Priesthood Ban
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?
Darius Gray was among the first Black members of the Mormon Church to receive the priesthood. In this 2014 Affirmation International Conference address, he discusses Blacks in the LDS priesthood and how their experience parallels the experience of LGBT members of the church.
“We need to give each other the space to grow, to be ourselves, to exercise our diversity. We need to give each other space so that we may both give and receive such beautiful things as ideas, openness, dignity, joy, healing, and inclusion.” —Max de Pree