Posted on 06/12/2005 9:28:57 AM PDT by Graybeard58
SALT LAKE CITY -- David Johnson stopped believing in the Mormon church about three years ago, when he came out of the closet.
At 24, he is ignoring strict principles of a church that teaches that homosexuality is a serious sin by living the life of a gay man.
But he chooses to live here, in the capital of one of the nation's most conservative states, which is shadowed by the worldwide headquarters of a church that suffuses nearly every aspect of life in Utah. The Mormon church, one of the world's fastest growing faiths with about 12 million members worldwide, won't accept homosexuals until they are spiritually rehabilitated.
During the Pride Week Festival that runs through today, plenty of people like Johnson are gathering around Salt Lake City -- a yearly reminder of just how large the gay community here has become. It culminates today with a parade that organizers say is the second largest in the state, behind the annual July 24 "Days of '47" parade commemorating the Mormon settlement of the Salt Lake Valley.
A Mormon church spokeswoman declined to comment on Pride Week, instead referring a reporter to previous church statements on homosexuality in general. They read, in part: "We realize there may be great loneliness in their lives but there must also be recognition of what is right."
Figures on Salt Lake City's gay population are hard to come by. Leaders of many of the city's advocacy groups don't even venture a guess.
The latest census did not request information about sexual orientation, but did tally 594,391 same-sex couples living together nationwide, with 3,370 of them in Utah. Gay advocates have estimated those numbers undercount the population by as much as 50 percent, because it only counts homosexuals who are in a live-in relationship and admit that to census officials.
Urban Institute demographer Gary Gates and researcher Jason Ost, authors of The Gay and Lesbian Atlas, estimate Salt Lake City to be in the top 6 percent of cities where gay and lesbian couples were likely to live.
"Clearly, Salt Lake City has a high concentration," Gates told The Associated Press.
Many gays and lesbians in Utah are former Mormons who grew up in the area and don't want to leave -- despite a political system that just passed one of the country's most restrictive amendments banning gay marriage. Others migrated from equally conservative nearby states like Idaho and Wyoming, which have no high-concentration gay areas of their own.
Many of Salt Lake's gays and lesbians don't want to abandon the style of Western living they grew up with, said Michael Mitchell, executive director of the advocacy group Equality Utah. The pace of life is generally slow, and nearby mountain ranges full of ski runs and hiking trails provide abundant opportunities for enjoying nature while still living in an urban area.
Other benefits like affordability and a relatively low crime rate are enough for some people to justify staying, he said.
Besides, Mitchell notes, "the next big city is Denver, eight hours one way, and Las Vegas, five hours the other way."
The decision for gays and lesbians to stay in Utah can be complicated, especially since the Mormon church is as much a culture as a faith, but Johnson said he's been able to negotiate his own set of beliefs.
"Some of their core values I really like," he says of the church, "but some of their extenuating guidelines and morals, they just don't work for me."
I don't understand your question. Mormons do consider homosexual activity, like any sexual activity outside of marriage, a sin. I think a major scripture that is pointed to says something about "adultery or anything like unto it."
Regarding whether marriage would solve the problem, Mormons don't recognize same sex marriage so I don't expect that to happen.
No. They believe in polygamy if you achieve the highest level of heaven.
Come to think of it, it's kind of the same, they might not be virgins, but you do get a lot of wives.
I agree, but most of the people mentioned in this article are ex-LDS. You can accuse them of making the wrong choice, but at least they made one.
We do so AGREE worship of the Creature not the Creator.is idolitry-Worship of unnatural sexual behavior is an abomination not an act of God.
Homosexual Agenda Ping.
Homosexuals really want us to think that they are, indeed, "everywhere".
But they aren't. They just make a point to be in our collective face.
The truth is that many homosexuals can change, if they want to - tens of thousands have. The fact that there are many former homosexuals is proof that homosexuality is not inborn, genetic, and therefore there is hope for them.
Meanwhile, as many as possible potential recruits need protection.
Freepmail me if you want on/off this pinglist.
Try a google image search using the term "gay pride." It may be buried somewhere in the mess of outlandish pictures that results.
MINO alert (Mormon in Name Only)
No, they don't. The commandment to not commit adultery or fornication is for everybody else, but it is OK if one is gay. They will have to face Christ on Judgement Day and explain that rationalization.
My hairstylist's ex-husband is gay. He still lives in SLC and whines and moans about how mean the LDS church is to the gay community. I finally asked her why her ex just didn't leave Utah. Answer: Money. He makes a boat load of money being a 'life' coach helping people to come out of the closet.
One can live in Utah and not be Mormon, right? I am all for making a boat load of money, but he should acknowlege who he is and where. There are certain trade offs in life and he should just deal with it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.