A few days ago I post the following image on Facebook:
A friend of mine asked for more information on this since this isn't a topic frequently discussed. In response I decided to write this review of the law's actual text so that everyone could see HOW the State of Indiana's Legislature and Governor Pence made gay couples APPLYING for Marriage Licenses criminals.
Indiana HB 1041 isk the law the image refers to. It's wording is very complicated and the bill's language jumps around a lot (plus it has been heavily edited and has had multiple sections repealed) so it is honestly hard to follow. In order for the information to make sense I will have to jump around and connect different passages from the bill together. The bill was signed in 2013 by Governor Pence who was elected to office in 2012.
So many people have been tuned into the LDS General Conference this weekend! Thousands upon thousands have been Tweeting and Posting Conference messages and musings for the last two days but something else has happened today that may at first seem overshadowed by the shear mass of #LDSconf (and other hashtags). Despite being overshadowed by the popular LDS media frenzy this new event is extremely important to the future image of Mormonism.
I'm sure we have all heard of the controversial power house WikiLeaks, well as of today the world has been introduced to MormonLeaks (#MormonLeaks)!
MormonLeaks appears to have the same basic mission of WikiLeaks, to expose secrets and damning information that governments and corporations don't want the general public to know, only this time the information in question directly and only involves the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Today's Post is copied from my Facebook response to a Mormon who held some misconceptions about what it means to be LGBT and Mormon, especially at BYU. This is entirely in my own words, I just copied my post from Facebook to here. Please feel free to share this link to any Mormons who you feel need to better understand the LGBT/Mormon situation. I think you might understand more if your child (scenario) was active in the Church and yet came out of the closet as LGBT. The pain you witness in your child is absolutely destructive and not at conducive to the faith you both once had. I grew up a very faithful and active Mormon but now want practically nothing to do with it because of the LDS efforts to go out of their way to attack LGBT beliefs (even when those beliefs have nothing to do with the Church, like Gay Marriage).
The horrible name calling I've received from Church members and leaders has scarred me forever;
Lately I've started playing a game called Crusader Kings 2. It's an excellent game by the way that focuses on being a sort of replacement for the all-time epic game series "Civilization" but set in the Middle Ages. It's incredibly detailed with lots of computer characters and historical accounts incorporated into actual game play. This game is unique in how it's played because you don't just have one character that you play until you win or lose, instead you have your starting character that you play until he/she dies and then you continue playing as the family or kingdom's heir (you do get married and have children in this game) and so on. You lose when you have no heir to replace you when you die, which means the game can last for centuries.
Believe it or not this game does actually relate to today's post topic.
I've so far been quiet on the horrific tragedy in Orlando. It's been hard for me to think about even though I've not been directly involved. I cannot imagine the pain and suffering these people and their families are and have been going through, straight or gay. My heart goes out to the families of the dead and injured, as well as to the heroes of that night who helped save lives (even at the cost of their own).
On the Talk this afternoon I heard of a story where a mother (a straight woman) had gone to Pulse to go dancing with her son that fateful night. When the shooting started she threw herself over her son, shielding him from the shots and died literally saving his life. This is pure heroism and love, she deserves to be remembered as do all the others who died or were injured there. There was a young gay couple who were getting married soon and will now be having a joint funeral instead. A club bouncer risked being shot and killed by leaving his safe hiding spot to run and open the back escape door, saving roughly 60 lives in the process. #heroesoforlando
*NOTE: I am not a Psychologist or a Counselor, instead I've survived my own war with Suicide for over 15 years.
Suicide is a Tragedy that is happening all over the world every day. Suicide is a child of fear, hate, despair and most importantly, the loss of feeling loved.
Suicide is an epidemic affecting all walks of life, from the very poor to the very rich. It affects all races, religions, nationalities; it literally crosses all boundaries and knows no discrimination. Suicide, no matter who is affected is heartbreaking. No matter who you are, if you struggle with wanting or needing to commit suicide, you are not alone, there are many people all over the world who can find you and help save you if only they could see your personal SIGNAL FIRE. We WILL search for the human being behind every S.O.S. If you live in the United States, the National Suicide Hotline is a good potential resource for anyone who needs help (1-800-273-8255).
Even though Suicide reaches everyone, not all groups are affected in quite the same way. Sometimes the causes are different, sometimes the behavior leading up to suicide might be different, sometimes the community response is different, sometimes even the number of people affected can be different within a community. That is why I and so many others concentrate so hard on Suicides affecting youth, children and young adults who are Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual or Transgender. We do not diminish the tragedy of any other person who feels so alone and desperate that suicide feels necessary or desirable, we reach out to them as much as we can too. All are welcome at the doors of the LGBT community.
If you are feeling like suicide is an option, how do you light your SIGNAL FIRE and ask for help?
To be honest, when I first heard Elder Bednar say there were no homosexuals in the Church my reaction was: because anyone who is left is likely trying very hard to pretend they're straight so that they don't get bullied or kicked out, or even more importantly, so that they are allowed into heaven.
There are fewer and fewer gays who find the strength to keep attending and stay active, I stopped going months ago and many of the gays I knew nationwide (who were active) have also gone inactive since I left.
Soon Elder Bednar's words will actually be true, and in part I believe that that's how the Apostles want it. I honestly do believe that they don't want gays or anyone else who challenges their sense of perfection in the Church and I honestly believe it's because we are viewed as impure, unholy or simply "not good enough". I may be wrong but the Apostles haven't done anything to suggest that I am.
This is in both English and Spanish. Elder Bednar's rhetoric is so confusing and makes absolutely no sense to me. Also, if you're going to claim that there are no homosexual members of the Church then you have to also claim that there are no heterosexual members of the Church. At which point you have to acknowledge that your entire premise of sexuality and gender being integral to Salvation and eternity is flawed and non-existent.
The Proclamation on the Family made it very clear that gender and sexual identity are of eternal importance to the Plan of Salvation. So that alone makes the argument of a society without defined identities counterproductive to God's plan.
Also if we did have such a definition-less society there would be no point in making any distinction between heterosexual marriage and gay marriage which would effectively make gay marriage appropriate in God's eyes despite the Church's constant insistence on the opposite. Gay marriage would become, to the Church, the simple union of two loving children of God. Much like how it is already perceived by the so called Apostates of the Church.
Preguntas y Respuestas con élder David A. Bednar, del Cuórum de los Doce, 23 de febrero de 2016¿Cómo pueden hacer los miembros homosexuales de la Iglesia para vivir y seguir firmes en el Evangelio?
Posted by Biblioteca SUD on Sunday, February 28, 2016
