Anti-gay policy passed last November by the Mormons Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) has unleashed a torrent of resignations, which activists say shows no signs of abating. Observers and historians believe the exodus is unprecedented in the church’s 186 year history.
At a public event last Saturday, more than 100 registered members converged on the LDS headquarters in Salt Lake City and gave official notice of their intention to quit. This follows a similar event late last year in immediate response to the policy being passed, which saw an estimated 3,500 resignations in all.
Attorney Mark Naugle, an ex-Mormon who now helps members to leave via his website QuitMormon, claims to have processed 12,000 resignations since November, completing as many as 250 in a single week.
Lila Steffenson was one of the members who came on Saturday to cut ties with the church. Her decision was prompted largely by her twin brother’s coming out as gay when they were 14. Now aged 26, Lila told Britain’s The Guardian newspaper:
“I don’t want to be attached to the church any more, and I don’t want them to count me. I don’t want to be part of something that is a big con that mentally abuses thousands of people … I want to be able to say, ‘No, I’m not a Mormon’.”
The controversial policies were provoked by traditionalist concerns over Utah’s legalization of same-sex marriage. It stipulates that children of an LGBT marriage cannot be baptized and inducted into the church, unless they denounce their parents and leave the marital home on turning 18.
The policy caused widespread outrage when it was announced. One Salt Lake City resident told People magazine at the time:
“Utah has a high population of LGBT people, and now for a child to be a member of the church, they will be forced to choose between their parents or the church. It is abhorrent and inexcusable to do this to these families.”
The church has so far refused to disclose its own statistics on the wave of resignations. In a bland statement to The Guardian, a spokesman said:
“We don’t want to see anyone leave the Church, especially people who have been struggling with some aspect of their life.”
Although groups like QuitMormon.com aim to make it simple and speedy, resignation from the LDS is a complex, lengthy, and often harrowing process. Many ex-members have recounted being harassed and cajoled by church officials intent on keeping them within the fold.
It’s also worth noting that the Mormon elders’ hardline stance is very much in line with conservative attitudes to LGBT marriage, and there are fears that its legalization could be reversed if the Republicans win the upcoming election.
Donald Trump has consistently varied his message on the issue, depending on what he thought his audience wanted to hear at the time. But as we reported in Liberal America last week, he has made a move which could prove decisive, by agreeing to address an anti-gay rally in Orlando, on the two-month anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shootings.
For a personal view, watch the moving story of Utah’s first same-sex Mormon wedded couple here.
