A Queer Atheist In the Heart of Mormon Country

[cbayer]

http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/sexandgender/7137/a_queer_atheist_in_the_heart_of_mormon_country/

June 6, 2013
By CHRIS STEDMAN
Chris Stedman is the Assistant Humanist Chaplain at Harvard University and author of Faitheist: How an Atheist Found Common Ground with the Religious.


Mormons Building Bridges marches at this year's gay pride parade in Salt Lake City. (Toto, I think we're not in Utah anymore...)

Last weekend a group of around 400 Mormons marched in the Utah Pride Parade. Calling themselves “Mormons Building Bridges,” they were met with enthusiastic applause. Carrying signs with messages like “Love 1 Another” and “LDS heart LGBT,” they were there to show their support for the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) community and celebrate recent advancements in issues relating to LGBTQ people and Mormons, such as Bishops no longer excommunicating members who come out and the Boy Scouts of America voting to allow openly gay scouts to participate. (LGBTQ adults and atheists still cannot do so openly.)

As I read about Utah Pride in preparation for my remarks this upcoming weekend as the 2013 Boston Pride interfaith speaker, I couldn’t help but reflect on what I learned during a recent visit to Utah.

It was late in the evening when I arrived, and I knew I would be there for only 24 hours. I was met by Alasdair Ekpenyong, a college sophomore who stands at the crossroads of intersecting identities and convictions: black, LGBTQ-affirming, feminist, progressive, a lover of bowties—and deeply Mormon.

Two weeks later, he would speak calmly and decisively at an anti-discrimination rally. But in the car that evening he spoke quickly and excitedly, stumbling over his words a bit but still impressively knowledge and articulate, referencing countless texts and ideas I’d never even heard of. I asked if we could stop to pick up some food and, with french fries in our laps, he gave me a quick tour of Salt Lake City, demonstrating an intimate knowledge of the area and the people who call it home.

more at link

[demwing]

1. LGBTQ?

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer?

I guess I need some schooling

Can anyone tell me what is implied by "queer" that wasn't included under the "lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender" umbrella?

[cbayer]

2. There is not always a clear answer to this, but mostly I have heard

it to mean "questioning" and applied to those who are not sure. Others have said it does stand for "queer" and is meant to be all-inclusive.

[dimbear]

3. That's a good start. The church was stung by the backlash against their

sponsorship of proposition Hate. One who felt that backlash: Mitch Romney.

[cbayer]

4. Agree. There are some progressive Mormons who are

starting to make some noise.

One of my favorites is Joanna Brooks. She writes regularly for RD and is often interviewed on talk shows.

[dimbear]

5. I'm going back to Mormon country next week. I'll keep my eyes open.

Looks hopeful so far.

[cbayer]

6. We just drove through Utah.

I was again struck by how nice the mormons can be.

But then again, I look like them. Not sure how one might experience it if they looked or acted differently (brown skinned, glbt).

I saw no evidence of political activism from any direction, but we were in very rural areas.

[dimbear]

7. Almost all of Utah's Democrats are in SLC or Ogden.

I'm sure whole towns in the outback haven't one.

Oh, wait. Or Park City.

[cbayer]

8. I will say this, Southern Utah is just about the most awe-inspriing place on earth.

We stumbled across a canyon that literally took my breath away. It's barely marked on the maps or on the road - Cedar Breaks National Monument

It's not hard to understand why they stopped and stayed. It's also not that hard to understand how they may have thought there was something divine about the area.