Recently, I went to the temple with a friend. Since I am excommunicated, I obviously can’t enter the temple proper. But I love the feeling I get when I am close to the temple. In the St. Paul Temple, there’s…
Author: John Gustav-Wrathall
Why the Conference Talks about Gay Marriage Are Steps Forward
Would anybody have believed on Wednesday, November 5, 2008 that Prop 8 was actually going to propel the movement for marriage equality forward in unprecedented ways? I certainly didn’t, though in praying and seeking comfort from God about this, I…
The Spiritual Challenge in Mormon Political Support for Gay Marriage
It is a relief that leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are now publicly encouraging members of the Church to study out the issues, make up their own minds, and act and vote according to the…
More Dialogue in Chicago
Last March, I participated in a “Mormons and gays” dialogue that was held in the Chicago Stake. That dialogue emerged from a series of conversations between the local stake president and members of the Church — both gay and straight.…
No More Strangers Panel, Sunstone Conference 2013–John Gustav-Wrathall
(This is part of a four part series including remarks made by four panelists at the Sunstone Symposium Session focusing on this blog–NoMoreStrangers.org) Blogging and the Charting of a Gay Mormon Spiritual Path Early on in the brief history of…
My Dad’s Testimony
During my recent trip to Utah, my dad and I had a talk the night before my husband Göran and I were to return to Minneapolis. We were discussing the problem of LGBT homeless youth. I mentioned that on the…
The Evolution of Affirmation and What It Means for Gay Mormons and their Allies
Affirmation is the oldest organization specifically for LGBT Mormons. Affirmation came into being because of the conflict LGBT Mormons experienced between what they were being told about gender and same-sex attraction by Church leaders, and what they actually experienced. I’ve…
Salt Lake LDS LGBT Mormon Social Devotional
This is the complete text of a talk I prepared for a gathering of about 75 LGBT/SSA Mormons and their family and allies in Salt Lake City on August 1, 2013. My husband Göran and I wore our wedding shoes,…
The Gay Mormon Ten Commandments
This post originated in an on-line conversation I had with a friend about LGBT community ethics in relation to coming out. There’s still tension within the LGBT Mormon community over the question of how “out” to be in the Church.…
Salvaging Our Humanity (and our Faith) from the Wreckage of Politics
Anybody who has been following the progress of Proposition 8 through the courts knew that the least likely outcome of the Supreme Court decision would be the one officially hoped for in the amicus brief filed by the Church, i.e.,…