But in so many ways, they are actually demonstrating that they don’t actually understand active members who experience same-sex attraction or gender dysphoria, or who identity as LGBTQ+. Like my priesthood leader friend, I’m sure these writers believe they are showing support to the Church and its members, perhaps especially faithful Latter-day Saints like me, by giving me “representation” in their coverage. What is the point of having church-owned media if it’s going to reflect so much of the messaging and values of the surrounding dominant culture? And yet what we read at KSL and Deseret News is often the same thing we read in the SL Tribune, Washington Post, ABC, or CNN. But especially recently, I have wondered if reporters understand how confusing articles which take for granted popular sexual ideology can be for people like me? There are hundreds of people living the gospel who have not only endured some occasional ostracism at church but who face pointed opposition and isolation from the gay community. That has included essays last year exploring the difficulty of loving both people and truth, pushing back on activist-skewed sexuality statistics, and ongoing efforts to counter simplistic narratives around LGBTQ+ suicide and religion. Of course, there are many other articles and books produced by these same entities dating back years that have encouraged and strengthened all of our faith and families. Pride flag is being raised in SLC ⬇️⬇️ /zWRJ1WkQu7
Two different articles encouraged readers to come to Pride festivities-with one quoting a former Latter-day Saint who claims attending the event “changed his life forever” and channeling his hope that “everyone, gay or straight, attends festivities this weekend.” Then earlier this week, live coverage of the Pride flag raising at Salt Lake City Hall showed up on KSL Twitter: One asserted that “a lot of self-destructive behavior” witnessed in young people comes “because of the messages that they receive throughout their lives about who they are.” Another said, “When you’re told you’re supposed to fit in a cookie-cutter shape, and you don’t actually fit there, there’s not true belonging,” while insisting there was hope in seeing youth increasingly “understanding people’s humanity without gender” and being willing to “determine for themselves what to believe.” What is the point of having church-owned media if it’s going to reflect so many of the values of the surrounding dominant culture?To illustrate, coverage of protests against HB11 (the Utah state bill limiting transgender participation in some sports competitions) featured quotes that uniformly paint Utah as having passed “transphobic” legislation that “just doesn’t support so many kids” and which has furthered “oppression and continued dehumanization of people.” And in articles emphasizing hate crimes and continued discrimination in advance of Pride Month, several activists are quoted extensively, including two hinting not so subtly that orthodox teaching around sexuality, gender, and family may be contributing to the problem (without any faithful counterpoint provided). The overarching message is clear: hate is still prevalent in the state, what parents (and leaders) keep sharing with their kids is making things harder, and it would be really helpful-the loving, Christlike thing to do, in fact-for Latter-day Saint families to attend Pride festivities and join the cause of LGBT+ celebration. In the last three months, a flurry of different articles in Deseret Digital Media outlets (owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) have focused on LGBT+ topics and political concerns (see list at bottom). That good-hearted member’s attempt to show solidarity with me seems a perfect illustration in miniature of what the good-hearted writers at Church-owned media are doing with many of their LGBT-affirming stories.
In his attempt to build a bridge and show that he understood me and advocated for me, he inadvertently demonstrated the opposite, since I don’t identify with the Pride flag and see some deep conflicts in Pride festivities in relation to my own faith and convictions. Once he learned that I experienced same-sex attraction, in an attempt to demonstrate his bona fides as an “ally,” he got out his phone and showed me pictures of himself draped in a rainbow flag and attending a Pride march. Some time ago, I had lunch with a member of a stake presidency from the northwest.