Gay Mormon calls on church for acceptance
Coming from a gay man in a church whose members are, for the most part, conservative, my announcement will surely cause discomfort among many because of the tension that exists between science and religious policy on this issue.
My predicament is not unique in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. By some estimates there are as many as 500,000 gay Mormons. For us, the church has erected a crippling series of obstacles which have driven many gay Mormons to suicide. Utah has the highest rate of suicides among males age 15-24. Hardest hit by church policies are younger gay Mormon men who have had to create “anti-suicide pacts” to help each other live until they can eventually cope with a church that denies them life-affirming relationships. Many of us are living a life of closeted denial and secrecy as our leaders and fellow members compare our “condition” to Down syndrome, autism, alcoholism or drug addiction.
After being in denial my whole life — denial which was encouraged by a policy that I consider unfair, a policy of a church I have loved and served — I am now allowing myself to be free, and to be me. It is my prayer that my church will move quickly toward that day when its policies will change.
My predicament is not unique in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. By some estimates there are as many as 500,000 gay Mormons. For us, the church has erected a crippling series of obstacles which have driven many gay Mormons to suicide. Utah has the highest rate of suicides among males age 15-24. Hardest hit by church policies are younger gay Mormon men who have had to create “anti-suicide pacts” to help each other live until they can eventually cope with a church that denies them life-affirming relationships. Many of us are living a life of closeted denial and secrecy as our leaders and fellow members compare our “condition” to Down syndrome, autism, alcoholism or drug addiction.
After being in denial my whole life — denial which was encouraged by a policy that I consider unfair, a policy of a church I have loved and served — I am now allowing myself to be free, and to be me. It is my prayer that my church will move quickly toward that day when its policies will change.
Comments