
What to do?
Don’t worry I got you. Cake mix and
microwave to the rescue!
Chocolate
“Lava” Cake in a Mug (for One)
¼ cup of your favorite chocolate
cake mix
3 T oil or (2 T oil and 2 T sour cream!)
3 T milk
Some chocolate chips, nuts,
sprinkles and a couple of mini marshmallows (optional)
In a regular-sized mug, START with
the oil and combine first three ingredients. (If you add the oil first, it
won’t stick to the sides quite as easily.)
Bake in the microwave for 75 - 90
seconds - not more! There is no egg in this recipe and if you go more than 90
seconds you will burn it. All that work for nothing!
Add a scoop of ice cream to the end
product? Yes, please!
Homework
Assignment for Chapter 6
I made a wedding cake for a gay
couple a few months ago. When I showed the picture to my family, a few of them
surprised me by saying “wait...is that legal in Utah?” (Sorry fam! I gave you
away). My parents have welcomed all of my friends into their home for decades.
I’m so grateful for their openness of heart. My families house has always had a
revolving door for everyone, still, we can all use a little education to expand
our love for each other.
Let’s take a quiz! What is your
basic knowledge of the LDS LGBTQ community? The following are statements taken
directly from the LDS Church website
“MormonandGay.churchofjesuschrist.org”
and the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah.
True or False? (1 point per each correct answer)
- TRUE FALSE The
intensity of same-sex attraction is not a measure of your
faithfulness.
- TRUE FALSE A
change in attraction cannot be expected or demanded as an outcome by
parents or leaders.
- TRUE FALSE As
a parent (or friend/relative) the least productive prayer is “why?”
closely followed by “please take this away right now.”
- TRUE FALSE Since
2003, transgender persons can change their legal gender without surgery
- TRUE FALSE As
Church members, we all have a responsibility to create a supportive and
loving environment for all our brothers and sisters.
- TRUE FALSE Same-sex
attraction (SSA) refers to emotional, physical, romantic, or sexual
attraction to a person of the same gender.
- TRUE FALSE Same
sex marriage has been legal in Utah since 2014
- TRUE FALSE People
with same-sex attraction can hold church callings.
- TRUE FALSE You
are not to blame yourself for your child’s same-sex attraction.
- TRUE FALSE Same sex attraction is no one’s fault.
Your final score? Here is some additional reading material if you are interested!
- “That We May be One” by Tom
Christofferson. At the very least you will be uplifted by a families
unconditional love for their son.
2. Everyone in the church should go
to https://mormonandgay.churchofjesuschrist.org and watch the videos and read the information provided for
all of us.
Answers
to Quiz: They are all TRUE.
[1] C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory
[2] “Love is the
Essence of the Gospel,” President Thomas S. Monson, Ensign, May 2014
[4] Journal of
GLBT Family Studies, A Mixed Methods Analysis, Mattingly, et.al, Vol. 12, 2016
[5] “Refusing to
Choose,” Mitch Mayne, Huff Post, September 15, 2016
[6] 1 John 4:18-21
[7] Caitlin Ryan, Family Acceptance Project
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