Affirmation: Gay & Lesbian Mormons

Rise Above Injustice and Take the Higher Road
“Like the Mormons, we must organize and give of our time, our talents and our resources to fight for what we believe is right”

by Clark Pingree
15 November 2008

Clark Pingree, a gay Mormon man from the Bay Area, made these remarks at a San Francisco Rally organized to protest Proposition 8. Similar rallies were held on the same day in 100 cities across the country and around the globe.

I gave my first very first speech in Mormon Sunday School when I was six years old. It was probably about being loyal to the Prophet. Little did I, or my proud parents, dream that these many years later as a gay man on the steps of City Hall in San Francisco, I would be speaking about being loyal to myself. My name is Clark Pingree and I am a gay Mormon, representing Mormons for Marriage. I am a Utah Native; now a Californian. I am a 5th generation Mormon who grew up in a devout Mormon home. I served a Mormon mission and I graduated from Brigham Young University. I am proud to be a gay Mormon in strong opposition of Prop 8 and in strong disagreement with the Mormon church's heavy involvement in the “Yes on 8” campaign. For the first 25 years of my life, I was ashamed of who I was because I was gay. Now, I have never been happier to be the person my creator made me to be, even in the face of my Mormon subculture who rejects me for who I am.

Prop 8 has been one of the most disturbing experiences of my life. I will never forget what a dark day last Wednesday, November 5th was. The heartbreak, the devastation and the degradation I felt that day will forever be seared in my memory. I will always look back on that day as the day when my civil rights and my dignity were stripped from me. It was a day of sanctified discrimination for California and for America.

But I will also never forget May 18th—the day when the California Supreme Court recognized fair and equal treatment of all persons, regardless of sexual orientation. The legalization of gay marriage was a deeply moving spiritual experience for me. Not because of my ability to marry or not marry, rather, this mandate on human equality gave me the legitimacy and respect which I had never experienced before. For the first time, I felt like a whole human being, given full respect by my society and my constitution. I will never forget the overwhelming feeling of benevolence I felt that day.

But now, we are here today and that 5 ½ month bliss period of respect and dignity is tarnished. Knowing that my religion and subculture was the major engine fueling this tragic outcome breaks my heart on so many levels. The church I once would have given my life for and everything I possess, has thrown me and my community under a heavy bus. I have seen family, friends and loved ones torn apart by Prop 8. I have seen deception, fear mongering, and scapegoating all in the name of God and one organization's definition of morality. Like everyone here, I too, am outraged.

Amidst my feelings of frustration, betrayal and grief, I am reminded of one principle I was taught by my parents: Rise above injustice and take the higher road. I am also reminded of the Christian principles I was taught in church: Turn the other cheek, love God and love your fellow men. As much as we feel the Mormon Church has abandoned loving their fellow men, we must turn the other cheek and take the higher road. We much rise above this injustice and open up constructive, thought-provoking dialogue with our friends and our foes. We must tell our stories.

Those in opposition to us are strong in their convictions and we must be too. Like the Mormons, we must organize and give of our time, our talents and our resources to fight for what we believe is right. Equality is right. We must rise above the sordid tactics used by the "Yes on 8" campaign and fight with integrity and dignity. And let us remind ourselves, we are on the right side of history. In the religion in which I grew up, and in every major religion that exists on the face of the earth, there is one teaching that will eventually bring everyone to the table of equality as brothers and sisters in this human family: to treat everyone as we ourselves would like to be treated. May it be so. And may it be now.