Latter Gay Stories
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Chosen Path, a memoir by D. Michael Quinn is a story of self-denial and inner struggle, while Michael strove to follow through on his personal commitments faithfully. The memoir, published by Signature Books is an intimate look into the life of one of Mormonism’s most prolific historians of church governance and LGBTQ intersections. Moshe Quinn, son of Michael Quinn and Barbara Jones Brown sit down to share a story of truth, struggle, excommunication, and honor. The book is available at your local bookstore, or available online through Signature Books and Amazon. Moshe is the youngest son of Mormon historian, D Michael Quinn. In some ways intersecting between them, Moshe has pursued the humanities and the arts through his life, with more emphasis than his father on the arts. He lives in the Bay Area where he teaches photography, digital art and filmmaking with high school students. Barbara Jones Brown is a historian and the director of Signature Books Publishing. She is excited that Signature has just published D. Michael Quinn’s memoir, Chosen Path, and will be also be publishing the memoir of Laurie Lee Hall, a leader in the transgender community. In May 2024, Signature will also publish The Book of Queer Mormon Joy, an anthology of personal stories from across the LGBTQ spectrum.
Carmina and Sabrina were called to serve missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as Mormon missionaries. What they didn't expect was that they would meet each other--and eventually fall in love. This is a story about two Latter-day Saint women with unique stories of faith, of trial, of frustration, of hiding, and of freedom. Sabrina and Carmina share their stories about family, faith, and the future. #LatterGayStories #Queer #Lesbian #Bisexual #ComingOut
In 1998, the Fisk family faced what some might call a dilemma. A relative of theirs came out. Having been raised orthodox Mormon, Dan and Sara grappled with numerous questions: How should they navigate this news? What would the future of their relationship with their loved one look like? How could they move forward without sacrificing their standing in the Church? As you listen, you will learn from the Fisk's story. For the Fisk family, Mormonism had always been central to them, then everything changed in 2017 when someone even closer to them came out: their daughter. What happens when you allow yourself to lift, support, and love someone different than you? The Fisks share their story. #LatterGayStories #LGBTQAlly #Parents #LGBTQ #Mormon
Jacob Lambert's story is about finding support from those around you. Raised in an active Latter-Day Saint family, Jacob’s world view shifted when he began to figure out that he was gay at 16 years old. Despite his awareness of his sexuality, Jacob felt inspired to serve a mission and attend BYU. Little by little, as he let people in he felt more comfortable and confident in his identity and eventually decided to come out on Instagram in June of 2021. As his religious views began to shift, Jacob decided that part of living authentically and honestly would involve transferring out of BYU and being more open about his beliefs. Throughout his journey, Jacob decided to let people in and received mixed responses, but decided to listen most to those who loved him unconditionally. #LatterGayStories #ComingOut #BYU #GayMormon
Cameron Call grew up in Queen Creek, Arizona. He served a mission in Nashville, Tennessee—the same mission as his father. He married a woman in a Mesa Temple and has three children. He came out to his wife in 2018 after ten years of marriage and they decided to divorce in 2019. He and his ex-wife are helping their kids discover the beauties of life both in and outside of the Mormon church. This is his story of trying to meet the expectations of religion, life and society—and learning that there is happiness and joy in all the places he was promised it didn't exist. #LatterGayStories #Mormonism #ComingOut #EndureToTheEnd
In the final episode of our three-part story, Josh and Richard share the couch as a couple! They talk about dating, separating religion from their reality, family, navigating a vulnerable part of their lives, and MARRIAGE! They reflect on what they have learned through this journey, how their lives have changed, and what they hope for the future. Catch episodes 181 and 182 to hear Josh and Richard’s individual stories.
Josh was thriving as a young, out, gay teen in the Philippines, but Mormon missionaries knocked on his door and he and his family ended up joining the Church. Soon after, his mother married a man from Utah, and Josh found himself living in a small religious town in Northern Utah. His life went from being openly gay and accepted to hiding his sexuality and being an ethnic minority in a community of opinionated Mormon farmers. Utah forced him to hide inside a “shell” because he found it impossible to live who he really was. In this interview Josh shares what he experienced as a convert from Catholicism to Mormonism, how he navigated homophobia in a small Utah town, and where he’s at today—including his intergenerational, interracial, same sex marriage. This is part two of a three-part series beginning with episode 181. #Philippines #Mormon #Thrive #ComingOut #Marriage
What happens when a former Mormon bishop can no longer stay closeted and hidden? He grabs the door-handle, walks through that door and into a world he’s avoided his whole life. Richard Mitchell was a very active, stalwart Latter-day Saint. He married a woman, had children, served in the church (including as Bishop) and tried to use the promises of Mormonism to “change” his sexual orientation. But was the “Mormon Message” sustainable for him? In this three-episode series, Richard shares a candid look into his journey through church leadership, marriage and divorce, navigating life outside of social and religious expectations, and so much more! Part Two of the series is Richard’s husband Josh and Part Three will be the couple sharing their stories as married men (including some juicy details about their wedding!) #LatterGayStories #MormonBishop #ComingOut
What started as a dream to paint the Brigham Young University campus in rainbow paint ended up encouraging Bradley Talbot to start a movement that changed the face of BYU and literally lit it up with color. Brad took on Goliath—the Mormon Church and he organized a group of people to light the iconic Y in rainbow colors…not once, but three times. But how did we get here? Who is Bradley Talbot? Why color the campus? And why did he feel compelled to advocate for the LGBTQ community and one of the nation’s most orthodox universities? He is going to tell all.
My husband is gay, now what? In a topic not regularly discussed, Flo Montierth shares her story of dating, marrying and then divorcing a gay Mormon husband. As a lifelong lover of learning and teaching, Flo is an advocate for special needs and the LGBTQIA community. Navigating Mormon life in a mixed-orientation marriage was challenging, but leaning into those challenges opened new opportunities and new insights into Flo’s personal journey—and expanded opportunities for her family. Through this journey, it wasn’t just Flo’s husband that will come out! #LatterGayStories #MixedOrientationMarriage #ComingOut #Mormon
Joel was raised in an orthodox Mormon home, where rules were king—he never met a rule he didn't follow. His upbringing was one of “exact obedience”. PBS and KBYU were the only TV shows they were allowed to watch. He knew he was different, but didn’t have words to describe what that difference was. Family life for Joel was tenuous, to put it kindly. While serving a mission he was released early to come back to Utah for conversion therapy. His parents refused to pick him up at the airport. Joel shares his story navigating his religion and his sexuality. He was a former member and employee of the Mormon church, held stake callings and served as an early morning seminary teacher. After doing all the “Mormon” things, like serving a mission, getting married in the temple, having kids, and serving the church, he still couldn’t reconcile an intrinsic part of who he is. This is his story. #LatterGayStories #LasVegas #Mormon #Missionary #ConversionTherapy
Colby is a convert to the church, having joined at 17 years old. One year later, he left his family to serve a mission in Venezuela. He returned home from his mission after 10 months due to anxiety-depression. The root cause of this depression…he had been withholding a secret: "same-sex" attraction. Not long after coming home from his mission, Colby met a woman who would eventually become his wife, and he remained closeted in an effort to allow God to “heal” him through his righteousness. After 15 years of marriage, and no longer believing that he needed to be “fixed,” Colby came out to his wife and they separated shortly after. What remains is Colby’s story of authenticity, of learning to love himself, letting go of the person the world expected him to be, and best of all: finding true love. #Mormon #MixedOrientationMarriage #Family #ComingOut #RuralUtah
Dr. Lacey Bagley is a queer Mormon and the owner of Celebrate Therapy. She has been married for 14 years to her husband Evan and together they have 2 young children. She’s polyamorous and is navigating, with happiness, this chapter of her life. What does the intersection of Mormonism and sexuality look like for Lacey? After devoting your whole life to religion, how can you reconcile its doctrine and policies against people like you? What advice do you have for others? In this episode, Lacey takes us through a very candid discussion of the difficult and beautiful parts of her story. It’s honest. It’s hopeful. It’s a necessary discussion. #LatterGayStories #Bisexual #Polyamory #Mormonism #MarriedAndMingling #CelebrateTherapy #BYU
At age 10 Jake was mercilessly bullied, the kids called him “gay” a word he didn’t understand. Using the family’s dial-up internet connection Jake turned to Google to better understand the word. A path of pain ensued. It would take Jake nearly seven years to finally say " I am gay" out loud. In the wake of that coming out experience came shame, personal reflection, and a sexual assault. These factors convinced him to retreat back into the closet and further into Mormonism’s seemingly safe protection. Jake’s story is one of healing, rising above the pain, setting religion aside, and finding strength and hope in the path ahead. #LatterGayStories #Mormonism #ComingOut #Healing
Born and raised in Utah, Nate Gardner did everything he was supposed to do to be a good Mormon boy. After serving a mission and going to BYU Nate came out of the closet—fearing he would lose his family. Because of love, respect, communication and boundaries, Nate is closer to his family now as an openly gay man than he ever was when he was in the church. And he has his husband to support him. You don’t want to miss the story of Nate’s Christmas miracle, and what happened inside a Latter-day Saint chapel in Utah county. #LatterGayStories #Love #Family #CultureVersusLove
Throughout Mormonism's history there have been a series of "rescues" where grassroots members, teamed with local church authorities, band together to rescue Saints in despair. Are we seeing an LGBTQ+ rescue in Mormonism? We're digging in...and talking about it. Inspired by Elder M. Russell Ballard's charge to "better understand the LGBTQ community," Ben Schilaty and Charlie Bird, gay Latter-day Saints, have been training ward and stake leaders/members on LGBTQ inclusion and love. Through these efforts, Ben and Charlie aim to change the tradition and culture surrounding queer experiences in Mormonism and reating a space of better understanding regarding sexuality in the church (not much is being said about gender identity). In this special episode hosted by Latter Gay Stories and Mormon Stories, a panel of queer voices, moderated by John Dehlin, tackles this topic by analyzing a recently recorded fireside in a Surrey British Columbia Stake. Is this new method of training effective? Does it move the needle? #LatterGayStories #BenSchilaty #CharlieBird #GayMormonRescue #LGBTQMormonism
Viral Tik-Tok creator Brayden Singley sits down with the Latter Gay Stories podcast to spill the tea on life as gay man with Mormon roots. Brayden was born and raised in Northern Utah. He grew up a member of the LDS Church, served a 2-year mission in the state of Washington and attended BYU. In this episode Brayden candidly shares his story of shame, guilt, pornography, sexual experiences, rising above societal judgement—and ultimately finding his footing as a gay man in a seemingly unforgiving world. It’s a wonderful episode about hope, and about following your heart. Please leave your comments and questions about this episode. If you haven’t yet, please subscribe to our LatterGayStories YouTube channel. Clicking the big SUBSCRIBE button guarantees you’ll get instant updates whenever we post new content. That way, you won’t miss any videos from Latter Gay Stories. #ComingOut #HookUps #SexualExperience #GayMormon #GayStories
David Doyle is a Latter-day Saint from Florida. He is humble, reliable, lovable, nerdy, and gay. He is an active Latter-day Saint with stake leadership callings—and it is through those callings that he is able to fulfill some of his self-described “life missions”. Many people might argue that David’s life is not sustainable—that by choosing to remain an active Latter-day Saint he must deny his sexuality. David addresses that dichotomy and shares much more about the benefits of being a queer Mormon, including his continued friendship with apostle, Elder Dale G. Renlund and his wife, Sister Ruth Renlund. David is the person behind the very popular @NerdyGayMormon Tumblr handle, sharing positive, honest, and sometimes difficult discussions at the intersection of LGBT Avenue and LDS Street. #LatterGayStories #NerdyGayMormon #MormonAndGay #DavidDoyle
He’s known around the world as The Naked Pastor—and you’ve likely seen his cartoons on social media or in print—but who is David Hayward and why does his art speak so loudly for the LGBTQ+ community? David sits down with the Latter Gay Stories podcast to share more of his story and offers a behind the scenes peek into his talent. Have you had to deconstruct what you once believed in? Did you leave your church but not your faith? As a former church leader, David beautifully shares his journey about deconstructing religious beliefs, how to find community and connection after leaving religion, uniting and supporting the marginalized communities—and stories behind some of his most famous cartoons and art. #TheNakedPastor #DavidHayward #LGBTQart #Compassion #Deconstruction
Carol Lynn Pearson is a Mormon icon. In the early 1960’s two monumental experiences happened in her life: she married Gerald, a gay man—and she published her first book. From that first publishing—and her relationship with her gay husband—Carol Lynn Pearson forged a path forward for Latter-day Saints to better understand the LGBTQ experience. Her life has been a lesson of love, compassion, understanding and advocacy. Escaping the gazing eyes of Utah Mormons, the Pearson’s left Salt Lake City and settled in California to allow their little family the opportunity to embrace the unknown and to grow in uncertainty. Through her best-selling book, “Goodbye, I Love You”, Carol Lynn allowed the world too peer into the Pearson family story. For the first time a well known Latter-day Saint family was openly talking about homosexuality, mixed orientation marriage, kindness, advocacy, harmful doctrine and more. In this episode Carol Lynn sits down with Kyle to dive deeper into that journey, discuss the impact it had on Mormonism, and how marrying a gay man changed her life. #LatterGayStories #CarolLynnPearson #Family #Love #ChurchOfJesusChristofLatterDaySaints
At age five Laurie Lee Hall knew she was different, but she didn’t have words for what the “difference” was. For her, language—and better understanding wouldn’t come until many decades later. Few transgender people have had more influence on Mormonism than Laurie Lee Hall. Prior to (and sometimes during) her process of transition she served as a Bishop, Stake President, and Chief Architect for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She designed numerous temples, chapels, designed the rebuilding of the Provo City Center Temple, and the design of the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah. Did the First Presidency and other Church officials know she was transgender? Yes! And how they interacted and treated her is part of this interview. Laurie’s story is fascinating look at Mormonism, the inner workings of the church, and how honesty and authenticity create incredibly beautiful and resilient people. #LaurieLeeHall #LDSChurch #Transgender #FirstPresidency #ProvoTemple #LatterGayStories
Weston Smith came out as gay while his dad was serving as a bishop in the Mormon church. His parents were understanding, but navigating life a gay Mormon teen, trying to better understand your sexuality, and remain the “best” Mormon possible is often a recipe for disaster. Weston was no stranger to the turmoil that often comes from being gay and Mormon—a situation, for Wes, that led to serious suicidal ideation. He ultimately decided to serve a mission as an “out” gay Mormon, but even in the mission field the suicidal thoughts persisted. It was there, on his mission, that he resolved to leave the church and live an authentic, happy life. After leaving his mission early and finding complete familial support, Weston has thrived. He recently published a memoir titled, ”This Body of Water”, detailing his journey and what the future looks like for him. A copy of Weston’s book is available at WestonSmithBooks.com. WESTON'S FATHER, EVAN, SHARED HIS INDIVIDUAL STORY WITH LATTERGAYSTORIES AS EPISODE 166 ON THIS PODCAST. #LatterGayStories #ThisBodyofWater #WestonSmith #Love #Honesty
Evan Smith met the intersection of sexuality and religion while serving as an LDS Bishop and eventually in a Stake Presidency. It didn’t take long before Evan began to better understand the difficult and impossible restraints the Church’s policies and doctrines place on LGBTQ Mormons. In the midst of these dichotomies, Evan, and his wife, Cheryl learned that their own son, Weston, was gay. The Smiths learned that understanding and advocating for LGBTQ people takes a sharp turn when someone close to you is directly impacted by this topic. As a result, Evan and Cheryl became allies and advocates for queer Mormons, and Evan used his position in his Stake Presidency to directly discuss this topic with General Authorities and Latter-day Saint congregations. In this episode, Evan candidly shares his discussions with Church leadership, what his family has learned having a gay son, his current membership status in the Mormon church, and what we can all do to better understand the LGBTQ experience. Evan Smith is also the author of Gay Latter-day Saint Crossroads, a book he acknowledges was written to explain, and hopefully do something productive with the pain that comes from the church’s teachings about sexual orientation and gender identity. The book also explores whether the church’s current position on gay sexual behavior is more reflective of human prejudice than it is of divine truth. Evan also uses the book to try to make amends for any harm he caused in the past as a leader in the church. Download the book for FREE by visiting www.GayLDSCrossroads.org #GayMormon #LatterGayStories #QueerLatterDaySaint #MormonLeader #GayLDSCrossroads
For orthodox Christians, especially Latter-day Saints, Paul Bird’s life doesn’t fit the mold. He admittedly loves the Word of Wisdom, but loathes the Law of Chastity. And that is where is story blossoms. Paul is from Tucson, Arizona. He grew up Mormon and, in the closet. He decided to come out when the exclusion policy was leaked in November 2015. Paul shares a candid story about sex, agency, chastity, charity, love, and carving a way through Mormonism that works for him. As an active, non-temple recommend holding Mormon, Paul details where his journey has taken him and the joy he’s found along the path. #LatterGayStories #PaulBird #GayMormon
Josh Morris was raised in a very small, rural Utah community. Living as a closeted gay teen, in a predominately Mormon town leaves a lot to be desired. The community isn't rich with diversity or opportunity when it comes to understanding your sexuality. In this episode Josh candidly shares his story. He opens up about the good, the bad, the mistakes, and eventually--the successes. How do you come out (and thrive) to your Mormon family, who believes in religious and organizational fundamentalism? #LatterGayStories #EphraimUtah #Fundementalism #Mormon
Melinda Hannah is no stranger to pain or trauma. She battled her own traumas while simultaneously watching other’s experience their own. Melinda is an artist. She used her talent and brush to paint to tell the stories of the marginalized people among us. While meeting with members of the LGBTQ community who were dying of AIDS, she visioned an art project that would show the world the love and beauty that encompassed these men and women who had been rejected by their families. In time, Melinda, an active Latter-day Saint, began painting the portraits of the LGBTQ+ Mormon community. She wanted the world to see their beauty, their love, and their worth. After displaying her works of art in 5 cites across the United States, Melinda sits down with the Latter Gay Stories audience to share her story. She shares more about the portraits, what the project meant to her, and the lives that were influenced because of this Portraits of Courage project. www.MelindaHannah.com
Latter-day leaders have often warned that happiness, truth, and spiritual experiences are only found within the framework of Mormonism—Colter's story defies that narrative. Shortly after coming out to his "Provo Mormon" family, Colter began to navigate his own course of spirituality, connection, and mindfulness. Outside of the church, he was able to find all the things his former Mormon leaders told him he wouldn't. Colter is a Galactic Shaman who has found success as a spiritual guide—exploring various exalted states of consciousness. If you are navigating outside of Mormonism and looking for new forms of spirituality, Colter's story will impact you. You can find Colter on Instagram @ColterWild #LatterGayStories #ColterWild #Mindfulness #PlantMedicine #Hypnotherapy
* * The LatterGayStories podcast has been following over a dozen same-gender couples that are facing excommunication (membership councils) from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Their offense: being legally and lawfully married. * * In April of 2019, the Church publicly announced that same-sex couples would no longer be considered apostates and subjected to mandatory excommunication. Instead, the Church proclaimed that “immoral conduct in heterosexual and homosexual relationships will be treated the same way.” * * However, determined bishops and stake presidents have often used their personal bias and ignorance to continue the excommunications of gay members—despite church leaders stating that these excommunications are not happening. * * Join us for a special 7.5 HOUR LatterGayStories and Mormon Stories episode where we sit down with Brennan and Douglas. They are a married couple from Idaho who were just subjected to a membership council for being in a legal, monogamous marriage. And they provide an audio recording of that council. * * But there’s more… * * When asked by Douglas and Brennan why they *really* were being forced out the church, the bishop and stake president couldn’t keep their stories straight. The church leaders piled lie upon lie to justify their actions. They accused them of making evil social media posts about the church, accused them of drinking coffee and tea, and even compared their legal and lawful marriage to a husband and wife embroiled in infidelity. * * We have the audio recordings of the phone calls, meetings, and the membership council itself and we will play them during this interview. * * We want to use this episode to show the constant misrepresentations, deflections, and gaslighting perpetrated by LDS bishops and stake presidents to protect “the good name of the church.” And we also want to show the harm that is done to good people when you use ignorance and prejudice to force people out of the fold. * * Is there a place for same-sex couples in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? * * #PrideMonth #LDS #BehindTheScenes #LyingforTheLord #Mormon #MembershipCouncil
In less than one year, five students at Brigham Young University have amassed a social media following of nearly 1,000,000 people. The group, calling themselves the Black Menaces, create videos online that have been liked and shared more than 25 million times and messages supported by celebrities and influencers around the globe. So, what are these BYU college students doing to create such a buzz? Using a cell phone camera and microphone, the BlackMenaces are exposing the candid reactions of BYU students through questions about race and social justice. It’s no surprise, given the nature of LDS/LGBTQ policies, that the most viral videos produced by the BlackMenaces are directly related to the LGBTQ community and the Mormon church's treatment of queer people. We’ve invited the Menaces into the studio to share their “revolution” with the LatterGayStories community. In this episode we dive deep into the BlackMenace story and learn more about the people behind the TikTok and Instagram videos. Why did they start the social media project, and what they’ve learned in the process? This episode is a candid and honest discussion about Mormonism’s racial and prejudicial problems. #LatterGayStories #BlackMenaces #BrighamYoungUniversity #MormonChurch
For the Packer’s, love and connection brought them together—and it was honesty and authenticity that helped their love and connection flourish. In this fascinating story of love and transformation, Kay and Kris share their early dating experiences—and marriage as a lesbian couple. It was later in that marriage that Kris transitioned as a transgender male. As the couple loved, they learned—and as they learned, they lived. This is the third and final episode in the Packer series. Kay shared her individual story in episode 157. Kris shared his story in episode 158. These episodes and others are available in video form on the LatterGayStories Facebook and YouTube pages. All of our podcast episodes are ready to download now everywhere you catch your favorite podcasts. #LatterGayStories #Love #Transgender #Growth #Mormonism #LGBTQMormon #UtahGay
