LDS Church Agrees to Meet With LGBT Group

In an unprecedented and surprising move, the new president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Thomas S. Monson, has authorized the Church's Family Services Commission to meet with the LGBT group Affirmation. Affirmation exists primarily to help LGBT Mormons, ex-mormons, and others to deal with the special challenges that come along with being an LGBT person in the church.

The Church has historically been very intolerant of LGBT individuals, at times sending their gay and lesbian members to cruel and ineffective therapies, such as shock treatment. (Actually, the Church refuses to acknowledge the deep and enduring nature of homosexual orientation and refers to the "condition" as "same-sex attraction" or simply "SSA.") Even in the most recent decade, the Church has insisted that gay and lesbian members attend "reparative therapy," which is supposed to cure a person's "SSA." The therapy is not endorsed by the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Medical Association, or the American Academy of Pediatrics, and it has been repeatedly shown to cause depression, anxiety, and sometimes suicide in patients. Conversely, there is no scientific evidence that homosexuals can change their sexual orientation. None of the bodies listed above will license a counselor who administers reparative therapy. The Church has also been the driving force behind many Utah state laws that restrict LGBT equality.

That's why it is so surprising that the Church would agree to meet with an LGBT group. The last time the Church made a (slight) move toward respecting LGBT individuals was last year when the church released the pamphlet entitled "God Loveth His Children" [PDF]. Although the pamphlet mostly embraces the Church's traditional "we-love-you-but-you're-still-gross" stance on homosexuals, the Church also seemed to relax its doctrines regarding LGBT people. Before, even being homosexual was considered sinful. Now a person can, supposedly, be openly LGBT within the Church, so long as s/he does not act on his/her "unnatural desires."

Affirmation insist that it is not looking for the Church to change its doctrine regarding LGBT individuals at this time, but hopes the Church can change its attitude toward LGBT people. Hopefully this meeting will encourage the Church to recognize LGBT people as they are, without insisting on changing us. The Church needs to fostern an environment of respect, not discrimination.

Source:
[Salt Lake Tribune]