{"id":1333,"date":"2018-08-24T22:59:05","date_gmt":"2018-08-25T04:59:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/?p=1333"},"modified":"2018-08-24T22:59:05","modified_gmt":"2018-08-25T04:59:05","slug":"lgbtq-and-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/2018\/08\/lgbtq-and-you\/","title":{"rendered":"LGBTQ and You"},"content":{"rendered":"<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><head><meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\"><meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\"><\/head><body><p>I\u2019ve got some controversial things to say, and I hope you\u2019ll listen. It\u2019s about the LGBTQ community, and how we are treating them.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>We have a problem<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>We have a problem in the <a href='https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/library\/mormonism' target='_blank'>Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints<\/a>, and the Christian community at large. More specifically we have a problem in the hearts of some of the people in the Church. We teach that we are all children of God, and that He loves us and wants us to succeed. In fact, in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lds.org\/scriptures\/nt\/matt\/22?lang=eng\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Matthew 22: 36-40<\/a>\u00a0says:<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1338 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/805\/2018\/08\/bible-videos-jesus-resurrected-1426733-tablet-300x149.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"149\">36\u00a0<\/strong>Master, which\u00a0is\u00a0the great commandment in the law?<\/p>\n<p><strong>37\u00a0<\/strong>Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt\u00a0love\u00a0the Lord thy God with all thy\u00a0heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy\u00a0mind.<\/p>\n<p><strong>38\u00a0<\/strong>This is the first and great\u00a0commandment.<\/p>\n<p><strong>39\u00a0<\/strong>And the second\u00a0is\u00a0like unto it, Thou shalt\u00a0love\u00a0thy neighbor as thyself.<\/p>\n<p><strong>40\u00a0<\/strong>On these two commandments hang all the\u00a0law\u00a0and the prophets.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Lord is very clear about how much His children matter. \u00a0But it seems that some feel comfortable excluding the LGBTQ community from those doctrines.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I have a transgender nephew. He was born my niece but decided a couple years ago that he was not happy living as a woman anymore. Since I\u2019ve tried to get to know his new reality I am shocked at the amount of prejudice he deals with every day. It\u2019s not an easy life. He tells me that there is a lot of violence aimed at transgender people, and I worry for his safety.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Where does the Church stand?<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1339 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/805\/2018\/08\/washington-dc-temple-winter-sunset-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\">I\u2019ve been on LDS.org, digging to see what the Church really thinks about the LGBTQ community. And you\u2019ll be stunned to see what I have found! Not ONCE have they ever said that those of the LGBTQ community are less worthy of God\u2019s love, or less important in ANY way. In fact, it\u2019s so the opposite! I\u2019ve found articles from Church leaders sharing how important it is to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lds.org\/liahona\/2016\/09\/faith-fairness-and-religious-freedom?lang=eng\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">show love for anyone who is LGBTQ<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Church even publicly supported\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/loveloudfest.com\/home\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">the LoveLoud Festival in Salt Lake City<\/a>, helping to raise money for the LGBT community. Elder Ballard said about the event:<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThe reason that the Church supported the Love Loud festival, here in Utah, was to send a strong message that LGBT youth or anyone else should never be mistreated and if any were troubled, they should seek help from friends, family members, and trained professionals.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/fox13now.com\/2018\/07\/10\/the-lds-church-gave-money-to-an-lgbtq-mormon-support-group-for-suicide-prevention\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Church also donated $25,000<\/a>\u00a0to help fund suicide prevention efforts among LGBTQ youth. There is even an official Church web site called\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mormonandgay.lds.org\/articles\/nicks-story?lang=eng\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Mormon and Gay<\/a>, highlighting how to be kind and supportive and loving from several different angles, using actual people\u2019s experiences to serve as an example of how to be loving and supportive.\u00a0And the Church is\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mormonnewsroom.org\/article\/explaining-religious-freedom-and-lgbt-rights\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">actively campaigning for equal LGBTQ rights<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>The Church members need to change<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>What surprises and worries me about this discovery is that we have recently heard on the news that suicide rates among youth in Utah are 3X the national average. And many people point to the Church as the reason for that. But the church has done so many supportive and loving things, and continues to reach out in love.\u00a0<strong>So, it must be the members, not the doctrine that is the issue.<\/strong>\u00a0Obviously, people are not listening to the Church, because all the info is there. I found it, you can too.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1341 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/805\/2018\/08\/family-church-attendance-993074-gallery-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\">So now that we know that God loves us- ALL OF US, what is our excuse for continuing to discriminate or shun others for their life choices? We CAN live the commandments AND love all God\u2019s children!<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>The Defining challenge of this generation<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>How we treat those who are LGBTQ is the defining challenge of this generation.<\/strong>\u00a0Too many pious people are using sexual orientation as an excuse for very unchristian behavior. The other day I was listening to my favorite Podcast (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.stitcher.com\/podcast\/jody-moore\/be-bold-mama\/e\/54721106\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Better than Happy with Jody Moore<\/a>) and she talked about Lovability.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Jody pointed out to all of us that we don\u2019t have to be or do anything to be lovable. That our very existence by itself is reason enough to be loved. That is beautiful! Unfortunately, we often attach levels of accomplishment to ourselves or others that must be met before we consider them to be lovable. And isn\u2019t that exactly what many people do with the LGBTQ community?<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Stop the unkindness<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1343 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/805\/2018\/08\/seaside-371229_640-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\">I\u2019m so grateful for my transgender nephew. Before his transition I never thought much about what it would be like for those close to my gay friends. I never thought about why some parents are so unkind when their child comes out. But now I think I get it. They are worried for their loved one, and for how life is going to be unkind to them. They want the best for them and feel they must change them or society (and life) will hurt them beyond measure.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But I have news for you, if that is what you\u2019ve been thinking. You need to realize that you are a gift for your loved one. God put you in the same family to strengthen and support and love each other. And if you are being unkind because you are afraid of how unkind life will be\u2026. isn\u2019t that an oxymoron? Wouldn\u2019t it be better to stand next to your loved one and support and shield them as much as you can? Becoming the source of pain is NOT the answer.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>You can make a difference<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If you are finding yourself in that unpleasant place, where you realize you aren\u2019t being as loving as you need to be, I challenge you to change. NOW. Don\u2019t wait. I said earlier that how we treat the LGBTQ community is the defining challenge of our generation, because we are being judged by how we treat them. We profess to follow Christ. But He loves them and wants them to succeed. So, we need to be sure we are really following His example.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I have shown you that both God and Church leaders love the LGBTQ community. Now it\u2019s your turn to look inward. Evaluate your attitudes and behavior and seek to operate from a place of love. If suicide rates in Utah are high, your actions can make a direct impact and bring the numbers down. Reach out in support and love. Show compassion and kindness. You will make a difference.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em>This article was previously posted on <a href=\"https:\/\/ldsblogs.com\/41327\/lgbtq-and-you\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Abby\u2019s page at LDSblogs.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I\u2019ve got some controversial things to say, and I hope you\u2019ll listen. It\u2019s about the LGBTQ community, and how we are treating them. \u00a0 We have a problem \u00a0 We have a problem in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the Christian community at large. More specifically we have a problem in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3521,"featured_media":1345,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[106,104],"class_list":["post-1333","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-about-life","tag-kindness","tag-lgbtq"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>LGBTQ and You<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I\u2019ve been on LDS.org, digging to see what the Church really thinks about the LGBTQ community. And you\u2019ll be stunned to see what I have found!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"LGBTQ and You\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I\u2019ve been on LDS.org, digging to see what the Church really thinks about the LGBTQ community. 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I'm Abby Christianson, a transplanted Mormon living the dream. In my life, I've lived in seven different US states and visited other countries. And the thing that amazes me is that in every place I've been the LDS (Mormon) church is the same. The people have hearts of gold, and their love for the Savior is unchanging. But for some reason, people still think Mormons are weird, backward, and sometimes even Amish. I'm here to try to help clear up the misconceptions about Mormons by showing you that we are just like you. We love our families, eat junk food, love movies, and spend time with friends. And just like you, our faith and values go deep. So join me as I keep trying to scatter sunshine everywhere I go. And hopefully, you'll find your faith in Christ strengthened along the way. Autism and more I'm also here to talk about Autism, and being an Autism Mom. There were few resources online when my son was diagnosed. So I want to be a support to those parents who are trying to figure out their child, and how best to support them. My wonderful son stretches me and helps me grow every day. I love being his mother and the things that make him unique. In 2020, every autism service stopped. So I got trained to be an RBT (Low-level autism therapist) with BehaviorUniversity.com. It has made homeschooling and doing at-home ABA easier as I understand my son better. They have some courses for parents to help them understand autism better, and I highly recommend them if you are searching. We have been home-schooling off and on for 6 years now. And it's wonderful to see my son thriving. Education and background Although my degree is not in education, I do have degrees from BYU Idaho and Southern Utah University in public relations, interpersonal communication, and marketing. I was lucky enough to get to teach a couple of freshman classes at SUU as part of my senior project. I have the best memories of those times. And it showed me how much I love to teach. While at SUU I was on the debate team. I wasn\u2019t great, but I loved the team and the feeling of unity we had. As a member of the Lambda Delta Signa sorority, I spent a year as VP of my chapter. I served on Institute Council and in leadership with my choir. And I was a member of the Lambda Pi Eta honor society. Funny enough, I was nominated as SUU\u2019s personality of the year in my senior year because I was so involved When my son was small I was part of the PTA at bus school \u00a0I even served on the PTA board and taught art classes to the kids. \u00a0I also volunteered to help out in the cafeteria. And I was a \u2018recess duty\u2019 meaning I got to be outside as a responsible adult during recess I love to write and wrote for LDSblogs.com as Abby Christianson and as Patty Sampson for many years. I took over editing LDS Blogs when our beloved editor Terri Bittner passed away suddenly from brain cancer in 2017. Then in 2020, LDSblogs.com stopped publishing after the pandemic affected their funding. But they are still online and some great stories are there if you are interested. I'm a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I've been married for 23 years, and a mother for 15 years. I love people and creating in any capacity I can. I hope you'll join me as we navigate this crazy world we live in.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/author\/achristianson\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"LGBTQ and You","description":"I\u2019ve been on LDS.org, digging to see what the Church really thinks about the LGBTQ community. 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I'm Abby Christianson, a transplanted Mormon living the dream. In my life, I've lived in seven different US states and visited other countries. And the thing that amazes me is that in every place I've been the LDS (Mormon) church is the same. The people have hearts of gold, and their love for the Savior is unchanging. But for some reason, people still think Mormons are weird, backward, and sometimes even Amish. I'm here to try to help clear up the misconceptions about Mormons by showing you that we are just like you. We love our families, eat junk food, love movies, and spend time with friends. And just like you, our faith and values go deep. So join me as I keep trying to scatter sunshine everywhere I go. And hopefully, you'll find your faith in Christ strengthened along the way. Autism and more I'm also here to talk about Autism, and being an Autism Mom. There were few resources online when my son was diagnosed. So I want to be a support to those parents who are trying to figure out their child, and how best to support them. My wonderful son stretches me and helps me grow every day. I love being his mother and the things that make him unique. In 2020, every autism service stopped. So I got trained to be an RBT (Low-level autism therapist) with BehaviorUniversity.com. It has made homeschooling and doing at-home ABA easier as I understand my son better. They have some courses for parents to help them understand autism better, and I highly recommend them if you are searching. We have been home-schooling off and on for 6 years now. And it's wonderful to see my son thriving. Education and background Although my degree is not in education, I do have degrees from BYU Idaho and Southern Utah University in public relations, interpersonal communication, and marketing. I was lucky enough to get to teach a couple of freshman classes at SUU as part of my senior project. I have the best memories of those times. And it showed me how much I love to teach. While at SUU I was on the debate team. I wasn\u2019t great, but I loved the team and the feeling of unity we had. As a member of the Lambda Delta Signa sorority, I spent a year as VP of my chapter. I served on Institute Council and in leadership with my choir. And I was a member of the Lambda Pi Eta honor society. Funny enough, I was nominated as SUU\u2019s personality of the year in my senior year because I was so involved When my son was small I was part of the PTA at bus school \u00a0I even served on the PTA board and taught art classes to the kids. \u00a0I also volunteered to help out in the cafeteria. And I was a \u2018recess duty\u2019 meaning I got to be outside as a responsible adult during recess I love to write and wrote for LDSblogs.com as Abby Christianson and as Patty Sampson for many years. I took over editing LDS Blogs when our beloved editor Terri Bittner passed away suddenly from brain cancer in 2017. Then in 2020, LDSblogs.com stopped publishing after the pandemic affected their funding. But they are still online and some great stories are there if you are interested. I'm a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I've been married for 23 years, and a mother for 15 years. I love people and creating in any capacity I can. I hope you'll join me as we navigate this crazy world we live in.","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/author\/achristianson\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1333","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3521"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1333"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1333\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1345"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1333"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1333"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scatteringsunshine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1333"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}