November 2015 Policy
I’m mad at all the hurt this has caused, only for it to all be undone 4 years later. I really wish the policy wasn’t put in place in the first place.
The policy and its reversal are about a conversation the Church is having with itself: a kind of “we can meet you halfway here” when the “you” is not even in the room, and the “we” represents a kind of heterosexist echo chamber.
Many, many still suffer. Many have been rejected. Many have been expelled and many cried for many years. Many feel excluded.
I also view the present moment with the belief that God knows all, loves all, and will make all things right. I wish for some kind of reckoning in the here and now, but failing that, I believe an accounting will be had.
Perhaps it’s not supposed to be a happy thing, But a less sad thing that could have simply started with, “We made a mistake and we’re sorry”.
Please tell us all your stories of grief, anger, relief, sadness, happiness, confusion, whatever they may be that surrounds the April 4th announcement rescinding the policy.
Affirmation acknowledges the steps today as positive, but recognizes there is still much work to be done to make the chapels of the church and the homes of families within the church safe and welcoming spaces for LGBTQ persons.
God makes commandments. Man makes rules. However, instead of focusing on the actual commandments and letting the Spirit of God guide us in keeping them, many people seem to focus on man-made rules and policies, even when they seem to contradict God’s own commandments.
Thomas S. Monson helped to established Genesis, a group that supported men and women impacted by the priesthood ban. He was seen as a champion for these members. Will there ever be a champion for LGBTQ+ Mormons in the highest leadership of the LDS Church?