Those who experience same-sex attraction or identify as gay can fully participate in the Church. As a Church policy says, “If members feel same-sex attraction and are striving to live the law of chastity, leaders support and encourage them in their resolve. All homosexual sexual activity is condemned as sinful by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in its law of chastity, and the church teaches that God does not approve of same-sex marriage.
[1][2] Adherents who participate in same-sex sexual behavior may face church discipline. We affirm that those who avail themselves of laws or court rulings authorizing same-sex marriage should not be treated disrespectfully. The gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us to love and treat all people with kindness and civility—even when we disagree.
Mormon Millennials: What Do They Think of LGBT Folks? If there is any hope regarding the Mormon church’s seemingly inherent homophobia, it lies with millennials and younger. Over half of Mormon millennials are in favor of same-sex unions and marriage. That’s according to the book The Next Mormons by religious studies scholar Jana Riess. Mormon doctrine declares homosexual activity a sin not because it is bigoted and old fashioned, but because the practice of homosexuality frustrates the eternal purpose of the family.
The abundance of pride flags in Salt Lake City — and the politics they represent — reveal more than queer allyship and queer presence. As a gay Mormon, I make my home in the borderlands.
Some people may feel exclusively attracted to the same gender, while others may feel attracted to both genders. While same-sex attraction is not a sin, it can be a challenge. Serving a mission in the LDS Church is a particularly intense commitment, usually requiring months of continuous service in a designated location — often far from home — and a substantial reduction in contact with friends and family during that time.
These members may receive Church callings, hold temple recommends, and receive temple ordinances if they are worthy. By the norms of Republican states in , Utah was acting queerly, once again. Queerness is a kaleidoscope, ever visible in the public space through things like flags, viral social media and electoral politics. Secretly married to him in , she attended her wedding in Nauvoo, Illinois disguised as a man, ostensibly to avoid the illegal marriage being detected.
By some arguments, such a broad definition of queerness can empty the term of its meaning and raise serious questions: can patriarchy be queer?
Levelling the world. Join Now. A mid the maelstrom, another flag has popped up everywhere in Utah — the rainbow flag. First, it added same-gender marriage to its definition of apostasy, which is an excommunicable offense. LGBT justice and inclusion advocates in the U. Originally published by Huffington Post. By October that year, Evan McMullin, a Utahn running as an independent against Trump, was poised to win key districts.
Freedom over death. Women in Afghanistan are prisoners in their own homes. Rather than flying the pride flag in opposition to Mormon symbolism, Bird puts these sets of symbolic practices back into dialogue. United Methodists. So what is our ethical obligation to refugees? Identifying as gay, lesbian, or bisexual or experiencing same-sex attraction is not a sin and does not prohibit one from participating in the Church, holding callings, or attending the temple.
They are evidence of the way queerness and Mormonism define what it means to be from the state of Utah. But as political scientists have argued , so-called political cultures — like cultures more generally — should not be understood as deep-seated or fixed psychological traits. While initiatives for inclusive education mean well, schools fail to provide neurodivergent students what they need to flourish.
LDS theology regards the family as a fundamental unit of society not just on earth, but in the afterlife and for eternity. Thinking of Utah in this way, I hope, might address conflicts and open potential areas of collaboration between religious and queer communities — alliances that seem full of potential as the US faces an all-too-familiar polarising election this year.
Utah is so gay! We may not know precisely why some people feel attracted to others of the same sex, but for some it is a complex reality and part of the human experience.
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