A close friend of mine wrote the following about Howard Anderson, who established a "3rd Friday" meeting held at the stake center next to the LA temple. It was an outreach to gay mormons. What my friend wrote speaks for itself. I can only add that I wish I'd gotten to know Howard and his family more.

Howard Anderson 1928-2014

Word is making its way through the GLDS community and I want to do my part to spread news. Howard Anderson passed away yesterday. Services will be at 11:00 Saturday morning at the Westwood chapel on Ohio Street, immediately behind the Los Angeles temple. I'm hoping some of us can get over to BJ's at Century City afterward for lunch and a remembrance discussion and celebration of Howard's life.

Howard Anderson is the former stake president of the Los Angeles stake who was instrumental in reaching out to gay and lesbian members in the mid-1990s. He played an important role in my growth and development and provided vital support to my parents during a time when there were scant resources available for Mormon families with gay children.

In 1993, Howard bucked The norm and created a monthly outreach meeting for gay members of his stake, a population he felt had been cast aside and wasn't being served by current church practices. That meeting was a lifeboat for many of us who were LDS, gay, and who were trying to figure out where we fit in. The monthly meeting took off and grew larger than Howard anticipated. people drove in from San Diego, Las Vegas, and the Bay Area...the meeting clearly met a need. word spread, and the outreach meeting became controversial making Howard a lightning rod. Howard received angry phone calls from other stake presidents and personally heard comments from otherwise decent people about how the LA Stake had "gone native," as if it was anti-Mormon to love unconditionally and reach out to the lesser-thans.

When Mormon leaders in Salt Lake ramped up their political efforts in Hawaii, they pressured Howard to end the outreach meeting--mormons couldn't be funding antigay political measures, demonizing and blaming the gays for society's ills while a stake president in Los Angeles was ministering to those same people and their families. Howard pushed pack, saying that gay Mormons needed love as much as the straight Mormons did. Howard lost that battle, was replaced, and the outreach meeting canceled. The LDS community went on to embrace policies of discrimination and bigotry over those of love and charity, and the church continues to wrestle with the consequences those decisions.

Howard was never out to change the church nor did he doubt the church's teachings or position; he simply wanted to minister to those who fell outside of the mainstream and to make them (us) feel loved and welcomed because that is what Jesus would do.

Howard and his wife Midene came to our wedding and it was a high honor for us to have them there. Howard understood Mormon philosophy and exemplified LDS principles. He provides a great example for other Mormons to follow.

He sounds like a wonderful human being! Thanks for sharing this.

My understanding is that it is anti-Mormon to love unconditionally and reach out to the lesser-thans.

Sorry this man is gone.

With the way power structures are set up in the LDS church, for a mid level manager to openly protest in such a manner as an outreach to LBGT people, that is a true leader.

Most people in LDS 'leadership' positions are rubber stamp bureaucrats.

The world needs more people like this guy.

Ironically, LDS Inc would probably gain far more members if they were not so bigoted.

Or at least not be losing them as fast. Religious membership overall, is losing ground. Sure there are some types of faiths that are still growing, but they are only doing so by syphoning off the unsatisfied of other faiths, faster than their own unsatisfied can leave. A lot of the more popular churches are the ones that act as rest stops, on the highway out of traditional religion.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/22/2014 03:50PM by forbiddencokedrinker.

At the time my partner was Scott Lund, the son of Gerald Lund author of THe Work and The Glory or as Scott called it The Work and the Glory Hole. We went to one of the meetings mentioned above. I believe it was referred to as a Fireside. We got there early. We were sitting around waiting for the meeting to happen and decided that it would be a healing experience to "embrace our sexuality" while we were waiting. When we eventually went into the meeting we were informed it was cancelled and that Howard Anderson had been told he could no longer have any such meetings by the regional rep. The rationale was that Mr Anderson was dealing with gay guys outside his stake boundaries and jurisdiction.

We had a lot of fun that night but I have to admit it was plain that some of the guys were really hoping for acceptance and understanding. It was not coming then…it is not coming now… but we were

When we lived in LA in the late 1970s, Howard and Midene were best friends with my parents. We moved away in 1978, when I was 5, so I don't have any memories of them, really. It warms my heart to read that he had been such an outspoken advocate and ally for LGBTQ members.

To Howard Anderson - a true Hero!

Topping.

Maybe some gay (or straight) rfmers who live in the LA area would like to attend the service on Saturday at 11am at the stake center by the temple. An openly gay exMormon friend of mine is the funeral director.

Since it's a former SP, I'm sure it'll be one of those traditional LD$ funerals. I'm wondering if anyone will mention his service to LGBTQ Mormons.

I will return and report.