Adjusting a Paradigm

A year ago, if someone had told me there were "gay Mormons" I would have thought they were insane. It didn't make sense to me---you couldn't have a Catholic Mormon, and you couldn't have a gay Mormon. Brothers and sisters, I'm here to tell you that there are "gay Mormons" and that they are the most amazing people you will ever meet.

Being a choir kid, I've always had lots of gay friends. But none of them were members of the Church. I wasn't sure if people "were born that way" or if it was a lifestyle they chose, but I didn't really care because they were good people and they were my friends.Then sometime in February, a friend of mine who is a member of the Church told me he was gay. I had a hard time with it at first, not because I didn't want to be his friend or because I loved him any less, but because I just couldn't understand what it means to be a "gay Mormon." He talked to me about it, and I came away with a much better understanding, and a completely shifted paradigm.

Same-sex attraction is something that a lot of members of the Church face. It's not something they choose, it's just a weakness that they have to deal with. We all have imperfections. That's what the Atonement is there for--so that when we succumb to those imperfections and temptations, we can go to the Savior and be healed. And when we don't give in, we are blessed and have the opportunity to progress by partaking of ordinances in the temple.

I think sometimes as members of the Church we are really close-minded about things that we don't understand. We forget that everyone is a son or daughter of our Heavenly Father and that if we are black, white, gay, straight, smart, stupid, or whatever, He loves us all. And we, as brothers and sisters, should love each other. We shouldn't judge people based on their weaknesses. At baptism, we covenanted to "bear one another's burdens," meaning that we should love and support each other.

Since learning about SSA in the Church, I've thought a lot about it and how it affects people. The past few days, especially, I have been reading articles and blogs about "gay Mormons." I've read some articles written by leaders of the Church as well. I love it. I love that there are strong people out there who don't lead a gay lifestyle even though they are gay. I love that they have testimonies of the Gospel and that they live righteously. They set such a good example for the rest of us--that temptation doesn't have to win, that we are in control. I don't personally live with SSA. But I am friends with people who do, and I have read about people who do, and I love them so much. They are the most amazing people I have ever met, and I really admire them. I can't wait to go the the Evergreen Conference next year and meet lots of wonderful people. After all, as a friend of mine likes to say, "We are all homos[apiens]." :)