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Archive for the ‘LGBT’ Category

Evergreen International 2011 Conference Twofer

09.29.2011 · Posted in Affirmation, Evergreen, LGBT

Seth Bracken posted a pair of reports to QSaltLake.com that I’m gonna simply link and excerpt here. Evergreen Conference Attracts Hundreds Jared, 17, sat through the sessions of the conference flanked by his parents on either side, in hopes to overcome his ‘temptations,’ serve a mission, marry a woman and enjoy a typical Mormon’s life, ...

A Tale of Two Humanists

08.16.2011 · Posted in Homosexuality, LDS Family Services, LGBT, Tolerance

I read in the paper the a few weeks ago of the death of General Authority emeritus Marion D. Hanks. Elder Hanks very nearly had the privilege of being the first person I ever came out to. Here’s the story, which happened some 32 years ago. My father was a stake president during my adolescent ...

The Mormon Wall

08.03.2011 · Posted in Homosexuality, LGBT

I felt disheartened as I walked away from the restaurant.  I had just had lunch with a former priesthood leader (whom I call “John”) who had responded relatively compassionately to a coming out letter I had sent to a few former close family friends.  His response, among the few I had received, had been the ...

Masks: “It’s the Longing that Gets You”

05.19.2011 · Posted in Homosexuality, LGBT

Mormons are sometimes accused of being insular. Even when we Mormons disagree with or among each other about a policy or practice or doctrine of the LDS Church, we tend to think of these policies, practices and doctrines in uniquely “Mormon” ways. This is one reason I was delighted to discover that some of my ...

What is Truth: Gays, Believers and Apostates

As has been pointed out by numerous commenters throughout the (relatively short) life of my blog (at http://invictuspilgrim.blogspot.com), a gay (active/post/ex-/inactive/anything in between) Mormon’s relationship to the LDS Church is often complicated. The reason for this should be obvious (but perhaps isn’t to many members of the Church). Many gay Mormons (I use this term ...

I’d Like To Bear My Testimony…

03.20.2011 · Posted in LGBT, Mormons, PRIDE in Utah

It took me years to leave the Mormon church.  It was a long, slow process that I made official after members of the church were urged to support Proposition 8. I was seven months pregnant with my first child when Prop 8 passed.  Although I hadn’t been to church for more than a decade, and ...

LGBs and atheism

02.14.2011 · Posted in Atheism, LGBT

I just finished reading a two-volume set on atheism and secularity.  There were a number of interesting findings in the books.  I’ll probably post about a few more of them.  But I’ll start with this one from p. 98: “Whereas 62 percent of heterosexual respondents are believers, only 42 percent of LGB respondents are believers. ...

Marvin Perkins: We are one.

Marvin Perkins is described by Mormon blog Times & Seasons as “a Latter-day Saint music producer who is currently the Public Affairs Co-chair for the Genesis Group and who has worked to nurture understanding between African-Americans and Latter-day Saints and attack misconceptions.” Here’s Marvin at T&S: Even couched in kind tones, today we find many ...

A Tale of Two Cities (DC and SLC): Marion Barry, H. David Burton and Harry Jackson

And three giants: Bishop H. David Burton, Presiding Bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who recently co-signed a letter with Bishop Harry Jackson, Senior Pastor, Hope Christian Church, expressing their shared commitment to protect marriage; Mayor Barry blesses their union with a memorable chant. A hypocritical example destroys credibility. — H. ...

Utah school officials object to anti-suicide signs

h/t Natalie R. Collins Nebo School District official Lana Hiskey: “We’ve actually had a boatload of phone calls coming in and they’re very concerned about the content … [but] it’s not that his beliefs are different than other people’s beliefs, it’s not that at all …” Read Natalie’s commentary at Gay awareness signs too “adult-themed” ...