LGBT Ally? Here’s a Comprehensive List of TRULY Faithful LDS LGBT Resources—and What to AVOID

Written By Tember Harward

BE A TRUE ALLY

It’s been a tremendous concern of ours here at Beacon to only provide resources that we’re 100% certain align with the official doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and that are not alluding or openly seeking to change the doctrine relating to marriage and gender identity. Elder M Russell Ballard said: “False prophets and false teachers are those who arrogantly attempt to fashion new interpretations of the scriptures … False prophets and false teachers are also those who attempt to change the God-given and scripturally based doctrines that protect the sanctity of marriage … They advocate a redefinition of morality to justify … homosexual relationships. Some openly champion the legalization of so-called same-gender marriages. To justify their rejection of God’s immutable laws that protect the family, these false prophets and false teachers even attack the inspired proclamation on the family …” (Beware of False Prophets and False Teachers, October 1999).

With that in mind, a true ally for LBGT members is one who shows support, charity, and compassion, in a way that helps inspire those individuals to stay faithful to the Lord and their covenants with him. Encouraging LGBT members to engage in same-sex romantic relationships or to transition their gender is not being a true ally. It’s most unfortunate that the most well-known and popular LDS-run platforms and resources almost always promote influencers who either implicitly or explicitly peddle ideas that contradict gospel doctrines. So, in an effort to help vulnerable same-sex-attracted or gender-dysphoric Latter-day Saints, and allies alike—who are trying their best to navigate the incredibly complicated journey with faith and sexual or gender identity—to find truly faithful resources to help them on the covenant path, and to avoid the deceitful, flattering voices of the plethora of false prophets and teachers within the Church, we’re providing this comprehensive list of supportive resources, and advising which ones to avoid. Although we’ve sought diligently to find you the best resources, we urge all seekers to rely primarily on the Holy Spirit to find those resources that align most closely with the doctrines and teachings of the Restored Gospel and the prophets.

GENERAL OVERVIEW & RATING SCALE

Below is simplified compilation of all resources rated from “faithful” to “apostate”. A more detailed delve into each resource is provided below why we rated them the way that we did.

DETAILED LIST OF RESOURCES

OFFICIAL CHURCH RESOURCES

    • Unfortunately, the only resource dedicated to the SSA or gender-dysphoria experiences are their “Same-Sex Attraction” or “Transgender” pages in the Life Help section of the Church website.

    • The Church does not offer any official support groups or support manuals specifically addressing these issues, like with the Addiction Recovery Program, which is exclusively for overcoming substance abuse or sexual addictions.

FAITHFUL LDS RESOURCES

These resources strictly uphold the doctrines and policies of the Church regarding marriage, the use procreative powers, and the eternal nature of gender identity, as outlined in The Family: A Proclamation to the World.

Support Organizations & Groups:

    • Website: northstarsaints.org

    • The largest support organization for members anywhere on the same-sex attraction or gender-dysphoria spectrum and their family and friends.

    • Hosts an annual conferences.

    • Has several confidential Facebook supportive groups for different demographics.

Podcasts & Blogs:

    • Follow on Instagram or Facebook @sitdownwithsky, and other podcasting platforms.

    • Hosts Sky Sorensen, a gay member, and his wife Amanda, discuss various topics relating LGBT issues and the Church.

    • Website: sonsofgodpodcast.com

    • Host Andrew Davis, a SSA member, interviews different faithful SSA members to hear the stories of their journeys with faith and SSA.

Books:

Interfaith, LDS-Adjacent Resources:

Although these are not run exclusively by LDS members or designed strictly for an LDS audience, many or most of the facilitators and participants are LDS, and the materials used align with gospel doctrine.

    • Website: brothersroad.org

    • Brothers Road facilitates the Journey into Manhood men’s retreat and other events to help men of various religious backgrounds experiencing SSA, who want to be faithful to traditional sexual ethics, to address and heal wounds and trauma.

    • Website: discoveridentity.newzenler.com

    • Discover Identity facilitates the As I Am men’s retreat and other events centred on Christ’s teachings, to help men address and heal various wounds and trauma, including wounds surrounding the experience of SSA.

    • Website: kneadingbrotherhood.com

    • A men’s ministry to help form more meaning brotherhood. They host the J.A.D.E. (Jonathan-and-David Experience) support meetings. Although for men generally, the majority of the men are SSA and LDS.

UNFAITHFUL RESOURCES

Although many of these groups and the individuals running or authoring these resources and platforms often claim to be “faithful” or “covenant-keeping,” they either explicitly or implicitly voice opinions that contradict the doctrines and teachings of the Church and/or advocate for the Church to change eternal doctrines to allow for same-sex marriage and gender transitioning.

Please note: We are not publishing this unfaithful resource list in an effort to publicly shame or attack any person or organization. We know that most, if not all, of the individuals involved with these resources have the best of intentions, but have been deceived by the philosophies of men mingled with Scripture. They deserve to be treated with respect and charity. We pray they will repent and return to the pure doctrine of the Restored Gospel.

Support Organizations & Groups:

    • Founded in 1977, Affirmation is an LGBT support orangization with international local chapters, led by openly gay and gender-transitioned individuals. Most of its leaders are inactive or excommunicated and openly advocate for the Church to change its doctrine to allow gay marriage and gender transitioning. They have become so antagonistic toward the Church in recent years that one of their co-founders, John Gustav-Wrathall, who is himself in a gay partnership, left the organisation to create a more Church-friendly break-off group called “Emmaus.”

    • Founded by John Gustav-Wrathall, this LGBT support organization is fashioned after Affirmation. To their credit, they want to maintain a positive relationship with the Church, but even so, they openly advocate for the Church to change the Lord’s doctrine regarding marriage and gender.

    • This is a support group for LDS parents of LGBT+ children. This organization asks group members to avoid attacking the Church and its leaders, but the bulk of the group heavily leans toward advocating the Church changing the doctrine to allow for gay marriage and gender transitioning.

    • This organization claims to have the largest gathering for “faithful” and “active” LDS LGBT members and allies, but their leadership consists of many members on the fringes of activity, including members in open gay relationships and transitioned transgender individuals, many of whom explicitly and implicitly advocate for the Church changing gospel doctrine to allow for gay marriage and gender transitioning. They often host LDS LGBT influencers who are in unchaste same-sex relationships and other unfaithful lifestyles, and promote them as examples of “faithfulness.”

    • This group of mothers of LBGT children is an activist group to advocate the Church to change the doctrine regarding marriage to allow for same-sex sealings.

    • This organization says they’re a community of Latter-day Saints dedicated to conveying love and acceptance to all those who identify as LGBTQ, however, it’s not just about love and acceptance—they expect the Church to change. The general consensus of the group is that the Church is harmful and bigoted for continuing to uphold the eternal doctrines of marriage and gender.

Podcasts & Blogs:

    • This podcast is hosted by two purportedly “active” members of the Church, James Jones and Derek Knox, an open gay man. The whole premise of the podcast is that social justice isn't just compatible with the gospel but is the gospel. Although the show isn't exclusively about LGBT issues, they often discuss queer theory topics and openly advocate for the Church changing the doctrine on marriage and gender. 

    • Blog and book of the same name, authored by Evan and Cheryl Smith, supposedly active LDS parents of a gay child. They openly deny that the gospel excludes gay marriage and gender transitioning and advocate for the Church changing the doctrine to allow these things. 

    • Host Kyle Ashworth is gay ex-member currently living a homosexual lifestyle. He is openly critical of the Church and its leaders, and thinks the Church's doctrine is dangerous for LGBT people.

    • Host Richard “Papa” Ostler is former bishop who interviews LGBT members, ex-members, and allies all over the Church activity and LGBT spectrum, to hear their stories. To his sincere credit, Richard a deeply compassionate and kindhearted man, but he and the individuals he interviews often express opinions that counter Church doctrine on marriage and gender, although Richard never explicitly advocates for the Church changing doctrine. 

    • A married same-sex couple trying to advocate for a “fourth option,” meaning staying active in the Church to normalize same-sex marriage in the Church.

    • Married lesbian couples discuss the gospel rom the perspective of staying “active” in the Church as married same-sex couples, trying to normalize and morally justify same-sex relationships in the Church.

    • Hosted by openly gay members Ben Schilaty and Charlie Bird, who’s new in a gay marriage, these members purport to be faithful, covenant-keeping members, but frequently delve into expressing opinions that flatly counter Church doctrine regarding marriage and gender. They frequently state opinions like The Family Proclamation doesn’t exclude gay marriage and that the allows for more than just two genders.

Books:

    • Author: Ben Schilaty

    • Ben details his journey with faith and SSA in this book. It’s mostly benign and doesn’t contradict gospel doctrine at all. The danger here is that this is the gateway resource to direct readers to Ben’s Questions from the Closet podcast, on which he discusses clear doctrinal faslehoods.

    • Author: Charlie Bird

    • This books is not as doctrinally benign as Charlie’s earlier book, and he gets into more implicit, spiritually dangerous ideas about the Church changing to include sinful lifestyles that currently fall outside gospel doctrine and policy.

    • Author: Evan Smith

    • Evan writes his ideas about how the Church can and must change to allow for gay relationships within the Church, to be a truly inclusive gospel for everyone.

    • Author: various quotes and stories compiled by Richard Ostler

    • Based off the experiences of the LBGTQ individuals on his podcast, Richard shares excerpts from those stories demonstrating how “best” to minister to LBGT members. But these excerpts learn heavily toward condoning and allowing gay relationships and gender transitioning within the Church.

    • Author: Blaire Ostler

    • Blaire, a bisexual member, details her heretical ideas on how the gospel can and must include gay marriage, polygamous temple sealings between multiple genders, and gender transitioning, based heavily off queer theory philosophies.

    • Author Charlie Bird

    • Like Ben Schilaty’s book, this is mostly a benign telling of Charlie’s story with faith and SSA, and doesn’t contradict gospel doctrine. Again, the danger here is that this is a gateway resource to direct readers to Charlie’s Questions from the Closet podcast, on which he discusses clear doctrinal falsehoods.

If you feel that any of these resources have been misrepesented or additional resources should be included, please reach out to us so that we can edit and update this page accordingly.

God bless you in your journey!

Tember Harward
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