Here is an excellent source of information on the long history of homophobia in the mormon church.
The Abominable and Detestable Crime Against Nature
Here are some examples that demonstrate the extreme levels of assholeness to which the mormon church has descended in their dealings with gay people.
Go away, but pay your tithing
In 1975, Air Force Sgt. Leonard Phillip Matlovich Jr. appeared on the cover of Time magazine with a caption that read “I Am a Homosexual“. He also happened to be a mormon, but not for long. They threw him out, of course, with an excommunication.
He was welcome to attend public meetings as a guest but he was “not to pay tithes or other contributions, but [was] encouraged to keep them on deposit until such time as [he] might be readmitted to the Church.”
Remember, ex-mormons, just because you don’t belong to the church anymore, don’t forget about tithing. Just put it in a bank account in case you ever change your mind. I guess that is the price of re-admission?
Here is another article on Sgt. Matlovich: Sgt. Leonard P. Matlovich:
Patriot, Mormon, and Activist
Spencer W. Kimball, Apostle, Prophet, Total Fuckwad
I never knew about the massive efforts by Spencer W. Kimball to eradicate homosexuals. He was the mormon Grand Poobah when I was a kid. More than anyone, it seems like he was the major influence behind the church’s hatred of gay people that exists to this day. He also instituted “counseling” to help people overcome their sinful nature; one of the first ex-gay programs. Here is a lovely quote:
Homosexuality is an ugly sin, but because of its prevalence, the need to warn the uninitiated, and the desire to help those who may already be involved with it, it must be brought into the open. It is the sin of the ages….There is today a strong clamor to make such practices legal by passing legislation….We do not hesitate to tell the world that the cure for these evils is not in surrender….As we think back upon the experiences of Nineveh, Babylon, Sodom and Gomorrah, we wonder – will history repeat itself?
Kimball also participated in the gay witch hunts at BYU which contributed to the suicides of five young men who were rejected by the church.
Two of the students committed suicide by over-dosing on drugs, one hung himself, another blew his own head apart with a gun, and the last jumped seven storeys to his death.
Mormon history is certainly a sick and twisted affair. A long history of misogyny, racism, and homophobia dominates the mormon story. Connell O’Donovan has done an excellent job providing the details in the history of the mormon church’s hatred of gay people.
I found The Abominable and Detestable Crime Against Nature from a link in this post Thomas S. Monson: New President detailing Monson’s involvement with The Values Institute.
Much thanks to @Utahnite for posting this link on twitter.
