Five years ago, Wendy and Tom Montgomery were the couple you didn’t want to answer the door for. They were the strong Mormon based family, knocking on doors, pushing to get anti-gay and lesbian propositions pushed through in their local government. Today, Tom and Wendy are important parts of a rising movement to change the way the Mormon faith views, and treats, the LGBT community.
It is no secret that the Mormon Church and many of its followers have pushed out the gay community and supported families in abandoning their LGBT children. However, at the same time, they teach the importance of family and togetherness, which are two teachings that are completely contradicting of each other.
Wendy and Tom Montgomery were no different, until they found out that their 15 year old son was gay. ?This revelation pulled at the very fibers of their family and religious teachings. They had to make the choice between following what they had always been taught against being gay, or keep their love and faith in family. Wendy and Tom chose God and family, a decision they have used to push The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to stop ripping families apart, and pushing people out due to their sexual orientation.
When it came down to it, Wendy Montgomery couldn’t possibly believe that, because her son was gay, he was less than perfect.? Wendy, when speaking with Family Acceptance Project stated:
“I’m looking at this 13-year-old boy who is totally innocent and pure and an amazing kid and I think, ‘Either everything I know about homosexuality is wrong, or my son is not really gay. And, he’s obviously gay.’ I kind of had to unlearn everything I had learned.”
?Their story and the stories of many others are being documented in a series being produced by the Family Acceptance Project out of San Francisco, California. Family Acceptance helps families understand and relate to their faith, while still being accepting of their gay child. Like so many other families, finding out their child is gay didn’t force the Montgomery’s to forfeit their faith, it just made them perceive the word a little bit differently.
The church has made some strides toward being more open to the gay community within their walls; however there is still a long way to go. The Montgomerys, including their son, still practice the Mormon faith. However, after ridicule from members of the church, they were forced to relocate their place of worship. ?They only hope this rise in acceptance will continue, changing the views of the Mormon faith and beyond.
FAMILIES ARE FOREVER from Family Acceptance Project on Vimeo.
Edited/Published by: SB
