Gay Mormons

Here are some excerpts from my friend Serena Freewomyn's blog post at the Bilerico Project:

You cannot divorce religious practices from their historical context. The Mormon Church was not founded to practice polygamy. Polygamy started as a response to a pressing social problem. The Mormons were driven out of New York, Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois before they wound up in Utah.

The governor of Missouri actually issued an extermination order against Mormons, and many Mormon men were killed during this period. While the Mormons were going across the plains on foot, a lot of people died.

When they finally got to Utah, many of the remaining men were sent off to fight in the Mexican-American war in order to prove their loyalty to the US government. This left a lot of women and children without a male head of household to provide for them.

Men were asked to support multiple households, and that's why there is a history of polygamy in the Mormon Church. The practice officially ended in 1890.

I've seen pictures of protesters outside of Mormon temples holding signs mocking Mormons and their "special underpants." If 10,000 people showed up outside of a synagogue with signs mocking a Jewish belief, such as wearing a yarmulke or a prayer shawl, people would label that as anti-Semitic. The Mormon temple is a place of worship that is just as sacred to them as a synagogue is to a Jew or a mosque is to a Muslim.

Mocking someone's core beliefs does not elevate the level of discourse or open the possibility for a compromise to be found.

Hailey, a social worker who lives in Anaheim, agrees. "These protests need to be directed at the courthouse or city hall. And think of the position this puts gay Mormons in, especially if they're still active in the church.

They're going to choose church over the gay community. And then you've lost their support, and their votes."

Please stop your ignorant attacks on Mormons and their religious beliefs. If not for yourselves, please think of your gay Mormon brothers and sisters who have no community that accepts them right now.

I'm very proud to have S-Dawg as one of my dear friends. Thanks for this very insightful and important post!! :) When I think of a Mormon, a gay person does not come to mind. Gay Mormons have been overlooked and we all need to work together instead of against each other. In fact, with all the funds Mormons contributed in support of Prop 8 and similar laws, the LGBTQ community obviously needs their support. We should all reach out across the aisle and sing Kumbayah as we make smores and gossip together. Most important, some gay stylists could make polygamist wives fierce with a good eyebrow waxing, tanning lotion and mini-skirts.

pictures: source, source, source