Authenticity
I am Mormon. And I am gay. And all of those identities are sacred. All are holy. All are anointed truths that make me who I am.
I dreaded wearing the costume again. No matter how beautiful it was, no matter how desirable others found it, there was no point of existing inside a costume.
It’s not pleasant when you don’t fit in. And one of the ways we learn to cope is to sacrifice integrity. I suppose that we’ve all been guilty of a little deception in order not to be seen as different. Agreeing verbally with what everyone in the group is saying, when you really don’t believe it. Failing to speak up and say “That’s not right” when that would put you at odds with the majority. Going along with the pressure to conform. But self-deception turns out to be hard to bear and hard to maintain.
A Statement by the Executive Committee of Affirmation: LGBT Mormons, Families and Friends