Mormons and Gays

The LDS Church once again made headlines during the latter part of 2012, this time due to their website called Mormons and Gays.

The optimist in me acknowledges that this is a step in the right direction. The church is basically saying that they will no longer excommunicate you or banish you simply for being homosexual. Most importantly, they are acknowledging that homosexuality is not a choice; rather, it’s something that you are born with. The church is also advising members of its community to accept homosexuals and not to shun them or turn them away.

Unfortunately, the church is still unwilling to accept that homosexuals are people. I say that because the church is still forcing homosexual members to jump through unreasonable, often cruel, hoops in order to maintain their position in the LDS community.

Is it too dramatic to use the term cruel? I don’t think so, especially when you consider some of the conditions set in place for homosexual members of the LDS church. So, it’s okay to be homosexual. Same-sex attraction is, in itself, not a sin. Acting on it, however, is a sin, and will get you excommunicated from the LDS church. Essentially, in order to maintain a position in the church and within the LDS community, a homosexual Mormon is asked to live a life of solitude and loneliness, never knowing the warmth of a loving partner or children. To me, that is saying that God created you as a homosexual as a sort of “trial by fire”, something you must overcome and shun for the remainder of your natural life. I simply can’t agree with that harmful point of view.

A lot of folks argue that this effort on the part of the LDS church might lead to a reduction in the suicide rate among young, gay Mormons- particularly young, gay Mormon men. If you were previously unaware, the LDS church has been murdering young, gay members of their church for quite some time now. I use the term “murder” because essentially it’s no different from the bullies who hound someone until they take their own lives out of loneliness and despair. You are bullied, shunned, hated, and rarely even tolerated; it takes an extraordinary amount of cruelty to place a young man or woman in that position of isolation and hopelessness, a position in which suicide seems like the only viable option for escape. It also takes an extraordinary amount of cowardice to turn around and utilize your God as justification for your actions. For the life of me, I just can’t believe in, or even comprehend the idea of, a God who is that hateful towards their own creations. So, while there may be a slight reduction in the overall number of suicides (or suicide attempts) among young, gay Mormons, I don’t think the statistics will be all that impressive. However you may look at it, you are still denying someone the opportunity to pursue a life of happiness and true fulfillment. You are still forcing someone to think and behave in a manner that pleases others, regardless of their own wants and needs as an individual. This is a recipe for depression, and left untreated, we all know how depression can end.

I choose to live a spiritual life, to forever pursue knowledge, and to give as much back to my community as possible. I choose to nurture a healthy, happy marriage with my partner and to raise children with a strong work ethic and sense of justice.

I will not live a life of solitude simply because one group's interpretation of God deems it necessary.