Affirmation: Gay & Lesbian Mormons

Dale Barton

STAND UP! in San Francisco
At our conference October 8-10, we will explore ways we can make a difference

by Dale Barton, director for the 2010 conference

The past few weeks have been particularly eventful in the struggle of equality and justice for all. The federal trial to determine if Proposition 8 in California was motivated by prejudice and discrimination against gay people coincided with the release and premier of “8: The Mormon Proposition.” Both events continue to illustrate how crucial it is that we be actively engaged in protecting equality for all.

At the federal trial, compelling arguments were made to show that banning marriage from a minority class of people based on discrimination is completely against the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution which guarantees equal protection and equal rights to ALL citizens of the United States.

By all accounts, “8: The Mormon Proposition” was a wild success that completely sold out every viewing at the Sundance Film Festival. It received excellent media coverage and raised awareness around discrimination and the hurt that LGBT Mormons, in particular, have experienced.

The Washington Post published a few articles on the “8” describing the interest in this important film. As described by Jen Chaney, “‘8’... explores the broader impact of what the filmmakers describe as the church’s historically intolerant attitude toward gays, using tales of suicide attempts by young Mormons struggling with their sexual orientations and men still grappling with memories of the shock treatments they endured in order to ‘cure’ them of their homosexuality.”

According to AP reporter Jennifer Dobner, “The film uses statements of past church leaders and personal accounts of gay Mormons and their families in an attempt to explain what [Reed] Cowan contends is a culture of obedience and an entrenched anti-gay sentiment that permeates Mormonism. Those attitudes, he says, contribute to a myriad of social problems including a suicide and homelessness among young gay Mormons.”

The Salt Lake Tribune described the audience reaction, which was overwhelmingly positive and led to two standing ovations for Cowan: “Some in the audience cried when hearing stories of gay men and lesbians recounting discrimination they have suffered. Others hissed when Utah Eagle Forum President Gayle Ruzicka appeared on-screen, or when State Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan, appeared to declare homosexuality ‘the greatest threat to America going down.’”

We will be working with Reed Cowan to try to get a special screening of “8: The Mormon Proposition” at our San Francisco conference.

We have an opportunity to make the world a better place for all those kids who believe there are wrong or less than others. At our conference in San Francisco, October 8-10, we will explore ways we can make a difference, change hearts and minds, and help kids believe they are the exactly the way their Heavenly Parents made them to be – perfect.