I found a couple sites site though a blurbomat post today which helped to galvanize desire to speak regarding the LDS church and its interaction with the public and its members regarding homosexuality.

I grew up LDS and I am thankful for the love and spirit of the home in which I was raised.  I learned so many things about spirituality and developed much of my core belief-system within the Church.  My family was and is a very loving and nurturing one and I think that the presence of religion in our home was very influential in that.  Being raised with the promise that families can be together forever, through time and all eternity, is one that brings a comfort and security to the dynamic.

This discussion is something which I have avoided for a great deal of time out of respect for my family and fear of retribution (mainly out of respect).  I talk openly about these things with people on an individual basis when they express interest and I am always careful to gauge their reaction and be sensitive in what I say.  Unfortunately, this medium does not permit me the ability to observe the audience, so I will write my feelings as I would like to share them.  I would ask that you consider these things carefully as one person’s opinion and if you disagree, I respect that and your opinion as your own and would ask that you respect what I have to say.

On http://ldshomosexuality.com/ I was interested to find video interviews with Clark Pingree.  I knew Clark ever so briefly through a friend several years ago.  I hadn’t been able to interact with him much and so he remained very much unknown to me.  I knew he had also been an active member of the LDS church as I once had been but I was not aware of how he had dealt with that issue.  His story is very reminiscent of many many others I have heard, including mine in several ways.  He also very succinctly described the situation that church members are faced with when they suddenly, or terrifyingly realize against all will and denial, find themselves to be homosexual.

Homosexuals who were raised in the church have a difficult time dealing with the options laid before them.  They can choose to be celibate, following “the same rules which apply to any other member of the church”.  The second option, which has thankfully been retired in recent years as a suggested option is to try and create a heterosexual relationship.  The last option is to engage in homosexual activities and face disfellowship or excommunication.

All members, straight or gay, are expected to follow the council of not engaging in “unnatural” love or attraction with people of the same gender.  They are also expected to not engage in sex of any form outside of a marriage.  The act of thinking any of these acts is also sinful.  Gay members are are told they will never be alone, as long as they stay worthy of the companionship of the Holy Ghost, and because we they would have the love and support of their family and church community.  However, in practice these rules dictate a life of loneliness and isolation from intimate or even very close personal relationships which are a fundamental element of personal wellness. 

All of this brings me to the issue at hand, the one that has brought me to this point of breaking personal rules of not getting too cliche on my own blog.  The LDS church is throwing a considerable amount of weight behind the current issue of Proposition 8 in California.  The church does not recognize homosexual relationships and it’s quite clear that homosexuals are allowed to remain in good standing in the church under very specific circumstances.  So I get really frustrated when I see how hard they are fighting to prevent people outside of the fold to have their own peace and happiness.  In my mind, government is meant to be universally accessible.  It should be set up in a way that serves all people equally and fairly as best we can engineer it.  For individuals who feel they may benefit from additional structure, religion is the perfect additive to make that happen.  

For me homosexual marriage is about extending some of the basic rights and priveledges which the rest of the population have enjoyed for so long.  The right to see a loved one in the hospital, the ability to utilize the protections of the Family Medical Leave Act, the ability to inherit property without copious amounts of pre-prepared legal documentation.  It’s about being able to be treated equally among other citizens.  If people want to live the higher standard for personal spiritual gratification, I commend them and encourage them to seek out what works best for them.  I just wish and hope that tolerance of the feelings and lives of unrelated, uninvolved non-believers could be extended by these organizations which set out minister to the spiritual needs of their members.