September 20, 2020

Coming Out | The Do-Over

Posted 5 years ago Tagged coming out Gay God LDS Church Mixed Orientation Marriage Sexuality Temple

How many times have we looked back into our past and wanted a do-over? For me, one big event that I want to do-over is the coming out process. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to un-do my coming … Read the rest here

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1 day ago

Thinking about fostering as a gay couple? It’s a beautiful way to grow your family while giving a child a loving home. There are an estimated 6,000 LGBTQ+ couples who are raising children in foster homes.

Step 1: Research Agencies

Find LGBTQ+-friendly agencies like AdoptUSKids, UtahFosterCare, and others. The Human Rights Campaign’s “All Children – All Families” initiative lists inclusive options. Pick one with a strong track record. UtahFosterCare has a specific need for affirming foster families for LGBTQ+ children.

Step 2: Meet Basic Requirements

Most agencies care about your ability to provide a stable home—not your orientation. You’ll need a spare bedroom, be 21+, and pass background checks. They’ll also check your health and support system.

Step 3: Attend Orientation & Training

Agencies offer orientations to explain the process, followed by a few weeks of training. You’ll learn about trauma, trust, and creating a safe space for a child.

Step 4: Complete a Home Study

A social worker will interview you, inspect your home, and run checks. It’s thorough but fair, focusing on your readiness to foster, not your identity.

Step 5: Get Approved & Matched

Approval usually takes 4-6 months. Then, you’ll be matched with a child based on your preferences, like age or siblings. Agencies often prefer to place queer foster children in LGBTQ+ affirming homes. Fostering to adopt? You might care for a child while they’re freed for adoption.

Challenges to Know: Some states let agencies refuse LGBTQ+ couples for religious reasons, but only if they’re not government-funded. In Utah, adoptive parents must be legally married couples or single individuals. Cohabitating couples who are not legally married are unable to be licensed.

Your Impact: Same-sex couples are six times more likely to foster, saving the system $87-130M yearly. You’ll also support kids, especially LGBTQ+ youth, who need affirming role models.

Ready? Fostering is about love and resilience. Contact an inclusive agency today and open your home to a child. Family, isn’t it about time?

You’ve got this! 💖 ... See MoreSee Less

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2 days ago

On May 6, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to allow the Trump administration to enforce its ban on transgender individuals serving in the military while legal challenges continue in courts. This decision, which will likely lead to the discharge of thousands of service members, overturns lower court rulings that had blocked the policy. The Court’s three liberal justices—Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson—dissented.

The ban, enacted after President Trump’s January 27 executive order, prohibits transgender individuals from serving in the military, citing “gender dysphoria” as incompatible with military readiness. Affecting roughly 0.2% of the 2 million active service members, this policy is broader than a similar ban from Trump’s first term, targeting nearly all transgender troops, including those already serving.

Lambda Legal and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, representing seven transgender service members and one aspiring recruit, called the ruling a “devastating blow” rooted in prejudice, not military necessity. The lead plaintiff, Navy pilot Emily Schilling, whose training cost the military $20 million, exemplifies the high-caliber service members at risk of discharge.

Lower court judges had previously halted the ban, criticizing it as discriminatory and lacking evidence. Despite public support—84% of Democrats and 23% of Republicans favor transgender military service, per a Gallup poll—the Supreme Court’s decision allows the policy ban to proceed for now.

So, what happens next? The legal battle continues in lower courts, where challengers will argue the ban violates constitutional equal protection rights. The Supreme Court’s ruling only allows enforcement during this process, not a final verdict on the ban’s legality.

Transgender service members face immediate risk of discharge, and the outcome of the ongoing litigation will determine whether the ban is permanently upheld or struck down.

#TransRights #MilitaryBan #SupremeCourt #Equality #Justice #LGBTQRights #TransInTheMilitary #HumanRights ... See MoreSee Less

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Latter Gay Stories

2 days ago

The claim that transgender individuals are “mentally ill” is a lazy assertion that fails to withstand scrutiny. Let’s take a minute to examine this with clarity, compassion, and evidence.

Gender dysphoria, the distress some transgender people experience when their physical body does not align with their gender identity, is often mischaracterized as a mental illness. The American Psychiatric Association classifies it as a condition, not a disorder, and not all transgender individuals experience it. When provided with affirming care—such as correct pronouns, hormone therapy, or social support—this distress often diminishes significantly.

A 2020 study in Pediatrics found that transgender youth with access to affirming care had a 50% lower rate of suicide attempts. If transgender identity were a delusion, as critics sometimes claim, would such interventions consistently alleviate distress? The evidence suggests otherwise.

The root of much suffering lies not in transgender identity but in societal rejection. Transgender individuals have existed across cultures and throughout history, often revered in roles such as Two-Spirit in Indigenous North American communities, hijra in South Asia, fa’afafine in Samoa, māhū in Hawaii, and muxes in Mexico.

These examples, spanning centuries, demonstrate that transgender identities are neither modern nor confined to one culture, challenging the notion that they stem from contemporary social trends, left wing political agendas, or “woke” U.S. presidents.

Delusions, by contrast, lack this historical and cultural consistency. Transgender individuals often face profound adversity—discrimination, ostracism, and even violence—yet persist in affirming their identities. This resilience reflects self-awareness, not confusion. Labeling them “mentally ill” is not only inaccurate but also harmful, as it fuels stigma and justifies mistreatment.

History offers perspective: homosexuality was classified as a mental disorder until 1973, when evolving scientific understanding led to its declassification. Similarly, biology defies simplistic binaries. Intersex conditions and hormonal variations illustrate the complexity of human biology, underscoring that gender diversity is a natural part of human experience.

The “mental illness” argument rests on assumptions rather than evidence, presuming cisgender identities as inherently valid while dismissing transgender ones. This is a cultural bias, not a fact. Transgender individuals demonstrate courage and clarity in living authentically despite societal pressures. To dismiss their reality is to ignore both science and humanity.

This conversation calls for empathy and rigor, not stereotypes. Transgender people are not defined by labels but by their lived truths. Engaging with that reality is the first step toward understanding. ... See MoreSee Less

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Coming Out | The Do-Over

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