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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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Foundation for
Reconciliation
I Want Them to
Love Me
my name is brandi bradshaw, i have been
raised mormon almost my entire life, but since my 18th birthday i
have been inactive, and i have every intention to remain as far away
from this church as possible.
i am bisexual, with a VERY STRONG preference
towards females. i have been trying to hide it from my family for as
long as i can remember. there have been a few times when they
noticed some things and i was harshly disciplined because of it. a
few times my step-father made me sit down with the bishop to repent
for being gay, other times i would just be forced to not see anyone
but family. i spent almost every day literally locked in my room
because they feared i would go out and...i don't know.....have
lesbian sex on a daily basis....i really don't know what they
thought i would do. but i was kept from my friends, i constantly
heard from them that if i were gay, "jesus wouldn't love me anymore"
and "i would spend eternity away from my family, with other
sinners."
i'm now 19 years old. I HATE MYSELF. i feel
like i am a huge burden on my family, and though i have not sat down
and come completely out to them, i know they already know, and i
know they are disappointed. the way i was made to feel about myself
has stuck with me, and even though i know for a fact that it is okay
to be gay, i still can't get over my family's feeling towards the
situation. and i feel like there is no way they will ever love me;
not until i "repent and stop sinning," at least. i wish every day
that i could make them understand that this is not an illness, it's
just the way i am, and being hurtful towards me about it is only
making the situation worse. this last voting season, every time i
saw a Prop 8 commercial or a "Yes on 102" sign in someone's yard, i
knew my family was hearing the same message, and i knew that it was
only going to make them think less of me.
i have tried to kill myself multiple times
since i was 15 years old....i just don't see the point in living
when your family....the people who are supposed to love and support
you when no one else in the world will....doesn't think you are
worthy of their love. no matter how many understanding people i meet
and talk to, it will NEVER make it easier to live without that love.
i want them to love me, and accept me for who i am, and it's never
going to happen. please don't believe what they tell you; you're
beautiful the way you are, jesus will still love you even if you're
gay. teach love and compassion, not hate and bigotry. think of the
impact it will have on your children and the rest of your family; no
one should have to live with this......."-Brandi, September, 2009
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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
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