God has shown me that I should not call a person unclean or common.”
Acts 10:28, Thomas Wayment translation
The societal, scientific, and religious understanding of LGBTQ people through time is complex and on-going. As we’ve listened to various (sometimes conflicting) perspectives on this topic, we’ve felt an overwhelming need for greater understanding. The following presentations of research (in PDF slideshow format) seek to present facts about the history of societal, scientific, and religious perspectives about LGBTQ people. The religious perspective is focused on (but not entirely unique to) teachings from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (past and present). These presentations seek to put facts above narrative as we believe that greater awareness of information can elevate discussions, tender grace, move us from past destructive attitudes and behavior, and open hearts and minds to ongoing truths being revealed in both secular and religious spheres. While we hope this information is valuable, often the greatest source for understanding LGTBQ people are LGBTQ people themselves. We should all be willing to humbly listen to and honor LGBTQ people’s lived experiences.
While the information in these presentations is carefully cited to be up to date to February 2020, these presentations are our own and are not official publications of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Please seek Church publications for official, ongoing Church policies and teachings.
History of Societal & Doctrinal LGBTQ Understanding (pdf)
This presentation covers the history of societal, scientific, and doctrinal understanding in regards to LGBTQ people. It contrasts past church teachings with current church teachings with an emphasis that current church teachings call us to love, support, listen to, and minister to and with LGBTQ people.
