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Petition Home Page
Below are links to church history and
personal stories of those who have experienced the pain that
comes from endeavoring to change their sexual orientation in
order to comply with church teachings and policy.
Personal stories,
Rocky, Drew, Val & Ray
Gay & Lesbian Member Suicide List
We Can Change History For Gay LDS
Lifetime
Celibacy or Excommunication
Policy
The Etiology of
Homosexuality from Authoritative Latter-day Saint Perspectives,
1879-2006
A Revised
History of Homosexuality & Mormonism, 1840-1980
Chronology Of Mormon / LDS Involvement In Same-Sex Marriage Politics
Mormons for Marriage
supports marriage equality for all, and stands in respectful
opposition to California Proposition 8.
Mormon Politics & Member Opinion
ABC News- Gay Mormons Face Excommunication
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Your Story or the Story of a Loved One
Would you please take a few minutes and send us a message, story
or experience relating to the issue of being Gay or Lesbian in
the LDS Church?
Send by e-mail to
ldsapology@gmail.com
We would like to print and share your comments and deliver them
to the leaders of the LDS Church on November 4th,
when we present them with this Petition. We would also like to
keep them available on our website to document your experiences
and provide opportunities to educate and build understanding,
compassion, support, reconciliation and change.
Feel free to include your full name, but if you would like to be
anonymous, you may state a partial name or simply “anonymous.”
You may also change incidental identifying information to
protect the anonymity of the people in your story, if you wish.
We would like to know where you are from, what your current
status is-- member of the Church, former member, active,
inactive, etc. We want to know if you are Gay or Lesbian or if
you are a friend or relative of a Gay or Lesbian who has been
harmed or helped by the Mormon Church. To give you an
idea of some specific items of interest is this small list:
Treatment of LDS members over their opposition to the
Church’s involvement in California’s Proposition 8 or other
political positions of the LDS Church. Were you/they
treated kindly, were they disciplined, etc?
Treatment or experience that you or others may have received
by BYU, LDS Social Services, or Evergreen International
http://www.evergreeninternational.org
to change sexual orientation.
Treatment by family, local congregation, leaders or others
that you, or others, received when they were in the process
of “coming out” as a teen or adult.
Suicides, attempted suicides, mental or emotional breakdowns
or other health issues you, or others you know, have
experienced as a result of being Gay or Lesbian and
experiencing LDS or Mormon family, member or leadership
interaction.
While this list is just a sampling, we hope you will bring all
your stories forward. With your contribution and help we can
gather these life experiences together in one large history and
will have a strong body of information to present to the Church
for reconciliation and change.
Your contribution is important and will deeply be appreciated.
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Please take time to read this petition, as well as read the stories and
links provided, and pass this information on to your friends and
link to us if you have a website or blog.
By
doing so, you will be sending a message to the leaders of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that it is time for
reconciliation between the Church and its gay and lesbian members.
More importantly, you will be showing support for those who have
been hurt by Church policies and practices because of their sexual
orientation.
"Gay, lesbian and bisexual teens and
young adults have one of the highest rates of suicide attempts — and
some other health and mental health problems, including substance
abuse. A new study suggests that parental acceptance, and even
neutrality, with regard to a child's sexual orientation could have a
big impact in reducing this rate."-NPR, All
Things Considered, December 29, 2008
"I
implore the students at BYU to re-assess their homophobic feelings,"
wrote Stuart Matis in The Daily Universe
shortly before
committing suicide. "Seek to understand first before you make
comments. We have the same needs as you. We desire to love and be
loved. We desire to live our lives with happiness. We are not a
threat to you or your families."
"Utah’s overall suicide rate is the 10th highest in the nation.
Unfortunately, it is the leading cause of death for Utah males ages
15 to 19, who die at a rate nearly double the national average. It
is the leading cause of death for adolescent males in Utah."-KUED.org
Voices of Hope Discussion Guide
"Thank
you,
Carol Lynn Pearson,
for reminding us that the task of any religion is to teach us whom
we're required to love, not whom we're entitled to hate." - Rabbi
Harold Kushner
About
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