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POLICY - Recent Anti-Homosexual Statements and Positions (1976-2000)

1976: They Church was perhaps the leading religious organization in the fight against the ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) which would have given equal rights to women in the US. LDS President at the time, Spencer Kimball, said that a main concern was that the ERA would lead to changes in civil rights laws to give equal rights to gays and lesbians.

1976: They Church changed its excommunication rules to allow termination of membership of persons with homosexual feelings. Previously, members could only be excommunicated for homosexual acts.

1976: Church Apostle Boyd K. Packer delivered a speech on 1976-OCT-2 which was directed to "young men of Aaronic Priesthood age"; i.e. to young men. (5) His talk dealt with sexuality and the young male. It was widely distributed throughout the LDS church at the time. Packer is currently (1996-NOV) the acting president of the Quorum of 12 Apostles. With reference to homosexual activities, he stated:

"I repeat, very plainly, physical mischief with another man is forbidden. It is forbidden by the Lord.

There are some men who entice young men to join them in these immoral acts. If you are ever approached to participate in anything like that, it is time to vigorously resist.

While I was in a mission on one occasion, a missionary said he had something to confess. I was very worried because he just could not get himself to tell me what he had done.

After patient encouragement he finally blurted out, "I hit my companion."

"Oh, is that all," I said in great relief.

"But I floored him," he said.

After learning a little more, my response was "Well, thanks. Somebody had to do it, and it wouldn't be well for a General Authority to solve the problem that way"

I am not recommending that course to you, but I am not omitting it. You must protect yourself."

We find it inexcusable that a senior official in the LDS church would imply that physical violence is an appropriate response to an approach by a same-sex individual. A simple "No thanks; that is not my orientation" would probably have sufficed.

Packer went on to state that the belief that a person has an unchangeable sexual orientation is a malicious.

1991: The First Presidency of the LDS Church stated on NOV-14: "Sexual relations are proper only between husband and wife appropriately expressed within the bonds of marriage. Any other sexual contact, including fornication, adultery, and homosexuality and lesbian [sic] behavior, is sinful."

1994: The First Presidency issued statements condemning same-sex unions and urging its members to do what they could to oppose extending equal marriage rights to gays and lesbians.

1994: (approximate date) A prominent LDS leader, John A Hoag, became the leader of a new group, Hawaii's Future Today (HFT). This is the main organization fighting against same-sex marriages in Hawaii. HFT is composed mainly of Mormon and Roman Catholic members. Many professors from Brigham Young University, a Mormon institution, testified in defense of a ban on such marriages. [It is ironic that the Church is now claiming that such marriages would threaten society. A century ago, they defended polygamy, claiming that a few polygamous marriages were no threat to society at that time.]

1995: Dallin H. Oaks, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles wrote a definitive article in the magazine Ensign, titled "Same Gender Attraction". (3) Some points stated in his article were:
  1. God created attraction between men and women in order to promote marriage
  2. Any sexual activity other than that between a married heterosexual couple are grave sins.
  3. God permits Satan to tempt humans to "choose evil and commit sin".
  4. The terms "homosexual, lesbian, and Gay are adjectives, (as in "gay feelings", or "lesbian behavior") and should not be used as nouns to describe people.
  5. Some homosexual feelings appear to be caused by genes; others by experiences; others by a complex interaction between "nature and nurture".
  6. A person can "resist and reform" their feelings through:
-fasting
-prayer
-the truths of the gospel
-church attendance and service
-counsel of inspired leaders
-professional assistance

These beliefs appear to be at variance with reality. Many deeply devout Mormon and other Christian gays and lesbians have fought against their homosexual feelings and have prayed for "deliverance" for decades without success.

  • The church and its members should "love the [homosexual] sinner, condemn the sin"
  • Church membership is open to homosexuals who are honestly trying to resist and change their feelings; it is closed to practicing homosexuals.
  • "Our doctrines obviously condemn those who engage in so-called 'gay bashing'--physical of verbal attacks on persons thought to be involved in homosexual or lesbian behavior."
  • Homosexuality is not based on genetics. If it were, then 100% of identical twins of gays would also be gay. [Studies show that it is only a little over 50%]  He admitted that he had no specialized scientific knowledge in this area, but relied on other experts. Apparently he was misinformed by his consultants; they were apparently unaware of a function of genes called "penetrance".

1995: A group of parents of gay/lesbian children sent a letter to President Hinckley and the Quorum of the Twelve. (4) The parents mentioned:

"The 1992 church brochure entitled 'Understanding and Helping Those Who Have Homosexual Problems' seemed to moderate the position taken by the church as it relates to the parent's role as an etiological factor in homosexuality. A 1995 document, however, published by LDS Social Services for LDS counselors and psychotherapists, attempts to re-establish the position taken by the 1981 church publication on homosexuality which placed most of the blame for homosexuality on poor parenting, i.e. an absent or weak father and a dominant mother."

The 1995 document stated, in part: “It is in the three-way relationship between the parents and the child that the homosexual's family background is commonly dysfunctional. Homosexuality is, in part, a symptom of some type of relational deficit.”


1997: Three Brigham Young University students conducted a student poll at the university. 

One question asked which of four statements best describes the Mormon church's stand on homosexuality. Responses were:
-41% chose "Accepts homosexually oriented persons as long as they change their sexual orientation" (this is the correct answer)
-33% selected "Accepts in full fellowship homosexually oriented persons who live the Church's law of chastity" 
-10% believed that the church excommunicates gays and lesbians regardless of whether they are celibate or sexually active.
-10% marked "other."

Another question asked whether they knew a gay or lesbian student at BYU. 13% did.

80% said that they would not live with a gay or lesbian roommate. 

42% felt that gays and lesbians should not be allowed at BYU, even if they are celibate. The BYU honor code prohibits homosexual behavior, but does not mention homosexual orientation.

2000: In advance of the annual General Conference in Salt Lake City, UT, some Mormon parents are asking the church to review a group of 20 to 30 year-old pamphlets which they feel condemn their children as "latter-day lepers."  Four brochures are: "To Young Men Only," "To The One," "Letter to a Friend," and "For the Strength of Youth."

According  David Hardy, a Salt Lake City attorney and former LDS bishop, the pamphlets "engenders fear and loathing" toward gays and lesbians. They also convince "parents to condemn and turn against their gay children, destroying real families, and drive our gay children to self-loathing, despair and suicide."  He noted that the "To Young Men Only" pamphlet described, without condemnation, a gay bashing incident. Hardy commented that it is "inflammatory, insensitive and troubling."

Gary and Milie Watts of Provo, UT said that "these pamphlets... characterize our children and other gay and lesbian youth as selfish, perverted, abominable and under the control of Lucifer."  Former LDS Church President Spencer Kimball has written that "it were better that such a man [a homosexual] were never born."  Another tract places homosexuality as a perversion on par with rape and incest. The "To The One" pamphlet describes it as "unnatural," "abnormal" and "an affliction."

The parents told reporters, "We ask the church leadership to specifically address these pamphlets ...  and either endorse them and everything they say as current, correct and official, or cease their publication and distribution and instruct local church leaders to throw them away."


 - from The Mormon Church and Homosexuality, ReligiousTolerance.org. See the site for footnotes and links.