They try to convince gay people that it’s in their best interests to be straight. In fact, they try to convince them that they’re already straight. (from “Ockham’s Razor”) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a gay problem. Specifically, the church has a plan for how to…
Category: Homosexuality
Because They Couldn’t Very Well Say “Sorry We Insisted You Waste All that Time and Money”
As pretty much everyone already knows, today the Supreme Court declared the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional and ruled that the private sponsors of Proposition 8 in California didn’t have the legal right to step in and appeal the ruling by a federal court that Prop 8 was unconstitutional when…
End of Exodus International: what does it mean?
The closure of Exodus International is good news. Unfortunately it’s not the end of “reparative therapy.” If we remember, reparative therapy these days is not really about attempting to change one’s sexual orientation. That is what it was up through the 1990s. Last year, even Exodus attempted to distance itself…
Real or pretend change? LDS Inc. on gay scouts…
If you haven’t heard, the LDS Church issued a statement on the policy change the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) is considering that would allow gay scouts – but no gay scout masters. Â The statement is a masterpiece of subtlety and nuance – it says everything without saying anything. Of…
The Social Psychology of Mormon Heteropatriarchy
Sometimes my own life corresponds to the current news cycle. There’s been a spat of conversations regarding how GOP in Congress are slowing coming out in support of gay marriage because they have gay children themselves. But then Mormon congresspeople are holding out with the idea: “Of course I love…
Mormon Trolls, Gorgons and Orcs, and Being Tired of Good People
Currently the most posted story in my Facebook feed is this excellent NY Times op-ed from Ta-Nehisi Coates, entitled “The Good, Racist People.” Coates uses the recent frisking of Oscar-winning actor Forest Whitaker as an opportunity to analyze the racism of “good” people: In modern America we believe racism to…
Utah State Legislature drafting Nondiscrimination Bill
The Utah State Legislature is currently drafting a bill for housing and employment nondiscrimination for LGBTs statewide after months of closed door discussions. Good, right? Well, here’s the scary part: one of the sticking points is whether churches as institutions should be exempt from the discrimination ban, or if adherents…
Bishop’s Guide to Same-sex Attraction posted, and then removed
Check out this cache of a Bishop’s Guide to Same-Sex Attraction that the Church posted and then took down. (Note: Link is no longer functional.) Such documents are useful because they give a snapshot of everyday policy and counseling advice that affects millions of lives. One can also get a…
A MESSAGE TO ALL HOMOPHOBIC PEOPLE AND A LETTER TO MY MOTHER
A MESSAGE TO ALL HOMOPHOBIC PEOPLE Another 17 year old boy named Jack Denton Reese committed suicide on April 22 in Mountain Green, Utah after being bullied for being feminine and/or gay, the day before his boyfriend Alex Smith spoke at a panel about the bullying Jack experienced. The panel…
A GAY PROCLAMATION TO THE WORLD FAMILY
The Proclamation of Robin Lee Johnson and his own life experience. I believe that all gay people are valid human beings who have the God given right to marry the person who they love and as long as they are monogamous and keep the law of chastity which they are…