Polygamy was probably attracted to bisexual, or even lesbian women who converted to Mormonism, and I have even seen old political cartoons and editorials that suggested that there were a lot of bisexual and lesbian women who were polygamist wives in the Mormon system. Rather or not that is true, or the imagination of Eastern editors, I don't know. I could see the appeal for women of alternative sexual orientation, to Mormonism, in the strict Victorian days. That said, I could not see that same appeal existing today in the FLDS system.
Following that logic, one could surmise a lot of gay men would join TSCC because there would not be wives available to marry, so they could act like they were trying to get married, but there would not be enough women to go around.
Also, the eastern papers of the time were not supporters of the LDS church from what I have read. Putting the lesbian label on the wives would be a way of condemning Mormonism, lesbianism not being socially acceptable back then.
Of course the Eastern newspapers were condemning. We are talking about the Victorian age. I'm sorry, my comments should have been more clear. I don't think being a polygamist wife would have been preferable to a lesbian or bisexual woman in that age, however, I could see a woman of that background mistakenly thinking she might be better accepted, and thus converting to Mormonism. Remember, as much as polygamy was taboo in that age, homosexuality, either for men or women, was more so. I could see a young woman, with those desires, from a small Welsh or Norwegian town foolishly think that she was going to someplace where she would be accepted for the way she was. Rather or not that was the reality, and I suspect it was not, may not matter, since she had no idea of knowing what was really going on in Utah other then rumor.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/24/2013 12:28AM by forbiddencokedrinker.
The story of Louie B. Felt & May Anderson was an interesting one. They ran the Primary & "The Children's Friend" magazine for decades. No one ever did prove if they were actually in a relationship or not. May didn't marry Louie's husband though. However, some historians claim that Louie supposedly previously had relationships with 2 of her husband's subsequent wives, before she was supposedly in a relationship with May. Of course, TBM historians deny that they were gay or bisexual, & deny that the ladies had a relationship. They say that they were "just good friends".
Many women that were converted in Europe did not know that the Mormons practiced polygamy. Those lying missionaries told them those were just vicious rumors. The unsuspecting, naive young women saved their money, left their families came to America by a long arduous ship journey, then train to desert Utah, only to be out of money and thinking they came to Zion, only to be terribly duped with no where to go. Damn cult!!!