Mormon Elder Gets it Wrong; Declares “There are No Homosexual Members of the Church”

In a recent meeting caught on camera, Mormon Elder David A. Bednar claimed there are “no homosexual members of the church.”

Bednar, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, went on to explain his reasoning, arguing that, “Simply being attracted to someone of the same gender is not a sin…It is when we act on the inclination or the attraction, that’s when it becomes a sin…We do not discriminate and we are not bigots.”

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) is now the fourth largest Christian denomination in the United States and counts over 13 million members worldwide. The Church includes many LGBT people, including one percent of LGB people who identified as Mormon in a recent Pew Research poll.

The comments come at a time when LGBT-affirming Mormons and allies are highly concerned about large number of suicides of LGBT youth. A group of mothers of faith who are supportive of LGBT youth have been tracking the suicides of more than 30 LDS young people since the Church passed a new policy in November that includes a ban on the baptism of children of same-sex couples and labels the couples “apostates.” Late last year, thousands of members of the Church resigned in protest of the policy. 

A recent report released by Pew Research shows growing acceptance of the LGBT community by members of the Mormon church. In the new report, 36 percent of Mormons said they agree with the statement, “homosexuality should be accepted by society,” a 12 percent increase from 2007.

LGBT Mormons and allies are using the hashtag #Iexist in response to Elder Bednar’s claims.

To learn more about the Church’s stance on LGBT issues, click here.

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Saving Alex: Raising Awareness About the Dangers of “Conversion Therapy”

Six years ago when she was only 15, Alex Cooper’s life changed when she came out to her Mormon family as a lesbian. Her parents took her to Utah where, for eight months, she was subjected to dangerous “conversion therapy” practices.

“My story is not an easy one to tell,” Alex wrote in her new book, Saving Alex, about her experience. “No one should be beaten, or be told that God doesn’t want them, or be sent to dangerous so-called ‘conversion therapy’ because they are gay. No family should feel they have to choose between their faith and their child.”

So-called “conversion therapy” is a practice that preys on vulnerable LGBT people and families by making damaging and discredited claims that the practice can change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. Such practices have been rejected by every mainstream medical and mental health organization of decades, including the American Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and multiple United Nations committees.

But persistent discrimination and societal bias against LGBT people have allowed some practitioners to continue to conduct debunked “conversion therapy.” Minors, already experiencing bias and rejection at alarming rates in society and their own homes, are especially vulnerable to this junk science that can lead to depression, anxiety, drug use, homelessness, and suicide.

Alex eventually escaped the “conversion therapy” center and made history by winning the right to be emancipated from her parents, and to live under the law’s protection as an openly gay teenager. But LGBTQ youth are still being subjected to “conversion therapy” in several states across the nation.

“Alex Cooper’s story is a call to action,” HRC President Chad Griffin said. “We must put a stop to this brutal practice of conversion therapy and ensure that every child is embraced for who they are in their homes, schools and communities.”

Last week, HRC, the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) filed a federal consumer fraud complaint against People Can Change (PCC), a Virginia-based organization that actively practices “conversion therapy.”

The complaint, which asks to Federal Trade Commission to take enforcement action to stop PCC’s deceptive practices and investigate all practitioners making similar claims about changing people’s sexual orientation or gender identity, comes as the movement to end “conversion therapy” continues to gain momentum.

California, Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon and the District of Columbia have passed laws protecting LGBT minors from  “conversion therapy,” and more than 20 states have introduced similar legislation this year. New York is also adopting regulations to protect youth from “conversion therapy” as a result of executive action by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.

Read more about Alex’s story in her new memoir, “Saving Alex,” and learn more about the lies and dangers of “conversion therapy” here.  

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