Image: “Roscoe Considers Recording a Podcast” by zoomar is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0 Halloween brings honest queries on whether homosexuality is caused by possession; scholars track gay Mormons’ journeys and mental health Mormonland is packed with podcasts. Here’s a random sampling of my listens over the last fortnight.* Human…
The Coffee or the cup?
A couple of years ago, I ran across an invitation to the reception for a couple who were to be married in the Provo Temple. In the obligatory picture, the man stood stone-faced, dressed in the usual church attire, while his fiancé was grinning ear-to-ear, kicking up a stiletto heel,…
Performing Mormon womanhood
LuLaRoe, Judith Butler, the Family Proclamation, and our invisible Heavenly Mother In the 1990 book Gender Trouble, queer philosopher Judith Butler proposed that gender is not a fixed trait but one that must be constantly performed. Now she’s an academic superstar. But decades earlier, Mormons made a pretty penny perfecting…
Suicide ideation in non-straight Latter-day Saints: what hurts? What helps?
For National Suicide Prevention week, Main Street Plaza reviews a study of active and former Church members A team of researchers investigated whether active Latter-day Saints were different from inactive and former members in terms of how and how much they thought about suicide. Over 600 people identifying as sexual…
Bob Frankenstein and the threat to the church from its right
In the 1980s, three Mormon men “exercised unrighteous dominion” over me, which is a Mormon way of saying that they abused their authority to gratify their own egos and hurt someone else. Each of them did the same thing: they demanded that I sit in a room alone with them…
Elder Holland, consequences, and cruelty
On Monday Aug 23, the President of BYU announced an “office of belonging” to “combat prejudice of any kind.” Sexual orientation was specifically mentioned. That same day, Jeffrey Holland, former president of BYU and member of the Quorum of the Twelve, denounced “flag-waving” and “parade-holding” around “this same-sex challenge.” He…
Testimony
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Psychotherapy, Mormonism, and me
When I read advice for counseling Church members, I did not expect to see myself A while back, searching for something else, I came across an academic paper advising psychotherapists how to treat Mormon clients. I began reading the article, by Stephanie Lyon at the Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological…
Should I respect the way “the Church” wants to identify?
A while ago, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints put out this style guide, and I have to admit I find that almost every point falls somewhere on the spectrum from questionable to objectionable. I actually try to respect it as much as possible, but should I? I…
But Does She Still Go to Church?
Four years ago I ran across an old Mormon acquaintance on Facebook. I’d always liked this woman. Back in the day (1990’s) she’d seemed relatively open-minded. A quick glance at her wall suggested she was still one of the “good ones.” Fourteen years ago, I wouldn’t have considered reaching out…
Worthy to Enter vs Welcome to Enter
It will take more than policy changes to make the LDS Church a welcoming place Spend half an hour in the right sector of Twitter, and you’ll be besieged by hopes and dreams for the LDS Church to become more welcoming. If you want a good example of a welcoming…