Mormon and gay: Church says you n be both | CNN

Contents:

• RISG NUMBERS OF YOUNG ADULT MORMONS THE US ARE GAY, LBIAN OR BISEXUAL
• A WALK HIS SHO: A BYU PROFSOR’S LIFE AS A GAY LATTER-DAY SAT
• CHURCH UPDAT OFFICIAL ‘MORMON AND GAY’ WEBSE
• MATTHEW GONG, GAY MORMON, REFLECTS ON HIS JOURNEY OM NER WAR TO NER PEACE
• MORMON AND GAY: CHURCH SAYS YOU N BE BOTH
• CHURCH UPDAT OFFICIAL ‘MORMON AND GAY’ WEBSE
• UTAH’S ARUP BLOOD SERVIC TO EASE RTRICTNS ON GAY, BISEXUAL MALE DONORS

RISG NUMBERS OF YOUNG ADULT MORMONS THE US ARE GAY, LBIAN OR BISEXUAL

So, 23% of Gen Zers who intify as LDS say they are lbian, gay, bisexual or other [see update above].

It’s notable this fdg is nearly double the 10% that Benjam Knoll and I found among lennials the 2016 Next Mormons Survey (which broke down to 7% bisexual, 2% gay or lbian and 1% “other”). Gay/lbian. If Ben is gog to do somethg, he is gog to do 100% to the end, ” Buzz a BYU Honor Co Admistrator, Ben tak this same 100% attu livg his life as a gay, active member of The Church of J Christ of Latter-day Sats.

”Wrg a Book: ‘A Walk My Sho’Ben shar his story of beg both gay and an active Latter-day Sat his new book, “A Walk In My Sho: Qutns I’m Often Asked as a Gay Latter-day Sat.

A WALK HIS SHO: A BYU PROFSOR’S LIFE AS A GAY LATTER-DAY SAT

The policy later was abandoned, but the pa among LGBTQ members and their alli has the excerpts om The Salt Lake Tribune’s “Mormon Land” podst, Tom Christofferson, a proment LGBTQ member and thor of “That We May Be One: A Gay Mormon’s Perspective on Fah and Fay, ” discs the November 2015 policy and subsequent were you when the new November 2015 policy beme public and what did you thk at the time? This ment, and many others like , is clud an updated versn of 'Mormon and Gay, ” an official webse om The Church of J Christ of Latter-day Sats.

The first versn of this webse lnched December 2012 unr the tle 'Mormons and Gays. ' The new appellatn, 'Mormon and Gay, ' reflects the realy that a person don’t need to choose between the two inti — one n, fact, be gay and live fahful to the teachgs of Christ. Some intify as gay or lbian while others do not.

CHURCH UPDAT OFFICIAL ‘MORMON AND GAY’ WEBSE

Speakg directly to Latter-day Sats who experience same-sex attractn or intify as gay, lbian or bisexual, Elr Clayton says, “We want you to know we love you. Materials on make clear that is possible to be both gay and Mormon and that God lov those who are. Rourc clu helpful answers to equently asked qutns, tips for parents, new vios, and firsthand acunts om gay members, spo, fay, and eccliastil lears.

One qutn addrs the e of “same-sex attractn” stead of “gay. Church lears have typilly ed this term to be clive of people who are not fortable g a label, not to ny the existence of gay, lbian, or bisexual inty. “This news is an enormo relief to fai of gay children who n now fortably shower their gay children wh the same love and support they give their straight children who marry.

MATTHEW GONG, GAY MORMON, REFLECTS ON HIS JOURNEY OM NER WAR TO NER PEACE

Church reversed s gay marriage stanceOn Thursday, the LDS church announced had moved at light speed (four years their se) and reversed a 2015 policy that said children livg wh their gay parents uld not be baptized until their 18th birthday, and that classifi people same-sex marriag as "apostat. You n bet provoked quieter but jt as termed phback om members of the church who have gay fay ’s no accint that this policy shift arriv wh new learship at the head of the church. 2015 policy seemed like an aberratnBut gog back four years when the church was cricized for s then-new policy on the children of gay parents and baptism, seemed an aberratn  the arc of the church's evolutn on LGBTQ issu.

Up until that time lears and members of the church had been reachg out to the gay muny to create greater unrstandg. Mormon lawmakers were stmental workg wh gays to pass laws 2015  the Utah Legislature to protect LGBTQ rights employment and hog. LDS msage: Treat all wh kdnsYou began to hear this the admonn of LDS general thori, who told their members that regard to homosexualy, they are to treat all people wh kdns and 2017, Utah beme one of the first Republin-domated stat to abolish a law that forbids teachers om addrsg topics related to homosexualy schools.

MORMON AND GAY: CHURCH SAYS YOU N BE BOTH

The LGBTQ muny blam on the church’s prohibns on homosexualy, but the rearch is only begng and will probably take years before we have clear answers.

I told them that when you work among gay people your entire reer and unrstand what good and cent and people they are, you n no longer hold the views you once held your youth – views shaped by scripture and Sunday school and sacrament meetg. I've told lots of gay journalists about this discsn. I've said that the road to acceptance of gay marriage is much longer for vout Mormons and Evangelil Christians than is for liberal Democrats who are gay.

CHURCH UPDAT OFFICIAL ‘MORMON AND GAY’ WEBSE

"You have to unrstand, " I told one gay journalist.

"I grew up a church which we were tght homosexualy is an abomatn the ey of the Lord.

”And th he me to see his gay self as a “weed” the Latter-day Sat is hardly alone such a feelg of beg misplaced, of urse, but his experience is unual.

UTAH’S ARUP BLOOD SERVIC TO EASE RTRICTNS ON GAY, BISEXUAL MALE DONORS

”Though Gong’s relatnship wh his parents got off to a “rocky start” after he me out — not for lack of love or rejectn but for mismunitn — they are now as close as ever and talk almost every isn’t to say father and son agree on all asked 2018 if havg a gay son had affected his views on LGBTQ issu, the apostle replied, “We love each member of our fay. C., area, where his dad worked at a policy thk the fay moved to Utah, the young Gong found himself a much more homogeneo muny wh a “domant culture, ” he says, where his peers and teachers weren’t exactly sure about his he Mexin? ”)He didn’t want to accept himself as gay, “bee the only queerns I had ever seen was bad” — the AIDS crisis, promiscuy, ath.