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174: Nate Gardner | Mission, BYU & (gay) Marriage

Posted 4 years ago Tagged BYU Gay Gay Mormon LDS Church LGBT

Born and raised in Utah, Nate Gardner did everything he was supposed to do to be a good Mormon boy. After serving a mission and going to BYU Nate came out of the closet—fearing he would lose his family.

Because … Read the rest here

https://lattergaystories.org/episode-player/7152/nategardner.mp3?dest-id=1047998

Hi, I’m Dusty

Posted 6 years ago Tagged Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints coming out Equality family Gay Married

I vividly remember being 13 years old, walking home from church on Sunday. As I walked alone, I started to tear up because I believed I would never have what most of the families at church had. You see I … Read the rest here

Coming Out | Our Magical Unicorn

Posted 6 years ago Tagged coming out family Gay kids Parents

My coming out, probably like many of yours, did not go too well. My parents, specifically my mother, were not at all accepting of the idea. And for 6+ years afterwards, things were said to me that no child should … Read the rest here

Coming Out | The Do-Over

Posted 6 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

Coming Out | Would I Wreck the Celestial Plan of Salvation for Our Family?

Posted 6 years ago Tagged coming out Gay Gay Child Mormon Plan of Salvation Son

Growing up I was very fortunate to have a family that was really gay friendly. We were not the typical Latter-day Saint family. My dad’s job allowed us to travel around the country, giving us the opportunity to live in … Read the rest here

What’s a Gay Like Me Supposed to Do?

Posted 8 years ago Tagged Celibacy Gay LDS Singles Ward

by: MSC | ByCommonConsent.org

MCS is your typical single Mormon in his late 20’s. He faithfully attends his YSA ward, and is one of the Same Ten People who rotate through all the hard callings. You’d never guess he was … Read the rest here

Latter Gay Stories
Latter Gay Stories

Latter Gay Stories

46

Real Stories. Real Talk. Real People
IN or OUT of Mormonism.

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Latter Gay Stories
1 day ago

“We need to listen to and understand what our LGBT brothers and sisters are feeling and experiencing. Certainly, we must do better than we have done in the past.”

When Elder M. Russell Ballard said this at BYU in 2017, it was hopeful. It was kind, and it felt like the olive branch LGBTQ members needed from their church leaders. Asking people to listen was something we could welcome, even without agreement on everything else. Acknowledging that the church and its members haven’t done a good job at listening to queer experiences was honest, and transparent.

But years later, according to David Archuleta’s account in his memoir, “Devout”, Ballard admitted that he had never spoken so deeply with a gay person before. David was someone he knew personally, someone who trusted him and saw him as a grandfather figure. Discussing the memoir, David recalled Ballard saying, “I’ve never spoken this in depth with a gay person before.”

What happened to the advice he gave in 2017? How do you publicly acknowledge that LGBTQ people need to be heard, tell church members to do better, and still arrive at a conversation years later having done so little of that work yourself?

Ballard had the authority to tell gay people how to live. His words carried weight in our marriages, our church participation and membership records, our families and our decisions about whether we belonged in the church. Yet, by his own admission to David Archuletta, his experience listening in depth to someone actually living that life was profoundly limited—if at all.

I believed the advice Elder Ballard gave was good. I still do. But I’m tired of being asked to celebrate compassionate statements without asking whether the person making them followed through—do they actually practice what they preach?

When Ballard said “we must do better,” why were LGBTQ members left waiting for him to take his own advice?
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Latter Gay Stories
2 days ago

Here’s your fall reminder: some red flags come with matching hats. Only you can prevent dumpster fires.

Vote like you’ve seen the smoke.
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Latter Gay Stories
2 days ago

Here’s to wishing—but with our luck, we’ll get 1954’s opinions at 2026’s prices.

Cheers.
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