Timeline of LGBT Mormon history

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This is a timeline of LGBT Mormon history consisting of events, publications, and speeches at the intersection of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and LGBT individuals. During almost every year since 1970 the LDS church has at least one official publication or speech from a high-ranking leader referencing LGBT topics.

19th century

• 1897 – During the October General Conference, First Presidency member George Q. Cannon used the media attention on the 1895 conviction and two-year imprisonment of famed Irish poet Oscar Wilde as an opportunity to condemn homosexual behavior as an "abominable", "filthy", "nameless crime" that "caused the utter destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah". He continued stating that the only way to stop these "dreadful practices" was "by the destruction of those who practice them" and "for the Lord to wipe them out" noting that "if a little nest of them were left ... they would soon corrupt others".^[1][2]

Post-war period: 1940s & 50s

1946

Patriarch Smith was released amidst accusations of homosexual affairs.

• October – Presiding patriarch Joseph Fielding Smith is released on October 6 after serving only four years amid accusations of multiple homosexual affairs, including with University of Utah student Norval Service^[3] a man named Wallace A. G., and later with 21-year-old U.S. Navy sailor^[4] Byram Dow Browning^[5] who was also a Latter-day Saint.^{[6]:369-371[7][8][9]}

1952

In the 1950s Apostle J. Reuben Clark gave several of the first public speeches by a high-ranking LDS leader to reference homosexuality.

• 1952 – An increase in US public discourse around homosexuality in the McCarthyist Lavender scare era contributed to the first explicit mention of the topic in general conference. Apostle Clark lamented that tragically homosexuality is found among men and women, and that homosexuals exercise "great influence in shaping our art, literature, music, and drama."^[10][11]:146

1954

• October – Apostle Clark again addressed homosexuality in conference when in the October priesthood session he mentions that those guilty of "the filthy crime of homosexuality" are not a part of the "Army of the Lord to fight evil".^[12][13][14]
• 1954 – Apostle Harold Lee explained that several scriptures in the Old and New Testament described homosexuality as the most abhorred sin in the God's sight which justified the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.^[15]:230[16]

1957

• April – Apostle Clark cited Old Testament punishments for sexual sins to highlight that "sex transgression is tragically serious" in the April General Conference. He stated "for homosexuality, it was death to the male and the prescription or penalty for the female I do not know."^[17]

1958

This highly influential publication was the first publicly available book by a general authority to explicitly outline church stances on homosexuality.

• 1958 – General authority Bruce R. McConkie publishes Mormon Doctrine, in which he states that homosexuality is "among Lucifer's chief means of leading souls to hell". In the section on "Chastity" he states that it is better to be "dead clean, than alive unclean" and that many Mormon parents would rather their child "come back in a pine box with [their] virtue than return alive without it".^[18][6]:375

1960s

1962

• February – Apostle Lee gave a lengthy anecdote about a woman in love with another woman stating that the ugly practice and unpardonable sin of homosexuality is more common than we realize. He had her promise to never return to homosexuality and pray to become a normal, natural woman.^{[15]:230-232[19]:92[20]}

1964

Spencer Kimball was assigned as a church specialist on homosexuality in 1946^[21] and shaped church teachings on the subject through numerous speeches and publications in the '60s and '70s.

• July – Apostle Spencer W. Kimball addressed seminary and institute faculty in a July 10 speech on BYU campus titled "A Counselling Problem in the Church", in which he called homosexuality a "malady", "disease", and an "abominable and detestable crime against nature" that was "curable" by "self mastery".^[22] He cited one lay bishop (a businessman by trade) assigned by the church to administer a "program of rehabilitation" through which there had been "numerous cures". He said "the police, the courts, and the judges" had referred "many cases directly" to the church.^[23][19]:91

1965

• January – Kimball again addressed homosexuality in his January 5 BYU speech "Love vs. Lust". He called it a "gross", "heinous", "obnoxious", "abominable" "vicious" sin. The text states that those with homosexual "desires and tendencies" could "correct" and "overcome" it "the same as if he had the urge toward petting or fornication or adultery", but that "the cure ... is like the cure for alcoholism, subject to continued vigilance". In the speech he stated BYU "will never knowingly enroll ... nor tolerate ... anyone with these tendencies who fails to repent", and that it is a "damnable heresy" for a homosexual person to say "God made them that way". He also states that sometimes masturbation is an introduction to homosexuality.^[24][11]:149
• November – Ernest L. Wilkinson, the president of BYU and Commissioner of Church Education, gave his "Make Honor Your Standard" address on September 23 to the BYU student body, stating, "nor do we intend to admit to this campus any homosexuals. ... [I]f any of you have this tendency, ... may I suggest you leave the University immediately .... We do not want others on this campus to be contaminated by your presence."^[25] The speech was later published in the church-owned Deseret News.^[26][11]:154

1966

• 1966 – Milton R. Hunter lamented that "attitudes toward homosexuality have been liberalized in England" and that many US leaders were "clamoring for a liberal attitude in our land" in his October General Conference address "Seeking Peace and Happiness".^[27][28]
• 1966 – Patriarch of the church Eldred G. Smith cites "a campaign ... launched to bring acceptance to homosexuality" as one example of "corruption" and "conditions at home" manifesting the "cycle of ... unrighteousness and wickedness" that lead to "wars and destruction" like the current "war in Viet Nam" in his October 1966 General Conference talk "Repent and Turn to God".^[29][30]

1968

The 1968 leader handbook was the first release to explicitly mention homosexuality.

• 1968 – A version of the Church Handbook was released containing the first explicit mention of homosexuality. It specifies that "homo-sexual acts" require a church court.^[31]

1969

• United Order Family of Christ founded specifically for young gay men only, ages 18 to 30. Because they practiced a uniquely Mormon form of communalism called the United Order in which they held "everything in common", Desmond affirmed that the Family was "not for the great majority of the Gay LDS". D
• 1969 – Apostle Harold Lee stated that homosexuality is a prostitution of love and the ugliest relationship that we know.^[15]:230[32]
• 1969 – Mark Petersen cites how homosexuality "was made a capital crime in the Bible" as evidence of the seriousness of sexual sin. He states "immorality is next to murder" and "the wage of sin is death" and that a rejection of morality "may bring about [this nation's] fall" as with "Greece and Rome" unless there was repentance. The 5 April General Conference speech was titled "The Dangers of the So-called Sex Revolution".^[33][34]

Kimball's influential book taught that homosexuality was curable and was officially recommended as a resource for homosexual members into the 90s.^[35]:2

• 1969 – Kimball released his book The Miracle of Forgiveness, in which he teaches that masturbation can lead to acts of homosexuality. His book was quoted in a 1979 church manual: "the glorious thing to remember is that [homosexuality] is curable .... Certainly it can be overcome .... How can you say the door cannot be opened until your knuckles are bloody, till your head is bruised, till your muscles are sore?"^[36] Kimball viewed many homosexuals as "basically good people who have become trapped in sin" and that "some totally conquer homosexuality in a few months." However, he also says that homosexual behavior can lead to sex with animals.^[37]

1970s

1970

• March – The First Presidency under Joseph Fielding Smith sent a letter to stake presidents on March 19 which expressed concern over "the apparent increase in homosexuality and other deviations" and mentioned the 1959 assignment of apostles Spencer W. Kimball and Mark E. Petersen to help homosexuals.^[11][21][22] It was indicated that Kimball and Petersen would "send material and give counsel" as church specialists over "a program designed ... to counsel and direct [homosexuals] back to normalcy and happiness". A follow-up letter to leaders on December 23 asked them to "ask direct questions" about homosexuality when conducting pre-mission interviews.^[6]:380
• April – Victor L. Brown of the Presiding Bishopric gave an April 1970 General Conference address titled "Wanted: Parents with Courage" in which he states that a "normal" and "healthy" 12- or 13-year-old boy or girl could "develop into a homosexual" if "exposed to pornographic literature" and "abnormalities". He explains that exposure to the material would "crystallize and settle their habits for the rest of their lives", while calling recent media reporting on a same-sex marriage "filth on our newsstands".^[38][39]
• 1970 – Church President Harold Lee taught that the "so-called 'transsexuality' doctrine" was hellish and false since God didn't place female spirits in male bodies and vice versa.^[15]:232[40]
• October – Apostle Howard W. Hunter asks "what will be the result of universal free love, abortions at will, homosexuality?" in reference to his fears about the future of family, the economy, community, and the "deterioration of morality" in his October 1970 General Conference address "Where, Then, Is Hope?".^[41]

Booklet revisions of Kimball's influential '70s discourse on homosexuality (from the top: '70, '71, '78).^[11]:147

• 1970 – The church produced Hope for Transgressors,^[42] in which apostles Spencer W. Kimball and Mark E. Petersen offer ideas to leaders about how to effect a "total cure" and "bring the lives of [men with homosexual tendencies] into total normalcy" and "help these people recover" (lesbians are only mentioned once). Ideas include prayer, cutting off contact with homosexual friends, dating women and marriage,^[22] and scripture reading. He calls homosexuality a "despicable", "degraded", "dread practice", and a "perversion" that would "doom the world" while labeling the person a "generally lonely and sensitive" "deviate" and "afflicted one". The guide notes that Kimball and Mark E. Petersen were designated as the church specialists on homosexuality, and that homosexuality is not "totally" the fault of "family conditions" and concludes it "CAN be cured if the battle is well organized and pursued vigorously and continuously" (emphasis in the original).^[43]

1971

• April – In the April 1971 general conference presiding bishopric counselor Victor Brown stated that God created masculine and feminine traits, and if gendered appearance and behavioral traits are ignored, it can lead to the "reprehensible, tragic sin of homosexuality".^[44]
• April – In another April 1971 conference address apostle Kimball called the decriminalization of consensual same-sex sexual activity a damnable heresy and the voices speaking in favor of churches accepting homosexuals as ugly and loud.^[45]
• 1971 – The church published a 34-page letter from Kimball to homosexual men titled New Horizons for Homosexuals. In it Kimball calls homosexuality "a ruinous practice of perversion" that the church "will never condone" that begins with "curiosity" and "an unholy practice" like "an octopus with numerous tentacles to drag [the person] down to [their] tragedy". He states that saying "perverts are ... born 'that way'" is a "base lie" since homosexuality is "curable" and "can be overcome" and "recover[ed]" from. The letter asserts "God made no man a pervert" or "evil" and that "[t]o blame a weakness ... upon God is cowardly." It also calls homosexuality "ugly", "degenerate", "unnatural", "vicious", "base", a "waste of power", a "deep sin", and "an end to the family and ... civilization". The publication advises for the homosexual to recover they must "shun" anyone "associated with the transgression" and pray and read the scriptures.^[46]
• December – In the December Ensign Assistant to the Twelve Bernard Brockbank stated that "homosexual acts are inspired by the devil and are grievous sins in the sight of God".^[47]

1973

• February – An update to church policies was published as a "Statement on Homosexuality" in the Correlation Department's Priesthood Bulletin saying "homosexuality in men and women run counter ... to divine objectives."^[48][6]:382
• 1973 – The church published a guide for bishops and stake presidents titled "Homosexuality: Welfare Services Packet 1", which posited that "homosexual behavior" begins by being "molested" while also stating "not all who are molested become homosexual". It also suggested that homosexuality is caused by "a domineering mother and a passive father" and that "misunderstandings of sexuality among LDS people can contribute to homosexuality." As far as changing the sexual orientation of the person, the packet says that the lesbian "needs to learn feminine behavior", and the gay man "must be introduced to and learn the heterosexual or 'straight' way of life ... and what a manly priesthood leader and father does".^[49] The guide was written by BYU psychology professor Allen E. Bergin and LDS Social Services Personal Welfare director Victor L. Brown Jr. (the son of Presiding Bishop Victor L. Brown).^[49][50]
• July – The July Ensign contained an article by BYU psychology professor Allen Bergin on agency. The article portrays some homosexuals as "psychologically disturbed persons" who are "compulsively driven to frequent and sometimes bizarre acts". He cites two clients with "compulsive or uncontrollable homosexuality" caused by intense fear for the opposite sex, a lack of social skills for normal male-female relationships, and seeking security exclusively from the same sex. Bergin discusses the behaviorist sexual orientation change efforts he used to treat these individuals.^[51]
• 1973 – Four months before his death Church President Lee gave an address in which he warned young men to guard against the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah since homosexuality and adultery were both equally grievous sins second only to murder. He also noted the increasing acceptance of homosexuality.^[15]:232[52]
• 1973 – Presiding bishop Victor Brown gave a conference address in which he called homosexuality a weapon in the battle for Satan's legions to enslave mankind and destroy the family.^[53]:299[54]
• 1973 – A November Ensign article stated that the homosexuality in the Canaanite's religions was part of what provoked God to have the Israelites "utterly destroy"^[55] the peoples of the region of Canaan.^[56]

1974

• July – The church's July edition of the Ensign magazine published the article "I Have a Question", in which a Mormon medical doctor states that homosexuals have "chosen this way of life" but "can be helped". Dr. Lindsay M. Curtis continues saying that "homosexuals and lesbians seldom are happy people" and their relationships are "unnatural", full of "emotional problems" and "promiscuity", and lacking in "fidelity, trust, or loyalty". Additionally, they try to recruit "others into their practice ... in their tender, impressionable years".^[57]
• July – On July 10 church president Kimball gave a modified version of his "Love vs. Lust" address previously given in 1965. In this version he states that "homosexuality and other forms of perversion are from the lower world". He also calls the use of the word "love" by homosexual persons as a "prostitution" of the term citing homosexual behavior as taking and exploiting.^[58]
• October – Kimball gave his October "God Will Not be Mocked" speech at general conference as the church's president in which he again stated that masturbation leads to homosexuality. He also said "[e]very form of homosexuality is sin. Pornography is one of the approaches to that transgression."^[59]
• November – First presidency member Eldon Tanner stated in the November Ensign that homosexuality was permitted and practiced to such an extent that the world was "truly following the ways of Sodom and Gomorrah".^[60]

1975

• January – The church-operated university BYU began a purge in January to expel homosexual students under the direction of president Oaks.^[61] The purge including interrogations of fine arts and drama students and surveillance of Salt Lake City gay bars by BYU security. These activities were noted in the Salt Lake Tribune^[62] and the gay Newspaper Advocate.^[6]:442
• May – Utah's first gay newspaper Gayzette was published in May^[6]:442 by the recently opened Gay Community Service Center, Utah's first gay resource center.^[63]
• May – The First Presidency sent a letter on May 30 to church leaders about the "unfortunate problem of homosexuality" encouraging them to not label people as homosexual because it makes the seem beyond solving to "conquer the habit".^[6]:442
• June – The Ensign published an article by Presiding bishop Victor Brown which addressed parents stating that the "lack of proper affection in the home can result in unnatural behavior in their children such as homosexuality."^[64]
• September – LDS member Sargeant Leonard Matlovich was featured on the September 8 cover of Time magazine with the caption "I Am a Homosexual" for his challenging of the U.S. military ban against gay men and lesbian women.^[65] He was subsequently discharged from the military for openly stating his sexual orientation^[66] and excommunicated from the Church two months after the article was released.^[6]:442[67]
• October – Then apostle Gordon Hinckley told the story in the October general conference of a "tragic" young man involved in "deviant moral activity" leading him to a bleak future without hope and preventing him from ever having a son. Hinckley described asking the homosexual young man about the influence of the media he consumed and of his male friends "in similar circumstances".^[68]

Members of LDS Social Services (renamed 'LDS Family Services' in '95) were tasked with treating homosexual Mormons in 1972^[69]:15 and produced several important publications on homosexuality in '73, '95, and '99.

• 1975 – Robert L. Blattner of LDS Social Services (which was tasked by the church to treat homosexual members in 1972)^[70] gave an address titled "Counseling the Homosexual in a Church Setting" at the Association of Mormon Counselors and Psychotherapists (AMCAP) annual conference. Blattner served as a special assistant to the LDS Commissioner of Personal Welfare Victor L. Brown Jr.^[71] In the address Blattner states that the causes of homosexuality in men are a "disturbed family background" of an "absent father" and "usually" a "controlling mother" and a "lack of relationship with peers", while for women he only says "we don't have much information". He also says homosexual behavior and alcoholism are similar. He is asked what "the church's feelings are about electric shock ... behavior modification" and answered the church had "never made a statement on it" but that "most people coming to us can be helped by it" in reference to aversion therapy research happening at BYU.^[72][73]

1976

• 1976 – A version of the Church Handbook was released changing the 1968 reading of "homo-sexual acts" being grounds for a church court to "moral transgression" like "homosexuality".^[74][75] This change seemed to make Mormons vulnerable to church punishment for having a homosexual orientation alone even without sexual activity.^[6]:382
• 1976 – A 20-year study is published showing that 10% of BYU men and 2% of BYU women indicated having had a "homosexual experience".^[6]:442-443 In 1950, 1961, and 1972 BYU Sociology professor Wilford E. Smith conducted a survey of thousands of Mormon students at several universities including many from the BYU sociology department as part of a larger survey.^[76] He found that "the response of Mormons [at BYU] did not differ significantly from the response of Mormons in state universities".^[77]

Apostle Boyd Packer played a large role in shaping over three decades of teachings on homosexuality through numerous speeches containing the subject.

• October – Apostle Boyd K. Packer gave the sermon "To Young Men Only" in the October 2 priesthood session of general conference. The sermon counseled against the "perversion" and "wicked practices" of men "handling one another" and having physical "contact ... in unusual ways". In the sermon, Packer commended a missionary who was upset after he "floored" his assigned male companion in response to unwanted sexual advances, saying "somebody had to do it".^[22] He further asserts that it is a "malicious and destructive lie" that "some are born with an attraction to their own kind". The sermon was published as a pamphlet by the church from 1980 to 2016.^[78][79]
• 1976 – President Spencer Kimball stated that homosexuality can begin by viewing "sex- and violence-oriented programs" on network television and that homosexuality (among other sexual behaviors) will "corrode the mind, snuff out self-esteem", and cause unhappiness.^[80]

1977

• April – In the April general conference presiding bishopric member Richard Clarke told a story of a young man who claimed to have "developed into a homosexual" as part of attention-seeking rebellion against his distant father. In the address homosexuality was called a "vitiating disease" and "prison".^[81]
• April – Another mention of homosexuality occurred in the April general conference when church president Spencer Kimball asked "Is this a time to terminate adultery and homosexual and lesbian activities, and return to faith and worthiness?"^[82]

Affirmation's logo

• June – Under the name Affirmation: Gay Mormons United, the first Affirmation group was organized on 11 June in Salt Lake City by Stephan Zakharias (formerly Stephen James Matthew Prince) and a group of other Mormon and former-Mormon gays and lesbians at the conference for the Salt Lake Coalition for Human Rights.^[83][84][85] Stephan organized the group in response to the suicides of two BYU friends who had undergone shock aversion therapy on the campus.^[86] The original organization struggled to survive until 1978, when Paul Mortensen, inspired by an article on the group in The Advocate formed the Los Angeles chapter, and in 1980 the name was changed to Affirmation: Gay & Lesbian Mormons. Through the influence of the Los Angeles chapter, Affirmation groups began appearing in many cities around the US.^[87][88]
• October – Church president Spencer W. Kimball gave an October conference address titled "The Foundations of Righteousness" in which he spoke out against the "insidious" and "ugly" sins of homosexuality and lesbianism. He called homosexuality a "sin of the ages" that contributed to the downfall of ancient Greece, Rome, and Sodom and Gomorrah.^[89]

1978

Cover to the pamphlet containing apostle Boyd Packer's 1978 BYU speech on homosexuality.

• March – Packer delivered a sermon at BYU on March 5 entitled "To the One", which went on to be published by the church as a pamphlet.^[90] Packer characterizes homosexual interaction as a perversion and presents the possibility that it had its roots in selfishness and could be cured with "unselfish thoughts, with unselfish acts".^[90]:6 He states that the church had not previously talked more about homosexuality because "some matters are best handled very privately"^[90]:3 and "we can very foolishly cause things we are trying to prevent by talking too much about them".^[90]:19
• April – Church president Spencer Kimball stated in the April conference that without the restraints of family life and real religion there would be an "avalanche of appetites" leading to an increase in homosexuality.^[91]
• August – The First Presidency released a statement on August 24 outlining reasons for their opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment including "unnatural consequences" like an "increase in the practice of homosexual and lesbian activities".^[92]
• 1978 – The church reissues Spencer Kimball's New Horizons for Homosexuals as a 30-page pamphlet titled A Letter to a Friend.^[11]

1979

• 1979 – The LDS Welfare Services Department offered a video-recorded, several-day training seminar to LDS Social Services employees on "homosexual therapies" in February.^[93]
• 1979 – Church Seventy Vaughn Featherstone stated that "the homosexual cannot be exalted" since "perversion is perversion", and that condoning homosexuality "is not an act of charity" in a February address to BYU.^[94]

1980s

1980

The church opposed the ERA in part from believing it would lead to same-sex marriage and parenting.^[95]

• "Affirmation: Gay Mormons United" changes its name to "Affirmation: Gay & Lesbian Mormons".^[96][97]
• March – The Ensign published the article "The Church and the Proposed Equal Rights Amendment: A Moral Issue" outlining the church's arguments against the Equal Rights Amendment. These included the possibility it could give "constitutional protection to immoral same-sex—lesbian and homosexual—marriages", thus, "giving legal sanction to the rearing of children" in a "homosexual home".^[98]
• April – Apostle Bruce McConkie gave an April conference address in which he grouped homosexuals with liars, thieves, and murderers in a list of evil "covering the earth".^[99]
• October – Kimball again addressed homosexuality in the October General Conference in his talk, "President Kimball Speaks Out on Morality". Kimball again asserted that "[s]ometimes masturbation is the introduction to the more serious ... sin of homosexuality."^[100]

1981

• April – In an April General Conference, church Seventy Hartman Rector Jr. gave a speech titled "Turning the Hearts" in which he stated the earth would be wasted if Jesus returns and "finds nothing but birth control, sterilization, and homosexuals." He adds, "If children have a happy family experience they will not want to be homosexual." Rector also states he is "sure" that homosexuality "is an acquired addiction, just as drugs, alcohol and pornography are." He also states "I do not believe" that homosexuals "were born that way" because "[t]here are no female spirits trapped in male bodies and vice versa."^{[101][102][103]}
• 1981 – In the same conference church president Ezra Benson denounced how some public schools give sanction to "alternative life-styles" and "perverse practices" such as "lesbianism".^[104]

Cover of a 1981 church manual which taught homosexuality wasn't inborn, but caused by masturbation or an unhealthy childhood, and was changeable through praying, and heterosexual dating.^[105][6]:51

• 1981 – The church issued a guide for LDS Social Services employees called Understanding and Changing Homosexual Orientation Problems, instructing them that because of agency it is "inconsistent" to think that a "homosexual orientation is inborn or locked in, and there is no real hope of change," and that "the homosexually oriented man ... does not fully understand how a masculine man is supposed to think and act." The guide further states that the homosexual's "thoughts of the opposite sex are often fearful or threatening."^[106]
• 1981 – The First Presidency and Twelve Apostles also issued a guide for church leaders simply called "Homosexuality" which stated "modern-day prophets have clearly promised that homosexuality can be changed", and that it was "inconceivable that ... [the Lord] would permit ... his children to be born with [homosexual] desires and inclinations". It advised "full rehabilitation" could take 1 to 3 years, and that being "cured" doesn't mean "the old thoughts never return". The booklet gave guidelines for "treatment and prevention of homosexuality" and "lesbianism". It taught that homosexual behavior is learned and influenced by "unhealthy emotional development in early childhood", a "disturbed family background, "poor relationships with peers", "unhealthy sexual attitudes", and "early homosexual experiments". "Early masturbation experiences" were also cited as reinforcing "homosexual interests". Church leaders recommended the leader encourage the member to disclose the names of sexual partners, to read The Miracle of Forgiveness and "To the One", to begin dating, and to pray in order to help change their sexual orientation.^[107][6]:51

1982

• August – In a speech to BYU on Aug 28 then president of Ricks College Bruce Hafen counseled students to avoid homosexuality "at all costs, no matter what the circumstances". He further cited the 1973 removal of homosexuality as a mental disorder from the DSM as an example of something gone wrong "deep within our national soul".^[108]

1983

• 1983 – The Church Handbook was updated to state that a church court "may be convened to consider" serious transgressions including "homosexuality" and "lesbianism" but is not required.^[109]
• October – Apostle Ezra Benson gave an October conference address in which he called homosexuality one of the "great problems in our society" and decried the use of the term "alternative life-style" as an attempt to justify homosexuality.^[110]

1984

• June: Carol Lynn Pearson's estranged gay husband returns to live with her and their children after being diagnosed with AIDS, and she cares for him until his death. Her 1986 memoir, Goodbye, I Love You, is considered a landmark in discussions of homosexuality and Mormonism.^[111]
• 1984 – Church seventy Richard Scott gave a discourse titled "Making the Right Choices" in which he says "stimulation can lead to acts of homosexuality, and they are evil and absolutely wrong".^[112]
• 1984 – Apostle Dallin H. Oaks wrote the church memo "Principles to Govern Possible Public Statement on Legislation Affecting Rights of Homosexuals", in which he recommended the church make a public statement to "oppose job discrimination laws protecting homosexuals" unless there were exceptions for allowing employers to "exclude homosexuals from employment that involves teaching ... young people". He also noted "the irony [that] would arise if the Church used [Reynolds v. United States]," the principal 1878 ruling stating that marriage is between a man and a woman, "as an argument for the illegality of homosexual marriages [since it was] formerly used against the Church to establish the illegality of polygamous marriages." Oaks also clarified that the word homosexuality is used in two senses: as a "condition" or "tendency", and as a "practice" or "activity".^[113]

1985

• A very small number of members of Affirmation formed a Latter Day Saint church for gays and lesbians known as the Restoration Church of Jesus Christ.

1986

• March – Twenty-six-year-old Clair Harward who was dying from complications due to AIDS was excommunicated for his homosexuality and told by his Ogden, Utah bishop Bruce Don Bowen to disclose the identities of and avoid his gay friends,^[114] and banned from church meetings for fear of spreading the disease.^[115][116] His story made national headlines^[117] and prompting a statement from a church spokesman.^[118][119]
• December – An article for parents called "Talking with Your Children about Moral Purity" appeared in the December Ensign reaffirming that "sometimes masturbation is the introduction to ... the gross sin of homosexuality" which "is a perversion of the Lord’s designated roles of men and women".^[120]
• December – Dallin H. Oaks commented in a December 30, 1986, CBS-TV interview that "marriage is not doctrinal therapy for homosexual relations" and that "he did not know whether individual leaders have given such advice."^{[121][6]:393[122]}

1987

• April – Gordon B. Hinckley of the First Presidency gave his April conference address "Reverence and Morality" in which he stated, "homosexual relations ... are grievous sins." He continued by saying "marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God .... Marriage should not be viewed as a therapeutic step to solve problems such as homosexual inclinations or practices, which first should clearly be overcome with a firm and fixed determination never to slip to such practices again."^[123]
• June – Seventy Theodore Burton implied a link between a "selfish indulgence" in pornography and homosexuality in his address to BYU on 3 June 1986.^[124]
• November – Joy F. Evans of the Relief Society General Presidency stated that "there are lesbian women, as well as homosexual men, in the Church" to whom "the Lord has decreed 'Thou shalt not'". She acknowledges it is a hard task but states they must "keep the commandments" since "intimate relationships ... between those of the same sex, is forbidden". The article titled "Overcoming Challenges along Life’s Way" appeared in the November issue of the Ensign.^[125]

1988

• October – The October Ensign featured an article from BYU psychologist Allen Bergin in which he stated that homosexuality was "caused by some combination of biology and environment".^[126]
• November – On November 22 a 20-year-old man from a prominent Mormon family in Delta, Utah^[127][128] and another Utah man raped, tortured, and brutally murdered Gordon Church—a 28-year-old, gay, Mormon, student— near Cedar City, Utah in an anti-gay hate crime before US hate crime laws existed.^[129][130]
• 1988 – Gay BYU history professor and former BYU student^[131] Michael Quinn resigned under increasing pressure for publications on controversial aspects of Mormon history^[132][133] after working for the university since 1976.^[134][135]

1989

• 1989 – A national TV story hosted by Peter Jennings featured Malcolm Pace, a former-Mormon gay man who was dying of AIDS, and his deathbed reconciling with his Mormon parents. The father states "I love my son and my religious beliefs. They don't mix."^[136][137]
• 1989 – The Church Handbook was updated to state that a church court is required for any "homosexual relations" committed by a member while holding a "prominent church position" such as a bishop^[138]
• 1989 – Evergreen International is founded^[139] to help Mormons who want to "diminish same-sex attractions and overcome homosexual behavior".^[140]

1990s

1990

The 1990 edition of the For The Strength of Youth pamphlet called homosexuality an abomination.^[141]:3

• October – Packer gave an October General Conference talk titled "Covenants" in which he warned against "spiritually dangerous lifestyles" including "abortion, the gay-lesbian movement, and drug addiction" continuing to state that using scriptures to justify "perverted acts" of "gay or lesbian conduct" between "consenting adults" would by the same logic justify the "molesting of little children".^[142]
• 1990 – The church published a version of the "For the Strength of Youth" pamphlet which contained its first explicit mention of homosexuality.^[143] The pamphlet was to be put "in the hands of every young person in each ward".^[144] In this pamphlet's eighth version section on "Sexual Purity" it states "the Lord specifically forbids ... sex perversion such as homosexuality". It continues "homosexual and lesbian activities are sinful and an abomination to the Lord" and "unnatural affections ... toward persons of the same gender are counter to God's eternal plan".^[145]

1991

• Foundation of Gamofites, a support group for Gay Mormon Fathers.
• March – During a case hearing Young Men's president and church Seventy Jack H. Goaslind gave a testimonial and stated on record that "[the church] would withdraw" if homosexual youth were allowed to join, implying a current church policy banning youth based on sexual orientation.^[146][147] In March 1910 the church's Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Association had adopted the Boy Scouts of America program as the church-wide program for young men in the US.^[148]
• November – The First Presidency sent a letter on November 14 to be read in all congregations stating "homosexual and lesbian behavior is sinful" and that homosexual "thoughts and feelings, regardless of their causes, can and should be overcome" by "sincere repentance", "persistent effort", "the help of others", and "counsel from their bishop". The letter made a distinction "between immoral thoughts and feelings and participating in ... any homosexual behavior", and calls for "love and understanding" for those "struggling" to "overcom[e] inappropriate thoughts and feelings".^[149]

1992

Cover of a 1992 manual which marked a shift in LDS church rhetoric towards changing homosexual behavior rather than feelings.^[150]:40-41

• 1992 – The church published "Understanding and Helping Those Who Have Homosexual Problems" as a guide for ecclesiastical leaders. The six-page booklet states, "There is a distinction between immoral thoughts and feelings and participating in ... homosexual behavior. However, such thoughts and feelings, regardless of their causes can and should be overcome and sinful behavior should be eliminated." It further advised, "members can overcome these problems by turning to the Lord." "In some cases, heterosexual feelings emerge leading to happy, eternal marriage relationships." The pamphlet did not frame homosexuality as a disease corresponding to the recent change by the World Health Organization removing homosexuality as a mental disorder.^[22][151]

1993

• Founding of Family Fellowship, a support group for LDS who have LGBT family members.
• May – Packer gave his May 18 "Talk to the All-Church Coordinating Council" (composed of the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve, and the Presiding Bishopric).^[152] In it Packer identified three groups, that pose a "temptation" or "danger" to "lead away" members: those in the "gay and lesbian" and "feminist" movements, and "so-called scholars or intellectuals". In the address he stated that a man who self-identifies as a homosexual has "gender disorientation".^[153]
• September - The September Six are excommunicated. They include the feminist Lavina Fielding Anderson and historian D. Michael Quinn. Despite his excommunication and critical writings, Quinn, who is now openly gay,^[154] still considers himself to be a Latter-day Saint.^[155]
• October – Apostle Dallin Oaks gave a conference address stating that "Satan seeks to ... confuse gender" and "there are many political, legal, and social pressures for changes that confuse gender and homogenize the differences between men and women".^[156]
• 1993 – Former presiding bishop Victor L. Brown wrote in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism (edited by BYU religion professor Daniel H. Ludlow) in the article titled "Homosexuality" that "the divine mandate of marriage between man and woman puts in perspective why homosexual acts are offensive to God. They repudiate the gift and the Giver of eternal life."^[157] The church's flagship school Brigham Young University has owned the copyright to the Encyclopedia since 2001.^[121]
• 1993 – Church Seventy Spencer J. Condie related a story of a homosexual man's conversion in his October General Conference talk "A Mighty Change of Heart". Condie calls homosexuality an unclean "addictive behavior" that the man in the story developed "gradually" after being "introduced" to it "in his early youth" after which he had "relationships" which brought him "misery". Later the man read the Book of Mormon, experienced a "mighty change of heart", and was baptized, and was able to overcome his "homosexual tendencies" and marry a woman.^[158]

1994

• Disciples2 a confidential online email support group was founded and ran from 1994 to about 2013^[159] for what were termed male and female "strugglers" striving to follow church teachings.^{[160][161][162]}
• February 1 – The First Presidency issued statement titled "Same Gender Marriages" declaring that the church "opposes any efforts" towards same-sex marriage and encourages members "to appeal to legislators ... to reject all efforts to ... support marriages between persons of the same gender."^[163]
• April – Apostle Boyd Packer gave a conference address mentioning "gender identity" and "those confused about gender" as well as stating that changes in the laws around marriage and gender threaten the family.^[164]
• October – Apostle Richard Scott gave a conference address restating a part of Spencer Kimball's October 1980 conference talk by saying that "stimulation" or masturbation can lead to "acts of homosexuality".^[165]

1995

• September – James Faust gave a First Presidency member message in the September Ensign titled "Serving the Lord and Resisting the Devil" in which he denies any biological or "inherited" components in the etiology of homosexuality citing "no scientific evidence" supporting the "false belief of inborn homosexual orientation" leading to "so-called alternative lifestyles". He continued that if there was an inherited or inborn aspect to homosexuality it would "frustrate the whole plan of mortal happiness" and deny "the opportunity to change" leading to "discouragement, disappointment, and despair". The article also stated that same-sex relationships would also help "unravel the fabric of human society" and if practiced by everyone would "mean the end of the human family".^[166]

"The Family: A Proclamation to the World" is a 1995 LDS church statement used as a legal document in several court case amicus briefs opposing same-sex marriage.^[167]

• September – "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" was read on September 23, 1995 at the Relief Society General Conference meeting by Gordon B. Hinckley. The document states that "marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God" and "is essential to His eternal plan". It also teaches that everyone is a "spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents" and "gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose".^[168] It has been submitted by the church in amicus briefs as evidence against court cases which could legalize same-sex marriages.^[169]
• October – Gordon B. Hinckley gave an October General Conference talk titled "Stand Strong Against the Wiles of the World" in which he states that "same-sex marriage" is an "immoral practic[e]" though he says that members of the churth "reach out" their hearts "to those who struggle with feelings of affinity for the same gender" and "remember" them, "sympathize with" them, and regard them as brothers and sisters.^[170]
• October – The church published an article titled "Same-Gender Attraction" by apostle Dallin H. Oaks in the October edition of the monthly Ensign magazine.^[171] in which Oaks states "we insist that erotic feelings toward a person of the same sex are irregular", but that "our doctrines obviously condemn those who engage in so-called 'gay bashing'—physical or verbal attacks". He says members should encourage those with AIDS to participate in church activities. He also seems to contradict Faust's address from a month earlier by giving a nuanced view on potential biological components of the etiology of homosexuality stating "some kinds of feelings seem to be inborn" while others "seem to be acquired from a complex interaction of 'nature and nurture,". He continues, "the feelings ... that increase susceptibility to certain behavior may have some relationship to inheritance". However, Oaks discourages members from calling themselves or other people lesbian or gay saying, "we should refrain from using [gay and lesbian] as nouns to identify specific persons. Our religious doctrine dictates this usage. It is wrong to use these words to denote a condition."^[22][172]
• 1995 – The church's LDS Family Services published the manual "Understanding and Helping Individuals with Homosexual Problems" advising practitioners how to prevent and treat homosexuality saying, "There is sufficient scientific research and clinical evidence to conclude that homosexuality is treatable and preventable." The guide states that male homosexuality is caused by "the motivation to repair the loss of the father-son relationship creat[ing] sexualized father-hunger or reparative drive", and that "in the homosexual male this core gender identity has become confused". The manual cites "the roots of lesbianism" as "a dysfunctional family relationship" and/or "physical, sexual and emotional abuse" which causes women to "have a tendency to develop overly dependent or enmeshed emotional relationships". The guide further states that the "love between homosexuals is pseudo-love".^[173]

1996

• D. Michael Quinn, well-known historian of Mormonism and former professor of history came out of the closet as gay and published Same Sex Dynamics Among Nineteenth-Century Americans: A Mormon Example in 1996. He was excommunicated in September 1993 for publishing historical accounts he says revised traditional Mormon history.

1997

• January - Issue of the church's Ensign magazine contained an anonymously authored article "Becoming Whole Again". In it the author who was married to a woman discussed his struggle with "same-gender attraction" calling it a "trial", "weakness", "impure thought", "tempation", and "misguided feeling" caused by "longing for true brotherly love or a desire for masculine characteristics". At the end the author states "same-gender attraction can be successfully resisted and overcome".^[174][175]
• 1997 – A poll of over 400 BYU students found that 42% of students believed that even if a same-sex attracted person keeps the honor code they should not be allowed to attend BYU and nearly 80% said they would not live with a roommate attracted to people of the same sex. The poll's stated 5 percent margin of error was criticized as being too low an estimate because of the cluster sampling in classes, however.^[176]

During his 13 years as president, Hinckley brought a shift in tone towards empathy in church public discussions on homosexuality.^{[177]:46[178]:62}

• April – Gordon B. Hinckley, then president of the church, gave an interview in April in which he stated "we have gays in the church. Good people." He continued saying that no action is taken against them unless they're involved in sexual transgression, in which case there are "certain penalties" same as with "heterosexuals". He reaffirmed the stance that God made marriage for one man and one woman and that essentially gay people must live a "celibate life".^[179]

1998

• 1998 – The Church Handbook is updated to ban members from full-time missionary service who have participated in "homosexual acts" from age 15 and on unless it has been at least one year since the occurrence and the leaders see "strong evidence of lasting repentance and reformation".^[180] The update also includes the first church policies sections on homosexuality and same-gender marriage stating if members have "homosexual thoughts or feelings or engage in homosexual actions" they should be helped to understand faith, repentance, life's purpose, and should be helped to "accept responsibility for their thoughts". Additionally, the manual asserts that the Church "opposes any efforts to legalize" same-gender marriages and encourages members to appeal to government officials to reject those efforts.^[181]
• November – Church president Gordon B. Hinckley gave a general conference sermon entitled, "What Are People Asking about Us?" Hinckley said "so-called gays and lesbians" have "certain inclinations which are powerful and which may be difficult to control". He continued "We want to help these people ... with their problems ... and difficulties", as well as stating "we love them" but made it clear that the church could not support "so-called same-sex marriage".^[182][175]
• Gordon B. Hinckley (LDS Church President, 1995-2008) gave an interview to Larry King. He s0oke publicly about gay and lesbian issues in a different way from some of his predecessors, most famously in an interview on Larry King Live in 1998. He actually used the terms "gay and lesbian." He refrained from using harsh rhetoric (like that used in Kimball's Miracle of Forgiveness), that spoke about homosexuality in terms of "perversion" or "abomination." He also, significantly, distinguished between gay or lesbian orientation and behavior, and suggested that gay and lesbian individuals could be members of the LDS Church in good standing, so long as they refrained from same-sex sexual activity

1999

• May 11 – The Area Presidency of the North America West Area, composed of Area Seventies, sent a May 11 letter to all area leaders directing a letter to be read in all California sacrament meeting which directed members to "do all you can by donating your means and time" to ensure that Proposition 22 (known as the Knight Initiative) passed.^[183] This act restricted marriage recognition in California to that between a man and a woman denying homosexual or same-sex couples legal recognition of their unions. A follow-up letter directed to stake presidents from Area Seventy Douglas L. Callister on May 20 assigned them to invite church members to donate money to the "Defense of Marriage Committee" in order to pass Prop 22.^[184] A third letter was released eight months later on January 11 a month and a half before the proposition would pass asking members to "redouble their efforts" in contacting neighbors and friends and to place the "provided yard signs" in their lawns.^[185]
• 1999 – The September edition of the church's Ensign magazine published an article titled "When a Loved One Struggles with Same-Sex Attraction" by LDS Family Services assistant commissioner A. Dean Byrd who also served on the Evergreen Board of Trustees. Byrd posited that "homosexuality is not innate and unchangeable", but is caused by "temperament, personality traits, sexual abuse, familial factors, and treatment by one’s peers". He further asserted that individuals can "diminish homosexual attraction" and that "when homosexual difficulties have been fully resolved, heterosexual feelings can emerge". In support of this he stated "many individuals who have experienced homosexual difficulties have" had their "burdens" or "trial" "lifted through the Lord’s grace." The article continued acknowledging that those who desire to diminish their "homosexual urgings" may "experience extreme pain because of the extensive changes that are required" including "changing one’s thoughts ... friendships ... or even clothing styles".^[186]
• October – Church president Hinckley gave an October General Conference talk called "Why We Do Some of the Things We Do". He stated "so-called same-sex marriage ... is not a matter of civil rights; it is a matter of morality." He added, "we love and honor" and "our hearts reach out to ... gays and lesbians" and "they are welcome in the church".^[187]
• October - some members of Affirmation: Gay & Lesbian Mormons in Salt Lake City protested the LDS Church’s lobbying and funding of initiatives in California and other states to keep the traditional definition of marriage.

2000s

2000

• September – Alexander B. Morrison, of the First Quorum of the Seventy, and Robert L. Millet, Dean of BYU Religion Education, addressed members of Evergreen International on September 16 at its 10th annual conference, which was held in the church's Joseph Smith Memorial Building. In Morrison's address titled "Some Gospel Perspectives on Same-Gender Attraction", he stated, "Avoid as the plague social interaction with persons who justify, encourage or engage in homosexual behavior."
  

  Joseph Smith Memorial Building chapel where many Evergreen Conferences were held.
  To the congregation of hundreds^[188] of homosexual men and women he further directed, "Stay away from places where those challenged by same-gender attraction congregate."^[189] Millet stated that through Christ "all inappropriate inclinations or orientations [can be] transformed in this life" or "resist[ed]".^[190]
• October – Packer gave his October General Conference address "Ye Are the Temple of God", in which he calls homosexuality a "temptation which seems nearly overpowering for man to be attracted to man or woman to woman" that may "lead to despair, to disease, even to death". He said it begins as an "innocent curiosity" which leads to a "pattern" leading to an "addiction". He said the idea that "God created them with overpowering, unnatural desires" is "not true" stating that "He can cure and He can heal".^[191]

2001

• March: Gay LDS Young Adults (GLYA) is founded by Aaron Cloward and organizes activities in the Intermountain West for gay Mormon young adults.^[192][193] They had over 400 people on their mailing list^[194] but seemed to be absorbed by Affirmation by about 2003.^[195]
• November 22: Confessions of a Mormon Boy by Steven Fales opens (later becoming an off Broadway show), dealing with Fales' homosexuality, and disaffection with the church.^[196] It later tours internationally.

The 2001 update to the youth guideline pamphlet removed the harsher language of the 1990 edition which characterized homosexual feelings as unnatural, perverse, and an abomination.

• 2001 – The eighth version of the "For the Strength of Youth" pamphlet was published updating the section discussing homosexuality. The new version only says, "Homosexual activity is a serious sin. If you find your-self struggling with same-gender attraction, seek counsel from your parents and bishop. They will help you."^[197][175]
• 2001 – Sharon G. Larsen of the Young Women General Presidency gave her September 15 "God's Love" address at the 11th Annual Evergreen Conference in the Joseph Smith Memorial building. In her talk she stated same-gender attraction "is not in itself necessarily sinful unless it leads to impure thoughts and unrighteous behavior" and that those who "struggle with same-gender attraction" who "despite persistent effort cannot overcome that attraction and marry someone" of the opposite gender "must remain celibate".^[198]

2002

• 2002 – The official church Ensign magazine published an anonymously authored article titled "My Battle with Same-Sex Attraction". In it an LDS woman gave advice for how to "to overcome this challenge" including advising against "attach[ing] labels to yourself or others who struggle with this problem" since these temptations "do not define who we are". She also recommended a person "quit [their] job" if necessary to "avoid places frequented by those who are involved in this lifestyle".^[199]

2004

• Ty Mansfield chronicled his coming to terms with his sexuality in a co-authored book with Fred and Marilyn Matis, In Quiet Desperation: Understanding the Challenge of Same-gender Attraction, published by Deseret Book.^[200] Mansfield later married and recently published another book on homosexuality, also by Deseret Book, in 2011, titled Voices of Hope: Latter-day Saint Perspectives on Same-gender Attraction—An Anthology of Gospel Teachings and Personal Essays.
• July – The First Presidency issued the July 7 statement saying the church "favors a constitutional amendment preserving marriage as the lawful union of a man and a woman."^[201][202] A few months later on October 19 they expounded this stance with the First Presidency Statement on Same-Gender Marriage supporting the 2004 movement^[203] to add an amendment to the US Constitution defining marriage as between "a man and a woman" and barring the "legal status" of any other union. The letter also states that the church "reach out with understanding and respect" for homosexual persons and "realize there may be great loneliness in their lives", but defend their stance as being "right before the Lord".^[204]
• September – Merrill J. Bateman in the Presidency of the Seventy gave a September 18 address at the 14th Evergreen Conference for homosexual Mormons titled "The Physical Body and the Power of the Atonement". He explained that for those "struggling with nature, with thoughts and feelings that are opposite from what the Church teaches" Jesus has the power to "assuage one’s feelings" and "assist one in his efforts to abstain".^[205]
• 2004 – The church published True to the Faith, which states, "homosexual activity is a serious sin .... contrary to the purposes of human sexuality" which "distorts loving relationships and prevents people from receiving blessings". The book further states "sexual sins are more serious than any other sins except murder and denying the Holy Ghost".^[206]

2005

• September – James O. Mason of the Second Quorum of the Seventy gave his "The Worth of a Soul Is Great" address to members of Evergreen International on September 17 at its 15th annual conference in the church's Joseph Smith Memorial Building. He stated, "Can individuals struggling with some same-gender attraction be cured? 'With God nothing should be impossible' (Luke 1:37) ... The right course of action remains the same: eliminate or diminish same sex attraction .... Feelings of attraction toward someone of the same gender should be eliminated if possible or controlled."^[207]

2006

• March – Jeffrey R. Holland and Marlin K. Jensen were interviewed in March with questions about various topics including homosexuality by PBS for a four-hour special called The Mormons. Jensen stated that he did not think the "church could ever change its position" on homosexual behavior. "There's no room within the plan of salvation ... for homosexuality to be accepted" or for someone to "be romantically involved with someone of the same gender and ... be living in accord with God's plan." He acknowledges that this "creates a lot of pain" and asks "a tremendous amount of them" since "they really have no hope" of "fall[ing] in love" in a way "sanctioned by the church" which is "a very difficult thing".^[208] Holland stated that he doesn't "anticipate that [the church] would change [its position] on homosexual behavior" and that "gay or lesbian inclinations" will "not exist post-mortality". He also used uses the phrase "struggling with gender identity" and "gender confusion" as synonyms for homosexuality.^[209][175]
• April – The church published an extensive interview^[210] with Oaks and general authority Lance B. Wickman in April to clarify the church’s stance on homosexuality.^[211][212] In the interview, Wickman states that the church "doesn't counsel against" conversion therapy and that it "may be appropriate" for an individual to use clinical therapy to seek to diminish or eliminate homosexual feelings. However, Oaks states they "can't endorse" the "aversive therapies" recommended in the past to fix "this affliction" and they "don’t accept responsibility for those abuses" suffered by individuals who had experienced this now disavowed therapy method. On same-sex civil unions and domestic partnerships, Elder Oaks states that giving these couples the same government rights given to a man and woman marriage is "not right" and "not appropriate". He added that a mixed-orientation marriage would be appropriate for a gay member who could "deal with [homosexual] feelings" and "put them in the background" and felt a "great attraction" to someone of the opposite sex.^[213] They compared devout homosexual Mormons to those with physical or mental disabilities who will also not be able to marry, and adds that "same-gender attraction did not exist in the pre-earth life and neither will it exist in the next life." As far as family acceptance and inclusion of homosexual children they gave some example conversation lines like, "don’t expect to stay overnight. Don’t expect to be a lengthy house guest. Don’t expect us to take you out and introduce you to our friends, or to deal with you in a public situation that would imply our approval of your 'partnership'." He further stated "the Lord’s way is to love the sinner while condemning the sin".^[210][175]
• April – In April Apostle Russell M. Nelson signed a letter with other religious leaders urging the US government to pass an amendment banning same-sex marriage stating it would be the "only measure that will adequately protect marriage" from "redefinition". On May 25 the First Presidency released another statement supporting the amendment and urging members to contact their senators who would be voting on the measure on June 6.^[214]
• June – The church newsroom responded to a June news story on homosexual members who stated that they felt alone, like there was no place for them in the church, and that they were recovering from put-downs and discrimination in the church. In response the newsroom cited previous leader quotes and stated, "We reach out to assist people with all of the challenges of life. Those who struggle with same-gender attraction are certainly not excluded from the circle of love and fellowship the Church hopes to provide."^[215]
• June – BYU fired adjunct professor Jeffrey Nielsen for writing an opinion piece^[216] in support of same-sex marriage.^{[217][218][219]}
• September– Rex D. Pinegar, a former member of the Presidency of the Seventy, addressed the Evergreen Conference for homosexual Mormons on September 16 with a speech titled "Before You Knew Him/Her, I Loved Him/Her First". In the speech he stated that those who "suffer from such problems" of same-sex attractions have "tendencies or addictions", and that the Lord called homosexuality an "abomination" but by "turn[ing] their lives to Christ" the homosexual could "resolve his or her situation, addiction, or transgression". He continued that the leaders of the church did not know the "underlying causes of same-sex attraction" anymore than that of "any other addiction or urge or action which is unacceptable to our Lord".^[220]

Apostle Oaks has been an influential figure in church interactions with homosexual people, instituting a system of surveillance to identify and expel or cure homosexual students as president of BYU in the '70s, and doing numerous important video interviews and articles on the topic in the '80s, '90s, and 2000s.

• October – Apostle Dallin H. Oaks gave an October General Conference address titled "He Heals the Heavy Laden" in which he quotes a man saying "change is possible" but don't "focus on the causes of same-gender attraction". Oaks then continues explaining if "faith","prayers" and "priesthood" don't "heal you from an affliction" that the "Atonement will surely give you the strength to bear the burden."^[221]
• 2006 – The Church Handbook is updated again and leaders are told to collect and destroy all copies of the previous 1998 version.^[222] The new version clarifies that the church "reaches out with respect and understanding" to same-sex attracted individuals.^[223]
• 2006 – The church's Mission Presidents Handbook recommended that unless there are unusual circumstances, a missionary who makes a belated confession to a "serious transgression" like "homosexual acts" committed before their missionary service be sent home.^[224] The manual also specified that any baptismal candidate who confesses to a "homosexual transgression" during a baptismal interview (usually with a mission district leader) requires a "searching interview" with the president of the local mission in order to be approved for baptism.^[225]

2007

• February 13: Mitt Romney announces his candidacy for the 2008 Republican nomination for President of the United States. Coming from a prominent Mormon family, Romney was a devout member and former local church leader. His faith was a frequent high-profile issue and troubled some voters. He usually avoided discussing Mormon doctrines, but on December 6 Romney attempted to settle concerns in a speech entitled "Faith in America".
• April – The church's BYU Board of Trustees, under the direction of First Presidency member Thomas S. Monson, revised the BYU Honor Code in April to clarify that "one's stated same-gender attraction is not an Honor Code issue" while continuing to ban "all forms of physical intimacy that give expression to homosexual feelings".^{[226][227][175]}

This was the first church publication on homosexuality produced in nearly three decades for members to read since "To the One" and "A Letter to a Friend" were released in 1978.

• July - the church published the booklet "God Loveth His Children", which is addressed to Latter-day Saints with same-gender attraction and sets out the church's doctrine and policies on homosexuality.^[228][175]
• October – The church published the article "Helping Those Who Struggle with Same-Gender Attraction" by apostle Jeffrey R. Holland in the October Ensign and Liahona magazines.^[229]
• 2007 – North Star International is founded as a support for members who experience homosexual attractions, and does not take a position on the origins or mutability of those feelings.^[230]

2008

• 2008 - A Web posting signed by Bash Back!'s Olympia chapter said: “The Mormon church (just like most churches) is a cesspool of filth. It is a breeding ground for oppression of all sorts and needs to be confronted, attacked, subverted and destroyed.” Some church buildings vandalized and smashed up in retaliation for opposing Proposition 8 by LGBT militant group Bash Back.^[231][232] More moderate gay rights groups condemned the actions of the Bash Back! group.
• 2008 – Apostles discussed the question of whether members should consider using "new drugs and gene therapy" to "counter homosexuality" in a leaked video.^[233][234]

The church distributed hundreds of thousands of these Protect Marriage Coalition lawn signs during their involvement with the pro-Prop 8 campaign.^[235]

• 2008 – The First Presidency again urged California members to "do all you can ... by donating of your means and time" to pass a state amendment banning same-sex marriage in a June 29 letter.^[22][236] A few months later Apostles M. Russell Ballard and Quentin L. Cook and member of the Presidency of the Seventy L. Whitney Clayton gave an October 8 satellite broadcast^[237] to all California members titled "The Divine Institution of Marriage Broadcast". In the broadcast they asked members to donate "four hours per week" and to "set aside Saturdays between now and the election from nine in the morning until two in the afternoon to participate in calling, walking, and other assignments" to oppose same-sex marriage and pass Prop 8. They clarified that to the church tolerance means forgiveness but does not mean "tolerating transgression", and noted the existence of temple-worthy members who "struggle with this great challenge" of "same gender attractions". Additionally, a video^[238] of Apostle David A. Bednar answering the questions of some youth was shown from the church's new official website PreservingMarriage.org. Members were directed to register on the coalition website ProtectMarriage.com.^[239][240]
• 2008 – After the passing of Prop 8 Seventy Whitney Clayton stated that the church does not oppose benefits like health insurance and property rights for same-sex civil unions or domestic partnerships.^[241]

Nearly five thousand protesters gathered at the Salt Lake Temple after the passing of Prop 8.^[242]

• 2008 – After the 4 November 2008 close passing of California's Prop 8 banning same-sex marriage in which the LDS church was heavily involved, over two thousand protesters gathered at the Los Angeles LDS temple on November 6. The next day nearly five thousand protesters gathered at the Salt Lake Temple.^{[243][244][245][246]} That evening a candlelight vigil by about 600 mothers of LGBT children was also held at the Salt Lake Temple.^[247][248]
• 2008 - November - Bash Back group spray paints slogans on Mormon chapels and puts glue into their locks.^[232]

2009

• 2009 – Bruce C. Hafen of the First Quorum of the Seventy addressed members of Evergreen International on September 19 at its 19th annual conference, which was held in the church's Joseph Smith Memorial Building and stated, "If you are faithful, on resurrection morning—and maybe even before then—you will rise with normal attractions for the opposite sex. Some of you may wonder if that doctrine is too good to be true. But Elder Dallin H. Oaks has said it MUST be true" (emphasis in original).^[249]
• 2009 – The church produces a training video for LDS Family Services entitled "Providing psychological care to those with unwanted homosexual attraction".^[250]
• 2009 – Church PR director Michael Otterson gave a statement at a Salt Lake City Council hearing in support of a proposed city anti-discrimination ordinance which would protect LGBT individuals.^[251]

2010 to present

2010

• September – Keith B. McMullin of the Presiding Bishopric addressed the 20th Evergreen International annual conference on September 18 and counseled that if someone says they are homosexual, lesbian, or gay that they should be corrected since it is "simply not true" and God "doesn't speak of His children this way". He further teaches that the "such limitations" as same-gender attraction won't exist after death, though it is not "in and of itself ... neither evil nor sinful".^[252][253]
• October – Boyd K. Packer delivered his "Cleansing the Inner Vessel" October conference address. He states that The Family: A Proclamation to the World "qualifies according to the definition as a revelation".^[254] Immediately after referencing "Satan's many substitutes or counterfeits for marriage", he states "some suppose that they were pre-set and cannot overcome what they feel are inborn tendencies toward the impure and unnatural. Not so! Why would our Heavenly Father do that to anyone? Remember, he is our father."^[255] His characterization of same-sex physical attractions as "impure and unnatural" tendencies that can be "overcome" sparked a protest of thousands of individuals on October 7 which surrounded Temple Square.^[256][257] Packer later altered his words in the print version of his speech to say "Some suppose that they were preset and cannot overcome what they feel are inborn temptations toward the impure and unnatural. Not so! Remember, God is our Heavenly Father".^{[258][259][22][260]}

The 2010 Handbook 1 and 2 covers

• 2010 – The 2010 edition of the Church Handbook noted that the records of adult members who have participated in "repeated homosexual activities" would be permanently annotated.^[261] It also advised that those who have "participated in homosexual activity during or after the last three teenage years will not normally be considered for missionary service."^[262] The Handbook 2 also states if members who "feel same-gender attraction but do not engage in any homosexual behavior" they may receive church callings and hold temple recommends.^[263]

• 2010 A queer-straight alliance, USGA, began meeting on BYU campus to discuss issues relating to homosexuality and the LDS Church.^[264][175]

2011

• Affirmation held its annual international conference in Kirtland, Ohio, an important Mormon historic site, and many Affirmation members experienced the Kirtland conference as a kind of Mormon spiritual "revival."
• Deseret Book publishes Ty Mansfield Voices of Hope: Latter-day Saint Perspectives on Same-gender Attraction—An Anthology of Gospel Teachings and Personal Essays.
• 2011 – In a committee meeting while top church leaders were discussing WikiLeaks and Chelsea Manning's diplomatic cable leaks, apostle Ballard asked if Manning was a "confirmed homosexual", apostle Oaks expressed his suspicion that the "news media cover up anything involving homosexuals when it would work to the disadvantage of the homosexual agenda".^[265][266]
• 2011 – The ninth version of the "For the Strength of Youth" pamphlet was released adding to the paragraph on homosexuality that "lesbian behavior" is also a "serious sin" and that the youth should speak to their parents and bishop if they "are being persuaded to participate in inappropriate behavior".^[267][268]
• 2011 – The church's BYU Honor Code was updated to remove the ban on any "advocacy of homosexual behavior" defined as "promoting homosexual relations as being morally acceptable".^[175]
• November – BYU fired a gay broadcasting department faculty member. The employee stated that BYU had become an increasingly hostile work environment^[269] and that being gay played into his being fired.^[270]

2012

• January - An edition of the church's New Era magazine for teens addressed a question on whether having friends with homosexual feelings was okay. It advised members to choose friends carefully who have similar values since homosexual behavior violates God’s commandments, and that the church condemns the immoral behavior but not the person.^[271]
• May - The church released a statement approving the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) administration's decision to remove the ban on homosexual youth (which had been made an official policy in 1991).^[272][273] The church's release stated, "sexual orientation has not previously been—and is not now—a disqualifying factor for boys who want to join [LDS] Scout troops", and that "young men … who agree to abide by Church standards" (which bar any sexual activity) are allowed to participate.^[274] The church's policy, however, remains unclear for young men participating in any same-sex dating without sexual activity. The church's agreement with the BSA policy change was important because Mormon scouts constituted the largest group of young men in the BSA (21% in 2010).^[275]

This header was at the top of the LDS church's first official website on homosexuality from December 2012 until an update in October 2016.

• December – The church launched the website titled Love One Another: A Discussion on Same-Sex Attraction at mormonsandgays.org in December "in an effort to encourage understanding and civil conversation about same-sex attraction." The website states that "individuals do not choose to have such attractions".^{[276][277][175]}
• 2012 – An anonymously authored article was published on the church's website in which a man describes how he lived a "homosexual lifestyle" (engaged in same-sex dating) for a time, but then through counseling with LDS Family Services and local bishop he was able to manage his burden, or struggle, with same-sex attraction. He stated that he was blessed with an alleviation of the intensity of feelings and knows of some people whose burden was lifted and "overcame" same-sex attraction, and no longer experience those feelings. He later married a woman, but states that marriage is not a cure for the challenge of same-sex attractions.^[278]

Mormons Building Bridges, a pro-LGBT group at a gay pride march

• 2012 – Mormons Building Bridges is founded.^{[279][280][281]}

• Josh Weed a licensed therapist from Seattle who is married to a woman^[282] came out as gay in a blog post that was widely publicized.^{[283][284][285][286][287][288]} He and his wife came out in support of same-sex marriage in 2015 when quotes from them were used without permission in an amicus brief opposing it ahead of the oral arguments in the Supreme Court Obergefell v. Hodges case.^[289][290]

2013

• January – Seventy Tad Callister stated in a speech at BYU-I reprinted in the Ensign that the church's views on same-sex sexual behavior is eternal doctrine and not a temporary policy. He additionally alluded to homosexual feelings as a weakness or imperfection for which those with those tendencies must do all they can to use the refining power of the atonement to convert into a strength through the atonement.^[291]
• February – Gay BYU student Jimmy Hales gained media attention with a comedic video of coming out live to family and friends.^{[292][293][294][270]}
• September – Apostle Russell Nelson gave a September CES devotional in which he discussed the "debate", "skirmish", and "controversy" around whether "two people of the same gender can be married". He admonished members to gain understanding of the church's position through prayer, pondering, and listening to conference, as well as memorizing and repeating the words of a hymn.^[295]

Affirmation booth at the 2013 Washington D.C. Capital Pride street festival.

• Ty Mansfield, an openly gay Mormon, taught two religion classes in the summer of 2013 at Brigham Young University. as an adjunct faculty member.^[296]

2014

• January– In January a letter on same-sex marriage was sent to all congregational leaders to be shared with members. The letter reiterated church stances and urged members to review the Family Proclamation. The letter also called for "kindness and civility" for supporters of same-sex marriage, and stated that everyone is welcome in LDS chapels as long as they "respect our standards of conduct while there".^[297]
• February – An amicus brief was filed in February by the church with the US Tenth Circuit Court in defense of Utah's recently overturned Amendment 3 banning same-sex marriage in the state. The brief summarized the church's stance on marriage while stating that the church held no "anti-homosexual animus".^{[298][299][300]}
• March - Tyler Glenn, the lead singer of the Neon Trees and came out as a gay Mormon in Rolling Stone magazine,^[301] but has since stopped identifying as Mormon since at least April 2016.^[302]

• May – Apostle Russell Ballard gave a May CES devotional later reprinted in the September 2015 Ensign in which he quoted the church's website stating that "individuals do not choose to have [same-sex] attractions".^[303]
• September – Another amicus brief on a same-sex marriage case was filed on 4 September by the church, this time encouraging the U.S. Supreme Court to hear Utah's Kitchen v. Herbert.^[304][305]
• November – Apostle Henry Eyring stated at an November international colloquium on marriage in the Vatican that "We want our voice to be heard against all of the counterfeit and alternative lifestyles that try to replace the family organization". His statement was quoted in the April 2015 general conference by Apostle Tom Perry.^[306]
• 2014 – An Old Testament student manual was released stating that homosexual behavior was one of the grievous sins widely accepted and practiced in the biblical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah leading to their destruction. The manual further discusses homosexuality and encourages members with gay feelings to "avoid lusting".^[307]
• 2014 – Evergreen International shuts down and transfers its resources to North Star^[308]
• 2014 – The church sent a survey via email to young single adult members in Utah asking among other things about their sexual identity. The options were: "I am heterosexual, but I struggle with same-sex attraction; I am heterosexual and do not struggle with same-sex attraction; Other, please specify." The survey options were criticized as implying that homosexuality doesn't exist and LGBT individuals are straight people who "struggle" with a problem.^[309] The question was later changed.^[310]

2015

"My Husband's Not Gay" was a 2015 TLC special following the lives of several Mormon men attracted to men but married to women.

• January 11: The TLC special My Husband's Not Gay features Mormons in mixed-orientation marriages.^[311]
• March 4: The "Utah Compromise" is struck between the LDS Church and LGBT advocates, creating a nondiscrimination law in Utah that also includes religious protections.^[312]
• April – In April the church filed an amicus brief with the Sixth Circuit Court on a pending consolidated same-sex case stating that allowing same-sex marriage would "impede the ability of religious people to participate fully as equal citizens".^{[313][314][315]}
• June – Three days after the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage the First Presidency sent a letter on June 29 to be read to every US congregation affirming that "Changes in the civil ... cannot change the moral law that God has established." The letter clarified that leaders should not perform same-sex marriages and that any church property cannot be used for any activities "associated with same-sex marriages". It was noted, however, that "all visitors are welcome" on church property if church standards of conduct are respected.^[316]
• June – In June D. Todd Christofferson acknowledges that "we have individual members in the church with a variety of different opinions, beliefs and positions on these issues and other issues...In our view, it doesn't really become a problem unless someone is out attacking the church and its leaders," and stated that members who openly supported LGBT marriage would not be excommunicated.

^[317]

• July -the church made a $2,500 donation to the Utah Pride Center which serves LGBTQ persons around Salt Lake City.^[318]
• July 5: After the gay marriage is legalized in the U.S., LDS Church services read and discuss a letter reaffirming the church's position on marriage and calling for civility.^[319]
• July 27: The LDS Church is "deeply troubled" and re-evaluates its scouting program, as the Boy Scouts of America permits openly gay scout leaders.^[320]
• August 26: The LDS Church announces it will stay in the national Boy Scouts of America program, despite concerns over permitting openly gay scout leaders.^[321]
• October 20: Dallin H. Oaks publicly disagrees with refusing gay marriages in violation of the recent supreme court ruling.^[322] Days later at the World Congress of Families, M. Russell Ballard urges tolerance for the opposition.^[323]
• 2015 – An edition of the New Testament guide for seminary students was released which interpreted a scripture in Romans as saying that lesbian and homosexual behavior is "against nature".^[324]
• 2015 – Church spokesman Eric Hawkins stated in response to media questions about the controversial TLC show "My Husband's Not Gay" that the Church "does not promote marriage as a treatment method for same-sex attraction" and that religious couples in a mixed-orientation marriage should have our "support and respect".^[325][326] The show featured LDS men attracted to men but married to or dating women.^{[327][328][329]}
• January– Church leaders held a "Fairness for All" news conference on January 27 supporting LGBT non-discrimination laws for housing and employment that would also protect religious individuals.^[330] Apostle D. Todd Christofferson opened calling for "a way forward" to balance religious freedom and LGBT rights. Next Neill F. Marriott of the presidency of Young Women's recognized the "centuries of ridicule, persecution and even violence against homosexuals". Dallin H. Oaks followed stating that the church rejects "persecution and retaliation of any kind, including persecution based on ... gender or sexual orientation" and called on all levels of government to pass legislation protecting "religious freedoms ... while also protecting ... LGBT citizens in ... housing, employment, and public accommodation." Jeffrey R. Holland closed outlining the church's stance on religious freedom.^{[331][332][333]} In answer to a press question afterwards Christofferson stated that "understanding is possible" and affirmed his love for his brother Tom who is gay and had been in a 20-year relationship with another man.^{[334][335][175]}
• March – In early March the church released a public statement^[336] and employed its lobbyists^[337] to garner support of a proposed nondiscrimination and religious rights bill in Utah. The bill would grant previously non-existent housing and employment protection for LGBT persons in Utah. Though similar bills had failed 6 times before,^[338] SB 296 was passed on March 11 and another statement of church approval was released.^[339] The new law, nicknamed the "Utah Compromise",^[340] was praised by many.^[341][342]
• March – Apostle D. Todd Christofferson gave an interview on March 13 in which he acknowledged the diversity of sociopolitical views among church members and stated that advocating for same-sex marriage on social media or holding political beliefs differing from official church stances would not threaten a members standing in the church. He also stated that church leaders had "gained added understanding [of LGBT people] over the years, especially in recent years", though, he said the church would never accept same-sex marriage. In his closing answer to a question on members feeling on the outside because of their position on same-sex marriage, he stated that obedience to principles taught by the church may require "very significant sacrifice" for "all of mortal life", but "no one is predestined to a second class status" and that the end result can be "a state of happiness".^{[343][344][345]}
• 2015 – Following a Boy Scouts of America (BSA) policy change on July 27 allowing for gay scout leaders^[346] (though allowing for churches to continue banning them)^[347] the church stated that it has "always welcomed" gay youth, but that "the admission of openly gay leaders is inconsistent with the doctrines of the Church". The official press release (preceded by one on May 21^[348] and July 13^[349]) alluded to a potential change in church relations with the BSA by stating "the century-long association with Scouting will need to be examined". Despite the majority of church members wanting to drop relations with the BSA,^[350] however, no change in relations occurred.^[351]
• September– In September Presidency of the Seventy member Ronald Rasband gave a BYU address (later reprinted in the Ensign)^[352] in which he addressed concerns about the church's involvement in politics. He shared hypothetical stories of a man fired for being gay and a woman marginalized at work for being Mormon and bemoaned that it is less politically correct to empathize with the religious woman. He invited listeners to discuss LGBT rights and religious freedom and to write comments on his Facebook post.^[353][354]
• November– On November 5 an update letter to leaders for the Church Handbook was leaked. The policy banned a "child of a parent living in a same-gender relationship" from baby blessings, baptism, confirmation, priesthood ordination, and missionary service until the child was not living with their homosexual parent(s), was "of legal age", and "disavow[ed] the practice of same-gender cohabitation and marriage", in addition to receiving approval from the Office of the First Presidency. The policy update also added that entering a same-sex marriage as a type of "apostasy", mandating a disciplinary council.^[355][356] The next day, in a video interview, D. Todd Christofferson clarified that the policy was "about love" and "protect[ing] children" from "difficulties, challenges, conflicts" where "parents feel one way and the expectations of the Church are very different".^[357][175] On November 13, the First Presidency released a letter clarifying that the policy applied "only to those children whose primary residence is with a couple living in a same-gender marriage or similar relationship" and that for children residing with parents in a same-sex relationship who had already received ordinances the policy would not require that "privileges be curtailed or that further ordinances be withheld".^[358][359] The next day around 1,500 members gathered across from the Church Office to submit their resignation letters in response to the policy change with thousands more resigning online in the weeks after^{[360][361][362][363]} Two months later, in a satellite broadcast, Russell M. Nelson stated that the policy change was "revealed to President Monson" in a "sacred moment" when "the Lord inspired [him] ... to declare ... the will of the Lord".^[364]
• 2015 – A version of The Eternal Family manual is released in which teachers are encouraged to ask students to treat lesbian and gay people with greater love, empathy, sensitivity, compassion and kindness and to evaluate their attitudes and actions towards homosexual individuals to see if they are Christ-like.^[365]

2016

• Tyler Glenn releases his solo album, "Excommunication", about his experience with the LDS Church and his frustration with their policies.^[366]
• January – The church released a statement through spokesman Dale Jones on January 28 mourning the reported suicides of 32 LGBT Mormons. The release stated that leaders and members are taught to "reach out in an active, caring way to all, especially to youth who feel estranged or isolated".^[367][175]
• February – On February 9 apostle Dallin H. Oaks was asked about church leaders and members' responsibility for the treatment of LGBT individuals that may have precipitated in suicides to which he stated "that's a question that will be answered on judgment day" and that "nobody is sadder about a case [of suicide] like that than I am".^[368][175]
• February – In a church statement on 17 February spokesman Dale Jones spoke against passing any LGBT-related laws which could affect the "careful balance" of religious liberty and gay rights.^[369] The statement was in reference to proposed Utah hate crime bill SB107 which would add sexual orientation to the current law's list of existing groups protected by law from hate crimes in Utah.^[370] The bill failed as it had in past years and its sponsor a Mormon Republican senator criticized his church for its opposition to the bill citing the church's press release as the reason for its failure.^[371][372]
• February – Apostle David A. Bednar answered a members question in a February 23 broadcast stating that "there are no homosexual members of the Church" since we are not defined by sexual attraction or behavior and "all of us have different challenges in the flesh". He compared homosexuality to a physical handicap like "being born with a body that is not fully functional".^[373]
• March – Apostle Jeffrey Holland addressed a question on homosexuality in the church's first "face to face" broadcast event for youth on March 8.^[374] Stated at around 1 hour and 13 minutes into the broadcast, the question referred to homosexual members who felt "scared", "alone", and like they didn't "fit into the Lord's kingdom". Holland respond that the church does not "make any attempt to say why ... or how [homosexual attractions] happened" and that those with homosexual attractions have "complexities in their makeup" that we don't fully understand. He continued saying that what the church asks "for those inclined to a homosexual feeling is exactly what we ask for those with heterosexual feelings" and that the church is not making them "second-class citizens", later comparing them to women who never married.^[375][376]
• March – Church spokesman Eric Hawkins stated on March 15 that the church "denounces any therapy that subjects an individual to abusive practices" and hopes LGBT Mormons "find compassion and understanding from family members, professional counselors and church members".^[377] The statement was in response to media inquiries around the experiences of a lesbian Mormon teen who beginning in 2010 was subjected to physically abusive conversion therapy techniques in an attempt to change her sexual orientation leading to a suicide attempt.^[378][175]

The 2016 website update contained the first church disavowal of all therapy focusing on changing sexual orientation.

• October – On October 25, the Mormons and Gays website was revised and moved to mormonandgay.lds.org^[379] where it states, "If you experience same-sex attraction, you may choose to use a sexual orientation label to describe yourself. ... If you decide to... openly identify as gay, you should be supported."^[380][175] The website says that "sexual desires can be ... changeable" and "shifts in sexuality can and do occur for some individuals", but notes that therapy focusing on "a change in sexual orientation" is "unethical".^[381]
• 2016 BYU and Church policies on LGBT persons got the spotlight as these served as a deterrent in their football team being considered as a Fall addition to the Big 12 Conference.^{[382][383][384][385][386][387][388]}
• December – Apostle Todd Christofferson answered a youth's question on homosexuality at a "face to face" church broadcast in Guatemala on December 10. About 56 minutes into the broadcast he stated that "we don't know much about the causes" of why one would feel attractions to someone of the same sex, but stated that those individuals do not choose to feel those attractions and that the only sin would be in "acting" on those feelings. He encouraged the congregation of youth to respect, include, and fellowship those individuals and made clear that the church is not a place for gossip or making fun of a homosexual persons. He cited his brother Tom as a "great example" of a gay member of the church.^[389][390]

2017

• January – The Boy Scouts of America announced in January^[391] that transgender boys can join their troops prompting a wait-and-see response from the church.^{[392][393][394]} The church withdrew its support of the program for older teens four months later, though it denied any link to the policy changes around LGBT people.^[395][396]
• February – The church filed an amicus brief with the US Supreme Court over the transgender bathroom case (G. G. v. Gloucester County School Board). The brief acknowledged the "heavy burdens" of gender dysphoria and stating that those who experience these "deserve compassion and respect", but opposed the interpretation of sex in Title IX as gender identity.^[397][398]
• March – The church published a video and blog post in March highlighting the Mackintosh's acceptance of their gay post-Mormon son and LGBT people. The video was added to mormonandgay.lds.org.^[399][400]
• April – An Ensign article by Seventy Larry Lawrence stated that "same-sex marriage is only a counterfeit" and quoted a canonized LDS scripture where Jesus^[401] warns that a counterfeit "is not of God, and is darkness".^[402][403]
• May – A 12-year-old girl came out to her Utah ward as lesbian during a fast and testimony meeting. During her speech a Stake Presidency member had the mic cut off and told her to sit down. A video of the event gained media attention.^{[404][405][406][407]}
• June – Former stake president and church architect Laurie Lee Hall was excommunicated by her Utah local leaders for socially transitioning to express her gender identity as a transgender woman. She had experienced years of suicidal ideation and gender dysphoria before being released as a stake president in 2012 due to her identity and deciding to come out to her entire congregation in July 2016.^[408]
• July – An instructor at the church's BYU-Idaho reported being fired after refusing to take down a post on her private Facebook page in support of LGBT rights. Her story gained national media attention.^[409][410]
• August – Minutes from a February 2014 Layton, Utah meeting for stake leaders were released without authorization in which the apostle Tom Perry stated that gay young men need association with "manly things" and strong, vigorous men who know the power they hold. He also stated that he does not believe that people are born with attractions to those of the same sex, but that it's instead a temptation like any other. He further stated that supporting same-sex marriage would "incriminate" members seeking to renew their temple recommend and that same-sex couples expressing any physical affection during church meetings should be allowed to attend but reprimanded by leaders in private. The importance of opposite-sex marriage was stressed with the statement that Jesus and the prophets believed in it and that allowing evil like this to grow would destroy the basic family unit and bring calamities.^[411][412]

See also

References