To straight Latter-day Saints who, though with good intentions, choose to publicly support gay marriage:
While I never thought I’d speak about this in such a public forum, there are far too many faithful LGBT members in the Church who, for various reasons, remain quiet on this subject. If I may be so presumptuous as to speak for a significant but generally silent segment of this population, I’d like to express some of our pains regarding some LDS church members’ support of gay marriage. You mean well, and do your best to show love to LGBT individuals, but for many of us it can seem like you’ve ignored your LGBT brothers and sisters within the Church who are striving to follow the doctrinal teachings of the Church, in exclusive favor of supporting those within and without who pursue same-sex relationships.
It hurts when—on those days we need additional strength to keep our covenants—our brothers and sisters in Christ flood our feeds with symbols of lifestyle choices and beliefs we’ve covenanted to forsake. It hurts when people who don’t experience same-sex attraction take lightly the prophetic council that affects our lives and the thorn in our side. It hurts when we seek for strength from Church members, only to hear some members who either denigrate our choices to strive to remain true to our covenants or who invite us away from the counsel of the Lord’s anointed. It hurts when Church members help Satan whisper in our ears: “See, even members who don’t experience these feelings can see that Church leaders are misguided and outdated.”
It hurts when people we love try to show their love for us by supporting the voices that strive to undermine our eternal happiness with our Father in Heaven. For those who are open about their same-sex attraction, it hurts when friends who do not experience same-sex attraction side with those opposing Church doctrine and policy rather than seeking understanding from the words of living prophets and from their LGBT brothers and sisters within the Church. It hurts immensely when friends—friends who we’ve aided in their experience with same-sex attraction—get pulled away from integrity to their covenants by the influence of active members that should be aiding them, strengthening their faith, and binding them to Christ.
It hurts when people we love try to show their love for us by supporting the voices that strive to undermine our eternal happiness with our Father in Heaven. For those who are open about their same-sex attraction, it hurts when friends who do not experience same-sex attraction side with those opposing Church doctrine and policy rather than seeking understanding from the words of living prophets and from their LGBT brothers and sisters within the Church. It hurts immensely when friends—friends who we’ve aided in their experience with same-sex attraction—get pulled away from integrity to their covenants by the influence of active members that should be aiding them, strengthening their faith, and binding them to Christ.
Faithful LGBT members of the Church need Christ-like love and acceptance too. We need Church members who flood social media with reminders of the blessings of temples and the promise of eternal families. We need fellow disciples who mourn with us, as we mourn the increasingly heavy pull of the cultural currents that would draw us away from our covenants, and who comfort us with the assurances of God’s promises to the faithful. We need friends who show us by example the joy of celestial marriage and family by welcoming us into their hearts and homes.
We need friends who are sensitive to our feelings and experiences and seek to strengthen us in making and keeping sacred covenants. We need Church members who seek to cement our faith in the prophets and apostles. We need Church members who will be brave and support unpopular doctrines set forth by the prophets and apostles, not out of blind faith or bigoted arrogance, but out of pure testimony, eternal perspective, and genuine concern for those affected. We need fellow disciples who acknowledge that they don’t understand our burden, but who seek to do so in order to better bear it with us.
We love our Savior and His gospel. We love His Church and its members. We stand eternally grateful for all the support we receive in keeping our covenants and maintaining our name and place in the Lord’s kingdom.We need friends who are sensitive to our feelings and experiences and seek to strengthen us in making and keeping sacred covenants. We need Church members who seek to cement our faith in the prophets and apostles. We need Church members who will be brave and support unpopular doctrines set forth by the prophets and apostles, not out of blind faith or bigoted arrogance, but out of pure testimony, eternal perspective, and genuine concern for those affected. We need fellow disciples who acknowledge that they don’t understand our burden, but who seek to do so in order to better bear it with us.
Read the article at: http://ldslights.org/the-other-side-of-same-sex-marriage-and-lgbt-mormon-support/
