A gay-owned Virgia rtrant is a dispute wh s neighbors - Washgton Post

Contents:

• MATTHEW GONG, GAY MORMON, REFLECTS ON HIS JOURNEY OM NER WAR TO NER PEACE
• 'RHOSLC'S GAY FAY IS CONSIRED "MORMON ROYALTY" THANKS TO ITS RICH HISTORY
• GAY, MORMON AND HAPPILY MARRIED WH CHILDREN
• GAY MORMONS
• CHURCH UPDAT OFFICIAL ‘MORMON AND GAY’ WEBSE
• RISG NUMBERS OF YOUNG ADULT MORMONS THE US ARE GAY, LBIAN OR BISEXUAL
• POLICY CHANG ANNOUNCED FOR MEMBERS GAY MARRIAG, CHILDREN OF LGBT PARENTS
• MORMON CHURCH ISSU L AIMED AT GAY MEMBERS, THEIR KIDS
• MORMONS AND GAYS
• A GAY UPLE RAN A RAL RTRANT PEACE. THEN NEW NEIGHBORS ARRIVED.

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

But Print Oaks ma clear that the Church was not revisg s doctre on homosexualy, which teach that havg same-sex attractn is not a s, but actg on is. 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. It holds that “gay and lbian Mormons n be great blsgs the liv of their fai, and that fai n be great blsgs the liv of their gay and lbian members.

”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. ”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 was lled to London on a Mandar-speakg missn his 21st birthday, at the start of the fal year on his missn, Gong wrote separate emails to each of his brothers and his parents to tell them he was gay. 'RHOSLC's Gay Fay Is Consired "Mormon Royalty" Thanks to Its Rich HistoryBillnaire Howard Hugh wasn't Mormon, but he had ti to the Mormon church by way of Frank William Gay, who is related to the Gay fay on 'RHOSLC. And although Heather Gay broke ee om the Mormon church followg her divorce, she asserted on the show that her hband’s fay om a eply rooted Mormon fay and, as a rult, her kids do as well.

'RHOSLC'S GAY FAY IS CONSIRED "MORMON ROYALTY" THANKS TO ITS RICH HISTORY

ET/PTThis is where a seemgly normal fay turns to a social experiment that challeng what means to be a fahful member of the Mormon church, what means to be gay and live a heterosexual 's announcement has also touched off a bate among other gay Mormons, who see The Church Of Latter Day Sats slowly evolvg on the issue of homosexualy.

Some worry that this unorthodox uple is sendg a dangero msage to other fai alg wh gay loved on that livg a "straight" liftyle is OutJosh and Lrel have known each other sce they were 4 years old. Josh's blog post quickly went viral -- currently has over 3, 700 ments and has been re-posted by other blogs -- and set off a firtorm of bate wh both the Mormon church and the gay muny.

Bee Josh has a private practice as a licensed marriage and fay therapist associate, many crics of his liftyle are ncern that he is tryg to "change" gay men and nvce them that a "straight" liftyle is matas he do not believe tryg to change someone's sexual orientatn, and said he believ tryg to do so n be very damagg. " Josh John Dehl, a fellow Mormon who studi and wr about members of his relign who are facg nflicts and qutns about their fah, warns that the Weeds' story is harmg others stgglg wh homosexualy.

GAY, MORMON AND HAPPILY MARRIED WH CHILDREN

"Dehl, who produc a popular podst that shar stori about Mormons stgglg wh issu of fah, said he has received emails om mothers who have asked their gay sons why they n't live like Josh. "Usg relign or spirualy as a way to manage your sexual orientatn, by beg extra righteo, or extra fahful, as a way to sort of supprs those feelgs, or ntrol yourself, is the most damagg way to pe wh your same-sex attractn, " he Gorrge said he is livg proof that beg gay and attemptg to marry and live a heterosexual liftyle leads to heartbreak.

The Utah man said he was married for 25 years to a woman, raised four children, and was even a member of Evergreen Internatnal, a group that worked to "nvert" Mormons who are gay.

GAY MORMONS

Gorrge said he fally stopped livg a lie 14 years ago when his stggle wh homosexualy beme too much to bear, and he attempted suici durg a fay vatn. ""Evolvg" Mormon ChurchThe Weeds story at a time when many believe the Mormon church is slowly evolvg to be more acceptg of the homosexual recently, church lears did not accept the notn that someone uld be gay and still be a fahful member of the church. " Many Mormon lears also enuraged "reparative therapy, " a procs by which patients received an electric shock when shown homosexual after the bisg battle 2008 over California's Proposn 8, and plats om wh the church that Mormons were viewed as too tolerant, church learship has begun to soften s stance.

CHURCH UPDAT OFFICIAL ‘MORMON AND GAY’ WEBSE

The church now says simply beg gay is no longer nsired a s, though actg on those feelgs still is, as is any sexual relatnship outsi of a tradnal heterosexual Mormon activists say church lears have begun speakg wh them about gay issu. ""I have no doubt my md the next 30, 50 or 100 years that legally married gay men and women are gog to be accepted to the church at a mimum to be able to serve llgs and to be able to participate and worship along si straight members of the church, " he A Lie? "The Weeds said they're jt another happy Mormon fay and the fact that Josh is gay won't change the full story on "Nightle" tonight at 11:35 p.

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

The doctre of The Church of J Christ of Latter-day Sats, which church is often mistakenly lled the Mormon Church, is que clear on the practice of homosexualy. Mormon doctre clar homosexual activy a s not bee is bigoted and old fashned, but bee the practice of homosexualy trat the eternal purpose of the fay. The Church of J Christ of Latter-day Sats and s members ntu to, and will ntue to, receive a great al of cricism and persecutn for s view on homosexualy.

POLICY CHANG ANNOUNCED FOR MEMBERS GAY MARRIAG, CHILDREN OF LGBT PARENTS

Bee the world already has a liberal view on sexualy and do not thk a great al of the practice of sex before marriage, views the LDS Church’s views towards gay Mormons as expectatns which are far too high. Gay Mormons should not feel any shame for their feelgs, but they should turn to the Savr for His help and strength to overe all temptatns—whether those temptatns are related to homosexualy or not—and have fah that He will help them overe. 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.

MORMON CHURCH ISSU L AIMED AT GAY MEMBERS, THEIR KIDS

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.

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. 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. 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.

MORMONS AND GAYS

In the first few months after beg lled as a bishop, I was surprised when three sets of parents my ward each approached me private to let me know that they had a child who intified as gay or transgenr. People who experience same-sex attractn or intify as gay, lbian, or bisexual n make and keep venants wh God and fully and worthily participate the Church.

A GAY UPLE RAN A RAL RTRANT PEACE. THEN NEW NEIGHBORS ARRIVED.

Intifyg as gay, lbian, or bisexual or experiencg same-sex attractn is not a s and do not prohib one om participatg the Church, holdg llgs, or attendg the temple.

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 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.