Thursday, September 9, 2010
Gay mormon support poll
Regarding the What Would A Real Gay Mormon Organization Look Like? post on John Gustav-Wrathall's blog, please take the poll about gay Mormon support organizations.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Fo LGBT Utah residents only
This survey is in regard to the political atmosphere of Utah and the recent Ordinances passed protecting gay Utahns from being fired or evicted based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
Anti-Discrimination Study
Anti-Discrimination Study
Monday, February 1, 2010
Ideas for poll topics
Another month has come and gone - and, frankly, I'm out of ideas for a monthly poll for February. So, please comment and let's brainstorm some polling ideas.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Posts for on your journey
The proposed theme for October was "Where are you in your journey?" with some sample questions to get people started:
October MoHo Post
Authentic and Grounded and Whole
Glad you asked, Abe
Where I Am In My Journey (October Theme)
Where I am at on my journey.
Where I'm at [October Theme]
October 23rd, 2009 - Something New
October Theme: Where Am I?
My journey
OctoberTheme: Where am I?
Where I Am in My Journey
October Question - My Life in One Post
Where Am I?
Where I Am - Take 2
Joy in the Journey
Where I Am in My Journey
Questions Answered
The following "my journey" entry was emailed to me
name:sean
location: boise
married with children
I use to blog and on occasions i still say something here or there, but I've pretty much dropped off the internet. with a couple of exceptions of people I talk with on regular or semi-regular basis.
Abe's question regarding where we are in the journey so far has pulled at a few neurons and so I give you the following. It's not very literary (my apologies to Mrs. Seabrook my 3 grade English teacher and to Ben at FOB).
Like a few others here in the MOHO sphere I was sexually abused starting around the age of 6 or 7. I believe i was either in Kindergarten or 1st grade the first time it happened. In all honest i didn't remember the fact until a few years ago.
My parents had only joined the church only a year or so previous to the abuse. The act was committed by a young man in our ward. The young man and his family moved away shortly there after, however our paths crossed once again when I was 11. The abuse resumed and didn't stop til i was 16.
As a teen when it happed, I was most certainly confused. I felt horrible and yet at the same time I also desired that male contact. Honestly, to this day I am not sure exactly if this action made me gay or if it simply help cover my true feelings.
When I look back on my formative years from my current perspective I certainly see how much I preferred males over females. Guys at school would always catch my eye and to be cliched I had tons of girls who were friends. At one point, there was a neighbor boy who i was in very much interested in. however he was an rough and tumble kid and I rather would sit and read. we were aquaintences but not much beyond that.. much to my sadness.
I also mention my formative years in the Church simply because it is from there that I gathered a great deal of my personal strength. I KNOW who I am because of those teachings. Sure as a child I certainly expressed my faith as child, however as I grew older the knowledge of who I am has not wavered.
I've always been a bit of scholarly kid (read nerdy - for those of you who may remember Alex P. Keaton - well I was him) so pragmatism has been a large influence in my life (both beneficially and also to my detriment when I have not been careful). When I turned 18 I was asked to give a talk at a baptism of a convert family. I agonized over that talk for weeks. I turned to books and the scriptures - I'm sad to say the internet wasn't available and I didn't have access to deeper resources from my now favorite religious scholars).
The night of the baptism came and I got up there to give the lame talk i had prepared for nothing had come to me. No burning fire, no hallelujah chorus... nothing. But duty speaks heavily to me so I went ahead and trudged to the podium. I opened my mouth..... the words that came forth were not my own. Indeed the Spirit was overwhelming. For the first time in my life, my knowledge of God, my Eternal Father and His Son, Jesus Christ became more to me than anything I could ever imagine. Though I still walk by Faith in a great many areas of my life it is with out any hesitation that I say I KNOW that Christ is indeed the Savior. That the Plan of Salvation is the Plan of Happiness. I AM A CHILD OF A GOD - THE GOD - MY FATHER.
looking back on my past I can see that I did try to hid my feelings both from others and from myself. I chuckle over the whitewash coating I gave my true thoughts and feelings. Indeed I was under erroneous thoughts and beliefs regarding my sexuality. I was ashamed of myself and hid from myself. but life... as it always does, moves forward.
Now I did have a couple of other encounters with guys prior to my mission, excluding the sexual abuse from the young man.
as to the encounters I had. lets just say they happened and leave it at that. On a rather weird, but funny note, even with those two incidences, I would never have admitted that I was gay. What Mormon would? Yes, both the church membership, my parents, and even myself harbored negative and erroneous opinions regarding homosexuals, all based upon hearsay and simple lack of understanding.
Presently, I believe there are still pockets of membership that still do not see the picture entirely. Please, don't think or feel that I see the picture perfectly. I don't. too much of mortality is like a game of Old Maid with many of the cards missing.
In my mind, the Church's only function is that of bringing all the Children of God to the understanding of their Divine Heritage and to provide the necessary ordinances and authority to return us to the Kingdom of our Father. Aside from that.... I do not see that Church, as it now stands, functioning in any other capacity.
ok so what happened? I served an honorable mission. I came home. Attended university. and Married. The most beautiful and wonderful person I've ever met. we started our family. I gave no heed to the gay thoughts and feelings I had...... until..... let's just say that i had to deal with the reality of who i was deep down, buried.
how could i be a righteous, priesthood holder and be gay? I HATED myself through and through. then I found an article in SLTribune talking about gay mormons who were married. i couldn't believe it. people like me.
yadda yadda yadda.... i blogged and came out first to myself , then to my wife (as of this past year my parents found out - it wasn't pleasant, but I very much doubt that anything would be pleasant with their hardcore belief structure).
so where am i today? well, i accept who I am as being gay. but, and I emphasis this emphatically, being gay is not the only thing I am. I accept myself for who and what I am, but that means I must accept myself for everything that I am. what superceedes me even being gay is that I'm a Child of a Living, Loving, Heavenly, Father. I am His son. with every Divine Attribute and Characteristic. Sure I'm mortal and often make a great many mistakes, but that doesn't lessen nor cheapen who I am.
Branding is function of marketers and I know better than to believe in the cheap imitations that marketers try to sell me. like a diet that make me feel better, or a car that gives me confidence. I do not believe that outsourcing ones characteristics or attributes to cheap theatrical hucksters is a wise choice.
As Alphaba says I'm defying gravity. I blaze my own trail regardless of who or what gets in my way. I am happy with who I am. I am happy with where I am. I could do with some more cash :D but I suspect most of us could.
so i have overcome but not in the way the Church or most others would think was the "right" way. if some one was to ask me if i was gay (after a quick assessment) I would tell them I was. in fact many people of close acquaintances do. I know God and Jesus Loves me. I'm an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ, attend the temple about 3x a month, am part of the presidency in EQ.
my advice for others. DON'T FORGET WHO YOU ARE! don't be sold on cheep things. for lds gays who are married, unless otherwise possible, stay true to the fidelity of the marriage. for those who are not married.... pray first, explain the issue with your potential spouse, they have the right to full disclosure. but once your married, close any and all doors that could lead you to infidelity. that's good advice for anyone, hetro or homo.
if you happen to leave the Church. know that I love you. and many others out there do too... you are not alone. Christ is real. He does care for you. Turn to Him and find comfort.
will the Church make mistakes regarding homosexuality. individually yes. even they will mistakes generally. humans are human and we are prone to mistakes. don't take offense. what a silly thing to do, to let someone else take control of your life. In the end though, remember that the Gospel and Doctrines of Christ far outpaces the knowledge and ability of the Church. The Lord with bless you, wants to bless you. We few gays in the Church must also humble ourselves.
Gosh, now i sound all preachy.... that's what i get for writing this diatrabe on the close of a General Conference weekend.
My Love and Best to all
Sean (aka Loyalist)
- How did you get to where you are today?
- Are you happy with where you are? why or why not?
- Where do you see yourself in the future?
- What roadblocks do you have and/or have overcome?
- What advice do you have for others following a similar path that you have?
- What advice do you have for family and friends?
October MoHo Post
Authentic and Grounded and Whole
Glad you asked, Abe
Where I Am In My Journey (October Theme)
Where I am at on my journey.
Where I'm at [October Theme]
October 23rd, 2009 - Something New
October Theme: Where Am I?
My journey
OctoberTheme: Where am I?
Where I Am in My Journey
October Question - My Life in One Post
Where Am I?
Where I Am - Take 2
Joy in the Journey
Where I Am in My Journey
Questions Answered
The following "my journey" entry was emailed to me
name:sean
location: boise
married with children
I use to blog and on occasions i still say something here or there, but I've pretty much dropped off the internet. with a couple of exceptions of people I talk with on regular or semi-regular basis.
Abe's question regarding where we are in the journey so far has pulled at a few neurons and so I give you the following. It's not very literary (my apologies to Mrs. Seabrook my 3 grade English teacher and to Ben at FOB).
Like a few others here in the MOHO sphere I was sexually abused starting around the age of 6 or 7. I believe i was either in Kindergarten or 1st grade the first time it happened. In all honest i didn't remember the fact until a few years ago.
My parents had only joined the church only a year or so previous to the abuse. The act was committed by a young man in our ward. The young man and his family moved away shortly there after, however our paths crossed once again when I was 11. The abuse resumed and didn't stop til i was 16.
As a teen when it happed, I was most certainly confused. I felt horrible and yet at the same time I also desired that male contact. Honestly, to this day I am not sure exactly if this action made me gay or if it simply help cover my true feelings.
When I look back on my formative years from my current perspective I certainly see how much I preferred males over females. Guys at school would always catch my eye and to be cliched I had tons of girls who were friends. At one point, there was a neighbor boy who i was in very much interested in. however he was an rough and tumble kid and I rather would sit and read. we were aquaintences but not much beyond that.. much to my sadness.
I also mention my formative years in the Church simply because it is from there that I gathered a great deal of my personal strength. I KNOW who I am because of those teachings. Sure as a child I certainly expressed my faith as child, however as I grew older the knowledge of who I am has not wavered.
I've always been a bit of scholarly kid (read nerdy - for those of you who may remember Alex P. Keaton - well I was him) so pragmatism has been a large influence in my life (both beneficially and also to my detriment when I have not been careful). When I turned 18 I was asked to give a talk at a baptism of a convert family. I agonized over that talk for weeks. I turned to books and the scriptures - I'm sad to say the internet wasn't available and I didn't have access to deeper resources from my now favorite religious scholars).
The night of the baptism came and I got up there to give the lame talk i had prepared for nothing had come to me. No burning fire, no hallelujah chorus... nothing. But duty speaks heavily to me so I went ahead and trudged to the podium. I opened my mouth..... the words that came forth were not my own. Indeed the Spirit was overwhelming. For the first time in my life, my knowledge of God, my Eternal Father and His Son, Jesus Christ became more to me than anything I could ever imagine. Though I still walk by Faith in a great many areas of my life it is with out any hesitation that I say I KNOW that Christ is indeed the Savior. That the Plan of Salvation is the Plan of Happiness. I AM A CHILD OF A GOD - THE GOD - MY FATHER.
looking back on my past I can see that I did try to hid my feelings both from others and from myself. I chuckle over the whitewash coating I gave my true thoughts and feelings. Indeed I was under erroneous thoughts and beliefs regarding my sexuality. I was ashamed of myself and hid from myself. but life... as it always does, moves forward.
Now I did have a couple of other encounters with guys prior to my mission, excluding the sexual abuse from the young man.
as to the encounters I had. lets just say they happened and leave it at that. On a rather weird, but funny note, even with those two incidences, I would never have admitted that I was gay. What Mormon would? Yes, both the church membership, my parents, and even myself harbored negative and erroneous opinions regarding homosexuals, all based upon hearsay and simple lack of understanding.
Presently, I believe there are still pockets of membership that still do not see the picture entirely. Please, don't think or feel that I see the picture perfectly. I don't. too much of mortality is like a game of Old Maid with many of the cards missing.
In my mind, the Church's only function is that of bringing all the Children of God to the understanding of their Divine Heritage and to provide the necessary ordinances and authority to return us to the Kingdom of our Father. Aside from that.... I do not see that Church, as it now stands, functioning in any other capacity.
ok so what happened? I served an honorable mission. I came home. Attended university. and Married. The most beautiful and wonderful person I've ever met. we started our family. I gave no heed to the gay thoughts and feelings I had...... until..... let's just say that i had to deal with the reality of who i was deep down, buried.
how could i be a righteous, priesthood holder and be gay? I HATED myself through and through. then I found an article in SLTribune talking about gay mormons who were married. i couldn't believe it. people like me.
yadda yadda yadda.... i blogged and came out first to myself , then to my wife (as of this past year my parents found out - it wasn't pleasant, but I very much doubt that anything would be pleasant with their hardcore belief structure).
so where am i today? well, i accept who I am as being gay. but, and I emphasis this emphatically, being gay is not the only thing I am. I accept myself for who and what I am, but that means I must accept myself for everything that I am. what superceedes me even being gay is that I'm a Child of a Living, Loving, Heavenly, Father. I am His son. with every Divine Attribute and Characteristic. Sure I'm mortal and often make a great many mistakes, but that doesn't lessen nor cheapen who I am.
Branding is function of marketers and I know better than to believe in the cheap imitations that marketers try to sell me. like a diet that make me feel better, or a car that gives me confidence. I do not believe that outsourcing ones characteristics or attributes to cheap theatrical hucksters is a wise choice.
As Alphaba says I'm defying gravity. I blaze my own trail regardless of who or what gets in my way. I am happy with who I am. I am happy with where I am. I could do with some more cash :D but I suspect most of us could.
so i have overcome but not in the way the Church or most others would think was the "right" way. if some one was to ask me if i was gay (after a quick assessment) I would tell them I was. in fact many people of close acquaintances do. I know God and Jesus Loves me. I'm an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ, attend the temple about 3x a month, am part of the presidency in EQ.
my advice for others. DON'T FORGET WHO YOU ARE! don't be sold on cheep things. for lds gays who are married, unless otherwise possible, stay true to the fidelity of the marriage. for those who are not married.... pray first, explain the issue with your potential spouse, they have the right to full disclosure. but once your married, close any and all doors that could lead you to infidelity. that's good advice for anyone, hetro or homo.
if you happen to leave the Church. know that I love you. and many others out there do too... you are not alone. Christ is real. He does care for you. Turn to Him and find comfort.
will the Church make mistakes regarding homosexuality. individually yes. even they will mistakes generally. humans are human and we are prone to mistakes. don't take offense. what a silly thing to do, to let someone else take control of your life. In the end though, remember that the Gospel and Doctrines of Christ far outpaces the knowledge and ability of the Church. The Lord with bless you, wants to bless you. We few gays in the Church must also humble ourselves.
Gosh, now i sound all preachy.... that's what i get for writing this diatrabe on the close of a General Conference weekend.
My Love and Best to all
Sean (aka Loyalist)
* - * - * - * - * - * - *
Results of the MoHo Polls conducted during the month of October 2009
Results of the MoHo Polls conducted during the month of October 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Masturbation resources
Links to a wide variety of different views regarding masturbation and, in particular, how it fits into mormonism.
Note: Please send an email to Abelard if there are other links that ought to be included here and/or broken links
Blog posts from the Mormon Queerosphere on masturbation (in reverse chronological order)
Masturbation discussions elsewhere in the Mormon Blogosphere
A talk by Elder Boyd K. Packer from the October 1976 priesthood session of general conference
What other religions teach about masturbation
What medical science says about masturbation
Results of masturbation poll on MoHo Polls conducted during the month of September 2009
Note: Please send an email to Abelard if there are other links that ought to be included here and/or broken links
Blog posts from the Mormon Queerosphere on masturbation (in reverse chronological order)
- A Woman's Perspective by The Wife
- Oh what the hell by Derrick
- To Beat Off or Not To Beat Off - That is the Question by ControllerOne
- Thoughts on Masturbation, before September ends: by Public Loneliness
- September 30th 2009 - Just Beat it by Quinn
- The masturbation post by Matt
- Masturbation by Chester
- Prostate Health by Ned
- Being Your Own Best Friend by Alan
- M by Scott
- Whack Man jack by Joe Conflict
- Staring Down (Acoustic Version) by Andrew M. Pankratz
- Obligatory September Masturbation Post by Captain Midnight
- BEAT IT!!!!! by David Baker
- September is masturbation month by MoHoHawaii
- Jacking off by Austin
- * The "m" word: by live honest
- A proposal by Abelard
- The "M" word - revisited by Abelard
- What's Wrong With a Little 'M'? by Original Mohomie
- The "M" word by Abelard
Masturbation discussions elsewhere in the Mormon Blogosphere
- Overcoming Masturbation by PUgfgie on Northern Lights
- Overcoming Masturbation written by Chester while on his mission
- Masturbation and Missionaries: Is it a Harmless Practice? on Mormon Missionary Blog
- Confessions of a Serial Masturbator/Repenter on The Cultural Hall (with 165 comments)
- Masturbation on Light Planet
- Overcoming Masturbation on Light Planet
A talk by Elder Boyd K. Packer from the October 1976 priesthood session of general conference
What other religions teach about masturbation
What medical science says about masturbation
- MASTURBATION: Current medical opinions on Religious*Tolerance.org
- Masturbation on Better Health Channel
- Masturbation: Questions and Answers on McKinley Health Center
- According to medical science what are the harmful effects of masturbation? on WikiAnswers
Results of masturbation poll on MoHo Polls conducted during the month of September 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)