Pioneer-themed Stories

The theme for the 1997 Affirmation International Conference is "Zion's Camp: A Family Reunion." The theme was chosen, in part, to coincide with the LDS Church's celebration of the 150th anniversary of the pioneers' arrival in the Great Salt Lake Valley. During its celebration, the Church will focus on the achievements of all Mormon pioneers, not only those who crossed the plains, but also those who helped—and continue to help—build up the Church throughout the world. As we prepare for our own celebration of Zion's Camp, it seems appropriate to remember our own pioneers by reviewing the history of gay Mormons.

The beginnings of this history are hard to trace. As D. Michael Quinn explains in Same-Sex Dynamics among Nineteenth Century Americans, Mormon culture in the 19th century, like American culture generally, was tolerant of same-sex intimacy in ways 20th century observers would find decidedly queer, but which probably did not involve sexual intimacy. Friends of the same sex (including Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and other early Church leaders) frequently slept in each other's embrace, kissed in public, danced together, and expressed passionate attachments; yet most such relationships were not what we today call homosexual. It is therefore difficult to identify truly homosexual relationships from this period. For example, in his highly publicized analysis of Stephen Evans' relationships with various "boy chums," Quinn offers several reasons to believe that these relationships might have involved sexual intimacy but acknowledges that this cannot be proven conclusively.

Most explicit references to gay Mormons in Church history are unsurprisingly negative, reflecting the Victorian period's extreme heterosexism. But at the same time, there are surprising hints of tolerance. During the Nauvoo period, some apostles implied that Joseph Smith tolerated the homosexual activities of his counselor, John C. Bennett, and apostle Orson Pratt went so far as to imply that Joseph himself had engaged in homosexual activity. During this same period, Joseph taught that "what many people call sin is not sin. I do many things to break down superstition, and I will break it down." Later, Joseph taught that Sodom was destroyed not for sodomy, but for rejecting the prophets.

We can only speculate how Church doctrine regarding homosexuality might have developed had Joseph lived. But we do know that in 1876, LDS leaders in Salt Lake responded to an apparently homosexual relationship between two young men simply by sending one of them on a mission. (By contrast, current policy mandates that no one who has engaged in homosexual activity during the preceding three years is eligible for missionary service, even if repentant.) Some sources claim that in 1948, President George Albert Smith advised a male couple to live their lives as decently as they could within their sexual relationship.

Unfortunately, anti-gay sentiment within the Church has prevailed over these few recorded incidents of tolerance. J. Reuben Clark, Spencer W. Kimball, Bruce R. McConkie, Mark E. Petersen, Boyd K. Packer, and, most recently, James E. Faust, have been among the principal agents in reinforcing the Church's official hostility towards gays and lesbians.

Interestingly, Mormons have played a greater role in what can be termed "mainstream" (i.e., non-Mormon) gay history than one might think. Consider:

• In 1959, Allen Drury published his novel Advise and Consent about a fictitious Mormon senator whose career is destroyed when his homosexuality is exposed. The novel won the Pulitzer Prize.

• In 1962, Advise and Consent was turned into a film (clips of which appear in the recent documentary The Celluloid Closet); J. Willard Marriott and others lobbied unsuccessfully to have references to Mormonism cut from the script. The film was a landmark in the history of cinema, as it put an end to Hollywood's self-censorship of homosexual themes or issues.

• In 1968, Juliet Hulme, whose lesbian relationship is portrayed in the film Heavenly Creatures, was baptized into the LDS Church, where she remained active in the womens' organizations.

• In 1974, Robert McQueen, Advocate editor and a returned missionary, ran an issue headlined "Mormon President Raps Homosexuals."

• In 1975, the cover of Time featured openly gay—and LDS—Vietnam veteran Leonard Matlovich, Jr. The article did not mention his Mormonism, but he was excommunicated two months later.