Trash Away
Early on in my time at USU, I heard in an LDS institute about Proposition Eight. It was a proposition that was going to redeem a God-forsaken land from its great scourge: the gay community. I was offended to realize that, in California, couples that weren’t straight could get married to each other. I was also hurt to know that activists and community members were protesting the church’s activism for the proposition outside of temple grounds. Didn’t they know, I thought, they were mocking things that were sacred to us?
These protests led me to think, and wonder about the LGBT community. I first was offended by them. After all, that’s how my church taught me to feel. Sure, I would say that God still loved them, but deep down I knew that they were leading their lives in a way that offended God. And protesting something sacred to Mormons didn’t seem to help at the time.
It did, however, plant a seed. The memory stuck with me, and I started to wonder what it is like to be gay. I searched out the stories of people in the LGBT community. I listened and read, and eventually was forced to abandon my belief that they were sexual deviants wantonly defying God. They were humans like me, that, just like me, that just happened to be emotionally and sexually attracted to people of the same gender. They had the same need for connection and intimacy that I had.
This memory was brought up again this past month after watching Tyler Glenn’s recently released music video “Trash.” In it, he spits in the face of Joseph Smith, shows secret temple tokens and dances with ripped out pages of the Book of Mormon flying behind him. This is his protest against the church’s harmful rhetoric against the LGBT community. I am certain that many Mormons have been offended by the video. Some say that, for that reason, it was wrong for him to put out the video.
Yet we should not defend and cater to the delicate sentiments of most Mormons, who are offended by just about everything and anyone that doesn’t treat them like royalty. Instead, we should call out, and fight against the harmful rhetoric, which they hide behind the claim that their views are not just true, but are ‘sacred.’ Glenn does an excellent job of this in his video.
Challenging the ‘sacred’ will cause people to think. Some will reconsider their views, and maybe even grow to be more tolerant because of the video. Or some will become further entrenched in the attack on the LGBT community (but I hardly believe they would change their mind anyway). Like the temple protests for me, this offense might cause some Mormons to think more about how the church’s actions harm others.
They may realize that treating LGBT members of the community as third-rate citizens, denigrating them and ostracizing their children is more than offensive. It’s an egregious moral violation at the expense of a vulnerable community.
—Bradley Robinson
bradley.s.robinson12@gmail.com
@robinsonbrain
A lovely and charitable response to Tyler Glenn’s video. Thank you.
This opinion made me so, so sad. I feel like the pro-LGBT message is one of dispelling hate and accepting everyone for who they choose to be, even if they’re different. In one breath you tell people not to hate the LGBT community, but in the next you praise this man’s hateful actions toward the Mormon community.
Sure, there are many Mormons who need to be more accepting of the LGBT community. But there are also many LGBT supporters out there who need to accept Mormons. They may never agree, but they need to learn to tolerate and love each other.
Spitting in the face of the leaders and mocking the beliefs of either party will not solve the problem. Love and education will.
But Tyler Glenn IS a MORMON. One who has worked his WHOLE LIFE to fit into the “divine truth”. He knows the secret, sacred rites because he went on a mission, went through the temple, TRIED to defend the church & make it work. He is not a “they” or “them”. He is a member of our Mormon family who feels thrown away, treated like trash. What is more sacred the LIVES of our GLBTQ brothers & sisters or our “signs & tokens”
I believe that LDS people have the right to be upset about the video. Why do you believe that it’s OK for anyone to attack the LDS Church because they don’t agree with the LDS faith on certain topics? Why is it ok to reveal things that are sacred to their religion. Its Tyler Glenn’s right to share what he wants (though I believe it was wrong to share temple tokens) but how can you say it’s not ok for LDS people to vocalize their disapproval.
And the church is not treating the homosexual community as third-rate citizens. They are merely standing by their principles and teachings. There is no hate involved in that. The problem comes that people misunderstand the issue. Some Mormons do need to be more understanding of the situations of others but they should not be forced to promote things that are against their beliefs. LDS people have a right to their own beliefs, just like the homosexual community.