Matthew Gong, gay Mormon, reflects on his journey om ner war to ner peace

CHURCH UPDAT OFFICIAL ‘MORMON AND GAY’ WEBSE

Jt two years ago, the church received much public praise for rcdg a 2015 policy, ntroversial among Mormons at the time, that clared the mor children of gay people uld not be baptized to or jo the church as members—at least not until they were 18 years old, and only then if they would nounce their parents’ marriage and nmn their sexualy.

Given how ntent the qutn of gay rights has been among Mormons sce the church threw s whole weight behd California’s anti-gay-marriage Proposn 8 2008, the post-2019 perd has been one of wele relative quiet om the church. C., Holland’s speech was the first time I tly worried that my future kids might attend public school wh peers who would be tght about the evils of beg gay, week and week out at church.

ELR HOLLAND SHAR HEARTBREAKG LETTER OM GAY MORMON + HOW WE CAN SHOW LOVE, EMPATHY TO ALL

” But the proclamatn served a sendary legal role as the church planned s offensive agast gay rights.

The church clud the proclamatn as evince of s doctral mment to a heterosexual fay s amic brief agast gay marriage Hawaii jt two years later. Sex, or “procreative powers, ” are only for married men and their wiv (no gay sex unr any circumstanc). Mormonism is now facg a world which not only the majory of outsirs, but also a signifint portn of their own membership—cludg s own universy’s faculty—seem to regnize that doctre for what is: a list of proposns phrased as irrefutable tths, issued by a group of men who grew up wh homophobia suffg every stutn their liv.