Affirmation: Gay & Lesbian Mormons

Gay Mormons Featured in Frontiers Magazine
“Our fight, just like my Mormon ancestors’, will not be in vain”

With an eye-catching cover, Frontiers Magazine featured three gay Mormons in its January 13 issue. Christen Madsen, 25, M. Nate Green, 28, and George Cole, 27, speak of pain, hope, and love as they share their personal thoughts on the aftermath of the passing of Proposition 8.

“Until recently, I valued and proudly displayed my Mormon heritage by donning a CTR ring (the Christian cross equivalent) bearing the acronym of the Mormon motto: ‘Choose the Right,’” wrote Christen. “In the wake of the elections, I reflected on the incongruity of participating in protests to express my dismay at being made a second-class citizen while associating myself with the Church. Although no longer an official member, I realized that I could not continue to identify as a gay Mormon. I slipped off the CTR ring and have yet to wear it since.”

“I can only find words of hope, courage and determination because today, I remember that one voice can stop a mob,” wrote Nate. “Our fight, just like my Mormon ancestors’, will not be in vain. Together—unified by our own convictions—amongst all the cacophony of the last few months, our message will be heard.”

“How the Church behaved in this election made me angry, and ashamed of my spiritual heritage,” George reflected . “Persecution for peculiar beliefs—especially about marriage—drove Mormons west to what became Utah, and they have leveraged their history of persecution to gain converts and non-Mormon sympathy. I’m saddened that they’ve turned around and persecuted others for wanting only what most everyone else has.”

Yet George believes some good things came out of the Mormons’ involvement in passing Prop. 8.

“First, they helped energize the LGBT community,” George wrote. “Second, they ran an effective campaign, and we can learn a lot about how to do it better next time. But most of all, they officially came out in support of many of the rights of marriage for same-sex couples, including civil unions. We’re not going to win them over on marriage equality, but we can get them to hold to what they say they are for.”

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