Laurie Lee Hall spoke at the 40th anniversary of the Affirmation International Conference for LGBT Mormons, Families and Friends on Sunday in Provo, Utah. Hall was a top architect for the church, designing more than 40 temples and other church buildings, and served 15 years in various callings within the church including bishop and stake president. In June of 2017 she was excommunicated joining the likes of other ex-Mormons who are speaking out on unification between Latter-Day Saints and LGBTQ members, such as Tyler Glenn the lead singer of Neon Trees and a former missionary for the church.
As of 2017, not a lot has been said on the issue of transgender church members despite a constant conversation against those who define themselves as gay or lesbian. Hall is one of the few to stand up and ask how her earthly body changes her relationship with the Lord and would like to be rebaptized as a woman in the church. For almost two years I have lived the life of an ex-Mormon, leaving shortly after the decision to refuse baptism to children of the LGBTQ community. I have followed both Hall’s and Glenn’s stories as they each have been excommunicated and the toll it has taken on them and their families. I am including this information early on in today’s blog post so that readers may know of my own biases and affiliations with the Affirmation and the LDS church, of which I have ties to neither. For today’s discussion, all context and scriptures will come directly from the LDS church due to my own familiarity and their involvement being a point of interest. So, what does the LDS church say about transgender people and gender dysphoria? Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke on the subject during an interview in 2015. He said, “I think we need to acknowledge that while we have been acquainted with lesbians and homosexuals for some time, being acquainted with the unique problems of a transgender situation is something we have not had so much experience with, and we have some unfinished business in teaching on that.” In other words, he dodged a bullet by saying that the teachings have yet to come. Despite no official teachings being released by the LDS church it hasn’t been silent on the issue. When the Boy Scouts of America announced that they would be allowing transgender individuals to both participate and be leaders in their program, the LDS church released a statement that was less abrupt than the announcement of gay leaders in 2015. It announced that religious affiliated troops could organize how they please, and that was it. LDS leaders didn’t threaten to disband the program from their curriculum as they did in 2015 but they also weren’t accepting of the changes. The LDS church basically has a religious version of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. It also joined other religions in a fight against the transgender restroom directive in 2017. As of today, the LDS churches own LGBTQ website, mormonandgay.lds.org, still does not directly reference transgender individuals or gender dysphoria in any way. So, where are the teachings? As we await the Semi-Annual LDS General Conference in two short weeks we may expect the teachings to come up there, however if they have been like the last two years since Oak’s statement, nothing will likely be said. Whether that is a good or bad thing is despite the point because an abstract view on the subject already exists. As stated by the Huffington Post: Mormons consider gender to be a fixed identity that existed before people are born, during their time on earth, and into eternity. One’s gender determines the activities a member is allowed to participate in. All eligible adult men are ordained to the priesthood and attend meetings together, while women have their own organization called the Relief Society. Men can give blessings for healing, while women are not allowed to perform that ritual. These beliefs about the roles of men and women in the church have a direct impact on the church’s policies towards LGBT Mormons. The article then goes on to say that while LGBTQ Mormons can faithfully serve in the church, if they break the law of chastity they may become apostates excommunicated from its ranks. It also mentions that while this may be the case, church leaders have spoken out about the treatment of these individuals and that they should be shown respect and kindness. The entire situation is a severe case of “love the sinner, hate the sin” and is blasphemous, which is a topic for an entirely different blog post. You see, there isn’t any direct teachings on gender and members all have their different views. The overarching idea is that men get the Priesthood (not blacks though until later in history) and women wear a dress and have babies. While teaching to be kind is an admirable trait that sets the LDS church apart from many other religions, it doesn’t help the fact that by not speaking out on the subject, members are pursuing their own understandings. This leads to factions like the Affirmation that believes they may again be in good standing one day and it leads to members with hate in their hearts. While we await any official word from LDS church leaders, I do have a few beliefs of my own that I would like to share. First, changing your gender is not a sin and in no way ever has been classified as a sin. Now, while I understand the Bible cannot understand 21st century terms such as transgender people it is hard to prove that the bible doesn’t mention what it does not understand. However, it is easy to prove when it doesn’t list them when it lists others. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 says, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” While it is easy for members to say that changing your gender is a sin, God doesn’t say that. The LDS church did add the word “effeminate” to their bible but it isn’t in line with trans issues because many trans people don’t transition or have characteristics of one gender over the other. Many are androgynous and the simple characteristics the verse speaks of no longer hold up in a time where women are wearing pants and men shave. Similarly to homosexuality, the law of chastity may remain intact, if the individual chooses to do so, leaving very little reason for excommunication other than one’s own prejudices. Divorce and adultery are much higher up on the list of sins that the LDS church sweeps over all the time. Secondly, transgender issues are not new. While some may listen to Rush Limbaugh and think that trans people were created by homosexuals and Obama to turn the military into a playground, (source: https://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2017/07/26/trump-bans-transgenders-in-military/) that isn’t the case. Early Native Americans settlements, Greeks, Asia, and more all have ancient documents talking about third genders or non-gender conformity. The reason gender identity is such a big concern is because it is a trial given to us by God. In Mathew 16:24 Jesus says to his disciples “if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” I truly believe that God doesn’t make mistakes. I believe that humans do. I am convinced that through the generations, Lucifer has spent a large amount of his plays just setting up the pieces. I believe that in this game between love and anger, Lucifer uses religion to create divisions amongst God’s children. Feeling as if your gender does not reflect your outside appearance is not a sin. God has given us many things that he knows we can overcome. God created cancer and disease. God created same-sex attraction. God has even created drugs that cure multiple things yet they are disputed amongst his children. These are the trials we agreed to be subject to when we came to Earth. We chose this life knowing that we may be ridiculed by others for something that God wants to test us personally with. God knows us. It is not that one’s body doesn’t match their spirit, it’s that we were all genderless beings in Heaven that had roles such as mother and father that are not associated with sex like they are on Earth. It’s a different structure in heaven than it is on Earth. It’s more advanced. Feeling as though one’s body isn’t reflective of themselves is a trial. It’s not only a trial for the individual having those feelings, it’s a trial for the rest of the world to see if they really can keep God’s greatest commandment, to love one another. Many fail this test but a true follower of Christ shouldn’t.
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Will I be bitter in Heaven? It’s a question that I’ve wondered about for years and I’m sure I have a long time before I get to find out the answer. Sometimes I bring up my theory of heaven to others and I usually get split reactions. My belief is that one of two things is going to happen; either upon entering heaven I will be relieved to find out that those religious extremists who have spent their lives angry about other’s choices have been silenced and realize that they were wrong or when I get to heaven I will realize that everything I’ve learned is the truth and I won’t be happy to face those who get to say, “I told you so.”
First off, if you lean towards the second idea presented of what heaven will be like, I applaud you for reading this prelude to my blog because you will probably not like anything I write beyond this first paragraph. You see, I’m judgmental. I own it. Despite spending years advocating for equality and love and peace, it’s 2017 and I can still see anger in myself that I strive every day to get rid of. That anger is usually towards religious affiliates who have strict beliefs and share them as freely as I share my own. I understand it’s ironic and that I really should rise above the petty anger I have for these people, but hear me out. All my life I have been told who to be, how to act, what will happen to me if I disobey what’s expected, and above all, not to question anything. I was raised a Christian and I was taught that heaven would be a place we could go if we live like Jesus. I was taught not to do the wrong things and if I do to ask for forgiveness. However, upon coming out of the closet I left religion indefinitely and suddenly all those community members who used to be proud of my achievements and say that I would be a great “missionary of the lord” were suddenly spewing anger and hate towards me. I lost everyone who couldn’t see beyond their religion and I felt alone. That is where my bitterness came from. When I say that I might be bitter in heaven, it’s because in my mind one possibility of what the afterlife could be is all that I learned in church. I fear that one day I may wake up in the next life and be surrounded by my grandparents, my parents, my church-leaders who are all asking me to give myself to god and repent. However, I also believe that I will still be the same person that I am on earth and I know that no matter how real heaven becomes, I’m not willing to change who I am to get into the exclusive club. I’m sure at that point I will be bitter because I will know that God doesn’t care about his children and that I am casted out due to my own “sins.” However, I don’t think that is what Heaven will be like and I truly don’t think I will be bitter. I believe that when I wake up and realize that Heaven is another dimension on Earth and that I am the same person I was yesterday and that I haven’t gone anywhere but I do have a better knowledge of my existence, I will be at peace. I believe that I will then get to meet a God who loves me and accepts me and that I will review how I treated others. I believe that those who outcast family members based on sexual preference, or anything really, will have to face god and repent. I believe that heaven will not be full of those who attend church and bully others, but rather, those who spread kindness and love every day of their life. In this instance, I don’t believe that I will be bitter, but I hope that I have the power to forgive those who shamed me for my decisions. I won’t be bitter in heaven. Will you? |
Erick L. Graham Wood
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