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.
Contents:
- UPDATE — JANA RIS: THERE ARE MORE YOUNG LBIAN, GAY OR BISEXUAL LATTER-DAY SATS THAN PREVLY BELIEVED
- RISG NUMBERS OF YOUNG ADULT MORMONS THE US ARE GAY, LBIAN OR BISEXUAL
UPDATE — JANA RIS: THERE ARE MORE YOUNG LBIAN, GAY OR BISEXUAL LATTER-DAY SATS THAN PREVLY BELIEVED
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. ” 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).
RISG NUMBERS OF YOUNG ADULT MORMONS THE US ARE GAY, LBIAN OR BISEXUAL
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. He sgled out one openly gay BYU alum particular, former valedictorian Matt Easton, who me out as gay his 2019 mencement speech. In simply intifyg himself as gay the urse of the speech, Holland alleged, Easton had “manered” the 2019 ceremony.
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. At BYU, some of the celt technologi have been ed to attempt to end the gay surge. 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.
Matt Easton has ced the wily publicized 2016 ath by suici of one of his classmat at BYU, Harry Fisher, as part of the reason for his cisn to e out as gay his valedictorian speech. Due to Mormon teachgs that there is no way to have romantic relatnships wh those of the same sex and be exalted the afterlife, gay Mormons face high rat of lonels, suicidaly, and prsn. )So, 23% of Gen Zers who intify as LDS say they are lbian, gay, bisexual or other [see update above].