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39l-.09.1v29.8l8.5 6.4zm50.4 37l-8.7-7.9V45.5l-4.7-4.4-3.41 3.5v26.1l3.1 2.9v.4l-8.2 8.61-9.3-8.51v-.3l3.6-3.8V44.8l-4.1-3.7-3 3-1.4-1.3 10.2-10.9L502 40v2l9.5-10.1 8.7 7.8 2.9-2.9 1.3 1.4-3.5 3.5v28l3.9 3.7 3.3-3.4 1.2 1.3zm61.39.11a12.91 12.91 0 00-6.3-4.61v20.81l-.2.1-5.5-5.1-11.6 10.7-.2-.1V77.6a18.83 18.83 0 00-10.2 6.61l-.8-.5c.7-7.71 4.5-13.41 11-15.61V48.6h-2.1a5.25 5.25 0 00-5.3 4.2h-1.2a12.28 12.28 0 01-.7-4.6c0-4.9 3.3-8.6 8.7-8.6h.6V28.8l-3.6-3.2-2.8 2.8-1.4-1.3 11.1-11.4 9.4 8.6v9.8L572 31V19.5h1.9V29l12.5-13.3L597.7 26v43.5zM572 32.9l-2.9 3v56.31l2.9 2.7zm13.1-2.3l-5.9-5.4-5.3 5.6v36.3c4.7.6 8.2 2.2 11.1 5.3l.1-.1zm48.7 12v27.7l-16.9 12.5-12.3-9.3-2.8 2.8-1.3-1.3 3.2-3.3v-27L621.4 32l11.4 8.9 2.9-2.9 1.3 1.4zm-10.8 3l-8.4-6.6-.1.1v29.8l8.5 6.4zm35.6 4.5h9.4v21.4l-15.9 11.21a11.52 11.52 0 00-8.8-4.11c-3 0-5.4 1.4-7.8 4l-1.4-.5 13.8-19.8h-8.5V43.7L656 32c2 1.6 3.6 2.6 6.2 2.6a11.38 11.38 0 007.11-2.2l1 .7zm-1.4 8.8h-4.7l-11.1 15.9.1.2a12.36 12.36 0 017.6-2.5 10.4 10.4 0 018 3.8l.1-.09zm6.41-19.6a9.78 9.78 0 01-6.91 2.3 8.92 8.92 0 01-6.3-2.9l-.2.1v14.6h3.8l9.7-14zm22.9 43.41l-8.8-6.91-2.71 2.7-1.3-1.29 3.1-3.21V39.4H671l-.2-.2 3.5-5.2h2.5v-6.7L687.41 16l.2.2V34h8l.2.2-3.5 5.2h-4.7v30.3l4.8 3.7 3.3-3.4 1.3 1.4z"></path></svg><span class="alic gray font-xxxxs font--body">Democracy Di Darkns</span></div></div><hear class="w-100" data-qa="ma-full"><div class="hi-for-prt"></div><div class="mt-lg"><div data-qa="kicker" class="wpds-c-eyomNc wpds-c-PJLV wpds-c-PJLV-jYXVnY-lor-black wpds-c-PJLV-mlvxn-size-lg"><a href=" class="PJLV PJLV-ieDwgbC-css">Relign</a></div></div><div class="PJLV PJLV-iklXUFA-css"><h1 class="PJLV PJLV-ikmtGxl-css overriStyl" data-ttid="headle" data-qa="headle" id="ma-ntent"><span data-qa="headle-text" class="PJLV">A billnaire and the tech dtry are tryg to shape LGBTQ rights eply Mormon Utah</span></h1></div><div class="flex prt-byle prt-mt-none"><div class="byle-wrapper flex-lumn flex"><div class="PJLV PJLV-ihSmMVC-css"><div class="PJLV PJLV-iPJLV-css mb-xxs overriStyl" style="gap:0.5rem" data-qa="thor-byle"><span class="wpds-c-PJLV"><div class="flex ems-center" data-qa="thor-byle"><div class="mr-sm flex lh-0"><div class="wpds-c-iTcer"><img src=" alt="" class="wpds-c-dgBqAZ"/></div></div><span class="left"><div class="flex"><div class="dib font-xxs" data-qa="name-wh-optnal-lk" data-cy="name-wh-optnal-lk"><span data-qa="attributn-text" class="wpds-c-cNdzuP">By <!-- --> </span><a data-qa="thor-name" href=" rel="thor" class="wpds-c-cNdzuP wpds-c-cNdzuP-ejzZdU-isLk-te">Sarah Pulliam Bailey</a></div></div></span></div></span></div></div><div data-ttid="timtamp" class="wpds-c-kgabfe wpds-c-kgabfe-ieEDlgV-css"><span class="PJLV PJLV-ihqANPJ-css overriStyl" data-ttid="updated-and-published-span">Updated<!-- --> <span data-ttid="updated-date" class="wpds-c-iKQyrV wpds-c-iKQyrV-ihqANPJ-css overriStyl">December 27, 2021 at 11:42 a.m. EST</span><span class="wpds-c-jwSVuw">|</span>Published<!-- --> </span><span data-ttid="display-date" class="wpds-c-iKQyrV">December 21, 2021 at 11:49 a.m. EST</span></div></div></div></hear></div><article class="grid-article mb-xxl-ns" data-qa="ma"><div data-ttid="le-art" data-qa="le-art" class=""><figure class="overflow-hidn relative hi-for-prt center center mb-sm mb-md-ns ml-to-ns mr-to-ns grid-mobile-full-bleed"><div style="filter:blur(10px);transn:filter .1s;le-height:0" class="w-100 mw-100 h-to" width="600" height="400"><img style="background-size:ver;max-width:1600px;background-image:url('data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http%3A//; xmlns%3Axlk='http%3A//; viewBox='0 0 1280 853'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' lor-terpolatn-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGssianBlur stdDeviatn='.5'%3E%3C/feGssianBlur%3E%3CfeComponentTransfer%3E%3CfeFuncA type='discrete' tableValu='1 1'%3E%3C/feFuncA%3E%3C/feComponentTransfer%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage filter='url(%23b)' x='0' y='0' height='100%25' width='100%25' xlk%3Ahref='data%3Aimage/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAkAAAAGCAIAAACepSOSAAAACXBIWXMAAC4jAAAuIwF4pT92AAAAs0lEQVQI1wGoAFf/AImSoJSer5yjs52ktp2luJuluKOpuJefsoCNowB+kKaOm66grL+krsCnsMGrt8m1u8mzt8OVoLIAhJqzjZ2tnLLLnLHJp7fNmpyjqbPCqLrRjqO7AIeUn5ultaWtt56msaSnroZyY4mBgLq7wY6TmwCRfk2Pf1uzm2WulV+xmV6rmGyQfFm3nWSBcEIAfm46jX1FkH5Djn5AmodGo49MopBLlIRBfG8yj/dfjF5TUAAAAASUVORK5CYII='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E')" alt="" class="w-100 mw-100 h-to" width="600" height="400" srcSet=" 400w, 540w, 691w, 767w, 916w, 1200w" siz="(max-width: 440px) 440px,(max-width: 600px) 691px,(max-width: 768px) 691px,(m-width: 769px) and (max-width: 1023px) 960px,(m-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1299px) 530px,(m-width: 1300px) and (max-width: 1439px) 691px,(m-width: 1440px) 916px,440px" dg="async"/></div><figptn class="ml-gutter mr-gutter mr-to-ns ml-to-ns font--subhead font-xxxs mt-xs left gray-dark">Troy Williams, left, of Equaly Utah, and Jeff Green, a billnaire tech lear, are photographed together at the Grand Ameri Hotel on Nov. 13 Salt Lake Cy. (Kim Raff for The Washgton Post)</figptn></figure></div><div class="grid-body"><div class="wpds-c-PJLV wpds-c-PJLV-hSmMVC-isLuf2-false"><div class="wpds-c-jUMcim wpds-c-jUMcim-ibVGacg-css hi-for-prt mb-sm"><div class="PJLV PJLV-ieDMgMI-css flex ems-center" nfig="[object Object]" data-qa="article-actns"><div class="wpds-c-mfMEg"><div class="wpds-c-kSOqLF wpds-c-hnjNCH wpds-c-kSOqLF-bywHgD-variant-primary wpds-c-kSOqLF-biynoz-nsy-pact wpds-c-kSOqLF-hZSyid-isOutle-te wpds-c-kSOqLF-ejCoEP-in-left wpds-c-kSOqLF-futx-cv wpds-c-hnjNCH-eNNUQD-cv wpds-c-hnjNCH-jGqLyO-cv"><div id="gift-share" data-ttid="gift-share" class="PJLV PJLV-ieGzigK-css hi-for-prt"><button aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-expand="false" aria-ntrols="gift-share-drawer" role="button" tabx="0" aria-label="Share this article" id="gift-share-drawer-ntrol" data-ttid="gift-share-drawer-ntrol" class="wpds-c-PJLV wpds-c-gsmDXe wpds-c-gsmDXe-dTGBTO-placement-ActnBar foc-highlight"><svg xmlns=" fill="currentColor" viewBox="0 0 16 16" class="wpds-c-fBqPWp wpds-c-fBqPWp-idCxsxc-css " aria-hidn="te" focable="false" role="img"><path fill="currentColor" d="M8 .6v3.8h.1c-4.4 0-7.3 4.5-6.9 8.8.1.8.2 1.2.2 1.2l.2 1 .4-1.3c.8-2 2-4 6.2-3.9H8v4l7-6.9L8 .6Zm1 11.3V9.3h-.9c-3 0-4.8.5-6.2 2.9.5-3.3 2.7-6.8 6.2-6.8H9V3l4.5 4.4L9 11.9Z"></path></svg></button></div><span aria-hidn="te" class="wpds-c-fBEbFG">Share</span></div></div><div class="wpds-c-mfMEg"><div class="wpds-c-kSOqLF wpds-c-hnjNCH wpds-c-kSOqLF-bywHgD-variant-primary wpds-c-kSOqLF-biynoz-nsy-pact wpds-c-kSOqLF-hZSyid-isOutle-te wpds-c-kSOqLF-ejCoEP-in-left wpds-c-kSOqLF-futx-cv wpds-c-hnjNCH-eNNUQD-cv wpds-c-hnjNCH-jGqLyO-cv"><button aria-label="Comment" class="wpds-c-gPbxFP"><svg xmlns=" viewBox="0 0 16 16" fill="var(--wpds-lors-primary)" aria-hidn="te" focable="false" role="img" class="wpds-c-kKAfCG wpds-c-efqEZa flex ems-center jtify-center brad-lg poter transn-400 ease--out transn-lors" aria-label="Comment on this story"><tle>Comment on this story</tle><path d="M14 14V2H2v9.47h8.18L12.43 13ZM3 10.52V3h10v9.23l-2.5-1.66Z"></path></svg></button><span aria-hidn="te" class="wpds-c-fBEbFG">Comment</span><span class="wpds-c-fOvfhP wpds-c-fOvfhP-kshkDy-isCommentType-te none" aria-hidn="te"><span class="ment-unt font-xxxxs sc-ral-unt"><span></span></span></span></div></div></div></div></div><div class="teaser-ntent grid-center"><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">SALT LAKE CITY — Troy Williams, the head of Equaly Utah and once dubbed the unofficial “gay mayor of Salt Lake Cy,” was still absorbg the news as he ma his way downtown to the opulent Grand Ameri hotel. His phone had been blowg up all morng wh msag about a speech apostle Dall H. Oaks had given the night before.</p></div></div><div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="db dn-ns mr-neg-gutter ml-neg-gutter mb-md hi-for-prt" data-qa="subscribe-promo"><div data-orientatn="horizontal" role="separator" class="wpds-c-dbVHzF wpds-c-dbVHzF-hDkAcj-variant-flt"></div><a class="pt-sm pb-sm flex ems-center bold font-xxxs font-xxs-ns jtify-center" href=" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="lor:#166dfc;borr:none"><svg class="ntent-box" width="24" height="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24" xmlns=" aria-hidn="te" focable="false" role="img"><tle>Wp</tle><path d="M11.055 8.728l-1.018-1.019-.782.782v6.292l1.782 1.564.018-.019v-7.6zm-4.11.236L5.674 7.71l-.836.855v6.237l1.545 1.327.564-.636V8.964zm2.656 9.074l-2.528-2.182-1.927 2.182-2.619-2.255v-3.564h-.509c-.454 0-.672.273-.745.636H1.09a2.89 2.89 0 0 1-.091-.69c0-.473.2-1.71 1.527-1.71V7.691c0-1.073-.709-1.127-.709-2.054 0-1.037.982-2 2.782-2.637l.164.145c-.6.291-1.09.655-1.09 1.437 0 1.2 1.163.89 1.163 2.782v.727l2.127-2.236 2.237 2.2 2.109-2.2 2.036 2v6.728l-3.745 3.455zm11.108-9.625l-1.073-.982-.964 1.018v6.6c.855.11 1.491.4 2.019.964l.018-.018V8.413zm-2.382.418l-.528.545v10.237l.528.492V8.83zm1.49 9.055c-.308-.382-.69-.709-1.145-.836v3.782l-.036.018-1-.927-2.11 1.945-.036-.018V16.96c-.636.145-1.327.545-1.854 1.2l-.146-.091c.127-1.4.818-2.436 2-2.837v-3.545h-.382c-.527 0-.89.363-.963.763h-.219c-.054-.145-.127-.381-.127-.836 0-.891.6-1.564 1.582-1.564h.11V8.085l-.655-.582-.51.51-.254-.237 2.018-2.073 1.71 1.564V9.05l.527-.564v-2.09h.345v1.727l2.273-2.419L23 7.576v7.91l-3.182 2.4z" fill-le="evenodd"></path></svg><span class="mr-xs ml-xs gray-darkt flex ems-center">Get the full experience.<span class="ml-xs subs-theme blue">Choose your plan</span></span><svg class="ntent-box" width="16" height="16" viewBox="0 0 16 16" xmlns=" style="fill:#166dfc" aria-hidn="te" focable="false" role="img"><tle>ArrowRight</tle><path d="M7.664 1.25l6 6a1 1 0 010 1.414l-6 6L6.25 13.25 10.499 9H2V7h8.585L6.25 2.664 7.664 1.25z" fill-le="nonzero"></path></svg></a><div data-orientatn="horizontal" role="separator" class="wpds-c-dbVHzF wpds-c-dbVHzF-hDkAcj-variant-flt"></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Oaks is next le to lead the Church of J Christ of Latter-day Sats and the world’s 16.8 ln believers monly known as Mormons. In his <a href=" target=_blank>remarks</a> at the Universy of Virgia, he hailed the virtu of relig eedom and the importance of LGBTQ nondiscrimatn laws like the trailblazg one LDS lears, lawmakers and LGBTQ activists worked to pass 2015. Known as the “Utah promise,” bans discrimatn agast LGBTQ people hog and employment while rvg out exceptns for relig reasons.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“I eply regret that the two groups have been drawn to nflict wh one another,” Oaks said of advot for relig liberty and LGBTQ rights.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">To Williams’s amazement, Oaks then went on to quote Williams — a longtime activist who 2009 led kiss- ralli at the major temple Salt Lake Cy and 2014 was jailed after a s-<b> </b>at the state pol — a posive way. Dpe both havg worked on the promise, the two have never met. (An LDS spokperson said Oaks was not available for ment.)</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div data-qa="article-image" class="hi-for-prt"><div style="m-height:358px"></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">LDS lears and elected officials Utah see the state as a role mol for balancg what seems to many like petg rights a eply divid untry. So far, Utah is the only state that has such a law on s books, and efforts to replite on a natnal level have so far failed.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb dn db-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-sktop"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-none pt-lg pb-lg" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"><div>Advertisement</div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb db dn-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-mobile"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-sm pt-sm pb-sm" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Many supporters of LGBTQ rights are ls enthiastic. They ce glarg gaps the state’s protectns for LGBTQ people and argue that relig eedom protectns, which were tegral securg nservative support for the promise, were already strong the state. For example, Brigham Young Universy prohibs LGBTQ stunts om datg and n ny hog to same-sex upl.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Williams still believ engagg wh lawmakers and Mormon lears as he did six years ago. But he has a new source of potential leverage: the state’s tech dtry. While start-ups were already sprgg up between Salt Lake and Provo before the promise, observers cred the law — and the absence of measur such as a ban on genr-affirmg health re or bathroom bills — wh helpg Utah stay petive the fight for talent. And now, wh newly built fortun, some tech entreprenrs want to unter the fluence of the LDS Church on social issu.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Upon reachg a<b> </b>penthoe sue, Williams was greeted by Jeff T. Green, who found the onle advertisg pany lled the Tra Dk. Green is one of the wealthit Mormons the untry wh a worth of about<b> </b>$5.7 billn. He had been skeptil the promise had changed the state’s culture and had agreed to meet Williams to hear his group’s plans to advance LGBTQ rights.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb dn db-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-sktop"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-none pt-lg pb-lg" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"><div>Advertisement</div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb db dn-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-mobile"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-sm pt-sm pb-sm" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Durg a two hour-nversatn, they trad stori om their Mormon missnary days. Green, who now liv California, explaed that he was preparg to leave the church soon. And he wanted to know: What uld Equaly Utah do wh more money?</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><h3 data-qa="article-hear" class=" pb-sm pt-lgmod" id="A7ZTCFDKNVALPKAWQDM65QSSZA"><div>Common ground</div></h3></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div data-qa="article-image-group"><div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Sce 2015, the state has taken other LGBTQ-iendly steps. In 2017, Utah overturned s “No Promo Homo” law, which prohibed discsn of LGBTQ issu classrooms. In 2020, the state banned nversn therapy. And this year, the Mormon ernor regnized Pri Month. A queer<i> </i>bookstore recently opened wh walkg distance to the LDS temple Salt Lake Cy, and at least twice a month Provo, Utahns n attend a drag show.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb db dn-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-mobile"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-sm pt-sm pb-sm" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">The promise was also a regnn of chang that were already happeng Utah, now the natn’s fastt growg state. The year the promise passed, <a href=" target=_blank>Gallup</a> reported Salt Lake Cy was home to more people who intify as LGBTQ per pa than New York Cy or Los Angel. The followg year, Salt Lake elected s first openly gay mayor, and the majory of s cy uncil is now LGBTQ.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">While LGBTQ advot often view the enormo fluence of the LDS church as an obstacle, some observers say n be an advantage, too. Mormons make up about 86 percent of the state legislature, acrdg to the <a href=" target=_blank>Salt Lake Cy Tribune</a>, while about 60 percent of Utahns are Mormon, acrdg to the latt figur available om the LDS Church. Once Mormon lears and lawmakers got behd anti-discrimatn protectns for LGBTQ people, they were able to get them through a Republin-ntrolled legislature, a rare step, acrdg to Lambda Legal, a nonprof group that tracks LGBTQ rights legislatn.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div data-qa="article-image" class="hi-for-prt"><div style="m-height:358px"></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">How much further are they willg to go? LGBTQ rights advot want the state to ban discrimatn agast LGBTQ people public acmodatns. For example, a Mormon ke baker n legally cle to provi servic for a same-sex weddg.<b> </b>But some who helped craft the 2015 promise feel they went far enough.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb dn db-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-sktop"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-none pt-lg pb-lg" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"><div>Advertisement</div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb db dn-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-mobile"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-sm pt-sm pb-sm" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">State Senate print J. Stuart Adams played a key role the passage of the legislatn. On a Friday November at the state pol, Adams, who is LDS, said his support for the law was spired by a biblil passage<b> </b>where J spoke about the importance of lovg one’s neighbor as onelf.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“I realized I need to live my relign rather than protect my relign,” Adams said. “Risg ti lifts all ships, and you fd a way to protect everybody’s rights, you fd your rights are protected wh others.”</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">He said he unrstands not everyone is satisfied wh the rult, but how me to be is still signifint. Adams says he has Williams on his cellphone’s speed dial. When asked about new protectns for public acmodatns, he rpond that Utah already has a culture of nondiscrimatn, fostered part by the promise. In the six years sce the law passed, no one has filed any plats unr the law for hog or employment discrimatn, he said.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb dn db-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-sktop"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-none pt-lg pb-lg" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"><div>Advertisement</div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb db dn-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-mobile"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-sm pt-sm pb-sm" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Many Utahns expect the issue of banng transgenr girls and women om petg girls’ and women’s sports will e up durg the next legislative ssn. If do, Adams says he will rely on the same strategy that produced the promise: “One of the objectiv is to be able to have a fair petn and not be discrimatory.”</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><h3 data-qa="article-hear" class=" pb-sm pt-lgmod" id="A7ZTCFDKNVALPKAWQDM65QSSZA"><div>Silin Valley valu</div></h3></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div data-qa="article-image" class="hi-for-prt"><div style="m-height:358px"></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">For Derek Kchen, a Democratic state senator, would be a step backward if the legislature even nsired an anti-transgenr bill. Kchen, who -owns a Lebane rtrant where he holds a monthly queer poetry night, sued the state of Utah 2015 a se that legalized same-sex marriage there. He is proud of where Utah has e but wants to see Mormon legislators go even further and pass more anti-discrimatn protectns.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb db dn-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-mobile"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-sm pt-sm pb-sm" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“If we’re so proud of the Utah promise,” Kchen said, “maybe we should flex that mcle once aga.”</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb dn db-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-sktop"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-none pt-lg pb-lg" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"><div>Advertisement</div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">He has a vol and sympathetic dience “Silin Slop,” the nickname for the start-up-rich area between Provo and Salt Lake Cy. Many of the tech entreprenrs are Mormon and attend BYU. Some have been fluenced by Silin Valley’s more libertarian culture and are sendg money to a recently lnched <a href=" target=_blank>tech polil actn mtee</a> that<b> </b>will attempt to offer more progrsive views on social views than the<b> </b>LDS Church state polics.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div id="gift-share-le" data-ttid="gift-share-le" class="PJLV PJLV-ilotWTr-css hi-for-prt"><button aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-expand="false" aria-ntrols="gift-share-drawer" role="button" tabx="0" aria-label="Share this article" id="gift-share-drawer-ntrol-le" data-ttid="gift-share-drawer-ntrol-le" class="wpds-c-PJLV wpds-c-gsmDXe wpds-c-gsmDXe-goNocI-placement-Inle foc-highlight"><div data-ttid="gift-share-terstial-trigger" class="wpds-c-kPqOkS wpds-c-kPqOkS-jtSXsT-hasSubsText-false"><span class="wpds-c-hBJqc"><span class="wpds-c-dzSncg">Share this article</span></span><span class="wpds-c-eCvK"><span class="wpds-c-enedHQ wpds-c-enedHQ-cCdK-isShown-false">Share</span><svg xmlns=" fill="currentColor" viewBox="0 0 16 16" aria-hidn="te" focable="false" role="img" class="wpds-c-fBqPWp wpds-c-fDHGth"><path fill="currentColor" d="M8 .6v3.8h.1c-4.4 0-7.3 4.5-6.9 8.8.1.8.2 1.2.2 1.2l.2 1 .4-1.3c.8-2 2-4 6.2-3.9H8v4l7-6.9L8 .6Zm1 11.3V9.3h-.9c-3 0-4.8.5-6.2 2.9.5-3.3 2.7-6.8 6.2-6.8H9V3l4.5 4.4L9 11.9Z"></path></svg></span></div></button></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“Dpe the fact that the church is makg more efforts on LGBTQ inti, ’s not enough for tech culture, which don’t have tolerance for discrimatn of any kd," said Taylor Petrey, a relign profsor at Kalamazoo College who has wrten a book on Mormonism and LGBTQ issu. "[The tech lears] want to assiate to broar Ameri, and this isn’t the issue they want to be intified wh.”</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Josh Jam, CEO of the software pany Domo, is among the tech dtry lears railg agast anti-transgenr legislatn and <a href=" target=_blank>liquor laws</a>. He and Apple CEO Tim Cook have donated to Encircle, a drop- center for LGBTQ youth loted across the street om a LDS temple Provo.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div data-qa="article-image" class="hi-for-prt"><div style="m-height:358px"></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Jam has also put up LGBTQ clive billboards and donated more than $1 ln to related . Jam, a Mormon, said an terview that he hop the LDS Church chang s doctre on LGBTQ people. The church do not regnize same-sex marriage and says marriage “between a man and a woman was stuted by God and is central to His plan for His children and for the well-beg of society.”</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb dn db-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-sktop"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-none pt-lg pb-lg" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"><div>Advertisement</div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb db dn-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-mobile"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-sm pt-sm pb-sm" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“Mormons have been different for a long time,” Jam said. “There’s a regnn you need to accept other people who are different.”</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><h3 data-qa="article-hear" class=" pb-sm pt-lgmod" id="A7MHBAQHIRA4VEX2JGHJWIO5SM"><div>The lims of promise</div></h3></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div data-qa="article-image" class="hi-for-prt"><div style="m-height:358px"></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Some of the ph to go beyond the Utah promise has grown out of disappotment wh what the legislatn has been able to acplish for Mormons who are gay, several people si the LDS Church said.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Stunts at BYU Provo say the school is a microsm of the ntradictns that many LGBTQ Mormons Utah experience.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">A lot has changed at the school where s earlier, “universy approved”<b> </b>electroshock therapi were performed on gay stunts,<b> </b>acrdg to the book “<a href=" target=_blank>Gay Rights and the Mormon Church</a>.”<b> </b>BYU eventually end the practice, and 2016, lears nounced “any therapy that subjects an dividual to abive practic.”</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb db dn-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-mobile"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-sm pt-sm pb-sm" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">In November, a group of about 80 staff and stunts met for a workshop<b> </b>on how to support LGBTQ stunts and stunts of lor where people n ask qutns, such as what do the word “genrqueer” means.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb dn db-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-sktop"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-none pt-lg pb-lg" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"><div>Advertisement</div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">For Calv Burke, though, the treatment of LGBTQ stunts has phed him out of BYU entirely. The senr English major is planng to transfer next semter after years of difficult teractns.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">When Burke me out at BYU, his roommate moved out while Burke was class. A profsor enuraged him to go to nversn therapy. The Utah promise did not broan the legal spe to protect LGBTQ employe a place like BYU. Burke has worked the feteria and as a rpet cleaner, and his employment uld have also been jeopardy if he had chosen to be a relatnship.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">The tippg pot for Burke me this year when a popular profsor on Twter lled him a term om the Book of Mormon that is associated wh the anti-Christ. The profsor apologized, but Burke received public ath threats and other attacks om the DezNat social media movement, which clus the alt-right. The school did not addrs the issue publicly.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb dn db-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-sktop"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-none pt-lg pb-lg" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"><div>Advertisement</div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“While this issue was addrsed ternally, BYU do not discs disciplary matters publicly,” said a statement.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“I fear for a lot of the stunts that are still at BYU that don’t have the support or the abily to fd a different way,” Burke said. “I ma the mistake of believg BYU uld be safer.”</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">BYU said rponse to Burke’s experience: “We are eply ncerned about the safety and welfare of our stunts. Stunts not only have accs to our universy police and our stunt unselg center, but we also have an Office of Stunt Succs and Incln that offers support for stunt ncerns and needs.”</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><h3 data-qa="article-hear" class=" pb-sm pt-lgmod" id="QAM5PFCNFNA2LOMJBXDLSSHOJQ"><div>Gay thg</div></h3></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div data-qa="article-image" class="hi-for-prt"><div style="m-height:358px"></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">The sun was settg behd the mountas as Green went to his plans to subm his formal rignatn om the LDS Church on Dec. 23, the birthday of Mormonism’s founr and an important day for the fah. He ced his tratns wh church learship, pecially over LGBTQ issu. Also rigng are his brother, an executive at Amazon; a , a vice print at U.S. Bank; his sister, as well as several of their children.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Green and his siblgs grew up a nservative Mormon fay of five children Salt Lake, where he remembers standg le for ernment assistance wh his mother.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">His journey away om the church began over a ago when Mormons raised lns of dollars for Proposn 8, a 2008 ballot proposn that once banned same-sex marriage California. The LDS Church faced natnwi backlash, cludg om s own members. Around that time, Green had been dog his own rearch to Mormonism and nclud had been on the wrong si of history on issu like women’s rights, civil rights and polygamy. Now Green, who liv California and returns to his birthplace of Utah to ski, spends his Sundays studyg philanthropy stead of attendg servic.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Before he met wh Williams, Green said he was not sure the promise was evince the LDS Church has evolved enough. But he saw Oaks’s speech the night before as major progrs om LDS lears.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“I had my doubts. Is really effective to try diplomacy wh the church?” Green said.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“I see progrs as a wdy, curvy road. It’s never a straight le,” Williams replied. “I always celebrate the ws when we n.”</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“The Mormon learship is olr than ever, and change the world happens faster than ever,” Green said. (The LDS Church is led by a 97-year-old prophet, and his eventual succsors are 89 and 88.)</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Mormons are expected to give one-tenth of their e to the LDS Church as a the, and Williams said that whenever the church do somethg that upsets the LGBTQ muny, Equaly Utah receiv donatns that he lls “gay thg.” The latt wave of donatns me Augt after one of the 12 Mormon apostl, Jeffery R. Holland, gave a <a href=" target=_blank>speech</a> at BYU where he urged “mket fire” on issu cludg “fendg marriage as the unn of a man and a woman.”</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“We’re happy to take your thg,” Williams told Green.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">At the end of the meetg, the billnaire was still unsure exactly how much he was gog to give to Equaly Utah. (He would later donate $600,000, the send largt one-time<b> </b>donatn the group has ever received). But he was won over by Williams’s diplomatic approach.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">“I know there’s an attu that we had this great Utah promise and somehow we make work, but we haven’t ma work yet," Green said. "We n. We’ll get there.”</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div data-qa="rrectn-disclaimer" class="wpds-c-lgLEQx wpds-c-lgLEQx-iPJLV-css"><div data-ttid="disclaimer-headle" class="wpds-c-kAVFVG">rrectn</div><p data-ttid="disclaimer-scriptn" class="wpds-c-joLgjs">An earlier versn of this article misstated the amount of money donated by Josh Jam to LGBTQ . Jam has given more than $1 ln. The article has been rrected.</p></div></div><div class="wpds-c-ipATMk wpds-c-ipATMk-hCiGAB-removeMobileStyl-te"><div class="wpds-c-dhzjXW wpds-c-dhzjXW-iPJLV-css overriStyl mt-md tt"><div id="gift-share-end" data-ttid="gift-share-end" class="PJLV PJLV-idiqKOk-css hi-for-prt"><button aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-expand="false" aria-ntrols="gift-share-drawer" role="button" tabx="0" aria-label="Share this article" id="gift-share-drawer-ntrol-end" data-ttid="gift-share-drawer-ntrol-end" class="wpds-c-PJLV wpds-c-gsmDXe wpds-c-gsmDXe-iIVoLq-placement-Shortcut foc-highlight"><div class="wpds-c-UazGY" id="gift-share-shortcut" data-ttid="gift-share-shortcut"><svg xmlns=" fill="var(--wpds-lors-primary)" viewBox="0 0 16 16" aria-hidn="te" focable="false" role="img" class="wpds-c-fVfumU "><path fill="currentColor" d="M8 .6v3.8h.1c-4.4 0-7.3 4.5-6.9 8.8.1.8.2 1.2.2 1.2l.2 1 .4-1.3c.8-2 2-4 6.2-3.9H8v4l7-6.9L8 .6Zm1 11.3V9.3h-.9c-3 0-4.8.5-6.2 2.9.5-3.3 2.7-6.8 6.2-6.8H9V3l4.5 4.4L9 11.9Z"></path></svg><div class="PJLV wpds-c-kwcHlj">Share</div></div></button></div><div class="wpds-c-hcekgi"><div class="mb-lg-mod" data-qa="ments-btn-div"><button aria-label="Scroll to the ments sectn" data-qa="ments-btn" class="wpds-c-kSOqLF wpds-c-kSOqLF-SQjOY-variant-sendary wpds-c-kSOqLF-eHdizY-nsy-flt wpds-c-kSOqLF-ejCoEP-in-left wpds-c-kSOqLF-igqYgPb-css ments hi-for-prt"><svg xmlns=" viewBox="0 0 16 16" fill="currentColor" aria-hidn="te" focable="false" role="img" class="wpds-c-fBqPWp "><path d="M14 14V2H2v9.47h8.18L12.43 13ZM3 10.52V3h10v9.23l-2.5-1.66Z"></path></svg><span></span> Comments</button></div></div></div><div class="PJLV PJLV-iipsdti-css"><div></div></div><div class="PJLV PJLV-iipsdti-css"><div></div></div><sectn class="PJLV PJLV-iipsdti-css dn-ns hi-for-prt" data-ttid="mostRead" subscriptns-sectn="ntent"><div data-ttid="lazy-most-read-parent" class=""><div style="m-height:800px"></div></div></sectn><div class="PJLV PJLV-ickXkbz-css"><div data-qa="newsletter" class="hi-for-prt relative"><div class="dib w-100"><div><div class="flex jtify-center align self-center center transn-all duratn-400 ease--out" data-qa="sc-newsletter-signup" aria-label=""><svg aria-labelledby="react-aria-1-aria" role="img" viewBox="0 0 100 80"><tle id="react-aria-1-aria">Loadg...

mormon gay rights

Mormon lears tried to stake out a middle ground the latg battle between gay rights and relig eedom on Tuday, mandg that both ias, together, be treated as a natnal prry.

Contents:

MORMON AND GAY: HOW IT’S GOG

Mormon lears do not speak of a gay or lbian sexual orientatn, though they now fully acknowledge that many people 'stggle wh same-genr attractn.' * mormon gay rights *

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. 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.

The same day Holland issued his revanchist addrs to the faculty, BYU’s admistratn was openg and publicizg s new Office of Belongg, a long-sought-for refuge not only for BYU’s growg number of openly gay stunts, but also s relig and racial mori, who are reported to face wispread bias and prejudice on mp, acrdg to a report issued by an ternal Commtee on Race, Equy, and Belongg. Still, today, the church funnels members who nfs to feelg “same-sex attractn” to support groups that enurage members to enter heterosexual marriag, wh promis that the gay feelgs will be overe after sufficient fahfulns, or at least, ath. Mormons Buildg Bridg is a muny of Latter-day Sats dited to nveyg love and acceptance to all those who intify as LGBTQI and those who experience same-sex attractn or genr Fay Fellowship is a service and support group for Mormons wh gay and lbian fay members.

GAY RIGHTS AND THE MORMON CHURCH

(RNS) — Mormons have broaned their support for LGBTQ rights three key areas, though they still lag the natn supportg the right of gay upl to get married — or to walk to any bakery the untry and buy themselv a weddg ke. * mormon gay rights *

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Mormon church announced a mpaign Tuday for new laws that protect gay, lbian, bisexual and transgenr people om discrimatn while somehow also protectg people who assert their relig beliefs.

LGBT RIGHTS AI: WILL KENYA BE THE LATT TO PASS ANTI-GAY LAW?

Beg gay and mormon is a unique experience. Growg up wh the church's teachgs on the LGBTQ+ muny is tough for LGBTQ+ mormons. * mormon gay rights *

" The First Amendment's protectn of relig eedom "do not give any of the right to harm others, and that's what sounds like the proposal om the Mormon church would do - would allow a doctor to refe to re for a lbian bee of his relig beliefs, for example, " said Jam Esseks, who directs the LGBT project of the Amerin Civil Liberti mpaign is the latt example of a shift tone on gay rights by The Church of J Christ of Latter-day Sats, which unts 15 ln members worldwi. Oaks, another lears still want to hire and fire workers based on their relig beliefs as well as behavr standards known as honor s, which require gays and lbians to rema celibate or marry someone of the oppose sex. And gay rights groups seekg job and hog protectns have faced an uphill battle the more polilly and religly nservative has changed sce Mormons led a fight agast same-sex unns the "current ntent atmosphere that exists among people of different views on the subjects, " Oaks said, "we wish to promote a more Christian, a more civil and nsirate tone.

16, 2022The Church of J Christ of Latter-day Sats gave s support on Tuday to a feral bill that would provi creased protectns for same-sex marriage, a limed but notable step om a church that historilly has aggrsively opposed gay rights.The move me on the same day senators announced a relig eedom amendment to the legislatn hop of securg broar support. People, acrdg to the Public Relign Rearch Instute.The church’s latt posn shows s long and slow parture om s public support of Proposn 8 California, which banned gay marriage the state and was later stck down urt. This likely reflects the effect of the “Utah Compromise” of 2015 and LDS lears’ attempts the last several years to publicly support nondiscrimatn laws while also ntug to teach that homosexual behavr is wrong.

Overall, then, Mormons have broaned their support for LGBTQ rights three key areas, though they still lag the natn supportg the right of gay upl to get married — or to walk to any bakery the untry and buy themselv a weddg ke. "We want to prohib everythg to do wh homosexualy, " Mr Kaluma tells me, addg that his bill will be much broar than the legislatn passed by Uganda's parliament and approved by Print Yoweri Meveni May.

MORMONS SEEK GOLN MEAN BETWEEN GAY RIGHTS AND RELIG BELIEFS

* mormon gay rights *

The Ugandan law is regard as one of the harsht anti-LGBTQ laws the propos life imprisonment for anyone nvicted of homosexualy, and the ath penalty for so-lled aggravated s, which clu havg gay sex wh someone below the age of 18 or where someone be fected wh a life-long illns such as the other si of the ntent, MPs Ghana earlier this month unanimoly voted favour of amendments to the untry's anti-gay legislatn, phg closer to beg enacted to law. Though ls harsh than Uganda's new law, the Promotn of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Fay Valu Bill propos a three-year prison sentence for anyone who intifi as LGBTQ and a 10-year sentence for anyone who promot homosexualy. Gay sex is already illegal Kenya, but the ernment n also be tolerant of gay people - for example, has given asylum to people om other Ain untri, cludg Uganda, who faced persecutn their home untri bee of their sexual orientatn.

THE MORMON CHURCH’S GAY RIGHTS CHARASAME OLDELRS ANNOUNCED TUDAY THEIR PROVISNAL SUPPORT OF CERTA LGBT LEGAL PROTECTNS—WH SOME NDNS. SAMANTHA ALLENUPDATED APR. 14, 2017 12:25PM EDT / PUBLISHED JAN. 28, 2015 5:55AM EST PHOTO ILLTRATN BY E LENDOF/THE DAILY BEASTHERE’S A SIMPLE ALGEBRA EQUATN TO SCRIBE WHAT ’S LIKE TO GROW UP THE CHURCH OF J CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SATS: TAKE THE YEAR, SUBTRACT 20, AND THAT’S THE YEAR REALLY IS SI THE MORMON GERONTOCRACY.WHEN I WAS A CHILD, I WAS TOLD THAT BLACK PEOPLE ULDN’T HOLD LEARSHIP POSNS UNTIL 1978 BEE “JT WASN’T THEIR TIME YET.” TO EXPLA THEIR OPPOSN TO THE EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT, MY PARENTS CED SOME PARANOID LOGIC ABOUT UNISEX BATHROOMS. I HAD LEFT MY FAY’S FAH BY THE TIME CHURCH MEMBERS WERE SUPPORTG CALIFORNIA’S PROPOSN 8 TO THE TUNE OF $20 LN, BUT I STILL REMEMBER SOME OMO MBLGS ABOUT THE SPECTER OF LEGALLY MANDATED SAME-SEX WEDDGS BEG HELD MORMON CHAPELS. THE HORROR.SO WHEN I LEARNED YTERDAY THAT THE MORMON CHURCH IS NOW PROVISNALLY SUPPORTG SOME LGBT LEGAL PROTECTNS, I CLOSED MY EY, UNTED BACKWARD TO 1995 AND WATCHED THE PRS NFERENCE.LET’S START WH WHAT THE ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT. MORMON APOSTLE D. TODD CHRISTOFFERSON MA PERFECTLY CLEAR OM THE BEGNG: “WE ARE ANNOUNCG NO CHANGE DOCTRE AND CHURCH TEACHGS TODAY.” THE MORMON CHURCH IS STILL FIRM S OPPOSN TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, THEY ARE STILL TARGETG MORMON DISSINT AND SAME-SEX MARRIAGE SUPPORTER JOHN DEHL WH EXMUNITN, AND THEY STILL REQUIRE THEIR GAY, LBIAN, AND BISEXUAL MEMBERS—OR, THEIR PARLANCE, MEMBERS WHO “STGGLE WH SAME-SEX ATTRACTN”—TO REA OM ALL FORMS OF SAME-SEX SEXUAL TIMACY. THE CHURCH’S MEASURED SUPPORT OF NON-DISCRIMATN ORDANC IS BY NO MEANS A STEP FORWARD TERMS OF LGBT CLN WH THE FAH SELF.NOR IS THE CHURCH’S SUPPORT OF NON-DISCRIMATN ORDANC ENTIRELY NEW. IN 2009, MORMON LEARS PUT THEIR WEIGHT BEHD A SALT LAKE CY NON-DISCRIMATN ORDANCE, BUT ONLY BEE “BALANCE[D] FAIR HOG AND EMPLOYMENT RIGHTS WH THE RELIG RIGHTS OF THE MUNY.” THE ONLY NEWS HERE IS THAT THE CHURCH IS EXPANDG THIS NDNAL SUPPORT OF LGBT PROTECTNS “THROUGHOUT UTAH AND THE NATN AS LONG AS THERE [IS] A BALANCED APPROACH TO PROTECT NSTUTNAL RELIG EXERCISE AND NSCIENCE.”THE RECURRG DISCLAIMERS ABOUT RELIG EEDOM REVEAL THIS ANNOUNCEMENT FOR WHAT REALLY IS: A CRAVEN BID TO HANG ON TO AS MUCH POWER AS POSSIBLE BEFORE FULL LGBT EQUALY BE A POLIL AND CULTURAL REALY. NOW THAT THE MORMON CHURCH SEEMS MORE OR LS RIGNED TO THE IMPENDG PROBABILY OF NATNWI SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, THIS RENEWED FOC ON DISCRIMATN UNR THE GUISE OF RELIG EEDOM IS THE ONLY THG THEY HAVE LEFT AND BY GOD, J, AND JOSEPH SMH, ARE THEY GOG TO WHE-KNUCKLE .IN FACT, THIS MOVE IS EXACTLY THE SORT OF BA-AND-SWCH I LEARNED AS A MORMON CHILD: PLEDGE BASIC SUPPORT FOR THE HUMANE TREATMENT OF THE MARGALIZED WHILE SUPPORTG THEIR EXCLN THROUGH EVERY OTHER MEANS POSSIBLE.INED, THE MORMON LEARS WHO PARTICIPATED YTERDAY’S PRS NFERENCE SPENT MUCH LS TIME TAILG THEIR SUPPORT OF LGBT PROTECTNS THAN THEY DID CRYG WHAT THEY SEE AS “THE STEADY EROSN OF TREASURED EEDOMS” PERTAG TO MATTERS OF “RELIG NSCIENCE.” THE OFFICIAL PRS RELEASE PLEDG SUPPORT FOR “REASONABLE SAFEGUARDS FOR LGBT PEOPLE—SPECIFILLY AREAS OF HOG, EMPLOYMENT AND PUBLIC TRANSPORTATN” SO LONG AS THE SAFEGUARDS ARE BALANCED WH “RELIG EEDOM PROTECTNS.” BUT AT NO POT DURG THE PREPARED PORTN OF THE PRS NFERENCE DID MORMON LEARS OFFER SPECIFIC ILLTRATIVE EXAMPL OF ANTI-LGBT DISCRIMATN, ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR OWN HISTORY OF ANTI-LGBT POLICY, OR EVEN UTTER ALOUD THE WORDS “BISEXUAL” AND “TRANSGENR.” THE TOKEN FEMALE SPEAKER—SISTER NEILL F. MARRTT, WHOSE SPEECH PATTERNS MAKE JONI ERNST SEEM LIKE CELE DN BY PARISON—EVEN CHIMED WH A HEARTY “HOMOSEXUALS.” REMEMBER: IT’S STILL 1995.THE ANNOUNCEMENT YTERDAY WAS, FIRST AND FOREMOST, AN EXCE TO PLA ABOUT THE CREASG PHBACK THAT PUBLIC FIGUR AND BS FACE WHEN THEY MAKE A BIGOTED REMARK OR EXPLICLY SUPPORT THE DISCRIMATN OF LGBT PEOPLE. IN THE SPAN OF 15 MUT, MORMON APOSTL DALL H. OAKS AND JEFEY R. HOLLAND MANAGED TO WORK REFERENC TO THE OTG OF MOZILLA CEO BRENDAN EICH, THE WHDRAWAL OF STATE FUNDG FOR CHRISTIAN CLUBS AT CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS THAT EXCLU GAY STUNTS, AND THE PRSURE PUT ON MORMON GYMNAST PETER VIDMAR TO CLE HIS PLACE AS THE U.S. CHEF MISSN THE 2012 OLYMPICS OPENG CEREMONI AFTER HE PARTICIPATED ANTI-SAME-SEX MARRIAGE MONSTRATNS.NOT ONLY DO THE MORMON CHURCH HAVE THE GALL TO PRENT THE STORI AS IF THEY REPRENT THE END OF “EE SPEECH” AS WE KNOW —’S CLEAR THAT THEY NEED TO SPEND LS TIME READG THEIR SCRIPTUR AND MORE TIME READG THE CONSTUTN—THEY ALSO GO A STEP FURTHER BY EQUATG THEM WH THE WISPREAD, STUTNAL DISCRIMATN OF LGBT PEOPLE. OAKS BOLDLY ASSERTS THAT “[S]UCH TACTICS ARE EVERY B AS WRONG AS NYG ACCS TO EMPLOYMENT, HOG, OR PUBLIC SERVIC BEE OF RACE OR GENR” BEFORE ADDG THIS PETTY AND FALLAC SWIPE: “IT IS ONE OF TODAY’S GREAT IRONI THAT SOME PEOPLE WHO HAVE FOUGHT SO HARD FOR LGBT RIGHTS NOW TRY TO NY THE RIGHTS OF OTHERS TO DISAGREE WH THEIR PUBLIC-POLICY PROPOSALS.”HERE’S ANOTHER EQUATN THAT MORMONS SHOULD TAKE TO HEART: NOT TOLERATG TOLERANCE IS NOT THE SAME THG AS TOLERANCE SELF.BUT OAKS N’T AFFORD TO BE TOO MEAN TO LGBT PEOPLE BEE THE CHURCH’S “FAIRNS FOR ALL” APPROACH IS, ODDLY ENOUGH, AN ATTEMPT TO UPLE THE POSSIBILY OF ANTI-LGBT DISCRIMATN TO LGBT NONDISCRIMATN ORDANC THEMSELV. TWENTY YEARS AGO, WHEN THE MORMON CHURCH’S POLICS ALIGNED MORE CLOSELY WH AMERI’S CENTER, THEY WERE POWER AND LGBT PEOPLE WERE ON THE ROP. BUT NOW, THE MORMONS WANT TO BE 1995 AGA SO BADLY THAT THEY’RE WILLG TO THROW THEIR HAT WH THE -VOGUE LGBT MUNY AS LONG AS THEY N STILL REFE TO, SAY, MAKE THEIR WEDDG K. WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, CHURCH LEARS WOULDN’T BE UGHT AD G A WORD LIKE “MORY” TO REFER TO THEMSELV BUT YTERDAY’S PRSER, OAKS WAS MORE THAN WILLG TO IMPLICLY REFER TO BOTH MORMONS AND LGBT PEOPLE AS “UNPOPULAR MORI.” YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY: IF YOU N’T BEAT ’EM, JO ’EM AND THEN TRY TO UNRME THEM EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.THE MORMON CHURCH HAS ALREADY PROVED THAT ’S NOT ABOVE -OPTG A CIVIL-RIGHTS AMEWORK TO GET WHAT THEY WANT. AT THIS POT, THEY HAVE A TRACK RERD OF HIDG BEHD THE LANGUAGE OF CIVIL-RIGHTS MOVEMENTS ORR TO ASSERT THEIR RIGHT TO DISCRIMATE ON RELIG GROUNDS. IN A 2009 SPEECH LIVERED AT BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSY-IDAHO, OAKS PARED THE VANDALISM OF SOME CHURCH FACILI AFTER THE PASSAGE OF PROPOSN 8 TO “THE WELL-KNOWN AND WILY NMNED VOTER TIMIDATN OF BLACKS THE SOUTH THAT PRODUCED RRECTIVE FERAL CIVIL-RIGHTS LEGISLATN.” I’M NOT SURE THEY MAKE EQUIVALENC ANY FALSER THAN THAT ONE.AND SPEAKG OF CIVIL RIGHTS LEGISLATN, HERE’S A STORY ABOUT THE MORMON CHURCH’S HISTORIC STANCE ON THAT ISSUE: ACRDG TO GLEN W. DAVIDSON’S 1965 ARTICLE THE CHRISTIAN CENTURY, A LOL CHAPTER OF THE NAACP FALLY SECURED A MEETG WH TOP CHURCH LEARS 1965, WHO RELUCTANTLY AGREED TO WRE AN EDORIAL—ALBE AN UNSIGNED ONE— SUPPORT OF AN EMPLOYMENT AND HOG BILL. THEY NEVER WROTE THE EDORIAL. INSTEAD, ONE MORMON APOSTLE SAID: “WE HAVE CID TO REMA SILENT.” BUT THEY N CERTALY SPEAK UP FORTY YEARS LATER WHEN THEY HAVE THE OPPORTUNY TO PARE BROKEN WDOWS TO THE SYSTEMIC DISCRIMATN OF AN ENTIRE RACE.COMG OM THE MORMON CHURCH, A HALF-HEARTED AND NDNAL SUPPORT FOR LGBT RIGHTS ISN’T JT TOO LTLE, TOO LATE—’S BS AS UAL. TRADG SHELTER AND EMPLOYMENT FOR THE RIGHT TO DISCRIMATE ON RELIG GROUNDS IS A VIL’S BARGA G OM MEN WHO BELIEVE THEY SPEAK FOR GOD. THIS ISN’T A “FAIRNS FOR ALL” APPROACH—’S A MEAN OLR SIBLG DRAWG A CHALK LE DOWN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROOM. AND WHAT WE’RE WNSG NOW IS NOT A SLOW STEP FORWARD BUT RATHER MORMON BIGOTRY S ATH THRO, AS THE CHURCH TRI VA TO RI THE LEGAL ATTAILS OF THE VERY PEOPLE THEY HAVE BEEN PUTTG DOWN FOR SO LONG. SAMANTHA ALLEN

A valedictorian at Brigham Young Universy me out his addrs as a ‘gay son of God.’ And his admissn met wh loud applse. An expert explas how big a change this is for the Mormon Church. * mormon gay rights *

Image source, Getty ImagImage ptn, Many Kenyans believe that gay rights are agast their relign - whether Christian or MlimAlthough the meetg Uganda was billed as an attempt to protect the "sovereignty" of Ain stat, was actually -sponsored by an Amerin Christian right-wg anisatn, Fay Watch Internatnal (FWI) Kapya Kaoma, a Zambian prit the Anglin Church and an amic at Boston Universy the US, says Ain untri are beg targeted by FWI and siar US-based anisatns, and that the impact of s lobbyg has been "horrible and humane" parts of Ai, fuellg what he lls "ant homophobia".

GAY RIGHTS

"It is one thg to say: 'I don't agree wh you beg gay', but we didn't have the ant one, where policians now are sayg: 'You go to jail for life, you go to jail for talkg about beg gay, you go to jail bee you're livg wh your fellow woman', " Dr Kaoma says. The Church had often fought agast the risg ti of marriage equaly; s members were major fancial backers of 2008's Prop 8 California, which briefly banned same-sex marriage the state before beg more progrsive Church members voiced strong disapproval, Garett, like many Mormons, believed the spirual lears were warmg to gay rights. Its official policy toward homosexualy is that "actg" on one's sire is a s and that same-sex marriage is agast God's, twenty-six, and Garett, twenty-four, have had a long, plited relatnship wh the relign to which they were born.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* MORMON GAY RIGHTS

Gays cheered at Brigham Young Universy – lennial Mormons are creasgly tolerant of same-sex attractn .

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