Robert C. Gay

Contents:

• MATTHEW GONG, GAY MORMON, REFLECTS ON HIS JOURNEY OM NER WAR TO NER PEACE
• CHURCH UPDAT OFFICIAL ‘MORMON AND GAY’ WEBSE
• 1470: WHEN LDS APOSTLE JEFEY HOLLAND CALLS YOU OUT – GAY BYU VALEDICTORIAN MATT EASTON
• CHURCH UPDAT OFFICIAL ‘MORMON AND GAY’ WEBSE
• ROBERT C. GAY
• GAY MORMON, GAY CATHOLIC, GAY ACTIVIST: ‘BOOK OF MORMON’ STAR RORY O’MALLEY ON FAH, RIGHTS, AND RELIG EEDOM

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

”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 didn’t want to accept himself as gay, “bee the only queerns I had ever seen was bad” — the AIDS crisis, promiscuy, ath.

In movi, gays were victims, targets for bulli, or “the sassy iend. 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. 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.

CHURCH UPDAT OFFICIAL ‘MORMON AND GAY’ WEBSE

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.

1470: WHEN LDS APOSTLE JEFEY HOLLAND CALLS YOU OUT – GAY BYU VALEDICTORIAN MATT EASTON

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.

CHURCH UPDAT OFFICIAL ‘MORMON AND GAY’ WEBSE

In April of 2019 Brigham Young Universy valedictorian Matt Easton me out as a fahful gay Mormon durg his valedictorian addrs, which was pre-approved by the LDS Church. I have a gay son who I have discsed so many thgs wh and Matt gave me even more sight to his plight. Everyone knows that “I am gay” announcements are a middle fger to the church, and I fd very disrpectful to them.

If you are gog to be gay, be gay, but dont go to their terrory and be disrpectful to them. Y, y I know they have done harm and people are pissed… but I still thk you dont need to announce you are gay a BYU speech.

ROBERT C. GAY

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).

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.

GAY MORMON, GAY CATHOLIC, GAY ACTIVIST: ‘BOOK OF MORMON’ STAR RORY O’MALLEY ON FAH, RIGHTS, AND RELIG EEDOM

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.

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.