Review

Title: Gay Rights and the Mormon Church: Intended Actions, Unintended Consequences
Author: Greg Prince
Publisher: University of Utah Press
Genre: History
Year Published: 2019
Number of Pages: 379
Binding: Hardback and eBook
ISBN: Hardback 9781607816638 eBook 9781607816645
Price: Hardback $34.95 eBook $30.00

Reviewed by Andrew Hamilton for the Association for Mormon Letters

I have a procedure that I have followed over the years whenever I am reviewing a book. As I start reading, I get a pad of Post-it notes and a fresh pen. If I come across a sentence or passage that I want to keep track of for my review, I line up a Post-it on it and then make a brief note to make it easy to find again. This system has worked quite well, until now. I was only a couple of chapters in when I realized that I had two to three Post-its on nearly every page. When I finished reading the book it had so many notes posted in it that it would not close properly and I was worried that the binding might not hold. What I am trying to say is that Greg Prince’s new book, “Gay Rights and the Mormon Church: Intended Actions, Unintended Consequences,” is an extremely important book that is packed with vital information, crucial studies, and compelling stories.

Prince introduces “Gay Rights” by explaining his motivation for writing it. He states that: “in spite of … the [LDS] church play[ing] a significant, if not decisive role” in the history that led to the legalization of same sex marriage, the church’s “role has ha[s] gone mostly unnoticed in published works.” He then expresses that, even more important than telling that history, he wrote this book for the “LGBT Mormons and ex-Mormons and their family and friends” who have been injured “at the hands of their own church.” Prince further writes that by the church condemning “homosexuality as evil, self-inflicted, and impossible in post-mortal existence, the church has opened the door to draconian behavior by parents, peers, and congregations.” This has led to homelessness, suicides, and other serious consequences. He writes:

“It is my hope that this book will help these individuals by chronicling the church’s attitudes and actions toward LGBT people, both Mormon and non-, and particularly by showing how those attitudes and actions were informed by now-discredited assumptions about the nature of homosexuality. Perhaps the church itself will benefit from a clearer understanding of how it got to where it is today” (pp. 3-4).

“Gay Rights and the Mormon Church” consists of 31 chapters which, due to the many threads in the narrative, are organized topically rather than chronologically. Along with other research, Prince conducted over 100 interviews while writing this book (p. x).

“Gay Rights” is impossible to label into one common book category. It is filled with history, but it is far more than that. “Gay Rights” is also loaded with important biological information, medical studies, and expert and skillful analysis by Prince. The most vital parts of the book, though, are the stories, the oh so many personal stories. Prince has done an excellent job in this book in amplifying the voices of LGBT Mormons and ex-Mormons. Their stories in their own words fill a large portion of the book. Theses stories are frequently gut-wrenching and are often difficult to read. I experienced feelings of anger, sadness, grief, and even a sense of sickness while reading. There were stories in “Gay Rights” that brought me to tears. I frequently had to put it down while reading to allow myself time to process what I was reading and feeling. If everyone who reads this book experiences what I did, Prince will succeed in his purpose.

This whole book is significant, every story and piece of information is important. But, if I were forced to choose, if someone were to say to me, “I can only read a few of the chapters, which ones should I read?” I would recommend three from near the end: chapter 26, “The Policy,” chapter 29, “Suicide,” and chapter 30, “The Scarlet Letter.”

“The Policy” is about the November 2015 policy on gay marriage and children of gay parents. It tells the story of “the policy” up to the publication of the book. It includes the history and motivations for its creation, its leak to the public and the various wranglings in implementing it in the church up to then Apostle Russell Nelson’s unexpected announcement that it was “the will of the Lord” (p. 267). What makes this chapter so critical, though, is that Prince includes stories of the policy’s harmful impact on LGBT Mormons and ex-Mormons.[1]

“Suicide” is an incredibly painful and important chapter. Prince gives a brief history of suicidality among LGBT Mormons, explains why “official statistics” often show lower numbers than the actual number of suicides that happen, and tells stories of how actions by Mormons have led LGBT members to feel that suicide was the only answer. Included are two particularly difficult to read stories. The first is a narration by Robert McQueen, a gay former Mormon. He made five friends at BYU in 1965. When BYU “witch hunts” revealed that they were all gay, they were forced to have interviews with Spencer Kimball that “reeked of moral blackmail.” All were soon expelled, excommunicated and then chose suicide to end their pain (p. 291). The second story is that of Stockton Powers, a young man who ended his life by suicide even though his parents fought for him. He was gay, but never involved in any “homosexual acts.” His ward and church leaders were incredibly abusive to him and would isolate him from the other youth. The acts of his leaders and fellow church members led him to feel that he needed to end his life.

“The Scarlett Letter” is about the permanent mark or asterisk that a bishop can have put on an LDS person’s membership record. This mark is meant to indicate that a person has been involved in a serious sexual or other crime and that precautions, including no callings that would have them work with children, should be put in place. This mark can only be removed by the First Presidency, but they rarely do so. Prince shows how this policy is often abused by bishops who use this policy as a “scarlet letter” to shame LGBT members. Prince shares three stories, two about adult men and one about teenager Jordan Montgomery. All three endured abusive behavior from their church leaders. Jordan’s story is the most distressing to read. He was 13 when his bishop was told that Jordan was gay. Even though Jordan had never been involved in any “homosexual activity,” his bishop still added the asterisk to Jordan’s record and told him and his parents that Jordan would never be allowed to work with children or youth in the church, just as if he were a child abuser or hardened criminal. While all of the chapters of the book show the “unintended consequences” of the actions of Mormon leaders and members against LGBT persons, none do it more powerfully than these three.

Gregory Prince and the University of Utah Press have developed a fine partnership and have earned a reputation of producing excellent books on Mormonism. “Gay Rights and the Mormon Church” joins “David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism” and “Leonard Arrington and the Writing of Mormon History” as essential, even indispensable reading on Mormonism. I know I keep using this word, but “Gay Rights” is important, vitally important. LDS policies on LGBT persons has had the consequences of depression, PTSD,[2] torn apart families, suicide, and many other serious and harmful effects. This book pulls all of these threads together and poignantly illustrates the harm that has been done. Mormon members and leaders need to read and learn from this book and I pray that they do.

[1] As “Gay Rights and the Mormon Church: Intended Actions, Unintended Consequences” was released to the public in the same week as the March 2019 announcement that “The Policy” was being rescinded, that is not mentioned in the book.

[2] Prince notes that a study on PTSD among LGBT Mormons showed that they experience PTSD at a “rate tenfold higher than for the general U.S. adult population.” See p. 289