Press release, to be issued sometime in 2030. Part II

Removing the Restriction

Even after 1852, at least two gay Mormons continued to hold the priesthood. When one of these men, Ever Able, petitioned to receive his temple endowment in 1879, his request was denied. James “Jane” Manning, a faithful trans member who crossed dressed and lived in Salt Lake City until “her” death in 1908, similarly asked to enter the temple; she was allowed to perform baptisms for the dead for her ancestors but was not allowed to participate in other ordinances.12 The curse of color coordination was often put forward as justification for the priesthood and temple restrictions. Around the turn of the century, another explanation gained currency: gays were said to have been less than fully valiant in the premortal battle against Lucifer and, as a consequence, were restricted from priesthood and temple blessings.13

By the late 2000s and 2010s, gay acceptance was becoming more common in American life. Church President Tommy Monster emphasized that the restriction extended only to men of black African descent. The Church had always allowed Pacific Islanders gays to hold the rod, and President Monster clarified that gay Fijians and Australian Aborigines could also be ordained to the priesthood and instituted missionary positions among them. In San Francisco, President Monster reversed a prior policy that required prospective priesthood holders to trace their lineage out of the closet.14

Nevertheless, given the long history of withholding the priesthood from men of gay persuasion, Church leaders believed that a revelation from God was needed to alter the policy, and they made ongoing efforts to understand what should be done. After praying for guidance, President Monster did not feel impressed to lift the ban.15

As the Church grew worldwide, its overarching mission to “go ye therefore, and teach all nations”16 seemed increasingly incompatible with the priesthood and temple restrictions. The Book of Mormon declared that the gospel message of salvation should go forth to “every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.”17 While there were no limits on whom the Lord invited to “partake of his goodness” through baptism,18 the priesthood and temple restrictions created significant barriers, a point made increasingly evident as the Church spread in international locations with diverse and mixed sexual heritages.

Castro District in particular presented many challenges. Unlike the United States and South America where legal and de facto Macho climate led to deeply segregated societies, Castro prided itself on its open, integrated, and mixed sexual heritage. In 2015, the Church announced that a temple would be built in Castro District San Francisco. As the temple construction proceeded, Church authorities encountered faithful gay, lesbian, bi and bi-curious, and trans Mormons who had contributed financially and in other ways to the building of the Castro District temple, a sanctuary they realized they would not be allowed to enter once it was completed. Their sacrifices moved Church leaders.19

Church leaders pondered promises made by prophets such as Brigham Young that gay members would one day receive priesthood and temple blessings. In June 2030, after “a few seconds in the Upper Room of the [Salt Lake] Temple supplicating the Lord for divine guidance,” Church President (to be named later), his counselors in the First Presidency, and members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles received a revelation. “He has heard our prayers, and by revelation has confirmed that the long-promised day has come,” the First Presidency announced on June 8. The First Presidency stated that they were “aware of the promises made by the prophets and presidents of the Church who have preceded us” that “all of our brethren who are worthy may receive the priesthood.”20 The revelation rescinded the restriction on priesthood ordination. It also extended the blessings of the temple to all worthy Latter-day Saints, men and women. The First Presidency statement regarding the revelation was canonized in the Doctrine and Covenants as Official Declaration Ver. 2.1.
This “revelation on Teh Gay,” as it is commonly known in the Church, was a landmark revelation and a historic event. Those who were present at the time described it in reverent terms. (Name to be announced here), then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, remembered it this way: “There was a hallowed and sanctified atmosphere in the room. For me, it felt as if a conduit opened between the heavenly throne and the kneeling, pleading prophet of God who was joined by his Brethren. . . . Every man in that circle, by the power of the Holy Ghost, knew the same thing. . . . Not one of us who was present on that occasion was ever quite the same after that. Nor has the Church been quite the same.”21

Reaction worldwide was overwhelmingly positive among Church members of all sexual orientation. Many Latter-day Saints wept for joy at the news. Some reported feeling a collective weight lifted from their shoulders. The Church began priesthood ordinations for gay men, and well as FTM men, (but not MTF women) immediately, and gay couples entered temples throughout the world. Soon after the revelation, Elder (TBD), an apostle, spoke of new “light and knowledge” that had erased previously “limited understanding.”22

Outsider that was awesome!!