Affirmation: Gay & Lesbian Mormons

Sunstone Article Tackles Mormon Cross-Dressing
After a lifetime of isolation and hiding, cross-dressers can feel like monsters or out-of-control perverts, and suicide can become an attractive option

May 2009

An article in the February 2009 issue of Sunstone magazine focuses on the rarely discussed issue of cross-dressing in the LDS Church. Author Brittny Goodsell Jones tells the story of Daniel Jensen (a pseudonym), an LDS married man and father of two who recently disclosed to his family a secret he has kept for almost twenty years: He’s been a cross-dresser since the age of ten.

Although his wife Monica says that she was somewhat aware of his cross-dressing before they married in the temple, Daniel says he often feels inadequate and unaccepted because of his cross-dressing secret.

In her research, Jones discovered that LDS statements about cross-dressing are sparse. Even though BYU’s honor code explicitly brands cross-dressing inappropriate, other LDS publications are silent. “I don’t know why you’re interested [in asking LDS public affairs about cross-dressing]”, an LDS employee told Jones. “An active member wouldn’t be a part of that.”

Lee Beckstead, a Salt Lake City psychologist with LDS background, told Jones that cross-dressers often learn to hate themselves or their cross-dressing as a coping mechanism. But after a lifetime of isolation and hiding, cross-dressers can feel like monsters or out-of-control perverts, and suicide can become an attractive option.

Last Christmas, Daniel received a present he didn’t expect: a silver-beaded necklace, a black skirt, a knight-blue blouse, and a low-cut rubbed sweater. The gift came from a sister-in-law who lives in Utah.

“It meant a lot to me,” says Daniel. “But I have never been able to have that type of present. I didn’t even know how to react. I’ve been so isolated for so long—it was a moment of realization that other people know and are there with me more than anything.”

To get a Sunstone subscription, visit www.sunstonemagazine.com. For more information on Mormon transgender issues, visit www.affirmation.org/transgender.