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Petition Home Page
Below are links to church history and
personal stories of those who have experienced the pain that
comes from endeavoring to change their sexual orientation in
order to comply with church teachings and policy.
Gay & Lesbian Member Suicide List
We Can Change History For Gay LDS
Lifetime
Celibacy or Excommunication
Policy
Chronology Of Mormon / LDS Involvement In Same-Sex Marriage Politics
Mormons for Marriage
supports marriage equality for all, and stands in respectful
opposition to California Proposition 8.
Mormon Politics & Member Opinion
ABC News- Gay Mormons Face Excommunication
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Foundation for
Reconciliation
Please, PLEASE!
"My name is Heidi,
and I was born and raised in the mormon church. When I was twelve I
went to a church camp called Oakcrest, it was really fun! There
were cabins and fun things to do like basketball, archery, hiking
etc. My counselor had a friend working with her, who I noticed
right off the bat. I couldn't stop thinking about her and talking
about her to my friends. One of my friends mentioned that maybe I
might be gay (joking, of coarse). It hit me like a rock! I prayed
about it, tried to forget about it-but no matter how hard I tried, I
was still gay. I was able to bury my feelings pretty deep, though
any time they surfaced I would just hate myself! I remember hearing
at church, how bad it was to be gay. I used to hear the things my
friends and teachers would say, and I knew-that's how they would
talk about me if they knew I was gay. When I was a few years older,
my uncle came out. I had a lot of mixed emotions, of coarse I
envied him- he was living openly..and he was HAPPY! I remember
after he came out my mom went to go see her aunt, and when she came
home she mentioned that her aunt had asked her how she would feel if
one of her children were gay. My heart started pumping so
fast...she said she didn't know what she would do, but she was
thankful that she didn't have any gay kids. Growing up, this is how
it was for me being closeted and gay in the mormon community! I
would hear and read all these bad things having to do with
homosexuality, and it would just break my heart. I knew that I
could never tell anyone.
Well I've
definitely come a long way from that scary corner! I've been out
for over a year, I'm proud, and involved in my community! Coming
out was easier for me than I thought it would be, but it's a long
road to acceptance!
With the recent
remarks Dallin H Oaks has made, it has made it so hard for some
family members to accept me! I find that it is more so tearing my
family apart, than bringing us together! I do not hate the church,
I have a fond place for it in my heart!
Please, PLEASE stop
your preachings of discrimination and hate! Do you not realize that
is all you are doing? You are teaching your congregations to turn
their family members away, your gay members that they are not
welcome! Please PLEASE be more like Christ! Please, please see
that I am not a sinful person, I take pride in the way that I live
my life! I am no better or worse than you. We are equal!!"—Heidi,
October 2009
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Please take time to read this petition, as well as read the stories and
links provided, and pass this information on to your friends and
link to us if you have a website or blog.
By
doing so, you will be sending a message to the leaders of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that it is time for
reconciliation between the Church and its gay and lesbian members.
More importantly, you will be showing support for those who have
been hurt by Church policies and practices because of their sexual
orientation.
"Gay, lesbian and bisexual teens and
young adults have one of the highest rates of suicide attempts — and
some other health and mental health problems, including substance
abuse. A new study suggests that parental acceptance, and even
neutrality, with regard to a child's sexual orientation could have a
big impact in reducing this rate."-NPR, All
Things Considered, December 29, 2008
"I
implore the students at BYU to re-assess their homophobic feelings,"
wrote Stuart Matis in The Daily Universe
shortly before
committing suicide. "Seek to understand first before you make
comments. We have the same needs as you. We desire to love and be
loved. We desire to live our lives with happiness. We are not a
threat to you or your families."
"Utah’s overall suicide rate is the 10th highest in the nation.
Unfortunately, it is the leading cause of death for Utah males ages
15 to 19, who die at a rate nearly double the national average. It
is the leading cause of death for adolescent males in Utah."-KUED.org
Voices of Hope Discussion Guide
"Thank
you,
Carol Lynn Pearson,
for reminding us that the task of any religion is to teach us whom
we're required to love, not whom we're entitled to hate." - Rabbi
Harold Kushner
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